What Is the Daniel Fast? (2024)

Unlike other fasting methods, the Daniel Fast restricts what you can eat rather than when you eat. So what can you eat on the Daniel Fast? Here's what you need to know.

What Is the Daniel Fast?

The Daniel Fast is based on a passage in the Bible and is essentially a vegan diet without any sugars, refined carbs, caffeine, or alcohol. It is a method of spiritual fasting based on the prophet Daniel's experience fasting according to the book of Daniel in the Bible. There are two passages specifically that the Daniel Fast is based on:

1. "Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables [pulses] to eat and water to drink." Daniel 1:12
   
2. "In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled." Daniel 10: 2-3

From this experience, Daniel was said to gain knowledge, wisdom, spiritual understanding, favor, and even better, appearance (Daniel 1:15-20) in addition to answered prayer and spiritual insight (Daniel 10: 11-12).

So the idea behind the fast is that you would set aside other foods and focus on eating plant-based meals as an act of worship and sacrifice.

How Long Is the Daniel Fast?

While it might seem restrictive, the Daniel Fast is meant to be followed for just 21 days. This length of time is based off of Daniel's decision in chapter 10 to deprive himself of "pleasant food," meat, and wine for three weeks while he sought God in prayer.

Daniel Fast Food List

The only acceptable foods explicitly listed in the scripture are water and vegetables. However, the term "pulse" is used in the King James Version, which means "bean or seed grown for food." This gives permission to those on the Daniel Fast to eat whole grains, fruits, and other plant-based foods — everything else is off-limits.

Foods You Can Eat on the Daniel Fast

• Whole grains: Barley, brown rice, buckwheat, farro, grits, millet, oats, popcorn, quinoa, rice cakes, rye, sorghum, spelt, whole wheat, whole-wheat pasta, and wild rice.
• Beans and legumes: Black beans, black-eyed peas, cannellini beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), great northern beans, kidney beans, lentils, peanuts, pinto beans, and split peas.
• Nuts and seeds: Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, natural nut butters (no additives), peanuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, pistachios, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, soy nuts, sunflower seeds, and walnuts.
• Vegetables: All vegetables whether fresh, frozen, dried, juiced, or canned.
• Fruits: All fruit whether fresh, frozen, dried, juiced, or canned (so long as it doesn't contain added sugar).
• Oils: Oils can be used minimally, but not for deep-frying.
• Herbs, spices, and seasonings: Includes salt and pepper.
• Soy products: All soy products including tofu.
• Unleavened bread: Whole grain breads made without yeast, sugars, or preservatives.
• Water: Distilled, filtered, sparkling, spring, and mineral waters allowed.
• 100-percent fruit juice: Natural, 100-percent fruit juice is allowed but should be had sparingly.

Foods You Can't Eat on the Daniel Fast

• Animal products: All meat, dairy, seafood, and eggs.
• Sweeteners: Agave nectar, artificial sweeteners, brown rice syrup, brown sugar, cane juice, corn syrup, honey, malt syrup, molasses, raw sugar, sugar, and other syrups.
• Leavened bread: Bread made with yeast.
• Refined and processed foods: Foods that contain artificial flavorings, artificial preservatives, food additives, white flour, and white rice.
• Deep-fried foods: All fried foods.
• Solid fats: Butter, lard, margarine, and shortening.
• Chocolate: Milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate syrup, and cacao.
• Some beverages: Alcohol, coffee, and other caffeinated beverages.

Get Daniel Fast-Approved Recipes:

• 21 Delicious Recipes to Kickstart Your Daniel Fast
• 30 Daniel Fast Snacks
• 8 Daniel Fast Desserts