The Daniel Fast (with Bonus Content): Feed Your Soul, Strengthen Your Spirit, and Renew Your Body

by Susan Gregory

This e-book includes the full text of the book plus an exclusive additional chapter from Susan Gregory that is not found in the print edition!What if you could grow closer to God and improve your health in just 21 days? Susan Gregory, “The Daniel Fast Blogger,” has a plan to help you do just that. Widely recognized as the expert on this 21-day fast inspired by the book of Daniel, Susan has helped thousands of people discover a safe and healthy way to fast. The principles you learn from The Daniel Fast will change the way you view food, your body, and your relationship with the one who created you. Includes 21 days’ worth of Daniel Fast recipes!

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Health, Faith, Christianity, Food, Cooking

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Mandy J. Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Daniel Fast is based on the scripture found in Daniel 1 and 10 in the Bible. This fast is a partial fast where you drink only water and eat only food that comes from seeds.

Susan Gregory has written a practical guide that will help and support you through your Daniel Fast. She also gives great advice on how to enhance the fast to get the most benefits from the experience both physically and spiritually. This book is full of the nutritional and menu tools you will need, including recipes.

I appreciated Susan's urging to listen to the Holy Spirit's prompting on your fast. While it is of great importance to consider all medical conditions, I think that too many times we let them be our excuse for not listening to the Holy Spirit. I was also impressed with the immense information and application that Susan offers in this valuable resource. So much of what she presents are things I have wondered about, but never found a comprehensive guide such as this. The balance of dealing with the physical aspects and the spiritual aspects are as close to perfect as I think a person may find in a book.

The Daniel Fast should be on the bookshelf of all who want to fast, and all of us should try the discipline of fasting.

* * * * *

This review copy was provided courtesy of Tyndale House Publishing.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zondervan Publishing has provided me a free media review copy of The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast by Kristen Feola to read and review. I received no compensation for this review.

For the rest of my review I will refer to the book as the Daniel Fast. I was so excited when I received my package in the mail from Zondervan. As most of you know from reading my blog, I entered into a fast at the beginning of the year with my church. It was a 21 day fast. I had no idea that there was written material available regarding fasting. So, when I opened up this packaged I was overjoyed.

According to the back cover of the Daniel Fast – this is a unique opportunity available to anyone who is hungry to know the Lord in a deeper way. As you deny yourselves certain foods you will not only embrace healthier eating habits, you’ll also discover a greater awareness of God’s presence. The Daniel Fast equips you with practical tools to enrich the spiritual and physical impact of your fasting experience, while allowing you to feast on foods that are good for you. Excerpt from back of the Daniel Fast book.

After I read through this book for the first time, I decided to under go another fast using the Daniel Fast as a guide. I decided to do a 10 day fast from sugar and processed ingredients. Any other time this would seem impossible, but not with the Daniel Fast book.

The Daniel Fast has Scripture references throughout and helps you remain focused on God. The craving for food is shifted to a different kind of nourishment. The Daniel Fast shares the reasons why to fast. The author, Kristen Feola also shares her fasting experience with you so you can be encouraged.

My most favorite part of the Daniel Fast was the recipes. The book contains quite a few recipes. My favorites include but were not limited too: Roasted Potato Salad (even my little ones loved this). Apricot Nut Breakfast Bar’s were delicious too. The Daniel Fast includes recipes, pictures and suggestions for each exciting, delicious entrée. The nice thing is you can still use these recipes even if you are not fasting.

The fast within the book is meant to last for 21 days. I only did a 10 day fast, and it worked great for me too.

I don’t want to give too much away within Part One of the Daniel Fast. Part Two of the Daniel Fast is a devotional guide. This section is great to use during the time you are normally stuffing yourself with physical food. It was a good place to start for me, but be careful and check all Scripture for yourself.

Part Three of the book is more focused on the food. The food you should eat as Daniel did. The food you should avoid and how to find substitutions.

So without any further ado, I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in trying a fast, or a veteran faster.

Until Next Time,

M

[Adrienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan Gregory shares the biblical fasts: absolute fast (40 days without food or water), complete fast (similar to absolute fast but not for a long period of time), normal fast (only water), and partial fast (just giving up an item such as meats, sweets, etc.).

Fasting takes discipline to abstain from food, or anything that occupies your time and energy not to seek after God for spiritual food such as knowledge, insight, or deeper relationship with him. This is a faith-driven lifestyle James 4:8 tells us to draw near to Him and He will draw near to us. She gives some examples of biblical people who've done fasting and praying, including spiritual purpose.

I am reading this book since most leaders (especially ministry leaders are called to fast; usually there is a set time like the Jews have their set times to fast and festivals they practice, and others tend to fast in the New Year or Easter. After reading another book, spoke about fasting before New Years, therefore will start December 29th until January 8th. I will also review other fasts and purposes in my book, "Desire at Will" and lead to do partial Daniel Fast and Apostle Fast (to loosen bonds, strongholds, and wickedness) and also Ezra Fast (to lessen the heavy burdens and solve problems). I will review the scriptures and passages on the nine degrees of fasting according to Isaiah 58:6-8.

*I didn't care for the recipes listed in the book even though I wanted to try some of them (very few). I may take some ideas and make it the way I prefer to eat it such as kidney beans.

Adrienna Turner
Author of "God is in the Equation"
www.dream4more.webs.com (Dream 4 More Reviews)

[John Ausmus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few years ago I heard of a church in the area doing a “Daniel’s Fast”. I was a little skeptical of using this as a means of health and fitness, but I was way off base.
I had not heard of this before. The concept is following what Daniel asked the guards to allow them instead of the food the Kings men had prepared.

The concept is outstanding and now there is a book that helps you to see what a Daniel Fast would do for your life. When I completed this, I never felt better.

The book also includes a 21 day plan to help you stay on plan!

I highly recommend this to everyone as a safe, healthy and Biblical fast that will feed your soul, strenthen your spirit and renew your body!

I recieved this book, Daniel Fast by Susan Gregory, from Tyndale to review for this blog. I must say it makes me want to do this fast again.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is probably my least favorite book about the Daniel fast simply because it is not as holistic as other books in both purpose nor execution

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading some different books on the Daniel fast just out of curiosity to see how it works and the principles it follows.
This book was pretty helpful in explaining the foods recommended, that were likely the categories Daniel ate when abstaining from the kings delicacies and while fasting from food that were tasty.
It also contained a 21 day devotional to encourage you through the fast.
Susan writes about her own experience with the fast, and how it worked for her. She also uses quite a few references to Daniel - his lifestyle, walk with God, faith, etc... it prompted me to want to do a study on Daniel.
There were times when it felt a bit repetitive.

[Cassie Trapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so helpful in showing me the biblical origins of the daniel fast, spiritual/physical benefits of it, and very clear guidelines to make the fast successful. It also includes alot of yummy recipies and daily devotionals for a 21 day fast. If anyone is considering fasting for spiritual reasons, I highly recommend this book to help grow your vision for the fast and enhance your perspective on why Christians need to incorporate fasting as part of their regular spiritual disciplines.

[Kristen Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

After having completed the Daniel fast many times, it is nice to have a resource in this book. I especially enjoyed the daily devotional at the end of the book, although I didn’t start reading the book until the end of my fast. If you’ve never fasted, pick up this book and enter into this discipline. I was hoping to read a how-to chapter of reintroducing foods back into my diet: what foods do I introduce first and how quickly? Good read.

[Elizabeth Melendez · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a great book to get you started on the Daniel fast. Personally I would hade preferred more prayers added to this book with an extension to follow once the fast has been completed . Overall a good book

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly agreed with Gregory's thoughts. This was helpful for completing my fast. She included recipes, and a devotional to help get you started. Also, there was background information in the beginning about fasting. I would recommend this book if you're considering a Daniel fast.

[julie ann clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book

So encouraging and thought provoking. It has helped me get my eating on track and shown me wonderful truths in the bible i 100 percent recommend this book and so to her danial diet books

[Mela Nie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some Notes:
• The unreformed soul is the producer of unhealthy cravings.
• After grocery, cut dice etc and place on resealable plastic or containers for easy salad making. Consider freezing half for the following week.
• Consecrated = Dedicated

[Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very informative in explaining exactly how to complete a Daniel Fast with meal planning and recipes.

[Nita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't wait

To try the fast. Recipes look good. Devotionals were good. Going to prepare for my fasting in a bit. Thanks!

[Victoria Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good guide to get you introduced to the idea of fasting.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reading. I found it informative and spiritually strengthening.

[Haley Pouland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf I got all I was going to get out of this book a quarter of the way through. I appreciate all the bible references and it was good inspiring information, though it was getting repetitive.

[Rebecca (booksandbreggs) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the look at the fast of Daniel. I will use this at some point to fast. 4/5 stars.

[Michael Marin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information and recipes sound delicious

[Amydeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, what exactly what is fasting? According the the Daniel fast, it is ALWAYS about food. It is a spiritual connection with God through giving up “pleasant foods” and how to fast for a time. “The Greek word for fast is nesteuo, which means “to abstain from food.”

I didn’t actually know that. I learned several things about fasting that I wasn’t familar with. It taught me a lot about what the Bible has to say about fasting.

The first part of the book describes what fasting is; it gives the history, the biblical references and descriptions of what fasting is. The next section of the book is recipes and the food guide for the Daniel fast. The end part of the book is a devotional to go with the fast.

I will admit, at first I was a little annoyed. I think you can do fasts non-food related and have a spiritual attachment to them — it may not be the traditional sense of the word, but I know it can be done, and have done it, so it turned me off slightly from Susan’s adamant comments that only true fasting is only food related. I guess it’s the traditional aspect of it, which is good, but this is also the 21st century, and there are a lot of addictions that we need to cleanse from our systems , but that is JMO.

That being said, the Daniel Fast by Susan Gregory has a lot of offer. Fasting is a good thing, and can be a great way to increase and learn more about our faith. It can totally deepen our relationship with God and allow us to rely on his strength. It can help us recognize our weaknesses as well as help our minds focus on Him and let Him direct us more because we feel Him better when our bodies aren’t surging with caffeine and sugar alike.

I like that Susan explains different types of fasts to try — ones that suit your lifestyle if you can’t imagine doing a 40 day fast! She goes through simple fasts to extreme fasts and shhe gives examples from the Bible, with a lot of options of what to try. I think this is great because not everyone can commit to, extreme amounts of time, because of work and such, as well those of us who react to lack of food (aka I pass out or have blood sugar issues) can’t afford to just stop stop eating with out damaging side effects. She includes a 21-Day plan with the book.

I like that she tries to make sure you understand the focus of fasting is a spiritual connection; that if you don’t have the fast with a spiritual connection it’s just a diet. I think that’s really important and that came across very clear to me.

Don’t let the cover confuse you.

While it’s not meant to be a diet, it is hard not to see it that way– it actually reminds me a lot of the “natural cleanse” hype going on. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I think it can offer a lot to people who mistakenly pick it up expecting a “diet” book. And please don’t think I’m being mean, I’m just saying that as my overview of it — probably because of the fork and spoon on the front with the “natural” lettuce — to me that suggests a clean wholesome.. pure… cleanse…diet… and the fact that when you flip through it most of the book is recipes.

When I originally heard about the Daniel Fast however, that didn’t come to my mind — not until I saw the cover. I mean if I saw this in the store I would probably pick it up because I wanted to improve my diet and I’m assuming I would find it in the diet section as opposed to the religious section (or both perhaps??). The benefits of the spiritual would be a side effect in my mind — though that’s not what it is actually about – the spiritual should be the forefront… just lots of it is the recipes and diet information, so it’s hard not to take it as that, more-so than a spiritual book kwim?

That being said, I did enjoy this book. It has some great recipes in it (the granola is delicious!) which is somewhat of an oxymoron when they talk about Daniel eating “no pleasant food”. Anywho, it had some yummy stuff in there.

The devotional is nice, and I think there is a lot to get out of fasting for the Lord. I think you can take this book two ways – as a diet – how to learn how to eat cleanly (if that’s even a word), or as a spiritual renewal (finding strength in the Lord during this challenging time). Like with all challenges, you get what you put it into it.

** Review copy

[Jessica Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I have been a Christian all my life, I have never engaged in fasting before. I decided to take on the Daniel Fast after hearing about it from several people who attend my church. I found the book to be incredibly informative about what a fast is and the reasons behind the act of fasting. Susan Gregory offers several different approaches on how to implement the Daniel Fast and also has free online resources on her website.

In essence, the Daniel Fast is a vegan diet - no meat, animal by-products, processed foods, leavened breads, caffeine, etc. The only beverage allowed is water. The typical length of a Daniel Fast is 21 days, but can be shortened or extended. The “diet” is very restrictive and definitely takes discipline, but I found that completing the fast wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. The recipes in the book were very good and fairly easy to make. Many of them made several servings and could be frozen, which meant that it was not necessary to “cook” every day. The hardest part for me was going without my morning coffee.

I was hoping to get a few things out of my fast. First, I was looking for a way to grow my prayer life. Prayer is not something that comes naturally to me and I knew that I would need to pray a lot to get through this experience. Secondly, I was looking for a way to detox my body and get back on track with my healthy eating and exercise goals. Overall, I accomplished my goals and experienced some great health benefits from fasting (namely a 10 pound weight loss!). The only thing that I wish was better developed was the daily devotionals in the book. I was hoping for more guided reflection.

If you are new to fasting, I would recommend this book as a good place to start.

[Alexandra Chauran · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm anthropologically fascinated with fasting as a practice that crosses many religions. This book started out claiming that it would speak towards various types of fasts (absolute, complete and partial) but ended up spending a good portion of the book on generic Christian apologetics and the rest on a very specific partial fast diet.

I was unable to fully understand the religious reasons behind the partial fast diet. Why did Daniel choose to only drink water, and what is the significance of the concept of purity in Christian fasting? What is the spiritual and symbolic meaning of the Biblical term "pulse" for things grown from seeds and how do Christians spiritually digest that (if you'll pardon the pun) while fasting? These interesting questions were left unexplored.

The recommended partial fast diet also seemed arbitrary and hypocritical at points. Why were sweets excluded? (If pleasant foods are to be avoided, then it seems odd that delicious spices and using fruit juices as flavorings are allowed.) Also, the random injunction to avoid chemicals and processed foods just seems like health fad lip-service more than anything spiritual, since foods available to us that were not available to Daniel were encouraged in general.

I did appreciate this book for the exploration of what sort of prayer and devotional practice should go along with fasting to make it more than just a diet. I might recommend this book to a Christian wanting an inspiring and motivating diet to lose weight.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I've not finished the book completely or attempted the fast, I feel I've read enough for an honest review. I am enjoying this book; I had not heard of the Daniel fast before but as soon as I read the title and brief synopsis, I felt it really made sense! Daniel and his friends proved to their jailers that it works and looked healthier than ever, so why wouldn't it be a good option for us today? I see it as a wonderful alternative to a complete fast which may not always be realistic in our busy lives today, and especially not to me as a mother of young children and a nursing baby. The daniel fast focuses on restricting your diet as Daniel did which also causes one to be disciplined, and encourages similar focus on Bible Study, Prayer and spiritual growth. I appreciate that the author takes the time to discuss why and how one goes about it and includes a great many scripture passages to back up her thoughts. She includes 5 helpful tips to a successful fast and expounds on them. The book also includes enough recipes to complete a successful fast. She discusses the spiritual side but also is specific on how to go about it. I think these would be a great book for someone who is not very familiar with fasting but has interest in pursuing it, but of course would be excellent for a Christian at any level in their faith. I'm looking forward to finishing it and planning a Daniel fast of my own!

I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher for review.

[Denise DiFalco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most Christains can identify with the rewards of spiritual fasting. The type of fasting that draws us closer to God by sacrificing all food for a small period of time. Fasting was second nature to me, growing up in a Church that held many fast services however I had never heard of The Daniel Fast. Normal fasting requires giving up all foods and intimacy in marriages for a day or so to show our sincere desire to God. Susan Gregory explains in her newest book that the Daniel fast is a partial fast of certain foods for 21 days. The foods come from the scriptures Daniel Chapter 1 verse 12 and Daniel Chapter 10 Verse 3 which we are to refrain from. It's basically a fruit and vegetable diet which does not allow any meat, dairy or sugars. The author has supplied the reader with some recipes. In the past, followers would fast for their spiritual welfare although it is very true that you will lose weight on this lean diet. I have one problem, in that I feel fasting is sacred and holy and that our hearts should be set on the spiritual growth rather than on the bonus benefit. The Daniel Fast is definitely unique and different to any other weight loss program that I have read about or even tried. The food is healthy but the program is strict and I wonder how many could actually complete the 21 days. I was given the opportunity to review this book for the Tyndale Book community in exchange for my thoughts.

[Abbie Riddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book on the Daniel Fast that I have picked up to read. Again this book hits the reason to fast right on the head.

Though this book does go into the hows of fasting it focuses a lot of the why of fasting. After all the "why" of things is what gives us motivation and drive to follow through with something once we start. This book puts the focus right where it needs to be - on growing closer to God. In biblical text anytime fasting was used was for a person to spend time focused only on God and hearing His direction and guidance. The thought being to take away other distraction.

This book lays out a way to safely fast and I really appreciate the authors question and answer section in the back about common concerns. This puts to rest the person that is still uneasy about fasting. Also included is a 21-day devotional to help the person that is fasting. These devotionals are very solid in biblical application. Combine all this with yummy recipes that after 21-days will most certainly cause a certain amount of change in an unhealthy diet and you have a great book for those looking to fast for the first time.

Thank you Tyndale for this review copy.

[Marissa Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Daniel Fast has been an amazing experience for me! I read this book and participated in the Daniel Fast over lent. Not only was I able to stick with it the entire 40+ days and never cheat, but it changed and grew my relationship with Christ in a way I haven't had before. I truly believe fasting is a lost art, and doing this for God has proven to me that even a girl who doesn't like fruits and veggies (a.k.a. me), can be vegan and sugar-free, and be happier than I was before when I could eat whatever I wanted!

Susan Gregory is fun to read, and inspiring. She isn't banging a Bible over our heads or telling us to stop eating, she genuinely shares out of her love for Jesus Christ and truly wants other to experience a real relationship with him. If you don't know much about fasting or would like to try a partial fast, please read this book! There are a lot of Daniel Fast books or recipe books that are really missing the point about a fast... Pick up this book, it's an easy read, and I can personally testify that it has changed my relationship with Christ. I foresee the Daniel Fast as something I will do every year. The benefits make it more than worth it!

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Daniel Fast Blogger (www.Daniel-fast.com)Susan Gregory has written a book about the Daniel Fast. As a person who has practiced the Daniel fast for several years, at the beginning of each year, I was interested in reading this book, to gain more insight into the Daniel Fast.
One huge plus about the website and this book is that Susan includes a extensive group of recipes to be using during the Daniel Fast. She also lists some sample menus, a menu planning worksheet and my favorite part of the book is a 21 day Daniel Fast Devotional. This book is a great tool for Daniel fast participants.
I just wanted to share something I particularly enjoyed from the book, and that was the five steps for a successful Daniel Fast (found in Chapter 5 of the book) Pray, Plan, Prepare, Participate, and Praise and Process. Definitely a book for participants of the Daniel Fast to read, the book closes with common questions asked about the Daniel Fast. 263pages, $13.99 US 4 stars.

This book was provided for review purposes only, no payment was received for this review.

[Katie Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

In full disclosure, I have not attempted the Daniel Fast yet, just read the book! I am not going to attempt it during this holiday season, but maybe a good way to start off 2014!

I like that the author does NOT make this about a diet, but about a lifestyle of connecting to God. The basis of the Daniel Fast is that Daniel and his Jewish companions (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendago of the fiery furnace fame) decide to abstain from the king's rich foods in order to honor God.

Along these lines, the Daniel Fast is basically vegan - fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. No dairy, no meat, no sweets, and no drinks besides water.

There are plenty of recipes and menus in the book to make it easy to follow for at least the recommended/traditional 21 days.

There are also 21 days of devotionals in the back.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Daniel Fast is a spiritual fast based on Daniel 1 and 10. I was looking for something that would cleanse my body, as well as bring me in a closer relationship with the Lord. It was a success.

You could really use any book on the subject. The book is just a tool. In fact, I had looked at The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast, but I really prefer this book. It's much more in depth.

This book is divided into three parts. The first part explains the fast, and gives guidance on how to make it a spiritual experience, as well as tips for sticking with it for the 21 days. The second part is a recipe book. The final part is 21 daily devotions.

If you are looking for a way to draw into a closer relationship with the Lord, I highly recommend partaking in the Daniel fast.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For spiritual growth and general health

I purchased my copy of The Daniel Fast when it was first published in 2010, and I used it for fasts I did for spiritual reasons. The book was my introduction to the idea of plant-based eating. The support and encouragement Susan Gregory offers is invaluable, both from a foundation of faith in Jesus Christ and the spiritual growth that comes with fasting as well as the more pragmatic considerations of food shopping and menu planning. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who is considering fasting or changing their diet permanently to support their general health. In 2011, I changed my diet to eating plant-based foods and I still use this book for its great recipes and other information.