Pink-Vegan: Daniel Fast Friendly

The Daniel Fast is a biblically based 21 day fast. People all over the world participate in this fast for spiritual discipline of prayer and fasting. I think of the Daniel Fast as a really strict vegan diet. Some of the things to avoid are meat and dairy (easy for vegans !!!!), yeast, leavening agents and sweeteners. Water is the only drinking beverage allowed during the Daniel Fast.

Everything on the Daniel Fast should be free of chemicals and/or sweeteners. Be sure to read the labels for ingredients.

Unsweetened plant based milks (rice, almond, coconut, soy) are allowed for use in recipes and on cereal but NOT as a drinking beverage.

Unsweetened fruit juices are allowed for use in recipes (including smoothies), but are NOT allowed as a drinking beverage.

Daniel 1:12 is the verse indicating to drink only water during the Daniel Fast.

Daniel 10:2-3 are the verses indicating the duration of the fast is 3 weeks and no meat or wine should be consumed during the fast.

Why no leavening agents ? In the Old Testament, leaven is used to represent sin or what is evil and false. Unleavened bread symbolizes without sin or goodness and truth.

During the Daniel Fast it is important to:

Pray - during the fast, increase the frequency of your daily prayer
Spend time with God by reading the Bible
Listen for answers to your prayers
Seek God's guidance in your life

During this years Daniel Fast, we were challenged to praise God more often and to describe God with one or two words, using all the letters of the alphabet from A - Z. Click here for my list.

I JUST finished my FIRST eBook - "Recipes For Your Daniel Fast Book 1". Check out the post describing the book here.

Buy "Recipes For Your Daniel Fast" now for just $5.00 (through PayPal).

Click here to purchase the eBook.

This is the list I follow:

Foods to Eat on the Daniel Fast

All fruit – fresh, frozen, dried, juiced, or canned.
All vegetables – fresh, frozen, dried, juiced, or canned.
All whole grains – amaranth, barley, brown rice, wild rice, bulgur (bulgar), buckwheat, corn, farro, oats, quinoa, millet, whole wheat pasta, popcorn, spelt, grits and whole wheat.
All nuts & seeds – almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. Nut butters are also included.
Unleavened bread – whole grain bread made without yeast, sugar or preservatives
All legumes – canned or dried; black beans, black eyed peas, cannellini beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), great northern beans, kidney beans, lentils, pinto beans, and split peas.
All quality oils – canola, coconut, grapeseed, olive, peanut, and sesame.
Beverages - distilled water, filtered water, and spring water. Smoothies are allowed as a snack or meal replacement. Perrier water (naturally carbonated with no sweeteners or additives.)
Other

Algae, Nori Sheets
Arrowroot powder
Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
Citric acid (an organic natural preservative)
Corn starch
Corn tortillas (baked, not deep fried and make sure they are chemical-free, sugar-free and free of any animal products)
Flat bread (since there are no leavening agents - usually just water, whole wheat flour and oil)
Fruit preserves (no added sweeteners or chemicals)
Herbs, spices, salt, pepper, seasonings (no added sugar)
Lime or lemon juice (used in recipes)
Liquid smoke
Medications
Mirin
Miso
Mustard (no sweeteners or chemicals)
Nutritional yeast (deactivated and not a leavening agent)
Polenta
Popcorn (no butter)
Psyllium seed or husk
Red hot sauce
Rice cakes (made with brown rice)
Roasted plantain
Salsa (no sugar)
Soy Lecithin
Soy products (tofu, tempeh, soy sauce, tamari)
Tahini
Tapioca starch
Unsweetened almond milk, rice milk, or soy milk
Unsweetened applesauce
Unsweetened cocoa powder (additive free) is allowed in recipes
Unsweetened coconut flakes
Vanilla extract (The alcohol is minimal and is not used for the same purpose as to why Daniel didn’t drink wine)
Vinegar (all vinegars including red wine vinegar, but make sure the rice vinegar comes from brown rice or whole grain and not white rice)
Wheat gluten
Whole wheat tortillas
Yeast extract (not a leavening agent)

NOTE: unsweetened plant based milks (rice, almond, coconut, soy) are allowed for use in recipes and on cereal and not as a drinking beverage.

NOTE: unsweetened fruit juices are allowed for use in recipes (including smoothies) but not as a drinking beverage.

Foods to Avoid on the Daniel Fast

This is NOT a complete list of foods to avoid during the Daniel Fast. Remember - READ THE LABELS !!!

All meat & animal products, including (but not limited to) –

Beef
Buffalo
Fish
Lamb
Poultry
Pork
Seafood

All dairy products, including (but not limited to) –

Butter
Cheese
Cream
Eggs
Milk

All sweeteners, including (but not limited to) –

Agave nectar
Artificial sweeteners
Cane juice
Honey
Molasses
Raw sugar
Syrups
Stevia
Sugar

All leavened bread & yeast, including (but not limited to) –

Baked goods and Ezekiel bread (if it contains yeast and honey)
Baking powder
Baking soda
Cream of tartar
Sourdough starter
Yeast

All refined & processed food products, including (but not limited to) –

Artificial flavorings
Chemicals
Food additives
Artificial preservatives
White flour
White rice

All deep-fried foods, including (but not limited to) –

Corn chips
Corn nuts
French fries
Potato chips

All solid fats, including (but not limited to) –

Foods high in fat
Lard
Margarine
Shortening

Beverages, including (but not limited to) –

Alcohol
Carbonated drinks
Coffee
Energy drinks
Herbal tea
Hot chocolate
Tea

Other, including (but not limited to) –

Breath mints (contains sweeteners or chemicals)
Gum (contains sweeteners or chemicals)
Sriracha (contains sugar)

Controversial Areas on the Daniel Fast

Fermented foods are controversial - including wine, soy sauce and vinegar. Some people avoid all fermented products while on the Daniel Fast. The fast I follow does not allow alcohol, but does allow soy sauce and vinegar.
Whether or not to use nutritional yeast is a personal decision. It is an inactive form of yeast and not a leavening agent.
Unsweetened cocoa powder is one of the controversial areas - unsweetened cocoa powder is fine in recipes, but it does contain caffeine, which is not allowed on the Daniel Fast.

Recipes for the Daniel Fast

The Chocolate Nutty Bars were the first Daniel Fast chocolate bars I made - and I think they are still my favorite !!!!

Here are some recipes that can be eaten while on the Daniel Fast. I know some Daniel Fasts are more strict than others...some allow vinegar and nutritional yeast, while others do not.

Hummus: