What Is Daniel Fast Diet? Here's How You Can Follow This Super Quick Diet Plan  

When nothing works in life, we turn to God. And when all the efforts to lose weight, fail, we may turn to God again. Daniel Fast - a 21-days, prayer and fasting ritual - has been hailed as another miracle diet that helps shed kilos quickly. The diet finds its roots in religion and ancient scriptures. Daniel Fast or Daniel Diet is centred on the actual eating regime of Daniel, an Old Testament prophet under King's Nebuchadnezzar's rule. His eating and spiritual practices were interlinked and it is all explained in the Bible - The Book of Daniel. According to the text, Daniel stuck to a diet that replicated the foods God meant to feed humans when he created them. So, Daniel only ate fruits, vegetables, and whole foods and no delicacies, meat, or wine.

What Does Daniel Fast Diet Involve?

This kind of diet involves a short-term 'purified vegan diet' and as all other religious fasts lay their premise on, this diet too implies 'getting closer to God' through 'sacrifice'. 

Daniel diet is supposed to be followed for 21 consecutive days and no longer than that; at regular intervals. It is like a detox break, which allows the body to recover from the toxicity of the modern lifestyle. 

Also Read: Intuitive Eating - A Diet That Works Without Dieting

^{Whole Grains - Cereals, wheat flour, oats, barley, brown rice, cornmeal}

Foods You Can Consume On Daniel Fast - 

As interpreted through the texts of the book, the biblical diet of Daniel Fast allows you to eat the following foods - 

• Fruits - Only fresh fruits, especially those with high water content
• Vegetables - All kinds of vegetables
• Whole Grains - Cereals, wheat flour, oats, barley, brown rice, cornmeal
• Plant-based proteins - Beans, legumes, nuts and seeds
• Water - purified or distilled
• Homemade vegetable juice or coconut water

Foods that are forbidden to have on Daniel Fast - 

• Dairy products
• Refiner flour - white bread, pasta, noodles, pancakes
• Animal proteins - Milk, eggs, chicken and red meats, seafood
• Caffeinated drinks - Coffee, tea, green tea
• Alcohol
• Iodised Salt 
• Sweeteners - including honey, brown sugar, agave and white sugar
• Oils
• All forms of fats

Also Read: Top 5 Foods To Lose Weight Quickly

^{Alcohol is forbidden in Daniel Fast Diet}

Canned, dried or frozen foods cannot be consumed during the period as they may contain sugar, preservatives and artificial flavouring agents. The purpose of the diet is to keep the body away from anything that can cause it potential harm. But, as we always suggest, consult your nutritionist before shifting to a new diet.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.