Experiencing the Daniel Fast

Blogger's Note:
In as much as possible, I will share my experiences as I participate in this particular walk with God. However, there may be moments so intensely personal, that you will just have to be okay with hearing the highlight.  It's just a window into my world.  Enjoy.

Getting Ready:

I decided to set aside some of the edible and drinkable pleasures of life this year during the Season of Lent. My brother, spoke of doing a thing called a Daniel Fast. He did it sometime early last year and then again shortly after his son was deployed to Afghanistan. I was curious. I inquired and he happily shared resources. I was attracted by the health aspects of the fast as well as the potential to really engage with God during the time. He asked when I might begin. I replied rather boldly that I planned on doing it during Lent. He asked how long Lent was and I relayed back that it was 46 days. I’d start on Ash Wednesday and conclude on the Saturday before Easter. I really didn’t understand. We talked about the fact that the most difficult hurdle would be overcoming my addiction to caffeine through coffee. You see, I have about a three to four large cup a day habit. The headaches alone would be daunting enough without also rearranging my diet. I decided to begin Lent by abstaining from coffee and eventually worked my way off of all manner of caffeine. But, the Daniel Fast would require extensive readjustment.


The Daniel Fast is based on the experiences of Daniel (the same of the lion’s den fame) as he stayed true to God by refusing to eat of King Nebuchadnezzar’s delicacies, or that which might have been sacrificed to idols. It is our modern attempt to set aside our own “delicacies” and enter into a time of true reflection and communion with God. Food is a universal need that we all have, but we have packaged in pleasure to a point of almost worshipping it. Like any fast, we set aside the distractions in order to replace it with a deeper communion with God. That is what motivated me to begin. The details were not impossible, but would require discipline and determination.

I read that I was to cut out all animal protein (including dairy), sugar, anything fermented, and any refined fruits, grains and vegetables. In fact, this diet would have me reading food labels in an effort to abstain from any product made with any ingredient that couldn’t be pronounced or was possibly the result of the joining of two or more elements from the periodic table. Simply put, I would need to learn to dine on seeds, nuts, grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, juices and water. I could utilize sea salt, herbs and spices as well as things like stevia and agave nectar. Honey was between me and God. I think I heard him say “go for it.” In fact, I hear him say “Go for it!” each and every day as I walk this journey.

I hope to share some thoughts along the way.

Daniel Fast Day 1: Sunday, March 18, 2012

Here I am coming off a nasty sinus infection and about to begin this. Everything in me says, “Does it really matter whether I begin today or tomorrow? Yes, I am beginning today.”

This is one time when being sick sort of worked in my favor. I got up and did breakfast. Ate a little hot cereal and soy milk, but went back to bed. By the time I felt like eating again, my lovely wife had made a black bean, quinoa, brown rice and vegetable mixture that tasted pretty darned good. I ate it and some fruit, but needed to head back to bed to try and get well. I’d been off work most of the previous week and I received a Sunday call from my boss wondering what the prognosis for a Monday arrival at the office might be.

I have to give kudos to my wife. She isn’t participating in the fast officially, but she is very supportive and will try what I’m eating. I really wasn’t much into spiritual awakening, yet, but I did feel guilty for missing church.

Daniel Fast Day 2: Monday, March 19, 2012

It’s the first day back to work and I had to face a little demon I created all by myself—the dreaded chocolate bowl. I started throwing out chocolate in a bowl a couple of years ago, as a way of spreading a little sunshine in the office. I can always tell how bad a day it is at work, by how many visitors drop by to indulge. I don’t mind it. But, today, after being gone for a week it needed filling and I luckily had my Costco size bag of mini bars ready. It’s full and I am happy to report that I avoided it all day long. However, I think the better part of me recognizes that it may need to be temporarily relocated to someone else’s cubicle.

Elaine had Bible study tonight and I was home alone with a pantry full of “delicacies.” But, I dined on Sprouted Bean Soup and veggie burger patty (my first ever). Not bad. The hummus I added made it a little more savory. I tried to watch TV, but quickly noticed that every other commercial is selling food. My “ah-ha” moment was that we really have created an entire industry out of pleasuring each other with food. It’s sexy, succulent, beautiful, steamy, and just about any other pleasure induced adjective we can find to describe it. I probably made it through 30 minutes of TV and I decided my time would be better spent trimming and coloring my beard (apparently, I didn’t give up vanity) and pretending to be a country music singer.

Daniel Fast Day 3: Tuesday, March 20, 2012

After a grueling day at work, I came home and made a dinner of veggie burger, potato and fresh vegetables in lemon infused olive oil. Tasty. My wife needed to run an errand and I demanded to go, mostly because I could tell that I was only three days in and my resolve was already beginning to erode. We left. While she was out of the car, I pondered how I could get through this. And then I remembered Daniel. When he requested the special diet, his overseer was quite concerned. His overseer saw to it the King’s servants (of which Daniel was one) were required to be healthy in appearance. He was convinced that if Daniel only ate a diet of vegetables, this would not be the case and the overseer saw nothing but his own doom in his future. But, Daniel insisted and promised that God would come through for both himself and the overseer. The overseer finally relented and provided Daniel his request. After ten days, Daniel not only looked healthy, but his own health surpassed those of the other servants who ate the King’s diet. God came through.

I know this will be a prayer I will repeat each day. Who am I kidding? I will repeat it hourly if not moment by moment. “God, the only way I am going to be able to do this is if you step in and remove the distraction of my want of the tasty delicacies I have become so accustomed to having.”