I’ve actually been on a 21 day partial fast, inspired by "The Daniel Fast" by Jentezen Franklin Ministries.  The motivation in doing was in believing God for a breakthrough both individually and corporately as a church.  The basic premise of the fast is how Daniel in the bible only declined the rich Babylonian food, and restricted himself to water and vegetables for 21 days - after which he ended up better in appearance and stature than the other Babylonians. 

Practically speaking, the guidelines of the fast encouraged eating lots of fresh vegetables, legumes and fruit, and to abstain from the following:

• Meat
• Fried foods
• Caffeine, carbonated beverages
• Refined sugar and sugar substitutes
• Foods containing additives or preservatives
• High fat products, e.g. margarine and shortening
• White flour and products containing it

Spiritual benefits aside, I’ve noticed a marked improvement in my well being and health.  In fact, I’ve managed to drop 5 kg in these three weeks to my ideal weight, which was extremely encouraging given that I had been unsuccessfully trying to do so over the past 12 months just through exercise alone. 

I must say that it took some getting used to though, especially because you had to think before including anything in your diet.  All the usual indulgences I used to have were now off limits - coffee, chips, fried chicken and fast food, coke, sweets, chocolate and rich desserts.  It was fun being creative in meal preparation - vegetarian omelettes, salad wraps, vegetable soups and chickpea dips were all the craze.  My wife even prepared a 4 course vegetarian candlelit dinner for Valentine’s day, and I tell you, food never tasted so good!

I was never hungry either - I could eat as much as my stomach wanted to, just none of the bad stuff!  It dawned on me that what my body needed wasn’t another fandangle diet, or weight loss shakes or more hours at the gym to burn off all the excess calories.  All that was required was simply to eat healthy!  All the unnecessary things I described previously that were part of my diet were simply a result of our modern convenience-driven, quick-fix, consumer-based lifestyle. 

The twenty-one days are up now, but the results speak for themselves. I don’t think I’m giving up meat altogether for the long run, but I will definitely be incorporating the principles learnt, - to eat healthy, eat fresh and no junk!  If you’ve embarked on a similar diet or journey, I would definitely like to compare notes and experiences - let me know how you went!