Another good reason for no MSG on the Daniel Fast

July 30, 2009 at 12:54 pm (2009 Daniel Fast, 21-day fast, Daniel Fast, Daniel Fast Guidelines, Foods and Menus, Health & Healing)
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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!

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Daniel Fast Guidelines

January 6, 2009 at 10:17 am (Daniel Fast Guidelines)
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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.

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Teens on the Daniel Fast

August 11, 2008 at 10:45 am (Daniel Fast, Daniel Fast Guidelines, Spiritual Fasting)
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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.

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Daniel Fast and Weight Loss

June 27, 2008 at 11:37 am (Daniel Fast, Daniel Fast Guidelines, Health & Healing)
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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! :-)

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No Animal Products on the Daniel Fast

March 4, 2008 at 4:48 pm (Daniel Fast Guidelines, Foods and Menus)

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.

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Youth, Special Diets, and the Daniel Fast

December 27, 2007 at 2:52 pm (Daniel Fast Guidelines, Foods and Menus, Health & Healing)
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 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.

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2008 Daniel Fast for Body, Soul and Spirit — $4.95

December 14, 2007 at 5:02 pm (2008 Daniel Fast, Daniel Fast, Daniel Fast Guidelines, Daniel Fast eBook, Faith, Foods and Menus, Meal Planning, Preparation, Spiritual Fasting, daniel fast recipes)
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The 2008 Daniel Fast for Body, Soul and Spirit – $4.95Daniel Fast for Body Soul & Spirit

Available now for immediate download

This 54-page Daniel Fast eBook was written especially for Christian men and women who want meaning and depth to their Fast by prayerful preparation and daily journaling. The eBook includes:

  • Daniel Fast Guidelines
  • Daniel Fast Food Lists
  • Meal Planning Forms
  • Daniel Fast Recipes and Menus (updated with the weekly Daniel Fast Newsletter).
  • How to Prepare your Spirit
  • How to Prepare Your Soul
  • How to Prepare You Body
  • Journal pages to capture your reflections and insights
  • Food log to track your food and water intake
  • Fasting tips
  • Prayers and Meditations
  • Meditations and valuable insights to assure your success for the Daniel Fast.
  • Plus, a free subscription to the Daniel Fast Newsletter so you can learn of miracles, answered prayer, fasting tips, recipes, and other interesting information about the Daniel Fast

And more valuable information that will assure your success for the Daniel Fast. Included with the purchase of The 2008 Daniel Fast for Body, Soul and Spirit is ongoing email follow-ups with recipes, fasting tips, prayers, news about miracles and answered prayer and other Daniel Fast Resources.

Perhaps one of the best benefits of this eBook is that you will learn ways to walk in the spirit and separate from the flesh, just like the Scriptures call us to do. This eBook will help you focus and bring meaning and depth to your fasting experience.

The 2008 Daniel Fast for Body, Soul and Spirit is now available in the eBook form for the low cost of just $4.95

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The Daniel Fast is ALWAYS a Spiritual Fast!

December 12, 2007 at 6:41 pm (Bible Teachings, Daniel Fast Guidelines, Spiritual Fasting)
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Okay, I might get some raised eyebrows on this post! But I’m just trying to bring some clarity about the Daniel Fast. And by the way, it’s a Daniel FAST and not a Daniel DIET!

Why am I making such a distinction? The reality is that the Daniel Fast is much more than the types of food consumed. If you are looking for the Daniel Diet then click on the food list and call it a “twist” on a vegan diet.

Entering the Daniel Fast without a spiritual purpose is like going golfing without clubs. You may have had a great time walking around the course and even yelling, “Fore!” But the reality is that you really weren’t golfing. You were doing something else . . . which is fine, but it wasn’t golfing.

You see, the Daniel Fast originated with the prophet Daniel! And the reason Daniel fasted was because of his devotion to God. The devotion came before the dietary restrictions, not the other way around.

Daniel records three times when he fasted, but he most likely did so more often. The first fast was recorded in Daniel 1. The food and wine the king wanted Daniel to eat had been offered to idols. However, he had already consecrated (set apart) his life to God. If he ate or drank of these things, he would defile his body. So that’s why Daniel requested that he eat only vegetables (which actually included fruit) and drink only water.

Chapter 9 has the second recorded time of Daniel fasting and when he was deeply distraught over the nation of Israel being in exile. Jeremiah had already prophesied that Israel would be set free after 70 years of captivity. The time had come and so Daniel prayed and fasted. This time, it was probably what is called a “normal fast,” which is water only.

Chapter 10 has the third recorded time of Daniel fasting. He was concerned about a powerful dream he had received. The Scripture says he mourned for three weeks and ate no delicacies and no meat and drank no wine. This three week fast is the hub of the current day’s form of fasting commonly known as the Daniel Fast.

You can see that in all three instances, Daniel fasted for spiritual reasons. Once to stay pure before the Lord and two times to seek the Lord’s wisdom, direction and answers to prayer.

Daniel didn’t fast because he was overweight or needed a health tune-up. He fasted because of God in his life.

Now, please don’t get me wrong. I am all for healthy eating and losing weight and even the wonderful health benefits of the Daniel Fast. But to call eating the way Daniel did a “fast” without a primary motivation to draw closer to God just isn’t accurate. Biblical fasting was always about restricting food and always for the purpose of drawing closer to the Lord, observing spiritual laws, or seeking God in prayer.

So if you really want to use Daniel as the model, I hope you will do it all the way. Seeking and finding God is the most significant benefit of the Daniel Fast. Improving ones health is a great side benefit!

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The 21-Day Daniel Fast

December 11, 2007 at 7:53 am (2008 Daniel Fast, Daniel Fast, Daniel Fast Guidelines, How many days?, Spiritual Fasting)

“At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.” Daniel 10:2-3

The Prophet Daniel recorded several times of fasting, which can be found in the Old Testament Book of Daniel. For this fast, Daniel was seeking God’s wisdom, direction and insight. He had received powerful visions and dreams about times to come and he wanted understanding.

As a way of  devoting himself to the Lord and seeking God’s wisdom, Daniel fasted for 21 days, eating no delicacies or meat, and drinking no wine. This would be considered a “partial fast” since some food was consumed. This differs from what is called a “normal fast,” which is eating no food and drinking only water; and from an “absolute fast,” which is eating no food and drinking no liquids.

We don’t know for sure why Daniel chose a partial fast in Daniel 10:2, 3 as opposed to a normal fast, which it seems he did in Daniel 9:3. The length of the fast in the 9th chapter isn’t noted, so perhaps Daniel knew that a physically taxing 21-day fast from all food wouldn’t be wise considering his duties.

What we do know is that the 21-day partial fast resulted in Daniel seeing visions of angels and receiving powerful direction from the Lord.

Most Christians who will fast in the 2008 New Year Fast will chose the form of the 21-day Daniel Fast. This will  mean confining food intake to vegetables and fruits, and drinking only water (pure fruit and pure vegetable juices are considered acceptable).

Fasting has benefits for the spirit, the soul, and the body. However, if you have health issues, please consult your health care provider before starting any fast, including the 21-day Daniel Fast.

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Get Ready for the Daniel Fast

December 10, 2007 at 3:13 pm (2008 Daniel Fast, Bible Teachings, Daniel Fast, Daniel Fast Guidelines, Prayer, Preparation, Spiritual Fasting)
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Preparing for the Daniel Fast is important. Of course, you will want to get all the menus planned, the recipes gathered, and the food purchased. There is more about those matters in other posts you can find in this weblog (see the category list).

But on this post I want to focus on preparing spiritually for the Daniel Fast. God’s Word actually has some very important teachings about fasting and how to make it one that is pleasing to the Lord.

Fasting is FOR the Lord! Isaiah 58 is one of the chapters in the Bible you will want to read as you plan your fast. Here the Lord addresses the very important issue of priorities in fasting. He responds to the religious people who fast and then ask of the Lord, “Why have we fasted and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and you take no notice?”

The Lord admonishes the people because He could see the motive of their fast. They were not fasting for Him . . . but instead for themselves or to impress others who might see them. The people may have been fasting by not eating food – but they were leaving God and His desires for their lives out of it.  He said, “Behold, on the day you fast, you seek your own pleasures.” In other words, they were centering the fast on themselves! Theirs was a self-centered fast, rather than a God-centered fast.

So He asks the people, “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it to not share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from hour own flesh?” Isaiah 58:6, 7

Now was God saying that we are not to fast, but rather address our attention to the poor and oppressed? No. Instead He was admonishing these people because while they were focusing all their attention on the religious act of fasting, they were missing the heart of God. Their lives were not pleasing to Him and so there was no way He could “notice” their fast.

The Lord goes on to tell the people what He will do for them if they align their hearts to His heart, “Then your light will break forth like the dawn,  and your healing will quickly appear;  then your righteousness will go before you,  and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,  with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

As you prayerfully consider your fast, think about what will be pleasing to the Lord. Keep at the forefront of your thoughts that fasting is “unto the Lord.” He sees your heart (your motives) and He wants you to enter into this fast to seek Him, to honor Him, and to draw closer to Him.

Jesus also spoke of self-centered fasting in Matthew 6:16-18: “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Soon you will begin your fast. Take some time and meet with the Lord. Ask Him about the fast. Firstly, does He want you to fast now? Listen with your heart and you will hear what He would have you do.

If you are to fast at this time, then ask the Lord to show you His purpose for you during the fast. Are there issues that trouble you? Does the Lord want you to trust Him more? Is their a cause for which He is calling you to pray?

Get ready for the fast by seeking the Lord. Make this fast unto the Lord. Then He will reward you and you will discover the power and purpose of spiritual fasting!

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