The Daniel Fast is more than just a diet—it's a spiritual discipline rooted in the Book of Daniel, where the prophet Daniel abstained from pleasant food, animal products, and wine as an act of worship and devotion. If you're considering this partial fast, understanding which kinds of food are allowed is essential for staying spiritually aligned and physically nourished.
In this guide, we’ll share the Daniel Fast food list, break down categories of foods you can enjoy, highlight foods to avoid, and offer tips for building plant-based meals that support your journey—whether you’re in it for spiritual experiences, physical health, or weight loss.
What Is the Daniel Fast?
The Daniel Fast is the purest form of a plant-based diet inspired by the fasting experiences of the prophet Daniel, who avoided rich food products to draw closer to God. Typically lasting 21 days, it’s a partial fast focusing on eating only whole plant foods in their natural state while eliminating processed and refined foods.
Daniel Fast Food List: What You CAN Eat
The following list of foods permitted on the Daniel Fast are summarized below. These are healthy whole foods that nourish the body and support a deepened spiritual focus.
✅ Whole Grains
Whole grains provide essential fiber, minerals, and sustained energy. Great options include:
- Brown rice
- Wild rice
- Quinoa
- Whole wheat pasta or whole-grain pasta
- Oats
- Millet
- Rice cakes (plain, made with brown rice)
- Wheat flour (unrefined)
- Whole grain pasta
✅ Legumes and Beans
Packed with protein and fiber, these are staples on the Daniel Fast:
- Black beans
- Kidney beans
- Pinto beans
- Cannellini beans
- Lentils
- Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- Black-eyed peas
- Great Northern beans
- Lima beans (butter beans)
- Soy products like edamame, tempeh, or tofu (without additives)
✅ Nuts and Seeds
These healthy fats make a great addition to meals and snacks. Make sure they're raw (unseasoned and no added oil).
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Cashews
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Chia seeds
- Flaxseeds
- Macadamia nuts
- Pine nuts
- Poppy seeds
- Nut butters (like peanut butter and almond butter) without added sugars or oils
✅ Fruits and Vegetables
Enjoy all fresh, frozen, or dried fruits and vegetables with no added sugars or preservatives. Below is a small sample of the fruits and veggies included. Get the complete list of foods included in the Daniel Fast.
- Sweet potatoes
- Collard greens
- Kale
- Spinach
- Salad greens
- Brussels sprouts
- Onions (like green onions, red onions, yellow onions)
- Ginger root
- Watermelon
- Honeydew melon
- Bell Peppers
- Carrots
- Berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries)
- Chili peppers
- Mushrooms
✅ Beverages
Stay hydrated with these Daniel Fast-compliant drinks:
- Water (tap, filtered, spring water, distilled water)
- Plain, unsweetened sparkling water
- Herbal tea (no added sweeteners or flavorings)
- Rice milk (unsweetened)
- Almond milk (unsweetened)
- Soy milk (unsweetened)
- Coconut milk
What to AVOID on the Daniel Fast
To maintain the integrity of the fast, steer clear of these foods and ingredients:
❌ Animal Products
- Meat, pork, poultry, fish, seafood
- Eggs, including products made with eggs, like store-bought mayonnaise
- Dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter
❌ Processed and Refined Foods
- White rice
- White flour
- Cane juice
- Raw sugar
- Brown rice syrup
- Maple syrup
- Agave nectar
❌ Solid Fats
- Lard, shortening, margarine, vegan butter, coconut oil, palm oil
❌ Oils
Oils are processed; even quality oils should be avoided during the fast.
- Olive oil
- Avocado oil
- Sesame oil
❌ Artificial Ingredients
- Artificial sweeteners
- Artificial flavorings
- Food additives
❌ Fried and Junk Foods
- French fries
- Potato chips
- Corn chips
- Deep-fried foods
- Packaged cookies and cakes
❌ Leavened Bread
- This includes Ezekiel bread and pita bread
❌ Beverages to Avoid
- Alcohol
- Energy drinks
- Caffeinated tea and coffee
- Sweetened plant milks
Tips for a Successful Daniel Fast
🌱 Focus on Whole Plant Foods
Prioritize plant-based foods in their natural state. Think hearty soups, grain bowls, big hearty salads, and veggie stir-fries. These are great for supporting stable blood sugar levels and lowering high blood pressure.
📖 Embrace the Spiritual Side
Remember, the Daniel Fast is a form of spiritual discipline—an opportunity to be led by the Holy Spirit. Many participants find that abstaining from hyperpalative food heightens their spiritual awareness.
📅 Prepare a Meal Plan
Having a meal plan makes it easier to stick to the fast. Include simple recipes featuring beans, whole grains, and seasonal produce.
🍽 Try These Daniel Fast Recipes
Here are some of our most popular Daniel Fast recipes.
Check out our full list of Daniel Fast recipes to make your fast nourishing and delicious.
Side Effects and Considerations
Some people may experience side effects during the first few days—such as fatigue or headaches—as the body detoxes from caffeine, sugar, and processed foods. Be sure to eat a variety of whole plant foods to ensure adequate nutrient intake, and drink plenty of water.
The longer you're on the Daniel Fast, and you're eating a variety of whole plant foods, don't be surprised if your energy levels increase, you lose a few pounds, and improve your health. In fact, we created a free Weight Loss Masterclass to help believers use the Daniel Fast as a jumping-off point to lose weight and improve their health for the glory of God.
Final Thoughts: A Great Idea for Mind, Body, and Soul
Following the Daniel Fast food list is a great idea for anyone seeking spiritual renewal and a healthier lifestyle. Whether you're doing it for spiritual experiences, better physical health, or even weight loss, the Daniel Fast offers an opportunity to reset your relationship with food and reconnect with your purpose.
So take the first thing each morning to pray, prepare nourishing meals, and reflect. You're not just choosing plant-based meals—you’re engaging in a transformative act that honors God with every bite.
Ready to start your Daniel Fast? Explore our delicious and simple recipes to help you stay on track. And remember, this fast isn’t just about food—it’s about faith, focus, and living in alignment with your values.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Daniel Fast
The Daniel Fast can have a profound and life-altering effect on your body. When you move to a Daniel Fast menu of eating whole plant foods—in or close to their most natural state—you’re both adding foods that restore health and eliminating foods that put you at greater risk of inflammatory chronic illnesses, like obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, certain cancers and autoimmune diseases, etc. Click here to learn more about what the Daniel Fast does to your body!
Let’s talk eggs. Does the chicken come before the egg or the egg before the chicken? This is the most popular question of all time concerning the egg. But if you are embarking on doing the Daniel Fast, the question of whether you can eat eggs may be at the top of your list. In this case, neither the chicken nor the egg is on Daniel’s plate. This stays consistent with the fact that eggs are an animal product, and no animal products are included in the Daniel Fast. Click here to learn more about eggs on the Daniel Fast!
Drinking tea on the Daniel Fast is a question that comes up often, and the answer is that it depends, but mostly no. Black tea, white tea, green tea, oolong tea, and even decaffeinated teas all contain some amount of caffeine. The Daniel Fast does not include these teas. However, herbal tea may be included in the Daniel Fast, although they should not have any added artificial sweeteners or flavorings. Click here to learn more about drinking tea on the Daniel Fast!
If you’ve been fishing around trying to figure out if fish is included on the Daniel Fast, then you came to the right spot. Like all other animal products excluded on the Daniel Fast, fish is no exception. Any kind of seafood is not a part of the Daniel Fast. Click here to read more eating fish on the Daniel Fast!
People are curious: can you eat pita on the Daniel Fast? Here’s the flat-out truth! While a whole grain pita bread may pair well with a side of hummus, it will have to bow out gracefully from the Daniel Fast. The main reason is that in the Bible Daniel mentioned that he fasted from all leavened bread. Wait—what is leavened bread, you may ask? Leavened bread is made with any rising agent, like yeast, baking powder, or baking soda. Click here to learn more about eating pita bread on the Daniel Fast!
You’re wondering if stevia is allowed on the Daniel Fast. Stevia rebaudiana, native to Brazil and Paraguay, is a leaf refined into a white powder that’s 200 to 300 times sweeter than cane sugar. And like sugar, stevia is not included in the Daniel Fast. Here’s an explanation and three things to consider. Click here to continue reading about Stevia on the Daniel Fast...
We hope this article is helpful. Let us know if you have questions. Also, your feedback is important to us. Please leave a reply below and share this post with others doing the Daniel Fast.
If you're gearing up for Lent, check out our favorite Lenten recipes.
Blessings, Sersie & Gigi
Beloved, I pray you prosper concerning all things and to be in good health just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2
Mar
Is it for 21 days? Could i continue with my Wednesday and Friday usual fasts? That is, I fast in bread and water? Shoukd that be unleavened bread as well? Can i ear flour tortillas if they’re made with flour, water, salt And margerine?
Gigi & Sersie
The Daniel Fast includes whole plant foods without leavened bread. There are no margarines or cow milk butter. You could get a sprouted grain tortilla with almond or peanut butter.
Sai
I would just like to add that not all pita breads use a leavening agent. I have found many at my local grocery store that make them in-house and they are based on a middle eastern recipe that does not use any leavening, only wheat flour, salt, and water. Some types of naan bread and roti don't contain any leavening agents either. You just have to look at the ingredients list to make sure. These are a great addition to meals and can really widen the number of recipes you can make!
Sherrie Manning
I have never done the Daniel fast. I have always done the full fast just water. But I am going to do the Daniel this time everything is very important and inspiring and thank you for all the help and prayers in this fast .All recipes are very helpful thank you and God bless you 🙏
Dina
Hello, is your recipe ebook available to purchase on its own? Thanks
Gigi & Sersie
Not at this time, but we're developing a new one.
Delma
Can u eat unsweetened cereal with dried fruits in it. For a Daniel Fast?
Gigi & Sersie
Hi Delma- It depends on if there are artificial flavors. We recommend oatmeal like the overnight oats or carrot cake baked oatmeal.
Pierrette
There is this food I usually eat, fufu, made of cassava, can I eat that with beans?
Gigi & Sersie
Yes. Fufu is cassava, plantain, and water—so that's fine. 🙂
L. B.
I’ve embarked on the Daniel Fast but long standing candidiasis and unstable blood sugar is becoming an issue. This is complicated by nut and seed intolerance. I don’t eat dates or hardly any fruits but the vegetables and beans and grains are playing havoc with the above. Do you have any suggestions?
Gigi & Sersie
Hi L.B.- Gigi here. I'm so sorry to hear about your health issues and food intolerances. I don't have a specific answer, but I recommend reaching out to TrueNorth Health Center or a place like it. Any changes to your diet should be under medical supervision, and they have a staff of physicians and other licensed healthcare providers. Here is their phone: (707) 586-5555 and website: https://www.healthpromoting.com/ I hope this is helpful.
Stacy
I am doing daniel fast and am excited for some recipes.