The Daniel Diet – Biblical Fasting As Described in the Bible
The Daniel Diet is not simply a fad diet to lose weight. Instead, it is a spiritual commitment that may result in a drop in pounds. But, first and foremost, it is designed to improve your relationship with God.
Israel had been overthrown by the invading army from Babylon. A man named Daniel and some other Israeli young men were captured and put on a regimen to eventually be personal servants to the king. The Daniel diet is based on a verse from the Bible. Daniel 1:18 says, “Daniel proposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.” The Babylonian king ate all kinds of foods that were religiously restricted to Jews. This included nonkosher foods, wine, and foods and drinks that had been offered to idols. Daniel asked for and got permission to eat only vegetables and drink only water, which were both allowed by his religion. The result was that Daniel and his friends were the healthiest by the end of the training period.
But the modern day Daniel Diet popularized by author and pastor Rev. Elmer Townes does not require that you follow exactly the same program that the Biblical Daniel did.
The Daniel fast is not a full fast. You are allowed to eat whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and water, fruit juices and vegetable juices.
You must specifically avoid all meat, white flour or white rice, fried foods, caffeine, carbonated beverages (including diet soda), alcohol, foods with any preservatives or additives, refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, chemical sugar substitutes like equal, and margarine, shortening or any product with animal fats.
Before you begin the diet part of the Daniel fast, you need to prepare spiritually through prayer. Make a commitment to stay on the diet for a specified period and publicize it by writing it down and telling your family, friends and faith partners what you have promised God you will do.
You will also need to prepare yourself physically for the diet. If you are addicted to caffeine, it is a good idea to wean yourself off of coffee or soda for two weeks before starting the Daniel diet. Also, begin reducing meat consumption ahead of time so that this is not a shock to your system.
The length of time you stay on the Daniel Diet depends on you. Remember, this is not primarily a weight loss plan but a spiritual experience. The people of many churches do a church-wide Daniel fast for 21 days, encompassing four Sundays. This stems from the twenty-one day fast that Daniel recounted in Daniel chapter 10. Other people fast for the entire 40 days of Lent. However, you can do the Daniel fast for as little as 7 days and see results.
Some people report that they do a one day a week complete fast as a sacrifice to God.
Here are some tips to help you be successful on the Daniel Diet:
- Be specific about the amount of time you will spend on the diet before you start.
- Use the fasting as a spiritual commitment to better physical, emotional and spiritual health, not just a weight loss plan.
- Use your external discipline to reflect your internal desire.
- Pray and ask God to show you what behaviors you need to change in order to live as you wish to do.
- Use your fast to learn the effects on your body of the food you choose to eat.
- Give praise to God for whatever successes you have on the Daniel Diet.
Comments
This article hasn't been commented yet.
Notice: Information on this website is provided strictly for noncommercial public informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the care and information received from your healthcare provider. Please consult a healthcare professional with any health concerns you may have.
Write a comment
* = required field