The Daniel Fast is an opportunity for you to draw closer to God through ​fervent, focused prayer. It involves a 21-day commitment to a partial fast, ​which means you restrict commonly enjoyed foods as an act of worship and ​consecration to the Lord.

You’ll find some variation in the specific guidelines for the modern-day ​Daniel Fast, as far as what foods are included and which ones are restricted. ​The intention of the modern-day Daniel Fast is not to duplicate exactly ​what Daniel did, but the spirit in which he did it. Daniel’s passion for the Lord ​caused him to hunger and thirst more for spiritual food than for physical ​food, which should be the desire of anyone choosing to participate in this ​type of fast.

Try not to get too hung up on food portion of the fast. The guidelines are ​given to help you form boundaries, not to push you into legalism. Your fast ​may look a little different than someone else’s, and that’s fine. Some people ​may need to be stricter than others in their food choices so that their fast is ​a sacrifice for them. The most important part of the Daniel Fast is that you ​deny yourself physically so that you may seek the Lord in prayer and grow ​closer to Him.

You may be wondering, Where did the Daniel Fast ​originate? That’s a great question. The Daniel Fast ​was first observed by the prophet Daniel in the Bible. ​Scripture gives us some insight (such as in Dan. 10:3) ​into what Daniel ate and didn’t eat; however, we don’t ​know his complete menu. On one occasion, Daniel ​was greatly concerned for his people and sought the ​Lord’s wisdom during a time of prayer and fasting.

“At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate ​no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips ​(Dan. 10:2-3).

Most commentaries believe “choice food” would have ​been bread and sweets. The Message paraphrase ​sums up Daniel’s eating habits during that time: “I ate ​only plain and simple food.”

Whole grains

Beans and legumes

Nuts and seeds

Vegetables

Fruit

Oils

Unleavened bread

Herbs & Spices

Animal products

Added sugar

Yeast

Refined grains

Processed food

Deep-fried food

Solid fats

Chocolate

Caffeinated beverages