Daniel Fast

On Jan 1, I started what is called the Daniel Fast. I mentioned it earlier in the week, but basically, it is a fast he did when he was working for a new King. This King didn't observe the rules of keeping kosher, and so in protest, Daniel said he would eat only vegetables and water for 10 days. Some people observe this type of fast at the beginning of the year as a way of cleansing and renewing. It is like going Vegan and not having sweets.

I'm a huge coffee lover (decaf), and haven't had any all week. Everything I've eaten has been plant based... so, veggies, legumes (beans), nuts, rice, etc. I've had tea, but unsweetened. Soy milk, too. It's not been too hard for me to change to this way of eating, except I do like my chicken and fish and coffee. I'm not missing the sweets as much as I thought I would.

I'll give you some examples of my daily eating.

Breakfast - plain oatmeal with chopped hazelnuts and raisins. or bran cereal with soy milk.
Snack - nuts/raisins (if needed)
Lunch - Curried chickpeas and mushrooms with basmati rice (tomato based curry)
Snack - nuts/raisins
Dinner - frozen meal that was Vegan (corn torilla wraps with black beans, tofu, veggies and red sauce- mexican dish); glass of soy milk.

Again, I have been drinking hot tea every day because I get cold easily at work and such. I'm actually not overly hungry or anything. This fast isn't about denying yourself food as much as it is denying yourself "rich" foods. I have felt 'wanting' sometimes, though, and when that happens I do pray and talk to God.

What I've been finding is that I feel as good or better throughout the morning after eating my oatmeal. Surprisingly, it tastes good with the added banana or raisins and nuts. :)

So, it's not all about the food, right? :) But in scripture, Daniel did note that he and his comrades that did this 'fast' felt better after the 10 days than they did before. I'm finding the same thing, and it's been 5 days for me, so far. My cousin is doing this for 21 days (the amount of time Daniel did this same fast during a mourning period - I was wrong earlier when I said he extended his 10 day one). I'm considering doing the same, or for the entire month, however... I might want to add my coffee back, with my cream (which happens to be non-dairy). I am not sure I can do it without sugar, though, so we'll see.

I like that this God oriented fast is healthy. It isn't taking all food away (which can be rough on your system). It is very much still about focusing on God and allowing Him to fill the cravings, and to eat to live (healthily) not live to eat. There are times to do intesive fasts, but I like that this is something you can do for days or weeks at a time.

Peace.