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“Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.” Daniel 1:12
“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
Welcome! The purpose of this site is to offer valuable and complete information about the Daniel Fast. As the Daniel Fast Blogger, my #1 goal is to help you have a successful fasting experience. More and more Christian men and women are choosing the Daniel Fast as their guideline to enter into the spiritual discipline. While the Daniel Fast is a partial fast, (rather than total abstention from all food) it still provides many of the attributes of denying the self and seeking God.
This blog is designed as a “gathering place” for information and resources about the Daniel Fast to serve those seeking God in this manner. Please “cruise” the blog. Remember, this is a blog format, so you will need to page down to see all the posts. Also, leave comments if you have ideas, questions, or comments.
Also, join our Facebook community! It’s a powerful way to stay connected to others who are seeking God through an extended period of prayer and fasting.
Receive your free newsletter: Just go to our website (where there is even more information about the fast) and submit your name and email address and you will receive recipes, helpful tips and powerful tools to support your fast and your journey with Christ. Click Here
Visit our other Daniel Fast Website at Daniel-Fast.com
Also, please know that we do our best to answer your questions on a timely basis, but we receive hundreds almost every day and so it takes a while to read your comments and then type answers. All comments are held for review to avoid spam messages showing up on the blog.
The Daniel Fast 
God bless you on your fast, Christina. And thank you for this good report and your kind words.
God is so good!
Praise God! He so wants to interact with us. We just need to align ourselve so He can!
No honey or other sweeteners on the Daniel Fast. I’m not real sure of the ingredients in cocounut water. The only beverage on the Daniel Fast is water. Read the ingredients on the coconut water and then use it in recipes if it’s okay.
hi our church is bout to start this fasting. my question is what can and can’t you drink?
Thank you, Brittany. You are a dear and I greatly appreciate the support!
You can prepare tofu in many ways (you will fine recipes in the cookbook you purchase). I like to use it like eggs for vegetable scrambles. You can also season it and fry it or use it in soups.
Blessings to you,
Susan
Hi Jackie,
These are not my recipes. There is a lot of erroneous information out there about the Daniel Fast including cookbooks and websites with wrong teaching. I do believe the reason my books are all the #1 bestsellers is because all the information is well-researched, biblically based and consistent. I’ve answer thousands of questions and I’ve been teaching about the Daniel Fast since 2007 after God gave me this assignment. It truly was a miracle of God.
So, the recipes you mentioned are not from me . . . I do suggest you ask those who developed the recipes about them in light of Daniel 1, Daniel 10 and typical Jewish fasting principles.
Be blessed!
Hi Cheryl,
Our God is so good. It’s great that you have these medical records . . . because if you stick with a balance Daniel Fast you will realize great results!
Go here to see the new clinical studies: http://www.DanielFastResearch.com
Hi Steve,
The first preferred substitute is olive oil – second would be New Balance, which is an all natural soy-based spread.
Be blessed on your fast
Hi Tommy,
If sugar or sweetener is listed as an ingredient, then that makes the product not allowed on the Daniel Fast. This is different than the nutritional analysis.
I notice that you say read the label over and over. My question when it comes to sugar on the label it dose not tell if it is natural or refine such as the label on Whole grain raisin bran cereal. It tells me it has 19 gr of sugar but is that natural sugar from the raisin, or has it been added. very confusing
can you help on defining the labels or how I can get help on reading the Labels
I have begun this fast Monday and I already feel queazy! I haven’t gone completely into the Daniel Fast, but hope to be in a complete fast in a few days. I believe God has already spoke to me about this and am so glad to have this support line! I thnak you for all your answers and your time!
I know butter is not permitted on the Daniel fast. But, is there a substitute? Thanks for sharing your wisdom and knowledge with us!
Steve
Dear Susan:
I ask one thing; Iask that you pray with and for me as I begin toprepare
myself (spirit,soul and body) for the Daniel Fast. A friend mentioned it only
this morning and at first it sounded to me like a fad. It would not leave my
mind however and so I found your website and began to read/research.
This has now spoken to my heart…literally, since I was told yesterday that
my cholesterol and blood pressure are both high. Thank you. I intend to buy
the first cookbook…do some more shopping and get to work by next week.
Warmly,
Cheryl Jones
Susan, it’s me again. I was wondering why some of the recipes have things we are not allowed to eat alone, such as eggs, white rice, all purpose flour, cornmeal, white sugar, grated cheddar cheese and crackers. These are in the recipe’s for Daniel’s Four-Grain Waffles, Vegetarian Dirty Rice and Black Bean and Corn Loaf. I don’t want to be a pest, but I haven’t gotten out to get the book yet and these recipes were taken from the book by another woman in the church. Thank you so much.
Jackie
I see that Tofu is on the list of items that are allowed; are there any restrictions on tofu that I should look for? Anything I should stay away from? I did a brief search and found that some brands of tofu are processed. This my first time adding tofu to my diet, so guidance on the best type of tofu is appreciated. Sorry if this question is silly! Never had any experience with this food.
God bless you for this wonderful outreach! I don’t really need the cookbook, but I’m going to buy it just to support your work. 🙂
Best,
Brittany
I am so thrilled that the Holy Spirit led me to your site on Bible Gateway on Sunday morning January 2, 2011. I started on January 3, and already I am seeing results. Since I gave my life to the Lord 11 years ago I have dreams and cannot remember them. The first night of the fast I had a dream in which the Lord helped me to remember and caused me to wake up and tear down some stronghold.
God is just good. God bless you and your ministry as well as all my Christian brothers and sisters who are a part of this fast.
Quick question, can I use natural honey and what about coconut water?
Thank you so much for all of the information you post for us to use. Everything is so helpful. I did the Daniel Fast in October and had great results, losing weight (14lbs), having more energy (no afternoon crashes) and just generally feeling much better and being closer to God. The few first days were hard (I didn’t ween myself off of the caffeine or sugar), but after that it went pretty smoothly. I did have a few days here and there where I was tempted, but I perservered! The Daniel Fast is the first one I had ever tried and am thankful that I heard about it from a friend. After a chaotic Christmas season, I decided I need to go back on the fast to get focused again on what is important. I started up yesterday and look forward to what God has in store for me for the next 21 days, and beyond. Thank you again Susan for being such a blessing!!!
Thanks a lot for the information. I am thinking this process is going to be great, but also very expensive as I have to basically shop for all new foods and items. Hopefully this strictness last well after the fast is over because this definitely sounds like a healthier way of living. I have one more question, so if I want some type of bread or roll then what can i eat, make or purchase. I think through this process I will become a more experienced cook! Thanks again
As a nursing mom, should I add some chicken or fish? Or can I just rely on beans and tofu for protein. I would like to omit all animal products but if I have to add it for nursing purposes then I would.
No sweeteners . . . including natural or very healthy sweeteners such as stevia or agave nectar.
While all the foods on the Daniel Fast are natural . . . not all natural foods are allowed on the Daniel Fast. This is one of those times . . .
Hi Lekesha,
It’s great you will get the book because it contains all these answer and much more about the Daniel Fast http://www.daniel-fast.com/store.html
100% peanut butter is okay
unsweetened fruit spread is okay – be sure there are no sweeteners or chemicals
no leavened foods on the Daniel Fast, so raised breads are out – same goes for waffles – no leavened foods
I don’t think Ritz crackers or wheat thins work, but the for-sure-answer is in the ingredients. You can have original Triscuits as they are made with whole wheat flour and other ingredients that comply with the Danie Fast.
Be blessed on your fast. It’s great that you are preparing now! You are setting yourself up for success rather than having to chase things down at the last minute. Good on ya.
Hi Gail,
You will need to READ THE LABEL and see if the ingredients comply with the Daniel Fast. If they are free of sweeteners, chemicals and/or leavening they are probably okay. But the answer is in the list of ingredients.
Hello Susan,
I recently came across your website of great information concerning the Daniel Fast. My church will begin this journey this upcoming Monday. After reading your information and blog post, I have come to realize that this is a restrictive fast. I will be going to Barns and Nobles to purchase your book so I may be successful and survive the 21 days without a lot of my common foods. I do have a few questions about whether or not certain foods are still eligible for the fast. I wanted to know if you could eat any peanut butter, can you eat jelly, can you have wheat bread or does it have to be whole grain, can you have corn bread and if so what kind, can you have waffles and if so what kind, can you have ritz crackers or do they have to be the plain white crackers and lastly can you eat wheat thins. Thanks for any insight you may provide.
Hi Shari,
Daniel was mourning. So the Word says he didn’t annoint himself with oil. At that time men would use oil on their head and in their hair. But Daniel was mourning – in an attitude of deep consecration so he didn’t annoint himself with oil for this period of prayer and fasting.
You are okay to take a bath . . . we can follow Daniel’s model in other ways as we consecrate ourselves (separate ourselves unto the Lord) by changing our daily habits to make more time for the Lord and focus more diligently on Him.
I hope this helps!
I have a question about a sweetner. I know that no sweetner is aloud on the daniel fast but what if it is an extract derived from a leaf? Im referring to the stevia leaf extract? Its not a sugar, it has no glycemic index? but has a sweet tast like fruit, but no fructose. Or if not the extract how bout the leaf?
This is my first time being involved with the Daniel Fast. I notice in verse 2 (ch 10). He also didn’t bath or shave. I understand what happens when I dont bath for just one day, however why is this part not included in the fast since its just as important to the discipline of the point being made in the fast?
Are Nutri-Grain 100% fruit bar allowed in the Daniel Fast?
They are okay to use in recipes. The only beverage on the Daniel Fast is water (see Daniel 1).
Are 100% fruit juices (with nothing added) allowed? Your food list mentions that fruits are ok if they are “juiced.”
Thanks!
No, oatmeal is a whole grain so it’s acceptable.
I was reading through the breakfast receipes and had a question about oatmeal. Reading the lable, oatmeal appears to be just shaved oats. Your receipe calls for oatbran, which I will also look for in the healthfood store. But , is there a problem with oatmeal that I am overlooking?
Many people use unsweetened soy protein powders on the Daniel Fast.
Unsweetened rice milk is allowed on the Daniel Fast.
Raised bread is not allowed on the Daniel Fast. You can have unleavened bread that is made of ingredients that comply with the Daniel Fast.
Hi, I was wondering if there is a store bought bread I can buy while on the fast.
Thanks
Yes, yucca is a root vegetable and allowed on the Daniel Fast. Your plans for preparation are perfect!
You will need to check out the ingredients . . . and how they are prepared. If they are deep fried they are not allowed.
You can make your own – I’ve included a recipe in the Daniel Fast Cookbook Version II
You can find dried fruit without chemicals at health food stores or in the natural foods section of most supermarkets. Unsweetened soy milk is allowed on the Daniel Fast.
Hi Ricardo,
Entering into a time of prayer and fasting is consecrating ourselves unto the Lord . . . and there are times when doing this alone can be a very powerful spiritual experience. Just you and God. You will want to prepare for the Fast and think about how you will spend your time, what you will eat and determine the purpose for your fast.
I usually do the Daniel Fast by myself – except for the thousands of believers throughout the world who also fast 🙂
So while I am alone . . . not really. The body of Christ is here and it’s wonderful to hear from so many on this blog and on Facebook.
Hi Jackie,
In Daniel 1 the prophet asked to be fed only pulse (food grown from seed) and drink only water. So that’s why the Daniel Fast is a plant-based eating plan and the only beverage is water . . .
In Daniel 10 he ate no meat, nor precious or sweet foods and no wine crossed his lips – the precious and sweet food eliminates sweeteners from the Daniel Fast.
Unsweetened soy milk can be used in recipes, but the only beverage on the Daniel Fast is water . . .
Be blessed on your fast!
Please tell me why we cannot drink decafe coffee? So we could use Soy milk in place of 2% milk? WE can also use brown sugar? These questions will help me a lot.
Thank you so much.
Jackie