A Practical Guide to Daniel Fasts

Photo of Daniel fast friendly foods by Olena Bohovyk on Unsplash.

Are you seeking God for breakthrough or have big decisions to make? Maybe you’ve done a 24-hour water fast and realize you can’t keep that up long term. Consider a Daniel fast.

What is a Daniel Fast? Daniel 10:2-3 says, “In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled” (NKJV).  He sought the Lord for wisdom about when the captivity of the Israelites would end. For something so momentous, he remained in a state of prayer.

Typically, a Daniel fast lasts 21 days where the person eats a restrictive vegan diet with no added sugars or preservatives and only whole grains. No fried food, just baked.

My youngest sister introduced me to the Daniel fast when we lived together. I had conducted short-term water-only fasts for big decisions, but hadn’t embarked on any long-term fasts.

My first Daniel fast was seven days. I had no idea what I was doing. I ate oatmeal with peanut butter every day and quickly lost energy. Microwave meals (my previous standard diet) were not permitted. Fortunately, my sister made several dishes like sweet potato curry so I didn’t run out of nutrients.

After several shorter Daniel fasts with my sister supplementing my oatmeal, I moved. In my new town, a friend encouraged me that if I wanted breakthrough in a certain area, I should do a long fast. I wanted answers, so I decided to try.

I went all in with a 45-day fast, including a day off for Thanksgiving with my family. After weeks of no sugar, dairy, or meat, my stomach ached from the feast. When coming off the fast, reintroduce foods gradually. I started the fast mainly eating oatmeal, but by the end I found Daniel-friendly recipes that I still enjoy. While I didn’t receive immediate answers, I learned to cook vegan. Sometimes, God answers what we need and not what we want.

Here are non-exhaustive lists of what to eat or not:

Examples of Allowable Foods

Grains – Whole grain wheat, steel cut or whole oats, whole grain brown rice, whole wheat pasta, quinoa, whole wheat couscous, corn, baked corn chips without preservatives,
Beans – Black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, black eyed peas, great northern beans, legumes, lentils
Nuts - cashews, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, macadamia nuts, seeds
Fruits – pears, apples, oranges, peaches, berries, bananas, avocado
Vegetables – spinach, lettuce, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans

Some people debate if coffee is permissible because it could be considered a luxury. For me to honor God, I need coffee. I believe as a bean from the ground, it counts as a natural food. However, I have only one black cup with no sugar or cream, a sacrifice for me. Still, if coffee violates your conscience, don’t drink it. If you regularly consume caffeine, I recommend weaning off it before the fast so you don’t get withdrawal headaches.

Examples of Foods Not Allowed

Meat – beef, chicken, pork, turkey, venison, fish
Dairy – milk, cheese, eggs, sour cream, coffee creamer
Grains – Anything made of enriched white flour like pasta or bread, Israeli couscous, orzo
Sweets – Candy, high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, honey, agave, aspartame, or stevia. No added sugars, only natural sugars like those already found in berries or fruit
Alcohol
Preservatives

Did you know that sugar and preservatives are in almost every food? I never study the ingredients of food as much as I do during a Daniel fast. I buy chickpeas from Target and black beans from Aldi because black beans at Target have preservatives. Vegetable broth is my secret ingredient for brown rice, quinoa, and couscous to enhance the taste. Many broths include sugar or preservatives, but Progressive and Trader Joe’s vegetable broths are Daniel friendly.

Here are links to some of my favorite recipes:

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Stew
https://www.healthy-liv.com/sweet-potato-and-chickpea-stew/
One Pan Mexican Quinoa
https://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/
Chickpea Tortilla Soup
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chickpea-tortilla-soup/
Vegan Three-Bean Chili
https://www.hauteandhealthyliving.com/vegan-3-bean-chili/

Three Cautions with Fasting

First, I want to caution again fasting too much. If your body needs certain nutrients to be healthy, please get supplements. The fast should not ruin your health, but grow you closer to God.  

Another caution: fasting is not intended as a means to manipulate God. We don’t fast to impress God so He bends to our wills. Instead, we align to His holiness. Somehow the sacrifice of food opens spiritual windows to hear God in ways impossible when we are satisfied with the world.

My third cautionary tale may sound odd, but I can find myself fasting without the right mindset. Zechariah 7:4-7 says, “Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me? When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? Should you not have obeyed the words which the Lord proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?’ (NKJV)”

Zechariah warned the Israelites that they fasted because for themselves and not God. They defied God’s commands and expected God to answer because they fasted. While I don’t disobey God’s directives while fasting, I don’t want to become complacent instead of maintaining a heart posture of prayer.

Sometimes in a long fast, I get into routine and can skip the deeper moments of communion with the Lord. It’s hard to focus in a 30-day fast unless you are in a dire crisis. I’m currently in a Daniel fast during Ramadan to pray for Muslims to know Jesus. I have an amazing prayer guide to help me intercede for their salvation. Yet, I don’t want to just go through the motions.

Another good opportunity for a Daniel fast is Lent. Because I’m fasting food for Ramadan, which overlaps with Lent, I gave up fiction for Lent this year. Whenever you need to seek the Lord for wisdom and direction, consider a Daniel fast. May the Lord bless you as you embark on your Daniel fast so you know Him deeper in the process.

• Have you ever tried a Daniel fast? How did it go?
• What questions to you have about a Daniel fast? I’m happy to help with the nuances