Avoiding tea, salt and raw sugar

Greeting in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am very suprised to see that a few of the recipes on your site have ingredidients that are not in complient with the daniel fast ie. The Daniel Fast did not have any types of sugar. No not even raw sugar. and I was also suprised to see salt and seasoning salt? A fast is not supposed to be pleasurable. It is to afflict our flesh and soul. Last but not least yes teas are herbs but they have caffeine in them and should not be used to replace another flesh driven habit. (coffee and sodas) I pray that the info benefits someone and can be passed on to others who truly desire to fast the way the scripture says to.

May God Bless You All
Cheryl

Thank you for sharing you opinion Cheryl. I'm sure there are many who feel the same as you do. Obviously, I don't agree with your interpretation of Daniel chapter one concerning the  reason for Daniel's Fast/Diet or the foods Daniel allowed and avoided.

However, Cheryl, we affirm and encourage your personal application of the Daniel Fast/Diet. You have the freedom to apply Daniel's Fast according to the grace God gives you through the leading of His Holy Spirit. We also affirm the authority of individuals, groups or churches to do the Daniel Diet/Fast according to their own guidelines. If you are a member of a group or church that requires no salt or raw sugar, then we encourage you to submit to that restriction.

Concerning tea, we encourage only drinking teas without caffeine, in keeping with Elmer Towns' version of the Daniel Fast/Diet in his book Fasting For Spiritual Breakthrough.

May God richly bless you Cheryl!

For more information about Daniel's Fast, check out these pages at our Daniel Fast Diet website:

Comments | Foods to avoid | Foods to eat | Guidelines | Questions & Answers | Recipes | Scripture | Seven tips | Daniel Fast resources

Share your Daniel's Fast Diet comments, advice, questions, answers, encouragement and recipes!

How to prepare mentally, physically, spiritually

How do I begin to prepare myself mentally and physically before I begin the Daniel Diet?
Thank You,
Hazel

It would be good to begin your mental and spiritual preparation by studying fasting in the Scripture. Elmer Towns' book, Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough, is a great place to start.

Your physical preparation will make your fast go a lot easier. Most of us don't know how our diet affects us in so many ways. The most common "negative side-effect" of the Daniel Fast Diet is the withdrawals we experience from caffeine. The headaches are terrible. You will also experience fatigue. Cutting processed sugar from your diet could cause some negative side-effects. If you start weaning yourself from sugar and caffeine from coffee and tea ahead of time, you'll experience less of the negative side effects.

For more information about Daniel's Fast, check out these pages at our Daniel Fast Diet website:

Comments | Foods to avoid | Foods to eat | Guidelines | Questions & Answers | Recipes | Scripture | Seven tips | Daniel Fast resources

Share your Daniel's Fast Diet comments, advice, questions, answers, encouragement and recipes!

Mint, A Healing Herb

Mint and sweet-scented plants are mentioned in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke in the passages where Jesus scolded the Pharisees for gladly giving a tenth of their garden herb harvest to God while failing to honor Him in far more important matters. The Jewish people enjoyed mint with their spring Passover feasts and placed mint on the floors of their synagogues. Lamb with mint, of course, is the star attraction on many tables during the Passover and Easter holidays. Some species of mint are used to treat Alzheimer's disease and to flavor candies, gum, toothpaste, and liqueurs. They are also used as digestive aids. Peppermint oil is antiallergenic and is used in aromatherapy to stimulate brain activity.

Source: Rex Russell, What the Bible Says About Healthy Living (Regal Books, 1996)

For more information about Daniel's Fast, check out these pages at our Daniel Fast Diet website:

Comments | Foods to avoid | Foods to eat | Guidelines | Questions & Answers | Recipes | Scripture | Seven tips | Daniel Fast resources

Share your Daniel's Fast Diet comments, advice, questions, answers, encouragement and recipes!

Salt, spices, fructose, organic tea, oats, questions

Thanks for your questions Amanda.

>What kind of salty spices are we allowed to use. I saw you mentioned salt - any kind of salt?

No problem with any salt or spices. Avoid sugar and animal product based products. It is advised to avoid artificial sweeteners. Butter is an animal product and should be avoided. We encourage people to replace butter with high quality extra virgin olive oil.

Molasses, raw sugar, raw honey, Stevia, and Maple syrup are possible sweeteners. http://www.stevia.net/ has more information about Stevia, a natural herb. Stevia might be cheaper at Amazon.com - http://tinyurl.com/2sc847 They also have raw honey - http://tinyurl.com/2pyras

>Is fruit suger (fructose) allowed?

Raw sweeteners are OK, processed glucose, fructose etc are not allowed.

>I am drinking organic teas - will that be okay?

Organic is not required. Many teas are very good for you. You should avoid teas with caffeine.

>How do we eat your oats?

I eat my oats raw, mixed into my natural peanut butter and eat on cold bananas or whole grain bread. Sue adds water and a few raisins to her oatmeal and microwaves it.

Check out our Daniel Fast store

For more information about Daniel's Fast, check out these pages at our Daniel Fast Diet website:

Comments | Foods to avoid | Foods to eat | Guidelines | Questions & Answers | Recipes | Scripture | Seven tips | Daniel Fast resources

Share your Daniel's Fast Diet comments, advice, questions, answers, encouragement and recipes!

Avoid sex, coffee and tea?

I am starting the Daniel Fast today and I am wondering, can I drink Coffee and tea as long as it is decafe and without sugar or cream? Should sexual activity be avoided during a fast? I think it says something to that nature in the bible. I'm not sure if it says it should be agreed on or to just not do it. Andrew

Dear Andrew,
Yes, decaf coffee and teas without caffeine are OK.

Sexual abstinence is not a requirement of Daniel's Fast diet. If you and your spouse both agree that it would be good for you, then you can abstain from sex during your fast.

Click here to share your Daniel's Fast Diet advice, answers, questions, encouragement and recipes!