7/17/12 The Daniel Fast

I'm going to do a Daniel Fast.  There.  I said it.  For those of you who are not familiar with the Daniel Fast, Kristin Feola gives a concise description in her book The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast.  In it, she gives a brief description of the situation:

"Daniel requests permission to eat only vegetables and to drink only water.  The king's chief official is sympathetic but is afraid of the king's wrath if Daniel's limited diet causes him to look worse than the other men.  Daniel then approaches the guard appointed to care for Dnaiel and three of his friends and proposes a test: Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.  Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see" (Dan. 1:12-13)

Here are the foods I can have:
  • Fruits
  • Vegetables
  • Whole grains
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Unleavened bread
  • Legumes
  • Quality oils
  • Water
  • Other specifically vegetarian items such as herbs, spices, salt and soy products
Here are the foods I must avoid:
  • Meat
  • Dairy
  • Sweeteners
  • Leavened bread/yeast
  • Refined and processed food products
  • Deep-fried foods
  • Solid fats
  • Beverages with caffeine, alcohol, carbonated drinks, even caffeinated teas or coffee
The biggest challenges here for me are going to be the lack of sweeteners, the lack of coffee, and the lack of dairy.  I love coffee, I love to sweeten my coffee, and I love cheese on my pizza. 

The goal I have set for myself is to eat like this for 30 days.  While the book calls for 21 days, I have a personal compulsion to go for 30.  And so I will.  What I hope to share with you from this experience is (hopefully) new vegan recipes, clever uses for spices, amazing spiritual epiphanies, and just plain random humanness. 

I need this.  Between the roller coaster of emotions in the past month and various other struggles that have been coming to light, I want some clarity.  I feel like doing a partial fast such as this will help me to stop searching and start breathing again.  ~Summer

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