Prayerfully study: Daniel 1:1–7—Daniel and his friends are trained in the king's court. Daniel 1:8–16—They eat plain food and refuse the king's wine (Note: Pulse means foods made from seeds and grains).
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine that he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 9 Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.
All we know is that Daniel rejected the delicacies from the royal table for fear of defilement. Even the captive King Jehoiachin readily accepted rations from the same source (2 Kings 25.29-30).
Daniel decided not to defile himself with the royal rations, which included meat that may not have been drained of blood, as required by Jewish law, or that was likely often used as ritual offering to the Babylonian god Marduk and his divine son Nabu.
They were chosen to serve in the king's court and become his wise men. The king gave Daniel and his friends food and wine. But they would not eat the king's food or drink the wine. It was against God's commandments.
What is the Daniel Fast? In the book of Daniel in the Bible, Daniel chooses not to eat the “choice” foods of the royal palace and instead eats a diet of vegetables and water. After 10 days, he and his companions were physically and mentally healthy, even after just consuming vegetables.
Asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, corn, cucumbers, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, veggie burgers, etc.
The Daniel Fast is a widely utilized fast based on the Biblical book of Daniel. It involves a 21 day ad libitum food intake period, devoid of animal products and preservatives, and inclusive of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
A later passage implies that Daniel did drink wine at times, though it may not have been the king's. Similarly, Judith refused the Assyrian general's wine, though she drank wine from the stores she brought with her.
Because of Daniel's faith and testimony, he was thrown into the den, (vv. 16-17), but the lions didn't devour him. Daniel distinguished himself from the authorities of the king, by standing on the fundamental guiding principle of his faith –vv. 21-22.
According to two passages in the Bible, Daniel fasted twice. During the first fast, he ate only vegetables and water to set himself apart for God. For a second fast mentioned in a later chapter, Daniel stopped eating meat, wine and other rich foods.
In the story, Daniel decides to avoid the rich, indulgent foods that surround him and have “nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink” for 10 days. (Some translations interpret vegetables as pulses, meaning foods grown from seeds.) A later reference says, “I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks.
"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.
Story Overview:
When Daniel and three other young Jews were told to eat the king's food they refused because it was food that God had forbidden Jews to eat. When the officials saw that these young men were healthier and stronger when they obeyed God's food laws, they allowed them to continue obeying the Lord.
In the end, Daniel persuaded him to let him, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego try a diet of only vegetables and water for 10 days to see if they appeared any less healthy. The chief chamberlain agreed, and at the end of the 10 days, the four servants looked even healthier than the other men.
Only water is an approved beverage on the Daniel Fast. No alcohol, tea, coffee, juice or soda is consumed.
On the Daniel Fast, you can eat all the potatoes you want. Potatoes are one of the healthiest foods on the planet, but that depends on how you prepare them.
Peanut butter may be included in the Daniel Fast so long as it doesn't contain added sweeteners or artificial flavorings. Many popular and widely available peanut butters contain added sweeteners such as corn syrup, agave, molasses, cane sugar, and honey.
Eating fiber-rich, filling foods with plant-based protein can help your hunger pains and leave you feeling full and satisfied when you're on the Daniel Fast. This Cashew Chickpea Curry is the perfect dish for your fasting meal plan.
Malunggay, which grows from the moringa tree (scientific name Moringa oleifera), is the “miracle vegetable” that many scientists are raving about.
Fish and seafood were not part of Daniel's plate
Even though fish isn't a part of the Daniel Fast, there are a variety of sea vegetables that are free for the taking. Sea vegetables can mimic the flavor of seafood when added to your dish.
And, I want to mention that on the Daniel Fast some allow sea salt or Himalayan salt and others do not. My recommendation is to only use a bit of sea salt when necessary in flavoring dishes. Here are foods you definitely want to refrain from eating: Iodized salt.