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.

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. At the time, the Hebrews were living in exile in Babylonia. Daniel was an adviser to the Babylonian king.

The Babylonian king ate all kinds of foods restricted to Jews. This included non kosher foods, wine, and foods and drinks that had been offered to idols.

The modern day Daniel diet popularized by author and pastor Rev. Elmer Townes does not require that you follow 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 redemption. Some people make a commitment to stay on the fast for the rest of their lives. Many churches are doing a church-wide Daniel fast for 21 days encompassing 4 Sundays. This stems from a 21 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 the Lord.

Here are some tips to help you be successful on the Daniel Diet.

1.Be specific about the amount of time you will spend on the diet.
2.Use the fasting as a spiritual commitment not a weight loss plan.
3.Use your external discipline to reflect your internal desire.
4.Pray and ask God to show you what sins role is in your physical problems.
5.Use your fast as a testimony to others.
6.Use your fast to learn the effects of the food you eat on your body.
7.Give praise to God for whatever successes you have on the Daniel Diet.

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The Daniel Diet is about as far from a fad diet as you can get. While fad diets are, by definition, very new, the Daniel Diet has roots that go back approximately 2,600 years! Most people may try this eating plan as a way to lose weight, but it is specifically designed to help you have a better relationship with God at the same time.

The diet has its origin in the following Bible verse: “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.” – Daniel 1:8 (NIV). During this time, Daniel was a Hebrew living in Babylonia, and was saying that he would stick to the dietary guidelines his people received from God. Babylonians were not under the same rules for eating, and they would eat foods that were off limits to the Jews.

Skipping ahead about 2,600 years…

The Daniel Diet was developed by Rev. Elmer Townes. It does not have the exact restrictions as the Jewish dietary laws mentioned in the Bible. However, it serves the same purpose by putting God first, and the weight loss is secondary.

Partial fasting is a big part of the program. Some of the foods you can eat include fruit and vegetable juices, whole grains, water, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. These are all healthy foods. You may have also noticed that they are all foods that are derived directly from nature and not a scientific laboratory.

Foods that are not a part of the Daniel Diet include refined sugar, chemical sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, meat, white bread or rice, caffeine, fried foods, shortening, margarine, alcohol, carbonated beverages, and additives or preservatives. This can be a big change for a lot of people.

As mentioned, this is more than just a diet. In fact, the first step is prayer so you can be spiritually prepared. You will then commit to staying on the diet for a set amount of time, and then letting others know about your promise to follow through.

Spiritual preparation is only the beginning. You will also have to get ready physically. This can take some doing–weaning yourself off the foods that aren’t allowed–but you have to be ready once you make the commitment.

How long you’re on the Daniel Diet is mostly up to you. Because of the strong spiritual component, a lot of people will tie it in with religious observances; Lent, for example. Others will do it as an entire church, or as part of a church group. That being said, a minimum of seven days is recommended if you want to see any weight loss results. Yet, there are even those who choose to dedicate one day per week to doing the Daniel Diet. As you can see, it’s a flexible plan that is more than just a diet and can be done by anybody.

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