Tips and Suggestions for the Bahai Fast

If you have a tip or suggestion you think should go here, please e-mail us and let us know! 
Last updated on February 18, 1999.

Jump to: Details - Exemptions - Spiritual Aspects - Sunrise/set Times - Eating - Other - Humor 
Items here have been submitted by (in first name or e-mail name order): Alison & Steve Marshall, Andrew Pemberton-pigott, Barbara Stephan, Cathy, Darrell Rodgers, Dennis McLean, Dillard Henderson, Glen Little, Vinson Jamir, Jeffrey Brown, Jonathan Dixon, MakBeth, Nelson LeDuc, Philip & Reina Stalker, Rhonda Harrison, Peter S, Shelly Saunders, SNDunn, Steven King, Susan Gammage, sweiss, Vargha Mogharrabi, (and you? Send me your suggestion!). Glen has edited some suggestions.
The items are not necessarily consistent with each other - remember, they are simply suggestions from many people!

Details	Starts with sunrise on March 2 and ends at sunset on March 20 each year. Kit�b-i-Aqdas pg 17:     Abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sundown... Note 25 of Kit�b-i-Aqdas: Fasting is enjoined on all the believers once they attain the age of 15 and until they reach the age of 70 years. Note 32 of Kit�b-i-Aqdas: `Abdu'l-Bah�, after stating that fasting consists of abstinence from food and drink, further indicates that smoking is a form of "drink". In Arabic the verb "drink" applies equally to smoking. Encyclopedia entry for Fasting and the Bah�'� Fast More details: various places in the Kit�b-i-Aqdas, Directives From the Guardian #71 (also #70, 72);
Exemptions	Kit�b-i-Aqdas pg 16: The traveler, the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not bound by the Fast; they have been exempted by God as a token of His grace. Note 31 of Kit�b-i-Aqdas: Exemption from fasting is granted to those who are ill or of advanced age, women in their courses, travellers and to women who are pregnant and those who are nursing. This exemption is also extended to people who are engaged in heavy labour, who, at the same time, are advised "to show respect to the law of God and for the exalted station of the Fast" by eating "with frugality and in private". Shoghi Effendi has indicated that the types of work which would exempt people from the Fast will be defined by the Universal House of Justice.  "Some years ago, there was a message from the Universal House of Justice which appeared in Bah�'� Canada which stated that the prohibition of smoking during the daylight hours of the Fast is not applicable in the western world. For western Bah�'�s, it is enough that they/we abstain from food and drink during daylight hours and try to partake (as much as we can) of the spiritual aspects of the Fast."
Spiritual Aspects	"It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character." Shoghi Effendi "For this material fast is an outer token of the spiritual fast; it is a symbol of self-restraint, the withholding of oneself from all appetites of the self, taking on the characteristics of the spirit, being carried away by the breathings of heaven and catching fire from the love of God." `Abdu'l-Bah� "...considered a time for deep reflection on one's own spiritual progress. Efforts are made to detach oneself from material desires."  The Bah�'�s Magazine Prayers for the Fast
Sunrise/set Times	Check out Misc & Software at this site for on-line and downloadable computer programs that will display the correct times for any place in the world. "Observed actual times are usually a few minutes different because of local geography - are you in a valley or on a hill?" "It is up to you to determine when to start and stop. Don't worry about it too much!" "Call a local radio station and ask if they can send you a copy of what they use for announcing sunrise and sunset times." "A local cable TV station displays sunrise and sunset times every few minutes!" "Record the actual sunrise and sunset times you observe where you are. Use these as a start for next year - times are similar each year, but not the same..." "Are we told to use observed times of sunrise and set for the fast rather than computed times built on the earth model as a smooth sphere? This would make for interesting differences for those of us who live by the mountains."
Eating	The Bah�'� Fast is not "legalistic" but  fundamentally spiritual in character. For those not exempt from physical  fasting here are some eating suggestions, submitted by Bah�'�s around the world, you may want to consider.  "I'm a little concerned by the number of suggestions to drink after you eat. The Writings are quite specific about this: "Take first the liquid food before partaking of solid food." Star of the West, vol. 13, no. 9 (Dec 1922), p. 252" "You all seem pretty occupied with food. Normally I can eat all day, and often I do, it shows! But strange enough, from the first until the last day of the fast I haven't any problem with no-eating and no-drinking. It is just if I turn off a switch, amazing." "Eat mostly fruits in the morning. Avoid mixing acid and sweet fruits." "Drink a glass or two of water upon waking. Ideally, you wouldn't drink water immediately after eating, but I like to rinse my mouth before sunrise and 'top up'." "Learn more about 'food combining'." "Have a large 'snack' before going to bed in the evening." "Orange juice is way too sugary and will set you up for a huge blood sugar crash after breakfast." "I tried eating 'dinner' for breakfast (protein, veggies, potatoes) and found I had more staying power." "Fit for Life recommends not drinking water before you eat - it dilutes the stomach acids. Better to drink after you eat." "I like to get up at least an hour before before sunrise so that I can eat (meat for me this year) and drink at least two LARGE glasses of water and still have time to say numerous prayers while the sun rises." "Although I can drink as soon as I awaken in the morning, I literally get sick if I try to eat any thing before I've been up for several hours, so I would have to either get up at 1:00 AM at the latest or just not eat anything before sunrise if I hadn't discovered that a can of nutritional suppliment, such as a generic version of Insure Plus, keeps me going fine until sunset." "Our small community (15 more or less) gathers for breakfast and dawn prayers during the fast. Each day a different family brings the breakfast - most feel the sense of community and sharing is enhanced." "For me, the best way to maintain a 'full' feeling is to eat complex carbohydrates with fiber (e.g. oatmeal) in the morning.  The complex carbos are digested slowly and so 'stay with you' and the fiber absorbs liquid and can actually expand in your stomach." "… Drink alot of pure water BEFORE you eat in the morning. Drink some afterwards. Make a soy protein drink in the blender with a banana and then also eat some oatmeal. Add fibre to your oatmeal. This really helps to balance blood sugars. Do not add sugar to foods in the morning, they will cause your blood sugar to drop. Get up at 4:30 to pray, meditate, and read the writings and reflect, then have breakfast. You will focus on your prayers better on a not so full stomach. You'll be on schedule for work and have taken care of the prayers and breakfast without rushing, and before the kids are up. Get the family to bed earlier than usual. Better to drink tea in the morning instead of coffee. Coffee takes a lot of water out of your system. Eat wholesome foods, not empty calories for breakfast or dinner. Your metabolism will slow down while fasting, but you don't have to drop if you keep your blood sugars balanced. If you get hungry (lunchtime or afternoon) then pray, meditate and read the writings, and if possible go for a relective walk. Ask God to help you, but help yourself with prayers and smart eating in the morning." "… Eat some form of protein in the morning.  It can be meat, cheese, eggs or soy product such as soy milk or tofu (or some combination of them).  The amount you will need is to be determined by yourself since it is dependent on your body size and individual metabolism.  Try starting with a 3-4 ounce portion. Carbohydrates should not be too refined since the fiber is helpful in counteracting constipation due to lack of fluids. Fat consumption will depend on your ability to easily digest them, but keep them minimal and don't use them for satiety value.  Your digestive system is at maximum efficiency for digestion and will tend to store any excess calories (easily obtained by eating fatty foods) consumed.  Avoid bacon, sausage, fried foods, and too much high fat foods such as peanut butter, butter, spam, etc.).  Moderate amounts as tolerated are alright. Fluids should normally be taken after eating.  Tea, lemonade (not too sweet), or other flavored forms of water will assist in consuming adequate amounts of fluids.  Cold watery drinks are easier to drink in larger amounts than hot. Don't overeat.  Two or more smaller meals are better than one large one. If you feel weak during the day (during fast only not normally), increase the amount of protein eaten in the morning.  You may also be eating too much in the evening and thereby not hungry enough in the morning to eat as much as you should." "I try to plan and fix what I can the night before so it is quick in the morning." "…drinking water or drinks after eating is wrong. This is not a personal opinion of mine but Bah�'u'll�h says so in the Tablet of Medicine. I just wanted to bring that to your attention." "I am an anatomy and physiology instructor and I find that knowing a little bit of physiology is a dangerous thing. For instance, ANYTHING in the mouth, especially under the tongue, will stimulate salivation. For this reason, I have, for years, during the fast, taken a small object into my mouth -- button, ball bearing, something I can feel but not taste, something that won't impede my speech, and something of which I can be totally aware so I know I will not swallow it. I keep it there from the time I first get thirsty until sunset and manage to keep from being thirsty all day."
Other	"Seems to me souls get "bored" & love "surprises". "Surprise" your soul during the Fast with readings & meditations from the Bah�'� Months of Words and Speech (as well as Loftiness, of course). Especially note how each day of these three Bah�'� Months falls on exactly the same day of the week. Can you figure out why? (On the Bah�'� Calendar, days of the month and also days of the week are 'named' after attributes of God, useful for meditating at all times, especially during the Fast.)" "If you are "Fasting with Food" or "Fasting for spiritual reasons while eating for physical ones" you might want to cut back on trivial food items." "Keep a journal during the Fast to write down thoughts and goals." "A short nap or rest during the day may help!" "I like to break the fast in the evening with friends as much as possible and spend the later hours enguaged in a fireside with seekers or a deepening." "I would only add to the psychological part of hunger, that I find that once the sun has set that if I am busy it is much easier to wait awhile longer than it was earlier--just before sunset!  It is like once I know I am free to eat or drink I don't need to as desperately as I thought. Has to be the mind." "I find that, for me, hunger is mostly psychological.  I tend to get hungry around lunch time.  When lunch time passes, so does the hunger.  Why?  Certainly not because I've eaten anything.  Because my brain is no longer telling my stomach, 'It's lunch time, get ready!'" "My favorite part of the Fast this year is celebrating it as a family, now that our daughters are both over 15.  It is a special close time together--laughing, talking, sharing prayers and, of course, eating."
Humor	"Don't go grocery shopping after 3pm." "Don't lick stamps or envelopes during the day! Your mouth will get all gummed up and you won't be able to do anything about it!" "One of my friends suggested to work longer hours during the Fast, as this helps to make it go quicker, and when you can smell coffee at the work-place remind yourself that you really prefer tea!" "Top 10 things you can do during the fast to make time pass by faster: 10. Go jogging for about three hours.  Come home, make a nice pitcher of lemonade, but don't drink it 9.  Go to your favorite restaurant, ask everyone how the food tastes and if offered to eat, refuse 8.  Drop Sara Lee a card saying "I don't think so" 7.  Make yourself a nice cup of tea or coffee, then visit your neighbor's and offer it to them 6.  Go to your local book store, buy a cookbook and just read it! 5.  Open the refrigerator door, do a quick inventory, but don't touch anything 4.  Turn your TV to the "Food Channel" and just keep watching 3.  If the weather is really hot, add 2 scoops of Kool-Aid to 2 liters of water, mix really well, then separate by boiling, and if it's not dark yet, repeat 2.  Visit your local "Jenny Craig" and shout: "Hey everybody, I'm saving 400 bucks" 1.  Pick up a box of Oreos from a 7-11, come home, separate them one by one, and then put them back together neatly" "Why do they call it a fast when it goes so slow? -Gallager, comedian" "Get a job working nights!"

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