The countdown is on for spring cleaning. And I am not talking about cleaning my house. The type of spring cleaning I am doing for the month of March is that of cleaning my body-temple.
I am doing a partial fast known as The Daniel Fast. Those of you who know about the Daniel Fast know that the fast is a plant-based fast. You are now probably wondering why I am doing a fast like this when, I already eat a plant-based diet?
Remember my article, End your Love Affair with White Sugar, well I do not use white sugar, but I sure love sweets. During the Daniel Fast, I will give up a lot of foods that I enjoy eating including those sweet treats that I find myself enjoying a little too much. See there, I am human and I have weaknesses too.
I joined a friend on YouTube in the Daniel Fast. This fast begins today, March 1, 2011 and continues throughout the month of March. I have never done this type of fast before and I know the fast will help me cleanse.
I do not have money to spend on cleansing/detoxing kits. The foods I eat are all the cleansing tools I need. This fast is usually done for spiritual reasons, but we are doing it for health reasons.
What is the Daniel Fast?
The Daniel Fast is a partial fast in which calls for some restrictions. It is a biblical fast based on the experiences of the prophet Daniel. The Daniel Fast is a very popular form of fasting, probably because you do continue eating instead of eating nothing.
The Daniel Fast is similar to a vegan diet, in that it is completely plant-based. But this fast is more restrictive than a vegan diet. Just when you thought it could not get any more restrictive.
The Daniel Fast is based on Jewish fasting principles and the experiences of the prophet in Daniel chapter 1 and Daniel chapter 10 of the Bible. I will not discuss these chapters. But I will say that Daniel gave up meat and the rich foods and stuck with eating plant-based foods.
Daniel drank only water. When Daniel’s fasting period ended, there was a visible (healthy) difference his appearance as compared to the appearances of the other men who ate the rich foods.
How long is the Daniel Fast?
There is no set length of time to stay on the Daniel Fast. Most people who do the Daniel Fast do the fast for a twenty-one day period.
Twenty-one days is usually chosen because this is how long Daniel fasted in Daniel chapter 10. Choose the length of time that suits you and your needs. There is no magic number.
Foods to Include on the Daniel Fast
- All Fruits
- All Vegetables
- All whole grains
- All nuts and seeds
- All legumes
- All quality oils
- Water
- Soy foods*
- Condiments and cooking ingredients
*If you do not eat soy, increase your consumption of legumes, beans, seeds and nuts. If you do eat soy, make sure it is from an organic source and not highly processed.
Foods to Avoid on the Daniel Fast
- All meat and animal products
- All dairy products
- All sweeteners
- All leavened bread
- All refined and processed foods
- All solid fats
- All non-water beverages*
*I will continue juicing. Juicing helps meet vegetable serving requirements.
*I will also continue drinking smoothies. This helps meet fruit serving requirements.
Make sure you read the labels in all prepared foods.
My goal is to prepare most of my food, while eating very little processed foods.
Updates
I will update you weekly on how I am doing on the Daniel Fast. I do believe the Daniel Fast will help me in my overall health and well-being (mind, body, spirit and soul). There is nothing to it, but to do it!
What do you think about fasting? Have you done a fast before and if so, what type of fast did you do?
Recommended Reading and Information Source for this post:
Image: happykanppy “Vegetables in Basket” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Related articles
- Tune-Up by Cleansing the Body (evelynparham.com)
- Daniel Fast (withoutadornment.wordpress.com)
- What is a Daniel Fast? (wiredforconnection.wordpress.com)
Never heard of the Daniel Fast but you have peaked my interest. Just to be clear – Can you have stevia on this fast?
Will you be posting what foods you eat?
Hi Tai,
No, from my understanding, you cannot have any sweeteners. It’s been really tough and I’ll share how things go once a week on this blog.
I did do a video on my youtube channel showing a few dishes I had on Day 2. There was another dish I had, that I did not share in this video. Sauteed veggies & tofu over soba noodles. Check it out! 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn0YXdqsh2k
Evelyn
Hi Evelyn
I did a Daniel fast a few years ago. A Western Australian had written a book called Daniel’s Diet and I followed it for the recommended 10 days. It also incorporated meditating on Scripture verses too.
Have been thinking recently I would like to do it again. Will be interesting to hear how you found your 21day Daniel fast when it is completed.
Patricia Perth Australia
Hi Patricia,
Great! During my fast, I am incorporating scripture reading and prayer too. I am finding that it is really helping me in so many ways.
If you do the fast again, I would love to know how things work out for you.
Take care,
Evelyn
Hi Evelyn, I had some friends who did the Daniel Fast about a year ago. They were pretty strict with it for a few weeks actually. The one thing they almost all said was that it changed their perception of food. They ate for nutrition instead of just eating to fill boredom.. They may eat meat or a dessert every now and then but it’s a very different process.
Hey Bryan,
Thanks for sharing the information about your friends. I’ve been in this for 2 days now, and I am noticing that I am a lot more focused on the nutritional aspect of what I eat. Plus, I am noticing that I don’t have a desire to snack on things. If I do snack, I grab a piece of fruit or some veggies.
Take care,
Evelyn
I did a semi-fast in January that did wonders for reducing my sugar cravings and improving digestion. I eliminated excess sugar, dairy, eggs, wheat. I ate lots of leafy greens, some whole grain, fruit, and very limited animal protein (about 10 oz for the entire fast). It lasted about 10 days. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good during, and definitely after, the fast!
Hi Elaine,
Wow, that’s great! I’m glad you felt good during and after the fast.
Take care,
Evelyn
I tried Daniel Fast before too but after reading this I will try the Daniel Fast much frequently, it is very interesting and it seems really good. Also, I wasn’t expecting to read something about Daniel Fast on a blog, that makes this blog even greater than it already (for sure) is. Thank you very much for reminding me of Daniel Fast and for sharing this excellent article!
Hi Maria,
Wow, you have! Cool! I hope you do try it and let me know how it works for you.
Yeah, I never thought I would share anything like this on this site, but I did. I’m glad I shared it because it gives me an opportunity to share with others different types of fasts that can be done.
Thanks for chiming in!
Evelyn
Good luck to you Evelyn!
Hi Kymberly,
Thank you and it’s good to see you here! 🙂
Evelyn
I have never tried the official Daniel Fast but my husband and I do a major cleanse every spring and fall.
You and I eat don’t eat the same with me being a meat eater, but apart from eating the meat, I eat plenty of veggies and fruit, and I don’t eat cheese or milk products..So, it makes it easier to cleanse..
Good luck on your fast. I will check back for updates.
Hi Jo,
That’s great that your husband does the cleanse with you. I’m sure it makes things a lot easier.
I think it is a good healthy habit to eat plenty of veggies an fruit. It is a smart thing to not eat dairy, especially when it comes to doing cleanses. I think all that you are doing is awesome! 😉
Thank you!
Evelyn
Hi Evelyn,
It’s the first time I hear about The Daniel Fast. Good luck with that, I’m waiting for your updates 🙂
Reut.
Hi Reut,
Yeah, it’s considered a partial fast. I have never done this type of fast before. I’ve done short water fasts and practice fasting once a week, but not one like this. We’ll see how it all turns out.
Thanks!
Evelyn
Very interesting. Thank you for birthing knowledge – I’ve never heard of The Daniel Fast.
Seems pretty good. Not as cleansing as a juice or strictly fruit/veggie fast. Someone who eats the S.A.D. would greatly improve their situation following this plan.
Can’t wait to hear your updates. Should be a rather easy transition for you?
Peaces!
Hi Ali,
You’re right, it’s not as cleansing, but I’m dealing with a few little issues I want to get a hold on. The last week of the month I will do only raw foods.
I will probably do the raw foods for a little longer. I really want to do the next month on raw foods, I know this will be more cleansing. We’ll see.
Great point you bring up about the S.A.D. because I have read that the plan has really helped those who do the fast.
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Evelyn