We are moving into the Lenten season soon and I have been doing a lot of reading and research on fasting. I have chosen to do a 21 Day Daniel Fast this year. I have been on two weeks of "preparation" for this and have not officially started. I have been cutting back on sugar and caffeine to prepare my body for this big change. I have also been eating more vegetarian in the last week. Coming off of the Christmas season with all the crazy eating I needed an extended preparation time for this so my body would not go into SHOCK! LOL
I truly believe that fasting should not be used unless you are praying with it. The Bible is clear that we should engage in both... together.... "prayer and fasting" is listed together every time it is mentioned. I am personally seeking the Lord for some answers for our family during this time and need some focused prayer time. I feel strongly that this is something I should do right now. I have to admit, though, that it is hard for a chef to fast. The clients I cook for have some healthy menus right now and that should help a great deal. I do have to taste things as I go to make sure they are up to my standard for preparation before passing the food on to the client so there will be tasting... just not indulging.
I thought I would share some tools I will be utilizing during this time for those interested in doing this type of fast, too.
You may be asking, "What is a Daniel Fast?"
It is a 21 day fast of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds... basically a vegan diet... for the purpose of clearing the body while focusing on the aspect of prayer and seeking God.
The original story comes from the book of Daniel in chapters 1 and 10.
This is a great link from a doctor... not exciting but good information to see who Daniel was and what he did, why we fast and how it affects the body and mind throughout this process. This is fascinating to me to see how Daniel and his friends would have been "healthier" than the kings men in the story from the Bible about this. It is a study he is discussing.
Here is another page with a great list of what is acceptable for the 21 day duration.
So, here is what I mean by preparing...
One, I have been reading two books in preparation for this.
Two, I have found video and recipe helps online that I will be referring to in a pinch throughout the process.
MarthaFry.org shares her grocery planning and shopping tips on her site along with her experiences and insights for her family
There are four video resources I have enjoyed on youtube.com that share information and recipes.
Susan also has more videos on her site
Three, I will be writing an extensive menu plan and grocery list as I go to make sure I stay on track. I am already developing a chart that keeps my menus and daily reading in front of me as I go. I am of the opinion that the planning I do ahead will keep my mind focused more on the prayer time than on the food prep time once I start. I don't want to make this about the eating.
Several of these sites started the fast on January 8th and are sending daily e-mail to encourage those fasting. The e-mails I have been receiving are being saved for me to start reading next week when I start officially. They are packed with good stuff so I encourage you to sign up for those if you can.
I am planning on sharing recipes here as I go that help me. There are lots of things that will be vegan in nature and can be used all the time and not just during fasting. I hope you will enjoy this series as I share.
I am a "flexitarian" so you can expect me to go back to eating animal products once I have completed this fast. I hope you will consider this for yourselves. Please feel free to share other resources you might have found or will find along the way here.
Thanks for reading!
Great resources, Leann! If I end up doing another multi-week Daniel fast I'll definitely check them out.
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