Dining the Daniel Way

Blake and I just finished a three-week experience called The Daniel Fast.

It was many things including delicious! Here are the basic principles taken from this website:

There are two anchoring scriptures for the Daniel Fast. In Daniel 1 (Daniel 1:12, 1:16) the Prophet ate only vegetables (that would have included fruits) and drank only water. So from these scriptures we get two of the guidelines for the fast:

1. Only fruits and vegetables

2. Only water for a beverage

Then in Daniel 10:2-3, we read that the Prophet ate no meat nor any precious breads or foods and he drank no wine for 21 days. So from this scripture, we get a third guideline:

3. No sweeteners and no breads

Another important guideline is drawn from Jewish fasting principles, where no leaven is used during the fast. So that's why yeast, baking powder and the like are not allowed on the Daniel Fast.

Finally, with all the above puzzle pieces, we conclude that no artificial or processed foods nor any chemicals are allowed on the Daniel Fast.

The hardest part was the first three or four days. Day one was pretty easy but days two, three and four came with serious headaches that couldn't be eased. After that it was just a matter of discipline.

I was amazed by how many delicious vegan, -sweeteners, -leavening recipes there are out there. Most of them from the various Daniel Fast websites, and a few I had stored from my old vegan days (months really).

Blake and I were both amazed by how full we would get before cleaning our plates, this food was filling. Unlike other diets, I really didn't feel deprived or starved. I did miss coffee, especially when I met an old friend for coffee and had a steaming mug of hot water. The worst was probably making an Inside-out German Chocolate cake for a birthday at Bible study. It killed me to serve something to friends and not know that it tasted okay.. what if it was horrible and they were just too nice to tell me!?

The Daniel Fast is about more than food though. It's about spiritual food too. What makes this a fast and not just a diet is the heart behind the sacrifice. It's about setting yourself apart and seeking God. It's about refocusing your life and finding the right answers.

Here are some of the things that I took away from the Daniel Fast:

• I am a better person when I spend time with God each day.
• I too quickly turn to worldly comforts like lattes, dessert and giant bowls of creamy mac and cheese instead of the Comforter who knows me best. 
• I really don't need any of those things, I really only need my Creator.
• Going without certain foods by choice is a privilege and a blessing. Millions of people around the world don't have this choice.
• Hot water with a slice of lemon is actually quite fantastic. 
• So many of my habits are empty habits. 
• I lost a few pounds (6.75 if we're counting) and I now appreciate the body that I loathed  before I gained those 6.75 lbs. Funny how a little perspective can change things.
• When things are tough and miserable, I'll stick it out a few days more.. maybe the 'headache' only comes at the beginning. 
• I actually can plan a weeks worth of meals, shop once on the weekend and cook dinner most nights - while working two jobs. Largely by God's grace and some help from the hubs, but still. I didn't think it could be done.
• I can be much more disciplined if I know that there is an end point.
• Life is so short, we only have a little time to make a difference that will last forever. I have all eternity to feast and be happy, but only this little lifetime to produce good fruit. 

It was a really great experience and even better to share it with Blake. I think that this might be an annual or biannual practice in our house.