The Daniel Fast

EricaFaythe

It's a religious 21 day fast. you may as well heckle people over Ramadan.

Except that the Daniel Fast is not an important part of Christianity.

Who cares? If it's observed by any christians as part of their faith it's part of christianity.
No true scotsman...

I was raised in the protestant church. I have never, ever, not once, heard of someone using that daniel diet as an observance of faith. Never.

...and?
I guarantee you there will be people here on MFP doing it. There were last year.
Just because you don't observe a certain ritual doesn't mean other people don't.
I'm not religious, although like you, I was raised in the Protestant faith. I'm not about to judge anyone's religious practices no matter my feelings on them.
Your argument is an appeal to popularity, a logical fallacy.

You called this a "religious" fast, and then stated it was a tenant of Christianity just because some Christians follow it. I can create a "Bacon for Jesus" movement, and that doesn't make it a part of Christianity; perhaps it is a part of THEIR religious experience, but not to Christianity as a whole. Your overstatement, which appeals to popularity, is a logical fallacy.

I'd convert for that.

Amen.

carrietehbear

To original poster: If you want to do it for religious, then go for it. That's between you and God. But a Daniel Fast isn't a requirement in the Christian faith. The Bible calls for us to fast but I suggest you read up on what Jesus has to say about how to fast.

Gidzmo

Has anyone tried The Daniel Fast? If so, what was experience like? Any do's or don'ts?

Need details.

Topself

Please read what happens on day three or four on it. Make sure to read what people have posted on the internet about it, its true. I followed perfect and got so sick. If you have never fasted or ate perfect, its going to be hard on your body. Toxins will start to leave your body on day three or four. This is the bad part if you have never cleansed your body. I am a christian, but I was doing this for a cleanse of my body. DETOX if you may.

randomtai

Please read what happens on day three or four on it. Make sure to read what people have posted on the internet about it, its true. I followed perfect and got so sick. If you have never fasted or ate perfect, its going to be hard on your body. Toxins will start to leave your body on day three or four. This is the bad part if you have never cleansed your body. I am a christian, but I was doing this for a cleanse of my body. DETOX if you may.

:noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway:

amnsetie

It says no pleasant food and then goes on to list my favorite fruit and veggies as ok. What?
If I were to have no pleasant food I would have to eat eggplants, zucchinis and capsicums and drink diet coke, creamy soda and coffee. YUCK!!

Count me out.

EvgeniZyntx

It's a religious 21 day fast. you may as well heckle people over Ramadan.

What religion requires a Daniel Fast? How is it a pillar of a belief system?
Religious tolerance does not preclude critical thinking.

SuperSexyDork

Please read what happens on day three or four on it. Make sure to read what people have posted on the internet about it, its true. I followed perfect and got so sick. If you have never fasted or ate perfect, its going to be hard on your body. Toxins will start to leave your body on day three or four. This is the bad part if you have never cleansed your body. I am a christian, but I was doing this for a cleanse of my body. DETOX if you may.

And just what toxins do you think you're detoxing from that your good, healthy liver and kidneys aren't filtering out?

gregpack

I was raised in the protestant church. I have never, ever, not once, heard of someone using that daniel diet as an observance of faith. Never.

Many churches in the South perform a Daniel Fast annually. A lot of them do it in January, It's not any sort of religious "requirement", but is often done in addition to daily prayer as an reminder of what is most important in your life. I've never participated. My faith does not have ceremonies or events that are required for you to participate in as an entrance to Heaven. But as previously mentioned, it's strictly voluntary. Some people "fast" other worldly things instead of food- TV, internet, etc.

Regardless of the religious implications, It's a good time for many church members to take off some excess holiday weight. It's not a strict no-food fast (as some posters here STILL have not figured out). It's not too radical- The basic rule is just don't eat meats, breads, treats, and general junk. Most people lose a few pounds in three weeks. My worry would be getting adequate protein from a plant based diet, but three weeks on it ain't gonna kill anyone. If you're doing it strictly for weight loss it'll probably work, just like any other lower calorie diet will.

_Waffle_

Has anyone tried The Daniel Fast? If so, what was experience like? Any do's or don'ts?

It's more a focus on eating unprocessed foods and avoiding meats, oils, and anything you consider to be generally yummy. All in all it isn't terrible and you can eat your fill of lots of food. You're just going to have to refocus your diet to exclude the majority of stuff you take for granted now.

If you're doing this for religious reasons then carry on. If this is a means to lose weight then you really should look at just controlling your calorie intake since there are no bad foods.

tameko2

The Daniel fast is not a fast as thought of by most. It is mainly a plant based diet. It is not necessarily severely calorie restricted.

No meat, no junk, water only to drink. I've seen worse.

No junk? My husband would be a sad panda.

I C WUT U DID THAR

Hopeful146

This was the first time I posted a question here - and I regret it.

I was looking for feedback from Christians who experienced the Daniel Fast. All that extra nonsense and negativity wasn't necessary.

brraanndi

If you were only wanting opinions from a specific group of people you would do better to find a Christian group and ask them.

Mother_Superior

This was the first time I posted a question here - and I regret it.

I was looking for feedback from Christians who experienced the Daniel Fast. All that extra nonsense and negativity wasn't necessary.

The

...welcome to it. :flowerforyou:

EvgeniZyntx

This was the first time I posted a question here - and I regret it.

I was looking for feedback from Christians who experienced the Daniel Fast. All that extra nonsense and negativity wasn't necessary.

So unless you belong to a specific religious group you aren't supposed to have an opinion about a fast on a board labelled "food and nutrition".
So much for religious tolerance.

chocciechip

wow people's attitudes on here have been pretty shocking. Someone is asking for genuine input on a genuine health and eating regime. There are lots of differents ones and far more dangerous ones about so how about some constructive comments instead of tearing into people. We're here to support eachother, not bash them down. Grow up!

A family member of mine did a daniel fast for 5 years, don't know if it is the same one that you are doing, I think they had a book. It was partly a religious fasting and mental preparedness and partly for dieting. They did well and looked good.

Only problem is when you come off and reintroducing 'normal' foods as one can balloon after.

Katla49

Historically speaking, Daniel was a Jewish boy who was Pharoh's captive and refused foods that weren't Kosher. As a result, he couldn't eat the meat supplied by Pharoh. He was strong and brave, and was admired by Pharoh. Since Pharoh didn't serve kosher meats, Daniel abstained. His diet is not inherently unhealthy but it might be quite a shock to those who regularly eat non-kosher foods, including me.

Unfortunately, there are some folks here on MFP who like to use sarcasm as a form of humor, and practice intolerance of other peoples views. They do make some decent points about being careful to meet your nutritional needs.

EvgeniZyntx

Historically speaking, Daniel was a Jewish boy who was Pharoh's captive and refused foods that weren't Kosher. As a result, he couldn't eat the meat supplied by Pharoh. He was strong and brave, and was admired by Pharoh. Since Pharoh didn't serve kosher meats, Daniel abstained. His diet is not inherently unhealthy but it might be quite a shock to those who regularly eat non-kosher foods, including me.

Unfortunately, there are some folks here on MFP who like to use sarcasm as a form of humor, and practice intolerance of other peoples views. They do make some decent points about being careful to meet your nutritional needs.

I have seen no religious intolerance in this thread except being told that only Christians should post their opinion.
Most diets are not "inherently unhealthy" however a diet like the Daniel Fast does tend to be low protein and low fat in practice. It doesn't have to be - but it's much more difficult to get sufficient quantities of protein if you eliminate all animal products and processed food like supplements. 21 days? Not a major issue - but losing 3-5 lbs of LBM on purpose is a poor choice when you have other options. 5 years of this? I'd love to understand how one does that strictly and maintains minimum RDA levels of protein and fat. I'm open to hearing that.

Btw Nebuchadnezzar was a king not a "pharoh" (sic). But that's neither here nor there.

tourpublishing

Hi everyone. I noticed quite a bit of inaccurate info. on this forum about The Daniel Fast. I did the Daniel Fast several times, and at one time did the fast for 37 days in a row. It's primarily a spiritual experience based on Daniel's Diet (See The Book Of Daniel). Since Daniel did not want to defile himself with "royal food" he asked to be given only vegetables and water. However, there are many versions of this fast. Mostly, this involves no meat, no sugar, no bread, no caffeine, among many other foods. This can also include fasting from things like T.V., or video games.

God bless!

Sincerely,

Terrance Day, Author
Web: www.danielfast.net

heis4u2004

This fast got me started in the right direction last January. I lost 40 pounds total last year (not all during the fast). I feel it helped with cleansing my body of toxins (just prior to it a blood vessel in my eye busted and had other digestive issues). It also gave me more energy as well as losing the cravings for things I shouldn't eat. I learned how to make delisious green smoothies which I have continued even after the fast was over. After those few weeks I no longer wanted some foods I used to eat.

What to do about protein: beans, natural peanut butter, nuts not coated in sugar.
Fats: oils found in peanut butter as well as almost any cooking oil and olive oil.
You can have unleavened breads like corn tortillas and whole wheat tortillas.
Did you know plain shredded wheat is okay to eat. I have it with unsweetened almond milk and raisins or bananas.
Don't forget to include brown rice and whole wheat pasta. I usually get some vege pasta and wolfgang puck's marinara sauce which has no added sugar. For the sweet tooth, dates are great treat.

So I didn't starve but I was cleansed. I no longer have digestive issues such as heartburn and acid reflux or gallbladder pain.
As for my faith, I believe it has allowed me to grow and have greater success than I ever had last year. I finally graduated from college, lost 40 pounds, saw my mother and father together for the first time in my life, I got a great job, began running and ran faster than I ever thought I would as well as doing a few 5ks. And I became Zumba instuctor licenced.
So I'd have to say the Daniel Fast was a start of something great for me. Renewing my mind, body and spirit.

clukacevic

I have found the fast to basically be a vegan diet. Tofu is allowed. And, it is a spiritual cleansing as well. I am losing weight on it, because I'm counting calories but that does not have to be the main focus. You could certainly get all your protein
and fats on this diet. I'm actually loving the spiritual growth and physical cleansing during this time of lent.