Daniel Fast on Paula Today

God is so good to have opened another door so others can learn about the Daniel Fast! I appear on Paula White’s television ministry program on January 6th and 7th where we talk about the Daniel Fast and its many benefits.

Susan Gregory and Paula White - The Daniel Fast

 You can check your Christian television schedule to learn of when the show will broadcast in your area . . .

Daniel Fast Instructions

The Daniel Fast is a powerful method for spiritual prayer and fasting. And the Daniel Fast instructions are simple once you learn the boundaries.

You can get a copy of the Daniel Fast Guidelines emailed to you by clicking here: http://daniel-fast.com

The Daniel Fast eating plan is like a vegan diet with more restrictions. The only beverage is water. So the primary foods are fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. There are no sweeteners on the fast — and no processed foods or chemicals.

Clearly, the purpose of the fast is to draw closer to God. During your fast you will want to focus your time with God for a specific purpose or to gain His advice, intervention or direction in your life. Again, check out our website where we are able to be more specific about the Daniel Fast instructions.

Daniel Fast Instructions

The Daniel Fast is growing in popularity around the world. Just today I received messages from brothers and sisters in Christ from South Africa, Singapore, France, United Kingdom, Canada, and the USA!

The Daniel Fast is a totally plant-based way of eating. It’s based on the fasting practices of the prophet’s fasting experiences as recorded in Daniel 1 and Daniel 10, along with typical Jewish fasting principles. So the fast is centered on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, seeds and good quality oils (i.e. olive and canola).  You can also use herbs and seasonings.

The only beverage on the fast is water, but you can use juice and unsweetened soy milk (also rice, almonds, etc) on cereal or in recipes.

To learn more about the food lists, go to http://Daniel-Fast.com and request a copy of the Daniel Fast Guidelines and they will be emailed to you immediately.

Most people do the Daniel Fast for 21 days, however it is not a required length. Many fast for as few as seven days or for as many as 50.

There are no restrictions as to the amount of food you can eat on the Daniel Fast or when you can eat. However, we do want to keep in mind that this is a fast. So I encourage people to eat no more than three moderate meals and two small snacks.

For more information about the Daniel Fast, visit http://Daniel-Fast.com and review this blog. You can also find the Daniel Fast book and Cookbooks as the website.

Be blessed on your fast!

The New Daniel Fast Book

Click on the book! Available at your online or local bookstore.

I am so pleased to announce the release of my brand new paperback book titled The Daniel Fast: Feed Your Soul, Strengthen Your Spirit, and Renew Your Body and published by Tyndale Publishing House. It’s available at all local and online bookstores throughout North America.

I have been able to go into great depths about the powerful discipline of prayer and fasting and really give you everything you need for a successful Daniel Fast in the 288 pages of this book.

As you can see from this blog and my Daniel Fast site, there is a lot to learn about the Daniel Fast. Thankfully, over the years as I’ve researched the hundreds of questions being asked, I’ve been able to gain a level of expertise about the Daniel Fast and it’s biblical truths and foundations.

I do hope you will support this lay ministry by purchasing this new paperback book from your favorite bookseller. I also want you to get it so that you can become an ambassador for the Daniel Fast and help get the truth out about the guidelines and what it really is all about. I have been shocked by what some are teaching about this fast . . . and that’s why you and others are needed to inform those who may be misled.

The book includes everything someone needs for a successful fast including what fasting is, the biblical background of prayer and fasting, how to prepare for a Daniel Fast, the Daniel Fast Guidelines, plenty of nutritious and tasty recipes for your Daniel Fast (it’s almost like a cookbook within a book), a 21-day Daniel Fast Daily Devotional, and a FAQ section!

So, please join me to get the word out about The Daniel Fast as more and more Christians enter into this discipline. The fasting movement is spreading throughout the world! And I praise God for all He is doing to motivate His children to draw closer to Him through prayer and fasting.

Be blessed and thanks in advance for your support!

Another good reason for no MSG on the Daniel Fast

I just read an article from Johns Hopkins University that cited a new study about MSG. You can find it at MSG STUDY. It’s worth reading, especially when you wonder why you feel so good while on the Daniel Fast.

The article is also very convincing as to why most men and women lose weight while on the Daniel Fast. Here’s an overview:

The study finds that MSG causes the human body to gain weight three times more than those who don’t use the chemical! Here’s an excerpt:

“The study focused on 750 Chinese men and women, ages 40-59, living in 3 rural villages in north and south China. Most of the study subjects prepared their meals at home without commercially processed foods and roughly 82 percent used MSG. Those participants who used the highest amounts of MSG had nearly 3 times the incidence of overweight as those who did not use MSG, even when physical activity, total caloric intake, and other possible explanations for body mass differences were accounted for. The positive correlation between MSG and higher weight confirmed what animal studies have been suggesting for years.”

Most people think MSG (monsodium glutamate) is found only in prepared Chinese food or the food you get in Chinese restaurants. But the truth is that more and more food manufactures are adding MSG to their products because the chemical is a flavor enhancer.

Here is what is really amazing: in 1950 Americans consumed about 1 million pounds of MSG a year. Now that consumption has increased by 300 percent! That’s right, American consume more than 3 million pounds of MSG each year! And we wonder why we have a weight problem!

The best way to avoid MSG is to make you own meals from scratch. When that it’s possible, then - here we go again - READ THE LABEL on the foods you purchase to see what the ingredients include. One problem is that the law only requires ingredients to be listed if they represent a certain percent of all the ingredients. So if what seems like only a small amount of MSG is added, then it will not appear on the list.

I hope that most of those on the Daniel Fast are making most of your meals from fresh products and using packaged products that you can be sure don’t include chemicals. One thing I know is that many men and women continue to eat a more healthy diet with pure foods after they complete the fast because they realize good food is so good for them.

Please take a few minutes and read the article about THE MSG STUDY. You owe it to yourself and to your body!

Daniel Fast Guidelines

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. Daniel 10:2, 3

Get an immediate download of the Daniel Fast Guidelines at www.Daniel-Fast.com

The Daniel Fast is a plant-based partial fast. It is based on the Prophet Daniel when he was under the rule of Babylonian kings for their personal service. Daniel recorded three occasions of fasting, though he likely fasted many more times since he was a man of God.

Daniel 10:2, 3 is where we find the model for the 21-day Daniel Fast. From this passage, a guidelines have developed over the years, primarily by Christians who use this as a form of fasting. The Daniel Fast has grown in popularity over the last 3 or 4 years as it’s been championed by Pastor Jentezen Franklin of Gainesville, GA.

No Pleasant Food: This would include breads, sugars and sweet foods.

No Meat: All animal products are restricted on the Daniel Fast. That includes meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products (milk, eggs, cheese, butter, etc.)

No Wine: This restriction, coupled with previous fasts where Daniel drank only water (which is typical for biblical fasting), is where today’s Daniel Fast finds its roots for water only. Fruit and vegetable juices are acceptable.

See The Daniel Fast Food List for more details.

For a collection of recipes and menu plans that will take you through an entire 21-day Daniel Fast, click here.

Spiritual Fasting: The Daniel Fast is a restriction of food for spiritual purposes. So the fast addresses not only the body, but also ones spirit and soul.

See these two posts for more information about Spiritual Fasting:

Spirit, Soul and Body

The Daniel Fast is Always a Spiritual Fast

For more complete information about the Daniel Fast (and to have all the information easily accessible) consider The Daniel Fast for the Body Soul and Spirit.

Teens on the Daniel Fast

I receive many questions about getting family members on board for a Daniel Fast, and frequently parents ask about how to motivate their teens to enter into the discipline. So I wanted to share my thoughts about this topic, especially since fasting and the Daniel Fast are growing in popularity among followers of Christ around the world.

First, I encourage parents familiarize themselves with the fast and why it is such a powerful discipline. Also, learn of the health benefits of the Daniel Fast as well as the benefits to the spirit and soul.

Then, call a family meeting to introduce the Daniel Fast to the other family members. Explain that you (the parents) have chosen to enter into the spiritual experience and that your hope is that the whole family will engage in the fast. Explain what the fast is, perhaps reading Daniel 1 and Daniel 10 and showing them a print-out of the Daniel Fast Food List.

However, be quick to explain that you understand that as teens, their food needs are different since they are growing and physically more active. Suggest that they continue to eat chicken and less bread or other foods that would assure their success on the fast.

Ask them if this is something they would like to do and what modifications they think might be good. And tell them you want to help them be successful on their fast.

If your teen balks at the fast, ask him or her to consider it for a day or two before giving a final answer. If they don’t want to participate, then accept their decision and let it go. Tell them they can change their minds, or decide to fast from soda or candy or some other single food. But since this is a decision they need to make for themselves, let them decide.

Younger children should not be required to engage on a full Daniel Fast, however it would be okay to introduce your children to fasting by leading them into a fast from candy or sugary desserts.

Remember, a fast should never be harmful to ones body and should guide the believer into a deeper walk with Christ. Fasting is a discipline, but it is not legalistic. There is no power in foods eaten or restricted. The power is in putting your spirit in charge of your soul and your body . . . committing the fast and the time to the Lord and drawing closer to Him as you seek Him with your whole heart.

Parents, please offer your comments! Perhaps you have some ideas that can help others as they lead their family into the power and discipline of spiritual fasting.

Daniel Fast and Weight Loss

Okay, for the last couple days I’ve noticed the old jeans are getting a little tight! Argh! I hate that! The truth is that I gained about five unwanted pounds over the last few weeks. You know how those annoying ounces turn into pound and pretty soon the pounds start raising havoc! And then without warning, you have to yank to get the jeans pulled up instead of “slipping” into them!

So, I am going to turn to the Daniel Fast for the next ten days and try to shed some of the extra pounds. Now, let me be clear . . . I am now shifting to the Daniel Diet . . . because my goal is to lose weight. I am not fasting, which is to restrict food for spiritual purposes. So I am using the powerful health benefits of the Daniel Fast style of eating to return my body to its healthier weight.

I think it’s important that we keep things straight about the Daniel Fast. Fasting is for spiritual purposes, and when using the Daniel Fast you will benefit physically along with the benefits to your soul and spirit.

Dieting on the other hand is first about the body – the physical body. So I am going to start a diet . . . using the Daniel Fast way of eating . . . and hopefully shed the unwanted pounds.

I receive messages from many people on the Daniel Fast who lose anywhere between 3 and 40 pounds during their 21-Day Daniel Fast. My typical weight loss is around 10 pounds. That’s why I say the Daniel Fast is a whole body experience. It’s good to put your spirit in control of your soul (the place where cravings, emotions, intellect, feelings and the like reside) and your physical body by restricting foods. The Daniel Fast is so healthy and the time of concentration on the Lord through focused prayer so powerful, that many are healed during their fasting experience.

With all that said, I just wanted to be clear. I am going to follow the Daniel Fast guidelines for health purposes. I will fast later, and then it will be strictly for spiritual purposes. But for now, I want to get into my jeans without having to call for help!

No Animal Products on the Daniel Fast

I just read another question asking if chicken broth is allowed on the Daniel Fast.

The answer is easily, “No.” The bottom line is that no animal products are allowed on the Daniel Fast. This is drawn from both accounts of Daniel’s fasting as described in Chapter 1 and in Chapter 10. On these two “partial fasts,” Daniel ate no meat and only fruits and vegetables.

So as long as any product has an origin from an animal of any type, it is not allowed on the Daniel Fast. This goes for all dairy products, cheese, eggs, etc.

Youth, Special Diets, and the Daniel Fast

 I want to answer some questions I’ve received about the Daniel Fast and how to handle various circumstances.

First things First: Remember the definition of fasting – to restrict food for a spiritual reasons. The Daniel Fast is a biblical model, but there is nothing powerful about the specific foods eaten or not eaten. The “power” in the fast is that a believer is consecrating (setting aside or separating) himself or herself for a period of time for prayer and fasting. This period of consecration will affect the body, soul, and spirit. By restricting some foods on the Daniel Fast, one is taking authority over the flesh and requiring that it submit to the spiritual discipline.

Youth and Teens on the Daniel Fast: First of all, the Daniel Fast is a very healthy diet. So if young people are signing up for the fast, there really isn’t a problem of getting enough nutrition. I think the bigger question is youthfulness, schedules, and perhaps physical demands of young people in sports.

If your child, a Sunday School class, or a youth group is entering the fast, then you might want to ask the young people what would work for them. Perhaps they will fast all sugar and “junk food” and otherwise eat their normal diet. Or maybe they will stick with the Daniel Fast at home, but resume their normal food intake when at school.

Talking with the teens and having them pray about the fast and how they can be authentic and true, but at the same time not set themselves up for failure, is important. Also, if a teen has high protein needs, then keeping eggs and other dairy in the fast might work or not eliminating meat, but just breads, desserts, fried foods, etc.

Diabetic requirements: First of all, anytime you are changing your diet or exercise plan, you should consult your health provider. So please do so if you have special diet needs and plan to enter the Daniel Fast.

With that said, the Daniel Fast is actually a very healthy diet! If you are willing to eat different foods than what you may normally consume, you will have all the protein, vitamins, minerals, and other requirements that your body needs. Since diabetics need to keep their food intake in proper balance, you may need to make some adjustments . . . but that’s all okay. Remember, this is a spiritual fast. Any fast should never cause harm! You might even find yourself in better health while on the Daniel Fast with lower sugar consumption and healthier carbohydrates.

Here’s an idea: Ask your doctor to supply you with a vegan or vegetarian eating plan specifically designed for diabetics. Use this as your fast and then, just like all fasting – stick with the plan! You will likely find it very similar to the Daniel Fast.

Special Health Needs: If you are currently under a doctor’s care or have health issues that concern you, please be sure to consult your health provider before entering the fast. Direct them to this site where they have immediate access to the Daniel Fast food list and guidelines.

Other questions: Please contact me if you have other thoughts and questions. My goal with the site is to provide quality information for people as they seek a deeper relationship with the Lord through prayer and fasting.