Biblical Fasting and Intuitive Eating
At the beginning of every year and then again come spring, Christians practicing intuitive eating start to wonder about spiritual fasting and how it fits with their newly discovered food freedom.
Whether its a church-wide 21 days of prayer and fasting initiative, the lenton season, or a day of prayer and fasting for a specific cause, if you’re a believer practicing your faith with other believers, you’re going to be presented with the option to fast.
When that day comes, I’m hoping this post will serve as a touchstone for deciding first, whether or not you should fast, second, what to fast from, and finally, how to do it in a way that aligns with your values.
But first…
What is biblical fasting and what is it’s purpose?
Historically, fasting in the Bible was the act of abstaining from food and/or drink for a period of time in order to devote oneself to prayer.
The purpose of fasting was almost always to single-mindedly seek the Lord by petitioning Him in prayer and waiting for His answer. Except for in the instance of Daniel denying the King’s Food. In that case, Daniel sought not to defile himself with food likely offered to pagan gods.
These days we aren’t often confronted with foods offered to pagan gods, and since Christ has declared all foods clean, we no longer need to worry about defiling ourselves with food (See Mark 7:19).
Today, as believers of Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross, we almost exclusively fast for the first purpose: to single-mindedly seek the Lord with the goal of receiving direction from His Holy Spirit.
Unfortunately, to many believers this purpose isn’t clear, and so they misuse fasting.
Modern day misuses of fasting
The first way I often see people misusing fasting is as a means to prove one’s own willpower over one’s body.
As Christians we aren’t called to rely on our willpower, but on the power of the Holy Spirit. in us. There is a reason self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. In our own strength there is no hope. Relying on our willpower and slapping a christian label on it will likely result in failure and a sense of shame and disconnect from God. Succeeding at abstaining from food in our own strength, increases our confidence in ourself for a time which won’t bring us any closer to God.
Misuse number two is the tendency to use fasting as a form of self-punishment for our bodies.
The apostle Paul himself tells us there is no power in such practices. And in his letter to the Romans, he declares there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
We don’t grow in godliness by punishing ourselves, but rather by receiving the truth that Jesus has already taken all of our punishment on the cross, and by walking with the Holy Spirit in our new identity as beloved children of God.
The third misuse of fasting I see all. of. the. time. is using it as a guise for weight loss.
I won’t name names but there are several popular Christian books that promote biblical fasting as a primary method for losing weight.
Aside from the fact that fasting is supposed to be about seeking the Lord, intentionally restricting food to try to lose weight doesn’t work. In fact, dieting fails 95 - 99% longterm and ultimately results in weight gain, decreased self-esteem, and a higher risk of eating disorders.
And in case you think I’m coming on a little strong, it’s only because I’ve been there. I have bought one of those books. I have slapped a spiritual label onto my weight loss attempts. There is no life there friend, only shame, misplaced pride, and a disconnect from the true gospel.
On that note, misuse number four is using fasting as a means to prove oneself a “good christian.”
Some of us have fasted because we thought it would somehow make us a “better christian,” in other words we have used it to try to earn and prove our righteousness.
So if you’re feeling pressured to fast for this reason, but on the inside the peace of God is missing, let me reassure you friend. You cannot possibly earn or prove your goodness to God. He can’t love you anymore than He does right now. Your righteousness was already bought and paid for by Jesus death and resurrection.
If the Holy Spirit is leading you towards fasting, you’ll have peace. You’ll know what you’re seeking God for, there will be a clear purpose to your fasting.
Potential downsides to fasting food
Okay, so let’s say you HAVE made the decision to fast, to single-mindedly seek God in prayer for a time. Do you fast from food? How will this affect your relationship with eating?
In this scenario, there are a few downsides to fasting from food that are important to consider:
First, restricting food often leads to mental fatigue and distraction. Two things that don’t put us in a good place to single-mindedly seek.
Second, if you’re recovering from disordered eating or just beginning your intuitive eating journey, fasting from food can cause old food rules to take root and disrupt your progress with feeding your body what it needs (imperative for getting hunger/fullness cues back).
And if you are in eating disorder recovery, it is VERY important not to fast from food, but instead to talk to your treatment team and maybe a spiritual mentor who understands your eating disorder about a better option. Obviously fasting is not recommended if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or have other health conditions where regular nutrition is very important.
Finally, since our bodies NEED food to survive, they are designed to seek food more intensely with restriction. So it’s very possible that if you aren’t several years into a healthy relationship with food and consistently feeding your body, you will have a VERY hard time fighting cravings which again may distract you from your ultimate purpose of seeking the Lord single-mindedly.
Alternatives to fasting from food
If after reading and prayerfully considering the above, you’ve decided fasting from food isn’t a good idea right now, maybe it’s time to consider some alternatives.
Where do you spend considerable time in your day-to-day life? Can you refrain from a certain activity for a period to spend more time with God?
Here are a few ideas for things you might fast from in order to seek the Lord:
Social Media
Books other than the Bible
Netflix/TV
Running or other time-intensive workouts
Checking your email on weekends
Counting Calories, Reading Diet Books/Magazines/Blogs (YES restricting food can STEAL from your time with God)
I, myself have always found fasting from something on this list to be far more helpful than fasting from food. But, that is not to say the Holy Spirit won’t call you to fast from food in some manner or fashion.
Engaging in a biblical food fast healthfully
Maybe you spend a large chunk of your day cooking, cleaning and eating. Maybe it’s even something you love, but God’s asking you to spend more time with Him. What if you took a day and planned quick and easy meals for the week? What if you ate packaged bars and no prep snack foods or freezer meals for a week. You’d be keeping your body and mind fueled while freeing up time to focus on the Lord.
If you have decided to fast from food completely and you’re in a healthy, stable place with your relationship with food and body, be sure to follow these precautions:
Do not fast for an extended period of time.
Nourish yourself well the day before a fast. Eat well-balanced meals consistently throughout the day and immediately before your fast begins.
Drink Fluids!
Have a nourishing meal on hand for after your fast. Even assuming you’re in a good place with eating all foods, I do not recommend having, say. only ice cream, or cereal, or any previous binge foods as your option for re-nourishing after a fast. Sure, those items can be a part of a post-fasting meal, but they should be present along with other foods from a variety of food groups.
More posts about intuitive eating and biblical fasting
And there you have it, I hope this post has been helpful if you’re considering a biblical fast. If you want to read more about intuitive eating and biblical fasting, here is a list of some other wonderful reads!
Can Christians practice Spiritual Fasting with an Unhealthy Relationship with Food? by Alyssa Pike, RD
Spiritual Fasting After Eating Disorder Recovery by Char-lee Cassel, RD
Fasting from Diet Culture by Erin Todd
Integrating your faith and intuitive eating/movement
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