I did the Daniel Fast 2 years ago during the month of February. While I complained about how hangry I was every day, I did see amazing results. Note: You’re not supposed to complain while fasting, but I’m only human. Sorry, God. Once the 3 weeks ended, I found that fried or sugary foods were not appealing and actually made me sick. Since then, I have slowly regressed to my unhealthy young adult diet. I am good with eating fruits and salads, but the junk food cravings have returned. This led me to my decision to fast again after the holidays. I was exclusively eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. This eliminates processed foods, additives, preservatives, flavorings, sweeteners, caffeine, alcohol, oils, and products made with white flours.
The Daniel Fast is based on the fasting in Daniel 1:5-16 and 10:2-3. When Daniel and other Israelites were taken by Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel refused the rich Babylonian diet and requested vegetables. They continued with the diet throughout their training since they proved to be physically and mentally healthy. In Daniel 10, Babylon was conquered by another ruler and Daniel had no meat, wine, or rich foods during his mourning fast. Nowadays it is more of a diet trend given new popularity since Chris Pratt mentioned it in an interview. The first time I did the fast, I found an accompanying bible study to work through and tried to focus on the spiritual element as well. This time was more diet focused.
Here are some of my favorite recipes and overall experience with the diet.
Week 1:
Breakfast mostly consisted of a fruit salad with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Sometimes with oats to mix it up.
I used two recipes for lunch throughout the week. One was a chickpea and sweet potato stew and the other was a simple vegetable stir fry.
https://www.healthy-liv.com/sweet-potato-and-chickpea-stew/
Snacks included more fruit (apples, oranges, and grapes) and vegetables (bell peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes).
I don’t usually eat dinner, but for this week I made some whole wheat quesadillas with the leftover stew. I tossed in some spinach and avocado to help bind the rice.
For the weekend, I made some banana crepes. I’m not a fan of bananas, but I do enjoy these.
http://todaysdanielfastrecipe.blogspot.com/2011/01/whole-wheat-crepes.html?m=1
I also had soup and salad to keep it simple.
Overall, I felt awful. I mostly kept my cravings under control and my hunger was satisfied, but I had killer headaches. I don’t know if the migraines were diet related or not, because I also work full time and do Jiu Jitsu. I think I’m just adjusting. My bowels are also adjusting.
Week 2:
Day 8 and I cheated. Just a little bit. I should feel ashamed, but it was worth it =) I don’t know if it’s because I wanted Pringles or because the can was already half empty and I felt the need to finish it.
Breakfast consisted of overnight oats or other assortments of fruit.
Lunch for the first half of the week was a Mediterranean salad with chickpeas, veggies, and olives. The second half was a Asian flavored veggie stir fry.
https://thesuburbansoapbox.com/mediterranean-chickpea-salad-recipe/
Snacks continued to be bell peppers, tomatoes, apples, clementines. and raisins.
Dinner was often flatbread and soup, or avocado.
Not only is my 1 cup flour and water mix easy, but it’s just super fun to relieve stress after work by kneading the dough.
The weekend is literally the hardest time for me because I’m sitting at home with the junk food calling to me and zero healthy food prepped.
Overall, my head felt better and my energy came back. I had a little congestion so I still didn’t work out…
Week 3:
I had 2 (or more) pieces of dark chocolate. Sue me.
Breakfast was more fruit. Mostly strawberries, blackberries, and kiwi.
I actually received my Hello Fresh this week and I had picked vegan meals ahead of time. I had veggie bibimbap and chickpea/cauliflower bowl without the provided egg and sour cream.
My go to for dinner is what I have named the Avocadilla. Basically a quesadilla with avocado instead of cheese. You can add beans and rice to mix it up. But sometimes I just had a smoothie.
Snacks continued to be bell peppers, tomatoes, raisins, apples, and grapes
Final weekend of the fast and I gave up early. Like I said, weekends are the hardest and this weekend involved a 4 hour road trip to my parents. What is a roadtrip without a stop at Sheetz? Of course the parents tried to be supportive, but I quickly caved to their normal eating habits. Most importantly, this was Super Bowl weekend and I decided to break my fast with the usual wings and dips and other junk food. It tasted amazing and was almost worth the time I spent in the bathroom afterwards. I will continue to eat a majority of fruits and veggies, but I will slowly begin adding meat and dairy back into my diet.
There are a ton of good websites and recipes with more information. Here’s a good one to get you started
Taralyn's TMI 