Meal schedule for Lent. Meals according to calendar days of fasting

Orthodox Christians will celebrate the Holy Resurrection of Christ on April 28 in 2019. The holiday is preceded by Lent, which in 2018 begins on March 11 and will last seven weeks.

Lent is the strictest and longest of all four multi-day fasts established Orthodox Church. Therefore, it can be difficult to start fasting without any preparation, and it won’t harm your health for long if you don’t know how to eat properly.

The main goal of fasting is to achieve internal qualitative changes, as well as the desire of a Christian to follow the feat of Jesus Christ, who fasted for 40 days in the desert.

Compliance with fasting today is a voluntary act and is deeply individual character. In post free time you need to devote yourself to prayers, subdue your desires for food, excluding any excesses and idleness, and strive for a more secluded lifestyle.

For seven weeks you will have to give up meat, eggs, milk, cottage cheese and other animal products. At the same time, food intake per day is limited.

Lenten menu

Fasting is, first of all, abstinence from rich food, and not exhaustion of the body, so the fasting menu should be varied and rich in vitamins.

The Lenten menu can be quite varied - during Lent you can prepare various porridges, lean pilafs, pasta, soups, cutlets, salads and so on.

Porridges - corn, buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, millet, barley, peas, beans, pearl barley and others - can be cooked in water. For example, rice porridge You can diversify by adding pumpkin, mushrooms, raisins, dried fruits or jam.

You can and should eat any vegetables - at your service all kinds of cabbage, carrots, beets, radishes, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, green bean and others that exist in nature.

It is important to eat plenty of bell peppers and fresh herbs during this period, as they are rich in many vitamins and minerals necessary to maintain health.

You can also eat any fruit that is available this season - apples, pears, bananas, oranges, and so on. You can eat jams, dried fruits, pickles, honey, nuts and spices.

Xerophagy

According to church canons, you need to create a menu for Lenten cuisine according to the following principles - in the first and last (Holy) weeks of Lent, as well as on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - dry eating.

These days it is allowed to eat fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, that is, eating exclusively raw, thermally unprocessed food and lean bread. On this day it is not even recommended to drink tea or compote.

If desired, you can prepare vegetable or fruit salads; the latter can be seasoned with honey.

Salad "Exotic"

Place the shredded cabbage in a bowl, lightly sprinkle with salt and rub with your hands so that the cabbage softens and releases juice. The juice should be drained. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater and add to the cabbage. Finely chop an onion, a couple of cloves of garlic and a few sprigs of celery. Cut into cubes fresh cucumber, apple or orange. Pour lemon juice, salt, pepper and mix all ingredients. This unusual and spicy salad will energize you for the whole day.

Days without oil

On Tuesdays and Thursdays you can eat hot food plant origin no oil. These days you can treat yourself various cereals and soups, and you can also eat jams, pickles, herbs, and so on.

Bean soup with pasta

Boil red beans, add some pasta, finely chopped onion, garlic and a bunch of cilantro, spices to the pan and cook until tender. Then add salt and the soup is ready.

You can expand your menu these days by adding baked potatoes and other vegetables. You can also prepare lean spaghetti - boil the pasta in salted water and season it tomato paste. These days you can drink tea and compotes.

The second dishes on the menu during Lent can also be mushroom, potato, cabbage, and carrot lean cutlets, in which eggs as a fixative can easily be replaced with semolina. On days when oil consumption is prohibited, the cutlets can be steamed.

With butter

Saturday and Sunday (except last Saturday Lent) food with the addition of vegetable oil is allowed. Here you can give free rein to your imagination and cook various dishes- soups, salads, lean cutlets and pilaf, and so on.

Mushroom soup

Fry finely chopped onion and garlic in a saucepan and pour boiling water over the frying. As soon as the water boils, you need to pour a handful of rice into the pan, and after 10 minutes, put the mushrooms in the pan and cook a little. Then add a few cauliflower or broccoli florets, grated carrots and bell peppers (preferably red), chopped cilantro, dill and cook the soup until tender. Then add salt and start lunch.

Salad "Markitanka"

Boil potatoes and cut into cubes. Add shredded sauerkraut(preferably red), a can of canned corn, chopped green onions, parsley, cilantro, dill, celery, vegetable oil, lemon juice and mix everything well.

Fish day

During Lent, fish is allowed to be eaten only twice - on the Annunciation (April 7) and on Palm Sunday, which in 2017 falls on April 9. These days, fish can be eaten both boiled and fried, and if you are a fan Japanese cuisine- you can treat yourself to sushi.

Soup

Place a whole onion and chopped carrots in boiling salted water. Cook for five minutes over medium heat. Add potatoes and cook until tender. Very carefully, one piece at a time, add the fish (both red and white will do), without stirring, so as not to crumble. Bring to a boil over low heat, add Bay leaf, allspice and finely chopped fresh herbs, and remove - the fish will be ready.

Fish baked in foil

You can bake any fish in foil - river, sea, both in pieces and whole (if it is small in size).

Cut the fish into pieces or leave it whole, place on foil, pepper and salt. Greens, preferably oregano or tarragon, can be placed in the belly of the fish, on its carcass or pieces. Then sprinkle with lemon juice, or cover with lemon slices, seal the edges of the foil and bake until done.

Treats

Of course, the main meaning of fasting is spiritual cleansing and refusal not only from certain products, but also from harmful passions, evil words and deeds, bad mood and irritability. But I want variety even during Lent.

To the delight of many fasting sweet tooths, last years produce many Lenten sweets. You can also eat dark chocolate, nuts, fruit and berry preserves, jams, dried fruits, halva, natural marmalade, biscuits, and so on. The main thing is that desserts do not contain milk or its derivatives or animal fats.

Various delicacies can be prepared at home. For example, you can cook dessert salad.

Cut any fruits - apples, pears, oranges, add raisins, chopped nuts and dried apricots, and season the salad with liquid honey.

For cooking lemon ginger cookies you will need: 100 grams wheat flour; 100 grams of water; 40 grams of olive oil; 30 grams fresh ginger; one lemon; one full tbsp honey; one tsp baking powder for dough.

Remove seeds and skin from the lemon and grind the pulp in a blender. Grate the ginger on a fine grater, mix honey with warm water(a little to dissolve). Mix 100 ml of water, sifted flour, diluted honey, baking powder, olive oil, ginger and lemon - the dough should turn out thick, its thickness can be adjusted by the amount of water, or by additionally adding flour if the dough turns out watery.

Cover the kneaded dough and leave it for 10-15 minutes at room temperature. Heat the oven to 150 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil, make cookies of the desired shape from the dough and bake for 15 minutes.

The material was prepared based on open sources

Great Lent is the most important, longest and strictest of all Orthodox fasts. It is based on imitation of the forty-day fast of Christ in the desert. The fast is flexible, meaning its start and end dates change every year. In 2019, fasting begins on March 11 and ends on April 27. April 28 – . The most strict weeks of fasting are the first and last ().

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Material on the topic

Calendar of Great Lent 2019: when Great Lent begins and ends, what preparatory weeks precede it, what the Sunday days of fasting and each day of Holy Week are dedicated to - all this is in the Thomas infographics.

The above rules are a strict monastic charter. Lay people(non-monks) usually fast more gently correlating your nutrition calendar for Lent in accordance with your life circumstances, health and consulting with your. Typically, lay people do not practice dry eating and abstaining from vegetable oil on all weekdays (or practice it only on some days). Some people don’t eat fish at all, while others still eat it on some days. Some people replenish their strength with seafood - squid, shrimp, etc.

But since there is no separate charter for the laity and all changes in the monastic charter are largely individual in nature, we publish a calendar that corresponds to the monastic charter. It gives an idea of the degree of severity of a particular fast day in the church tradition. And you yourself, together with your confessor, will be able to determine what is in it for you. currently will be a post - boiled potatoes or diet fish cutlet.

For pregnant women, breastfeeding women, children and those who are seriously ill, the fast is seriously softened. Children up to of a certain age, it is usually enough for expectant and nursing mothers to deny themselves meat (if not special instructions doctor). But at the same time, think about what you can deny yourself that is delicious, especially favorite, but not at all necessary - sweets, etc.

1st Week of Lent

March 17, Sunday
1st week of Lent. Triumph of Orthodoxy.
hot food With butter

2nd Week of Lent

March 23, Saturday

hot food with butter

3rd Week of Lent

March 30, Saturday
Parents' Saturday: Remembrance of the Dead
hot food with butter

3rd week of Lent
hot food with butter

4th Week of Great Lent. Cross veneration

April 7, Annunciation Holy Mother of God, Sunday
4th week of Lent
Fish allowed

5th Week of Lent

April 10, Wednesday

April 11, Thursday. Thursday of the Great Canon
Food with vegetable oil(for the sake of the work of Mary’s standing).

April 13 Saturday. Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos (Saturday Akathist)
hot food with butter

6th Week of Lent

April 21, Sunday. Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.
4th week of Lent
Fish allowed

Holy Week

26 April. Good Friday.
Remembrance of the Holy Saving Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ
strict fast

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This fast is comparable in duration to Lent, which occurs before Easter. However, during the Nativity Fast, fish and seafood are allowed on the menu, allowing for variety. daily diet, which is very good for health. So, let's look in detail at the daily nutrition calendar for the laity for the Nativity Fast 2018-2019.

When to start
Nutrition calendar by day
Useful tips

When to start

At the end of each year there is the Nativity Fast, as well as the strict fast before Easter, it lasts for a period of 24 hours. In Orthodox rules it is also called the Fourth Day. According to the modern style, it begins on November 28 and ends on January 6, 2018.

Fact! The Nativity Fast ends on January 6th, and the holiday is celebrated at night from the sixth to the seventh. On this day, special decorations in churches most often include decorated Christmas trees or decorated pine branches.

Nutrition calendar by day

November 28 Wednesday – products without heat treatment;
November 29 Thursday – hot food without oil and fish;
November 30 Friday - food without thermal preparation;
December 1 Saturday – hot food without oil and fish allowed;
December 2 Sunday – hot dishes without oil and fish;
Monday, December 3 – hot dishes without oil and fish
December 4, Tuesday – hot dishes without oil and fish
December 5, Wednesday – food without thermal preparation;
December 6 Thursday – hot dishes without vegetables. oils and fish;
December 7 Friday – products without heat treatment;
December 8, Saturday – hot dishes without oil and fish;
December 9 Sunday – hot dishes, food without vegetables. oils and fish;
December 10, Monday – food without heat treatment;
December 11, Tuesday – hot dishes without vegetables. oils and fish;
December 12, Wednesday – food without thermal preparation;
December 13 Thursday – hot food without vegetables. oils and fish;
December 14 Friday – food without thermal preparation;
December 15 Saturday – hot food without oil and fish;
December 16 Sunday – hot dishes without vegetables. oils and fish;
December 17, Monday – food without thermal preparation;
December 18, Tuesday - hot dishes without oil and fish;
December 19, Wednesday – food without thermal preparation;
December 20 Thursday – hot dishes with vegetable oil;
December 21 Friday – food without thermal preparation;
December 22, Saturday – hot dishes without vegetable oil and fish;
December 23 Sunday – hot dishes without oil and fish;
December 24, Monday – hot dishes without vegetables. oils;
December 25, Tuesday – cooked dishes without oil;
December 26, Wednesday – products without heat treatment;
December 27 Thursday – cooked dishes with vegetable oil;
December 28 Friday – fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, honey;
December 29 Saturday – cooked dishes without oil and fish;
December 30 Sunday – cooked dishes without vegetable oil and fish;
December 31st Monday – hot dishes without vegetables. oils;
January 1, Tuesday – cooked meals, food without plants. oils;
Wednesday, January 2 – food without thermal preparation;
January 3 Thursday – cooked dishes without plants. oils;
January 4, Friday – products without heat treatment;
January 5 Saturday – hot dishes without vegetable oil and fish;
January 6 Christmas Eve – food without thermal preparation; During the Nativity Fast 2018 - 2019, according to the nutrition calendar for laity and monastics, after the appearance of the first star, you can eat festive dishes.

Important! In addition to following the Lenten menu, it is necessary, if possible, to refuse noisy companies, does not quarrel, does not offend loved ones and relatives, makes peace with warring people, and asks for forgiveness from those who were offended. By the end of Lent, it is important to find peace in your soul.

General rules of nutrition during the Nativity Fast

According to the charter of the church, on all days of the Nativity Fast it is forbidden to eat dishes and products for the preparation of which meat, eggs, and milk are used. You should also avoid ayran, kefir, sour cream, and yogurt. On days when cooking is allowed, soups are prepared at vegetable broth, porridge with water, salads from boiled vegetables, compotes and jelly. Sometimes fasting is allowed and not lean products. This applies to children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and those who have various diseases. In these cases, you need to turn to your spiritual father or simply approach the priest in church.

To diversify the Lenten menu, products can be baked in the oven or on the grill; in this case, even ordinary potatoes baked with dill or onions acquire a special taste;
During fasting, experts recommend drinking more plain food between meals. clean water;
do not overuse lean store-bought products such “ lean mayonnaise» contains protein powder of unknown origin, and the cookies contain a large amount palm oil;
if you are often hungry during fasting, try using more high-calorie foods: mushrooms, beans in pods, lentils, beans, flax seeds (for making porridge), and you can drink tea with halva.

The Nativity Fast 2017-2018 (see the article for the daily nutrition calendar) is dedicated to preparing for the celebration of the birth of Christ on January 7th.

Nowadays everything large quantity people turn to God. It is not at all necessary to strictly follow the church rules in order to feel His presence in your soul. Feel like an Orthodox part of a big Christendom means to feel involved in a great culture, to realize the connection of times

We all strive for peace in this harsh world. At the very basis of Christianity lies a feeling of love, for the sake of which the Great Teacher did not spare himself and was crucified in the name of the human race.

What does the Nativity Fast mean?

One of the most revered fasts in Orthodoxy was canonized in ancient times, described by John Chrysostom in the Old Testament. In those old times the fast lasted only seven days, but since 1166 the Church of Constantinople made changes regarding its duration. Since then, the fast lasts 40 days and takes place annually at the same time, it begins on November 28 and ends on January 6.

A wide variety of foods that can be eaten during the Advent Fast

As all Orthodox Christians know, the Nativity Fast also has another name, the Philipp Fast. The fact is that the day of remembrance of this saint, one of the twelve disciples of Christ, falls exactly on November 27, i.e. just before the beginning of the Nativity Fast.

Like all Orthodox fasts, they were established by the church so that humanity does not lose moral guidelines.

Since ancient times, church ministers have been concerned with ensuring that people correctly place life priorities and did not replace turning to God with other worldly joys. This is the main meaning of the established fast.

The imperfections of human nature plunge him into base passions and the fall that are destructive for himself.

During the Nativity Fast 2017-2018. need to devote more time to prayers

Orthodoxy teaches that the soul should only have good feelings towards one’s neighbor, such as love, forgiveness and compassion. You cannot create idols and fetishes for yourself, there is only God, with whom nothing in this life can compare.

The Nativity Fast 2017 - 2018 (and the daily nutrition calendar) was established by the church in order to realize the power of the approaching event, the Nativity of Christ. It is for this that you need to prepare yourself, cleanse both body and soul from filth and sinful thoughts.

The concept of sin was introduced into the Orthodox good and peace-loving religion not at all in order to punish a person for anything, but only in order to save him from inevitable death. After all, excessive consumption of food, anger, envy, hatred, adultery, recognized by the church not just sin, but mortal sin, they destroy a person. We are well aware of the numerous diseases associated with this and base feelings leading to premature death.

Modern man, unlike ancient people, is aware harmful influence the above sins and still often cannot cope with them. Orthodoxy comes to his aid, calling him to come to his senses, look inside himself, cleanse himself and become truly happy and a free man, who knows no vices.

General rules of nutrition on fasting days

As you know, the Nativity Fast in 2017-2018. not as strict as Lent; in addition, the church makes concessions for the laity and establishes completely different nutritional standards compared to the church ones.

If you look at dietary restrictions in general outline, then this will be a refusal of animal products: meat, milk, eggs, etc.

If you decide not to strictly adhere to the nutritional standards established by the church for the Nativity Fast, you must ask permission from your confessor, giving him good reasons.

The clergy try not to burden too much modern man with its many problems of excessive strictness in compliance food standards. On the contrary, for beginners or weakened people, concessions are readily given.

When observing the Nativity Fast and following the nutritional calendar, you need to be careful. A sudden transition to a low-calorie diet for 40 days can seriously harm the body.

If a person feels unwell while fasting, then his desire to observe the Nativity Fast 2017-2018, with an established daily nutrition calendar, will be in vain. With such a development of events, a person, especially a beginner, may waver in faith, which the church cannot allow and tries to support such people by giving them relief.

It should be noted that the most stringent restrictions are imposed on the days of fasting on Wednesday and Friday. For the Orthodox, these are special days, the day of betrayal and the day of the crucifixion of Christ, therefore, even outside of fasting on these days, more modest things are prescribed. eating behavior and cancellation of entertainment events.

To make it easier for you to maintain dietary restrictions during the Nativity Fast without harming your health, you need to follow some tips:

at the beginning of the fast, some relaxation is necessary, which later, when the body gets used to such a diet, can be removed, and you will continue the fast, adhering to general norms for the laity;
given the unusual reduction in caloric intake for such a long time for the body, it is necessary to slightly increase the amount of food at one time;
You can increase not the amount of food, but the frequency of food intake, for example, every two hours;
Have regular snacks with fruits and vegetable salads;
drink more clean, unboiled water, without replacing it with juices and compotes.

During the Nativity Fast 2017-2018 (with its daily nutrition calendar) you should not try to outsmart God himself and use animal product substitutes that the industry offers in large quantities. Avoid consuming milk, meats made from soy, as well as mayonnaise and other “lean” foods that can harm your health.

The most correct way would be to eat simple traditional foods, for example:

legumes (lentils, peas, beans), especially since these products are the supplier vegetable protein, similar in composition to meat;
vegetables, especially eggplants, in addition, all types of cabbage and other vegetables;
mushrooms, but not pickled, but fresh or dried;
fruits and dried fruits;
cereals should definitely be consumed daily;
fish and other seafood;
vegetable oil;
homemade bread.

Meals according to fasting days

As already mentioned, the Nativity fast is not strict and it is quite possible to endure it and even receive health benefits.

The general requirements for creating a menu for each day are as follows:

from November 28 to December 19. During this period of fasting on Mondays, you can eat hot food, but without adding oil, these can be porridges and soups. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, you can add fish or seafood to hot food during the day. Wednesday, Friday – dry food;
from December 20 to January 1. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, hot food without oil, previously allowed fish on Tuesday and Thursday, is canceled, but on these days you can eat hot food with oil. Wednesday, Friday – dry food, writes the website C-ib.ru. Saturday, Sunday – hot food without oil, fish or seafood;
January 2 to January 5. The strictest period of the Nativity Fast 2017 - 2018, you should adhere to the daily nutrition calendar. So, Monday, Wednesday and Friday are dry food. On Tuesday and Thursday, hot food without oil is allowed. On Saturday and Sunday - hot food without oil.

As for Christmas Eve, January 6, you will have to abstain from eating for the whole day and only after the appearance of the first star is it possible to taste kutia or sochivo, this is a dish of boiled rice or wheat with the addition of honey and dried fruits.

Separately, you should pay attention to what you eat on dry-eating days.

Dry eating means eating food that does not require cooking over fire, but it does not mean refusing to drink liquids, as many people think.

On dry food days, you can eat vegetable salads without oil, fruits, dried fruits, honey, nuts, bran, and flat cakes instead of bread.

Meals according to calendar days of fasting

For the convenience of familiarizing yourself with what can be consumed on each specific day of the Nativity Fast, we will describe the diet in more detail:

November 28, Tuesday – in addition to hot food without oil, you can eat fish;
November 29 Wednesday – drying;
November 30 Thursday - hot food without oil and fish;
December 1st Friday – dry diet;
December 2 Saturday – hot food without oil and fish allowed;
December 3 Sunday – hot food without oil and fish;
December 4, Monday, the holiday of the Entry of the Mother of God into the temple - hot food without oil and fish;
December 5, Tuesday – hot food without oil and fish;
December 6 Wednesday – dry diet;
December 7 Thursday – hot food without oil and fish;
December 8 Friday – dry eating;
December 9 Saturday – hot food without oil and fish;
December 10 Sunday – hot food without oil and fish;
December 11 Monday – dry eating;
December 12, Tuesday – hot food without oil and fish;
December 13 Wednesday – dry diet;
December 14 Thursday – hot food without oil and fish;
December 15 Friday – dry eating;
December 16 Saturday – hot food without oil and fish;
December 17 Sunday – hot food without oil and fish;
December 18 Monday – dry eating;
December 19, Tuesday, the memorial day of St. Nicholas - for the Nativity Fast 2017 - 2018 according to the nutrition calendar by day, hot food without oil and fish are allowed;
December 20 Wednesday – dry diet;
December 21 Thursday – hot food with butter;
December 22 Friday – dry eating;
December 23 Saturday – hot food without mala and fish;
December 24 Sunday – hot food without oil and fish;
December 25, Monday – hot food without oil;
December 26, Tuesday – hot food without oil;
December 27 Wednesday – dry diet;
December 28 Thursday – hot food with butter;
December 29 Friday – dry eating;
December 30 Saturday – hot food without oil and fish;
December 31 Sunday – hot food without oil and fish;
January 1, Monday – hot food without oil;
January 2, Tuesday – hot food without oil;
Wednesday, January 3 – dry diet;
January 4 Thursday – hot food without oil;
January 5 Friday – dry diet;
January 6th Christmas Eve - dry eating; for the Nativity Fast 2017 - 2018, according to the nutrition calendar, kutya is allowed by day in the evening, after the appearance of the first star.

If you are not too closely connected with the church, but are a believer and want to join the Nativity fast, then you can only adhere to the meal schedule described above.

The main thing is not to forget to pray intensely these days and not allow yourself to fall into a sinful state.

Sample menu for fasting days

During the Nativity Fast, it is necessary special attention pay attention to variety and balance in your diet. From this important internal work, depends not only on the successful observance of fasting, but also on the preservation of your health.

Chowder and salad are the main dishes of the menu for the Nativity Fast

On days when hot food is allowed (butter is added only on allowed days), you can create the following menu:

breakfast. Dried fruits, porridge from any cereal crops with the addition of a small amount of jam or honey, a handful of nuts, tea;
dinner. Salad from any vegetables, legume soup with vegetables, bread, compote;
afternoon tea Any fruit, bread, water;
dinner. Boiled vegetables (potatoes, pumpkin, turnips, carrots, parsnips, beets), tea.

Lent 2017 is the most important and oldest fast in Christianity. This is a difficult journey to the Resurrection of Christ, which the Orthodox laity must go through in strictness and restrictions. IN church calendar The period of Lent (from February 27 to April 15) is considered the most touching, instructive, kind and bright. The only darkening fact is a strict diet according to all the rules lean nutrition and abstinence from noisy worldly amusements. But having a daily and weekly diet calendar in your arsenal, it’s not difficult to adhere to the rules. During Lent 2017, food is quite meager and monotonous, so you can’t do without imagination, ingenuity and a table with tips. Lent 2017 - meals for Orthodox Christians by week

In the name of saving human souls, Christ spent 40 days in the desert in prayer and preparation for the great mission. Deprived of all food and strictly refusing the devil's temptations, the Son of God passed the test and safely returned to public service. Unfortunately, the Jewish high priests did not approve of the new religion and condemned Jesus to death as a false prophet. The next 7 calendar days after the execution were named Holy Week, and Great Day (Easter, Resurrection of Christ) turned into a bright ceremony in the name of the Savior, revered to this day.

Great Lent is a broad cycle that includes Lent and the seven days of Holy Week. Its main goal is to fill it with virtue and completely eradicate the negative manifestations of the human soul. Strict fasting includes not only proper nutrition for Orthodox Christians for weeks, but also unquestioning observance of all sacred commandments, refusal of entertainment and long, sincere prayers to the Almighty. In addition to food restrictions, spiritual abstinence should also be followed:

Refusal love pleasures And married couples, and unmarried people;
Ban on smoking, alcohol and narcotic substances;
Active Limit social life, entertainment, holiday celebrations, attending public events, trips and manifestations of laziness;
Complete control of emotions, abstinence from envy, aggression, anger, greed;
Strict observance of nutritional rules for Orthodox Christians by week and by day of Lent 2017.

Basic nutritional rules for the laity during Lent 2017

The rules of nutrition during Lent for the laity are contained in the liturgical charter - typikon. Orthodox clergy recommend adhering to the following recommendations:

In the first and last week, you should observe the strictest fast with the minimum acceptable diet;
Any products of animal origin are strictly prohibited (meat, butter, milk, eggs, cottage cheese);
A fasting diet should consist of one meal per day. Saturday and Sunday are exceptions. On weekends you can eat twice: at lunch and in the evening;
On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, only cold food without vegetable oil is allowed. On Tuesday and Thursday - hot food without oil;
On Saturday and Sunday you can serve Lenten dishes with vegetable oil and grape wine;
On the last Friday of Lent ( Good Friday) eating is prohibited. If possible, you should also refuse to eat on Saturday the day before the Resurrection of Christ;
If the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary does not fall on Holy Week, it is allowed to eat lean fish.

Meals during Lent 2017 by day

Of course, a competent and reasonable approach to choosing nutrition during Lent 2017 contributes not only to the absence of hunger strikes, but also to a more or less varied diet. So, during the fasting period the following products are allowed:

Cereal bread and black bread;
Mushrooms different preparations(salted, pickled, boiled, baked without oil);
Cereals: rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, barley, wheat, corn;
Beans, peas, lentils;
Seasonal vegetables;
Fruit and berry jams, pickles and pickled vegetables;
Honey, nuts, dried fruits;
Seasonal fruits;
Fresh fish 2 times throughout Lent (on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and on Palm Sunday).

Depending on the week of fasting and the day of the week, foods should be raw (cold) or cooked (hot). For example, on Monday exclusively raw vegetables, bread, jam, etc., and on Tuesday - boiled potatoes with stewed cabbage no oil.

Nutrition during Lent 2017 for Orthodox laity for every day: how to choose foods for the diet

There are many interesting Lenten dishes, suitable for proper nutrition during Lent 2017. But many among them need correct selection quality ingredients. Lenten food is not too rich in flavors, so it is better to select foods for the diet wisely and alternate regularly.

Vegetables. From the very beginning of fasting, it is allowed to eat any vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, beets, cabbage, eggplants, zucchini, onions, celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers. Don't forget about winter salads and greens. By using herbs it's easier to make lean food more pronounced taste;
Cereals. As you know, porridge is an ideal source of protein. Diversify your lean diet with peas and beans. Combined with vegetable stew and pickles, porridge will serve as an excellent lunch during Lent;
Fish and mushrooms. If fish is allowed in the diet only twice, then mushrooms can be eaten almost every day. They can replace meat and fill the body valuable vitamins and minerals;
Fruits. All types of fruits, seasonal and exotic, are allowed in Lenten menu. These include apples, pears, plums, citrus fruits, berries, grapes, etc. You can prepare sweet salads from fruits, cook compotes, squeeze fresh juice;
Sweets. Honey, sugar, and oatmeal cookies are acceptable as lean desserts. Sugared fruits, lollipops, kazinaki, dark chocolate. Some ingredients can be combined with each other, making your diet more varied. For example, chocolate covered berries, a salad of dried fruits, nuts and honey dressing, etc.;
Beverages. You can’t do without Lent delicious drinks. Tea, coffee, jelly, uzvar, pure cocoa or drinks on soy milk. On weekends, you can serve grape wine with dinner.

Lent 2017: nutrition calendar for every day

With the beginning of Lent, the way of life and thinking should change dramatically. It’s worth moderating your habits, putting aside revealing outfits and bright cosmetics, and postponing trips and entertainment events to a more appropriate period. the main objective 47 fast days– this is not only a modest diet, but also peace and peace of mind. You shouldn’t give in to the surrounding negativity, and it’s better to perceive difficulties and troubles as tests.

A high-quality nutrition calendar for every day greatly facilitates the process of fasting. It displays in detail everything that is acceptable and unacceptable for an Orthodox lay person. Following it, it is easy to create a diet and choose the appropriate lean food for each day.

We, in turn, offer you a diet for one week, depicting the rules of nutrition according to all canons:

First day (Monday) – you should abstain even from lean food;
Second day (Tuesday) – black bread, water, kvass;
Third day (Wednesday) – dry eating (fruits, vegetables, pickles, jams, bread);
The fourth day (Thursday) – continuation of dry food;
Fifth day (Friday) – fruits, vegetables, bread, non-alcoholic drinks, lean vegetables canned without oil;
Sixth day (Saturday) – Friday meals + grape juice+ a little vegetable oil;
Seventh day (Sunday) - lean boiled food with vegetable oil and grape wine;

Thousands of people began to perceive the beginning of Lent as a fashionable modern trend. After all, during this period you can lose a fair amount of weight and save money by adhering to a lean diet day by day. But for the true believers Orthodox laity- this is quiet peace, long prayer and inner contemplation, cleansing, deliverance from sins. During Lent, meals by day and by week certainly play out important role. But it is much more important, following a strict calendar and strict rules, to remain a balanced, kind and positive person.