21 Days of Clean Eating & Healthy Living
What Is the Daniel Fast?
According to Dr. Axe, founder of Ancient Nutrition, Daniel Fast or Daniel Diet is based upon the prophet Daniel’s dietary and spiritual experiences as recorded in the Book of Daniel in the Bible. It’s a type of partial fast that focuses very heavily on vegetables and other healthy whole foods but leaves out any animal sources of protein.
Many users of this Biblically based fasting method follow it for 21 consecutive days.
Looking for Daniel Fast scripture readings? The Daniel Fast is specifically referenced in the Bible in two sections of the Book of Daniel:
- Daniel 1:12, which states, “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables [pulses] to eat and water to drink.”
- Daniel 10: 2-3, which says, “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.”
Benefits of Fasting
When you fast and pray — two words that go hand-in-hand in scripture — you pursue God in your life and open yourself up to experiencing a renewed dependence on God, but it isn’t easy. It is a spiritual discipline that requires denying your physical and mental self because your stomach and your brain will most likely work overtime to remind you when and what they want to eat!
As I mentioned earlier, Daniel wasn’t the only one in the Bible who fasted. There were others, but you don’t have to be a “spiritual giant” like Daniel or put yourself through torturous fasts to draw closer to God.
However, fasts can help focus your spirit, heart and mind on God and not your own eating and drinking desires.
In fact, before you begin your fast, you can make a list of prayer requests you are asking God to answer. Then, every time you experience hunger pangs or food or drink cravings, ask God to work in your Daniel Fast prayer request areas.
How can a Daniel Diet benefit you physically?
During a fast, many systems of the body are given a break from the hard work of digesting foods that it normally has to manage. The extra energy the body gains gives the body a chance to restore itself, while the burning of stored calories gets rid of toxic substances stored in the body.
Here’s another example.
The digestive tract is the body area most exposed to environmental threats, including bacteria, viruses, parasites and toxins. Plus, most of your immune system is in your digestive tract, so it needs to be in top shape.
When food is broken down in the intestines, it travels through the blood to the liver, the largest organ of the body’s natural detoxification system.
The liver breaks down and removes the toxic byproducts produced by digestion, including natural ones and the chemicals which are typically present in our food supply and often on our daily menus. During a fast, the liver and immune system are essentially freed up to detoxify and heal other parts of the body.
Some of the potential benefits of a Daniel diet can be broken down into three categories: spiritual; mental and emotional; and physical.
Spiritual Benefits
Spiritual growth is a top reason for fasting and may include:
- Fasting brings you closer to God
- Fasting makes you more sensitive to God’s voice
- Fasting helps break bad habits or even addictions
- Fasting shows us our weakness and allows us to rely on God’s strength
Mental and Emotional Benefits
Fasting benefits are different from person to person, but the following have been known to occur:
- Fasting relieves anxiety and nervousness
- Fasting can increase peace and shalom
- Fasting clears your mind of negative thoughts and feelings
- Fasting can help heal relationships in your life that have been stressful
- Fasting decreases brain fog
- Fasting helps increase your ability to trust God
- Fasting clears out toxins that can make you feel sluggish or depressed
Physical Benefits
Some benefits to the physical body have been known to include:
- Fasting helps break addictions to sugar
- Fasting supports the body’s detoxification
- Fasting one lose weight
- Fasting promoted healthy energy levels
- Fasting improves skin health
- Fasting promotes healthy digestion and elimination
- Fasting supports healthy inflammation response and promotes joint comfort
- Fasting promotes healthy hormonal balance
What Can I Eat?
To keep the fasting positive, let's focus on what we can eat more than we complain about what we can't eat!
The idea is to only consume fruits, vegetables, and water for 21 days! The scripture says 10 days so beginners feel free to make 10 days the goal. If you've done the fast before, you know the 21 days is to create a habit of eating healthier. We're breaking the habit of poor consumption of food, media, and people. Here's a menu to help you get started.
As you can see, fasting has many benefits! We're kicking off the year by capitalizing off the benefits of fasting and prayer. We're detoxing and developing new habits. Follow along from Jan. 10 - Jan. 31! We'll have daily check-ins and recipes for you so we can experience this together! Follow us @tenantsofthetreehouse on Instagram.