Purpose of 'Daniel's Fast'...WHY?

[MissBrattified]

I don't know if it's a new thing; I remember reading a book that my mother had by Joy Haney recommending the Daniel Fast as a diet as well as a type of fast. That book is 15 years old...and my Dad followed the Daniel Fast for some of his fasts years before that.

I don't impose a lot of spirituality on the Daniel Fast; it's sort of like Ezekiel Bread, though; it gets a lot of play because it's an eating method found in scripture. Ergo, some people are going to put a lot of stock in its value for that reason alone. I think the assumption is that if there's a food list in scripture, that it might be the God-endorsed, healthier way to eat.

Daniel wasn't actually fasting; he was following his regular dietary restrictions. For HIM, it wasn't a fast; for Western culture, it may qualify as a fast, because we are more accustomed to the "Babylonian" diet. It's an extreme change for most people to eat only "pulse" (vegetables) and water.

Our church fasts in March; I'm not sure why the emphasis on January, except that some people like to use the New Year to emphasize fresh starts and new habits. Our church staff fasts together once a week.