The Daniel Fast
by
Ron Lagerquist

 "In an age of media-induced addictions, where we race from one emotional fix to another, the maverick message, “Dare to be a Daniel” spells refreshing freedom."

Being victimized by the jaws of hunger during a raw diet set me to wondering.  I wondered which feat took greater daring, Daniel facing a den full of ravenous lions or the decision to abstain from the finest Babylonian fare, surrendering his appetite to meager vegetables and water out of love for his God. I have successfully fasted on juice and water many times over the last 18 years, but my first 30-day raw diet gave teeth to a familiar Sunday school song, “Dare to be a Daniel.”

Why the Daniel Fast Can Really Bite
Why is the Daniel Fast more challenging than juice fasting? During water or juice fasting, the digestive system shuts down. Within a day or two, hunger is removed from the equation and physical craving is not far behind, leaving, for the most part, smooth sailing. Not so with a raw diet. Hunger and craving can actually intensify for the first three to five days. A digestive system accustomed to breaking down meat will be high in hydrochloric acid, and can take time to adjust to a diet far less demanding on the system. Therefore, the beginning of a raw diet often includes the uncomfortable feeling of ever-present hunger, even after a large raw meal. That satisfied feeling when pulling away from a table full of meat, potatoes and gravy can be sorely missed during a raw diet, leaving an emptiness in stomach and emotions.

An honest confession: Until the last few years, I have been unsuccessful at fully completing a 30-day raw diet. It has been a personal nemesis, a thorn in my pride. After all, I of all people should be able to fast on raw food. In spite of many juice and water fasts, it was not until I reached the end of my first 30-day raw diet that I finally felt I had make my peace with hunger. What a liberating experience to know beyond a shadow of doubt that I was in control of what I eat, and not the other way around. It has made all the difference.  

An Unromantic Look at the Daniel Fast
"Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food . . .
At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead."

Daniel 1: 8-15

Now some rawtarian and vegan vegetarian teachers use this passage to provide biblical proof that their restrictive diets will result in better health. And in doing so, I think they completely miss the deeper elegance of this great story. Ask any Olympic trainer, athletes undergoing three years of rigorous preparation eating a highly restrictive diet of vegetables and water could never successfully compete against athletes eating a balance of the three macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats and protein. This passage is not a statement about the nutritional benefits of vegetables, but something of even greater importance and relevance.

Why was Daniel healthier than his peers? In the same way that the lion’s den and the fiery furnace were rendered powerless to bite and burn, the remarkable fitness level of Daniel after three years of eating vegetables and water was a miracle of God, not the magic of his diet program.

Dare to Stand Alone
Nonetheless, this does not reduce the relevance of this story for those of us who desire to eat healthier and gain control over food addictions. Take a closer look. Daniel had available to him food fit for a king. And not just any king, but Nebuchadnezzar, who would have on hand all the finest chefs, as well as imported meats, herbs, and spices. We are talking about the equivalent of eating at gourmet restaurants for breakfast, lunch and supper.  

How about mousseline of pattes rouges crayfish with morel mushroom infusion, or tarte fine with scallops and black truffle? And that was only lunch.  For supper, your choice of ravioli with guinea fowl and burrata cheese, veal reduction, or tartar of Kobe beef with imperial beluga caviar and belons oysters with a side of veal cheeks.   Delicious, international foods, cooked fresh and steaming hot, washed down with vintage wine. It would be like dying and going to food heaven. No thank you, just a bowl of steamed Brussels sprouts for me.  

Daniel refused to defile his body with foods that had been sacrificed to false gods. Picture him sitting and eating his bowl of veggies with a tall glass of water among muscled men slurping on royal food, savory dishes that filled the air with mouth-watering fragrance. As men do when sharing fine food and drink, there would be boisterous camaraderie, a celebration of the senses. He stood alone in the conviction that his circumcised body was holy. This was not a secret impractical conviction but observable for all to see by how he lived—and how he ate.

But under the New Covenant, didn’t Paul say that all foods are now clean to eat? Yes, we can enjoy all foods with a clear conscience. You see the connection here is not legalism; it goes deeper. I am sure you have learned by now that no form of legalism can tame the jaws of hunger—in fact it will only anger the beast within. Don’t make the mistake of misreading Daniel's intentions or you will miss the message. This was about love, not law. It was about how he saw himself and how he saw his God.   

Daniel’s self-identity was based on the fact that he was set apart, different from the rest. He saw himself through God’s eyes, and that affected every aspect of how he lived.

In my late 20s, one of the first things that went out the window after I started the slow dietary slide into food addiction was my self-respect. To help me live comfortably with my expanding belly, I began wearing track pants around the house. Soon I was going out in those ugly gray track paints, a tucked-in plaid shirt, unshaven, with disheveled hair. My justification for this unkempt look was that Christians shouldn’t be vain anyway. But the truth is, I was losing respect for myself, and looking back at those dreaded photos, it clearly showed.

Living on hotdogs, burgers and fries undermines self-dignity. I watch it all the time. People who know what I teach look embarrassedly at me and say, “I know I shouldn’t be eating this.” I never say a word to make them feel uncomfortable; it’s how they feel about it. Every time you surrender to a food addiction, it’s another assault to the God-given desire to be healthy and self-controlled, and you can feel it. It feels like a small death.

The Daniel Fast Fad
So why, after 2,500 years, are millions still drawn to read about this man Daniel? An even better question is why in this modern day, when all food has been made clean, are we drawn to emulate this highly restrictive diet? After all, there is no commandment, calling or even suggestion in the Bible to do so, and yet people all over the planet carry out the now popularized Daniel Diet. Whole books have been written about the Daniel Diet.

 I believe it goes beyond the nutrition of raw food. There is something in Daniel we all aspire to, a strength of character that comes from a clear sense of who he is. In an age of media-induced addictions, where we race from one emotional fix to another, resulting in escalating obesity, illness and loss of self, the maverick message, “Dare to be a Daniel” spells refreshing freedom. His strength to say no speaks to the real you suffocating under years of saying yes to the wrong things; to the real you that is wired in the image of God―creative, fiercely individualist, and full of life and passion.

 The success I experienced during my first 30-day raw diet demanded a greater act of will than any previous juice fast, especially for the first ten days. Consequently, I was rewarded with a profound feeling of triumph that resulted in establishing greater confidence and self-respect. While everyone around me was eating a diet that contradicted their expressed desire to lose weight and be healthy, I stood apart in the conviction that God blesses hard choices. I did not have the false expectation that His blessing would make it any easier. I knew I would have to face the pain of years of dietary mismanagement, face a willpower weakened by years of compromise. But I believed that God had wired all humankind to be free, and He would meet me in the pain of hard choices. I would get through it and be the better for it.  

 The Daniel Diet will exercise your neglected will muscle, but you know what happens to muscles when you use them: they get stronger. Today a 30-day raw diet, tomorrow the lion’s den. Dare to be a Daniel and you will never be the same. 

For more practical how to information, read The Raw Diet.