Food during fasting. How to eat while fasting: tips and recipes for every day

The decision to fast requires special attention to the diet. How to stay within the restrictions and prohibitions of this period and not harm your health?

How to fast correctly? Caring for the health of the spirit should not go to extremes that harm the health of the body, doctors are sure. If we ignore the religious component of fasting, then we, in fact, have something in between a low-protein diet, a raw food diet and pescetarianism - a type vegetarianism permitting the consumption of fish.

Who is allowed such a diet, even temporary? How not to turn nutrition during Lent into an unbalanced diet and make it harmonious from the point of view of those arriving nutrients, vitamins and microelements? Let's listen to the recommendations of doctors.

How is this post useful?

The temporary absence of animal proteins in the diet or their replacement with plant “analogs” normalizes the rate of metabolic processes in the body and facilitates the cleansing of the body from toxins - metabolic waste. This helps to improve well-being and tone, and prolong life.

A lean “diet” is especially useful for chronic cholecystitis or pancreatitis - only, of course, if you have these diseases, it is better to coordinate your decision to fast with your doctor.

Who should not fast?

Serious restrictions in the usual diet are not recommended:

pregnant and lactating women;
children;
patients with various chronic diseases (peptic ulcer stomach and duodenum, diabetes , chronic gastritis);
To old people;
people with poor health (for example, postoperative period or after a severe infectious disease).

Lenten menu: what is prohibited?

During Lent, the blacklist includes meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, baked goods made from white flour, coffee, and alcohol. Vegetable oil, lean fish, fish roe and seafood are allowed with restrictions.

Excluding animal products from the diet can cause a lack of iron, zinc, calcium, B vitamins, vitamin D, and amino acids. This, in turn, is dangerous for the development of vitamin deficiency, anemia, decreased immunity, deterioration of hair and nails, general weakness and even depression. How to minimize possible Negative consequences diet changes during Lent?

Rules for healthy fasting

Fractional meals
Strict church rules of fasting require one or two meals a day. However, it will be much more comfortable for your body to switch to a new diet if you maintain your usual four or five daily meals.

Beware, raw food diet!
You can't just eat raw foods, so as not to cause digestive problems, although fasting imposes restrictions on cooked food. Vegetables can not only be boiled, but also baked, steamed, stewed, salted, fermented, adding variety to your diet.

How to replace animal proteins?
Proteins are also found in foods plant origin: soybean and its derivatives (for example, soy meat or cottage cheese - tofu), lentils, peas, beans, peanuts, pine nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews. There are a lot of proteins in dried porcini mushrooms and boletus mushrooms. Rye, bran, cereal bread coarse richer in protein and B vitamins than White bread from wheat flour fine grinding.
Lenten dishes from vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, grains will help fill the temporary deficiency of animal protein.

How to replace animal fats?
Vegetable fats, including vital unsaturated fats fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6, which are not synthesized by the body and must be supplied with food, are abundant in avocados, pine and walnuts x, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, various cereals (it is better to cook porridge not from flakes, but from whole grains). Besides sunflower oil worth including in Lenten menu olive, linseed, mustard, cedar and other types of vegetable oils.

How to compensate for calcium deficiency?
Your diet during fasting must include legumes, seeds, nuts, green vegetables and fresh herbs. This means that on your plate every day you should have soybeans, beans, sesame seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, basil, parsley, Savoy and White cabbage, watercress and other types lettuce. Drinking water is also a source of calcium: depending on the degree of its hardness, it contains from 10% to 30% daily norm of this macronutrient.

How to replenish iron deficiency?
Buckwheat, yeast, and Rye bread, white and red cabbage, bitter (dark) chocolate.

How to deal with loss of strength?
Fast days It’s often not easy for residents of a metropolis. To avoid rapid fatigue, drowsiness, and irritability, start your day with a hearty breakfast.
Be sure to include bananas, dates, peanuts, fresh herbs, buckwheat, brown rice, and lentils in your diet. These foods are rich in iron and contain the amino acid tryptophan, without which the body cannot produce serotonin, the hormone of joy.
Complex carbohydrates, which are abundant in porridges, pasta made from unrefined flour, potatoes, sprouted wheat grains - good source energy and vigor for the whole day.

Note for those with a sweet tooth
Allowed Lenten delicacies are marmalade, halva, kozinaki, dark chocolate without fillers, honey, dried fruits, baked goods without eggs, milk and butter.

If you decide to fast, consult your doctor, no
Do you have any contraindications for health reasons? If the doctor approves your
solution, consult with him also which vitamin-mineral complex
suits you and take it for the recommended period.

Lenten table recipes

Salad and appetizer recipes

Caramelized Brussels sprouts salad with strawberries

Soup Recipes

Recipes for main dishes and side dishes

Breakfast Recipes

Fasting is abstinence from certain types of food in order to reunite with God, therefore at such a time it is assumed not only to limit food, but also to renounce external impressions and pleasures.

Proper nutrition during fasting: essence and features ^

The essence of fasting is to abstain from everything that can bring pleasure: festivities, festive gatherings and, of course, certain foods. When people are just getting ready to fast, they are often interested in the question: what can’t be eaten during fasting?

First of all, under strict ban are proteins of animal origin, which are found in meat and meat products, fish, poultry, eggs.
You should not consume cheeses, sour cream, kefir, yogurt and other dairy products, as well as milk chocolate, pasta, white bread and alcohol.

In fact, nutrition on fasting days completely excludes any protein food, however, not strict days allowed to eat fish and vegetable oils, which contain predominantly fats.

Now let’s learn more about what you can eat during Lent:

Any vegetables and fruits;
Legumes;
Porridge;
Confectionery and bakery products, prepared without eggs and dairy products;
Nuts;

Nutrition rules during fasting

It’s not enough to just find out what you can eat during Lent; it’s also important to follow some food rules:

You cannot overeat, even if it is permitted foods, otherwise the whole essence of fasting is lost;
It is necessary to give up all carnal pleasures, because... spiritual limitations are of great importance;
The first and last weeks of the Great Orthodox Lent are considered the strictest, when you can eat crackers, kutya, and drink water. On the first day - only water.

What you can and cannot eat: sample menu ^

What is possible during a strict fast?

The most strict fasting considered Great: its duration is 40 days, during which a person must refrain from viewing entertainment programs and attending such events, and also comply with the following rules:

On the first day of fasting and on Friday, any food is prohibited;
In the first and last week you can eat vegetables, fruits and bread, and drink water;
The rest of the time you are allowed to eat honey, nuts, marmalade and any food of plant origin.

Fasting on Wednesday and Friday: what you can eat

Many people prefer to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year: on these days, small indulgences in food are allowed if they do not fall during other fasts.

What you can eat during fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays:

Fish;
Vegetable oils;
Fruits and vegetables.

Is it possible to eat sugar during fasting?

Despite the fact that sugar contains albumin, its use during Lent is not prohibited by the church. What other sweets are allowed:

Bitter (dark) chocolate is one that does not contain milk and is filled with prohibited ingredients. Many goodies are made based on dark chocolate - including almonds. chocolate glaze, and pasta using soy milk, and glazed cookies;
Dried fruits - all without exception. The abundance of offers can satisfy any gastronomic taste. Want even sweeter? Prunes in dark chocolate - for real gourmets;
Kozinaki are any nuts pressed using molasses, sugar or honey. Homemade kozinaki should be prepared without butter;
Marmalade, marshmallows, marshmallows, pectin jelly. Gelatin is made from animal collagen, which is found in bones, cartilage, tendons, and pectin is of plant origin. The most popular pectin is apple pectin;
Honey is considered lean product, because it is a product produced by insects and does not contain animal proteins or fats. For some, honey becomes the only consolation in this difficult time of spiritual and physical restrictions.

When can you eat fish during Lent?

Fish is on the list forbidden foods, except in the following cases:

Petrov fast: Tuesday, Thursday and weekends;
Dormition Fast: only on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord;
Nativity fast: on weekends, i.e. on Saturday and Sunday;
Lent: for the feast of the Annunciation Holy Mother of God and on Palm Sunday.

Is it possible to eat vegetable oil during fasting?

Vegetable oil is one of the main products included in the list of permitted products: it is added to prepare vegetable dishes, mushrooms and baked goods. There are only a few days when it is prohibited:

Monday: dry eating is observed in honor of angelic powers;
Wednesday: in memory of the betrayal of the Savior;
Friday: as a sign of sorrow over the crucifixion of Christ.

Is it possible to eat honey during fasting?

Honey is not a plant product, but the modern church allows it for consumption. Only Old Believers and some monks are against this, but in most cases clergy do not exclude it from their diet. Which honey is better to choose:

Buckwheat: contains many amino acids and vitamins;
Acacia or linden.

Is it possible to eat bread during Lent?

During fasting, use of this product allowed only if it does not contain vegetable oils, eggs and milk.
In this case, white bread and any other varieties of it are prohibited if ingredients included in the list of restrictions were used in their preparation.

Is it possible to eat sweets during Lent?

Sweets are allowed during fasting, but they should be eaten in moderation.
Lenten chocolate, candied fruits, dried fruits, chocolate-covered nuts, caramel, lollipops, and chocolate grilled vegetables are allowed for consumption.

Orthodox fasting: how to eat for the laity

The calendar of proper nutrition during Lent looks like this:

Good Friday: nothing can be eaten until the shroud is taken out;
Lazarus Saturday: you can eat some fish caviar;
Palm Sunday: fish is allowed to be added to caviar;
Annunciation: all permitted products, as well as fish.

Sample menu for strict fasting days:

We have breakfast with tea with a slice of black bread, eat a portion of porridge;
We have lunch with vegetable salad and lean soup;
For an afternoon snack we drink compote and eat fruit;
We have dinner with stewed vegetables.

What role does nutrition play during fasting?

According to church clergy, observing all food prohibitions during fasting is secondary: first of all, a person needs to cleanse himself spiritually and try to find the path to God.

That is why you need to fast not for the sake of fashion trends or the cleansing of the body that occurs thanks to fasting, but in order to receive spiritual enlightenment. Without true faith in God and keeping the Commandments, the whole essence of fasting is lost.

Eastern horoscope for March 2019

This year Lent will last from February 27 to April 15. He is particularly strict when it comes to nutrition. During fasting, meat, eggs, dairy products, sweets, alcohol and all kinds of excesses should be excluded from the diet.

It should be remembered that the main purpose of fasting is still spiritual cleansing. Don't view it as a diet or detox program. Even if you expect to lose weight while fasting, such an attempt is unlikely to be successful. In the end you will still return to normal mode nutrition, and a depleted body will not only gain back all the lost kilograms, but will also take a few more with it.

So, you have decided to observe Lent for the purpose of spiritual cleansing. Where to begin? We share tips and tricks that will help minimize the stress that your body will inevitably experience.

Take care of your gut

The intestinal microflora is the first to suffer from severe food restrictions. This is something to think about and take care of in advance so you don't end up in the doctor's office.

What happens to the intestinal microflora during fasting? If the body perceives the refusal of meat for several days positively and gets rid of unnecessary toxins, then the refusal fermented milk products will be a kind of blow. Include oatmeal and sauerkraut in your diet. They will help normalize work gastrointestinal tract and it is easier to cope with giving up your favorite dairy products.

Include calcium in your diet

The absence of fermented milk products in the diet for a long time also leads to the formation of calcium deficiency in the body. This element is simply vital for health nervous system, heart and blood vessels, bones and teeth.

To compensate for calcium deficiency in the body, eat more sesame and sunflower seeds, nuts (especially almonds), kale and spinach. These products also contain calcium, which will help you last through the fast without noticeable losses.

Experiment

If you think that the diet during Lent is too monotonous, then you are mistaken. The allowed list includes great amount tasty and healthy products, from which you can cook some really cool dishes.

During fasting you can eat grains, porridges, legumes, vegetables and fruits, seeds and nuts. Fasting people, on the contrary, are in constant search of interesting and original recipes, because variety helps maintain motivation.

Drink more fluids

During fasting, it is important to observe proper drinking regime. Be sure to drink more pure drinking water and green tea. Sometimes the body mistakes normal thirst for hunger. Plus no one canceled the action of the usual psychological reception, when hunger is “overshadowed” by water, as it fills the intestines. In some cases this may help.

Replace animal protein with plant protein

The body noticeably suffers from a sharp lack of animal protein in the diet. Be sure to think ahead about which meat alternatives you are likely to enjoy. A lot of vegetable protein found in all types of legumes and soy products (for example, tofu). This is a fairly satisfying and nutritious food, without which your diet during Lent will be meager, monotonous and not very healthy.

Watch your fats

If you strictly observe fasting, then you probably know that on some days you cannot even add vegetable oil to your food. Our body inevitably suffers without healthy fats, which is why it is so important to fill this shortage. Products that contain a large number of omega-3 and omega-6. Examples include nuts, seeds and avocados.

How you should eat and what you can eat during Lent is very important point, as spring begins and the body is reconstructed to new conditions. At such moments, he needs vitamins, so recipes for dishes that will be served during fasting must be carefully selected.

Pros and cons of fasting

The most important disadvantage is that it is forbidden to consume meat, fat, fish, chicken and quail eggs, milk, cottage cheese, butter and so on. It is these products that can supply our body with useful substances and vitamins. In addition, along with fish, vitamin D enters the body, which makes our bones stronger. Of course, during fasting a person receives much less calcium, but it can be easily replenished.

Fasting eliminates the possibility of consuming protein, so certain time a person is deprived of tryptophan and some amino acids. This can affect mood, immunity and activity.

It is not necessary to strictly observe fasting; this is the privilege of the ministers of the Church; for others, it is enough for others to adhere to less strict rules for a certain time, because spiritual cleansing comes first.

Of course, there are also advantages, the diet helps cleanse the body of toxins, this is a reason to diversify your diet natural products. Eating vegetables, mushrooms, nuts, various cereals, berries, honey is encouraged; all this is very useful for humans, especially for those who live in big cities. Plant foods are rich in potassium, vitamin C, B, and contain virtually no cholesterol or fat, which is why it is so necessary for residents of megacities who are accustomed to eating fried and baked foods.

What foods to include in your diet during Lent

Since any source of protein is excluded from the diet, it can be replaced. Nowadays there are many substitute products in stores, for example soy milk, meat, yoghurts. In addition, you can eat beans, nuts, and various cereals; they are capable of short time replenish protein deficiency in the body.
The most important foods that help replenish energy are porridge with water and potatoes. Every housewife should have recipes for lean porridges, because they are very healthy and easy to prepare.
Vegetable oils are no less important. They can be added to any dishes or salads.
During fasting, you are allowed to eat fruits and vegetables, so you can safely consume 500 grams at least every day.
In order for the mood to always be at its best and to avoid spring depression, excellent option Breakfast will be boiled brown rice with fruit, lentils or bananas.
Spare no expense and go to the pharmacy for a vitamin-mineral complex. It will help strengthen health and immunity.
And of course, we can’t forget about water. Daily use several glasses clean water will help avoid digestive problems that may arise during Lent.
The range of permitted sweets will be much smaller than usual. You can limit yourself to nuts, dried fruits and honey.
It is better to have recipes for the first and second on hand, since you will need to eat at least 4 times a day. It is important to chew food thoroughly and reduce portions slightly. This way we can monitor our figure while dieting.
If you don't like some certain products that are allowed during fasting, then you should not force yourself.
After the fast has ended, you need to be as careful as possible when consuming meat, fish, dairy and fermented milk products, since the body has already become accustomed to it. You need to approach your usual diet more carefully. It is important to remember that for children, the elderly and people with digestive problems it will be very difficult to start fasting, so the diet can be slightly simplified. Now we will look at the recipes various dishes, which will become the main decoration of the table during Lent.

The most important thing on the table is the first course, so you need to prepare it according to all the rules, observing the nuances.

Ingredients:

290 gr. homemade sauerkraut
240 gr. fresh mushrooms
some black peppercorns
90 gr. fresh carrots
90 gr. fresh onion
20 ml. tomato paste
bay leaf
greens to taste
salt, seasonings if desired
290 gr. young potatoes

Preparation:

Can be used vegetable broth or water, also prepare the base on a cube, it all depends on taste preferences.
Wash the potatoes, peel and cut into not very thick strips. Transfer it to boiling, salted water.
While the potatoes are boiling, chop the onion and carrots and lightly fry in vegetable oil until they are golden brown.
Chop the mushrooms, you can leave them in large pieces if desired, and send them for frying. After a few minutes, add the cabbage, after squeezing out the liquid from it.
When the vegetables and mushrooms are cooked, add them with a small amount of quality tomato paste into the broth with potatoes and cook until full readiness cabbage soup
If desired, you can add spices, Bay leaf, black ground pepper taste.

Of course, the preparation of this dish has its own nuances. Mushrooms are known to have a richer flavor when added to soup in their dried form, so don’t be afraid to substitute fresh mushrooms. The cooking process will also change a little: before you put them in the broth, you need to pour warm water for a few hours until they soften slightly.

Meals during fasting - no less important aspect, than spiritual cleansing, therefore, a lot of time and attention need to be given to this.

Solyanka Lenten

Recipes for dishes that can be eaten during Lent can be found on the Internet, but in this article we have collected the most delicious and simple dishes.

Ingredients:

180 gr. pickled cucumbers
180 gr. fresh tomatoes
10 gr. flour
60 gr. black olives
90 gr. white onion
90 gr. fresh carrots
180 gr. fresh or dried mushrooms
salt, black pepper to taste
greens if desired

Preparation:

Put the broth on the fire, add salt and bring to a boil. While the water is heating, prepare the remaining ingredients.
Cut the pickled cucumbers into strips, preferably thin, but so that they hold their shape and do not fall apart.
Finely chop the onion, grate the carrots and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown.
Soak the mushrooms first, if using dried ones, then add them to the vegetables and fry for about 5-10 minutes.
Add chopped pickled cucumbers to the frying pan and simmer a little, then add to the broth along with the olives cut into rings.
Pour a little flour into a dry frying pan and heat it until soft, creamy and the appearance of a lung nutty aroma, then sift and pour into hodgepodge, cook for another 10 minutes until fully cooked. If desired, add black pepper, herbs and seasonings.

Having considered the soups that can be consumed during Lent, you can move on to the main courses. It is in the first week that it is especially difficult for those on a diet, because the body is not accustomed to being deprived of meat or dairy products, so it is important to take a thorough approach to nutrition during fasting and try to prepare food that will be rich in vitamins and nutrients.

Carrots with honey

Surely, this combination will seem strange to you, but in fact, carrots baked with honey are very tasty dish, especially if you prepare it correctly.

Ingredients:

690 gr. fresh carrots
290 ml. natural orange juice (can be replaced with store-bought)
30 ml. natural honey
50 gr. leek
1 clove of garlic
a little spice to taste
carnation
salt, sugar, ground black pepper

Preparation:

Peel the carrots and cook until done or half done in salted water. Cool, cut into not very thin rings.
Prepare the sauce by mixing honey, Orange juice and finely grated garlic.
Chop the leek into thin strips and add to the sauce. You can also send chopped herbs and spices there to taste.
Pour the prepared mixture over the carrots, mix thoroughly and transfer to a baking tray.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and bake the dish for 20 minutes until fully cooked.

It must be said right away that carrots with honey are a rather unusual dish, so only lovers of such exquisite combinations will like it, but it is definitely worth the effort and time spent. If you like to bake vegetables in a sleeve, then you can slightly change the cooking method and thereby save time. In this case, you won’t have to cook the carrots, you just need to chop them, mix them with the sauce and bake them in a sleeve.

You can also find recipes on the Internet for cooking carrots in a slow cooker; this will be needed if you have digestive problems. This method will help preserve more vitamins and useful substances in the product. Of course, recipes for main courses during Lent are very important, but it’s time to move on to desserts. The list of sweets will be much smaller, because the products from which the dessert will be made can be counted on one hand, but if you show your imagination, you can pleasantly surprise your family and guests.

This dessert is worthy of attention; do not hesitate to prepare it during Lent.

Ingredients:

handful of hazelnuts
75 gr. dried apricots
75 gr. prunes
75 gr. any dried fruits
sugar if desired
water if necessary

Preparation:

Cut prunes and dried apricots into thin strips and add a small amount warm water, mix, add granulated sugar if desired and leave to soak.
Heat a frying pan and lightly fry the nuts, then remove the skins.
Place the prunes, dried apricots and dried fruits into the bowl of a blender and grind.
Divide the mass into as many pieces as there are nuts, then press each nut into the mass and give the candy a neat, round shape.

Of course, recipes can be changed at your discretion, you can add fruits, berries, it all depends only on your imagination. Instead of hazelnuts, you can use almonds, ordinary peanuts or cashews, but they must be roasted first so that you can easily remove the skin later.

Recipes for making classic apple strudel usually include butter and eggs, but all this is missing, so you can safely call this dish lean and eat it during Lent.

Ingredients:

380 gr. wheat flour
140 ml. water
a little olive oil
a little vinegar
4 medium apples
60 gr. raisins
some walnuts
some almonds
1 banana
cinnamon
some cranberries if desired

Preparation:

Stir water, salt and vinegar. Sift the flour through a sieve several times, then add it to the water, knead the dough, gradually adding olive oil.
The dough should be left for some time while the remaining ingredients are prepared. Peel the apples and cut into pieces.
Grind the nuts, rinse the raisins thoroughly, mix everything in one container, add cinnamon.
Roll out the dough very thin layer, lay out the filling and pinch the edges. Bake until fully cooked.
While the strudel is in the oven, you need to prepare the syrup.
Mix cranberries with banana, if desired, you can add any sweet syrup to taste, transfer the mass to a blender and grind until smooth.
Place the saucepan on the fire along with the syrup, bring it to a boil, after which you can serve it with strudel.

It is very important that there are no seeds or any lumps in the sweet syrup, so before serving, you need to rub it through a sieve several times. In addition, instead of cranberries or bananas, you can use any other fruits and berries, in any case it will turn out very tasty.

All these recipes are great for Lent; the dishes will delight your family and friends.

Fasting exists in many religions and worldviews. Symbolically, it reflects many principles and performs more than one function, but formally it is reflected in the agreed restrictions imposed during this period on nutrition, behavior, and sometimes - appearance. And most often it is nutrition that is put at the forefront when it comes to fasting. It’s not surprising, because daily food is the key to our strength, health and well-being. Another thing is that we do not always correctly understand the benefits and harms of certain products, and we formulate a diet based on many, far from the most healthy habits. And fasting gives very specific recommendations, following which we get a chance to cleanse not only the soul, but also the body - who would refuse such an opportunity?

So we invite you to understand precisely the gastronomic aspect of fasting, leaving the spiritual ones to your discretion as deeply personal issues. But even this purely practical approach has many nuances regarding the set of permitted products, time and other additional conditions eating, which together make up proper nutrition in post Therefore, eating properly during Lent does not mean simply forgetting about meat, but knowing what, when and how you can cook and eat in order to withstand this difficult test and at the same time not harm your health.

What is lean nutrition? Lenten and fast food
Let’s make it clear right away that we are considering the rules of nutrition during Christian times, even more precisely - Orthodox fasting. After all, fasting and similar ascetic practices are characteristic of Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, and other religions, but it is impossible to adequately describe all their features within the framework of one article. Therefore, we will pay attention to the tradition that is closer to the numerical majority of our compatriots in the hope that adherents of other faiths will understand us correctly - as befits true believers. As for Orthodoxy, it understands fasting as abstinence (refusal or limitation) from food and drinks - all or only some, for a specified time. Observing physical fasting also helps to withstand spiritual and mental fasting, and ideally, to prepare for contact with the Almighty through Communion. But even if you are not yet ready for such deep internal work, fasting will not do you harm - only benefit.

During fasting, some foods are excluded from the diet, which are called modest foods, that is, not allowed during fasting. Roughly speaking, all food of animal origin belongs to the skormny, and if in more detail, this concept unites:

meat of animals and birds;
offal;
animal fat (lard, fat tail);
semi-finished products and any products containing meat and offal;
eggs;
butter;
dairy products;
dairy products;
fish on certain days of strict fasting;
confectionery and other dishes prepared using the listed ingredients.

Instead of these familiar, but not the most healthy goodies, you are allowed to fill your menu with other products. These are all edible plants and other foods of plant origin, and are not warm-blooded organisms. If you look at it, there is not so little food that fits into this framework. Here is her list:

vegetables;
fruits;
greenery;
mushrooms;
cereals and cereal flakes;
legumes;
nuts;
spices and herbs;
vegetable oils, with the exception of some days;
fish and seafood, except on some days;
honey;
salt.

And, of course, water and herbal infusions you can drink in any quantity. And if you consider how tasty shellfish, arthropods, vegetable stews, porridges with fruits and honey can be, it turns out that lean nutrition is really nothing. Add here nuts in honey and natural muesli, meringues, kozinaki and oatmeal cookies, and it’s possible that you won’t even remember about meat. True, some priests do not allow fasting people to eat candy and other sweets, regardless of their composition. But this prohibition relates more to moral than food asceticism. Therefore, whether to adhere to it or not is up to you. Do not forget that fasting is purely voluntary, otherwise all its benefits are nullified.

When should you follow the rules of fasting?
Orthodox fasting is observed several times a year, and each time has different durations and title. The longest and strictest is Lent, lasting 40 days. If you have never fasted before, you can start small and try eating according to the rules of fasting for one day, for example, on Wednesdays or Fridays. And check the schedule of longer food restrictions with church calendar. There you will also find instructions on the prohibitions and permissions provided for each specific Lenten period. They are different:

Strict fasting- This is a refusal of all foods and drinks, except pure water.
Xerophagy– this is the consumption of only products of plant origin in in kind, not cooked or even heated. Drinks are also served cold.
"Brewing Poison" allows you to cook plant foods, but prohibits filling it with oil.
"Eating boiled with oil" implies that you can not only cook/heat products of plant origin, but also flavor them with vegetable oil.
"Eating Fish" allows not only thermally processed plant foods seasoned with oil, but also fish and fish products in raw or boiled form.

The Church determines on which days certain nutritional rules should be followed. But, not being a perfectly disciplined parishioner, you can allow yourself to choose the degree of restrictions yourself. The main thing is that this desire is sincere and comes from the heart, and not the desire to lose weight, have a fasting day, or prove something to yourself and others. In this case, you risk causing your body stress associated with unbalanced diet. Proper lean nutrition is not only restrictions, but also a verified schedule of prohibitions and permissions. After all, fasting, like any established tradition, has not random rules. They are consistent with the duration of the fast, the time of year and climatic conditions, and have periodic relaxations and reservations for people of different ages, lifestyle and health status.

Who should not fast?
Restrictions on food, like any drastic changes, are stressful for the body, especially if you are not used to denying yourself meat and oily dishes. On the one hand, such a shake-up will have a beneficial effect on the digestive, cardiovascular and immune system, therefore, the exclusion of heavy and generally any food is used as therapeutic fasting. The effectiveness of this method has been repeatedly proven by both alternative and traditional medicine, but it is used for a short time: one to three days, maximum – a week. Longer interruptions in the supply of nutrients (and the lean diet lacks primarily protein and fat) can produce reverse effect, especially for those who are not quite healthy and/or weak person. Therefore, the strictness of fasting is not the same, and some relaxations are allowed in such cases:

For preschool and younger children school age fasting can be harmful. Their body is at the stage of active formation, when complete protein, vitamins and minerals are especially important. Therefore, do not deprive your child of meat and fish at all and/or replace some animal products with plant sources protein: legumes, mushrooms, nuts, buckwheat. There should be enough of them to ensure the structure of bones, teeth, muscle tissue and nervous system. And in general, do not force your child to fast; let him make his own decision by watching you. Whether your child will want to follow your example depends on how wisely you eat during Lent.
Pregnant and lactating women are allowed to eat eggs, fish and dairy products, without which their body will not cope with its responsible mission. They need to especially carefully monitor their well-being and listen to the doctor more attentively than to their confessor.
Recovering patients, especially after injuries and wounds, should not reduce their diet - on the contrary, they need amino acids and fats to restore strength. At the same time, fasting can be turned into a spiritual and emotional channel, without overeating and exercising internal work, praying and helping others.
Some types of disease are a direct contraindication to fasting. These are illnesses associated with metabolic processes, digestive and endocrine systems: anemia, gout, pancreatitis, diabetes and etc.
First post in my life mature age maybe with some minor concessions. They are selected depending on your health status and your goals, which are determined together with your doctor and/or priest. But since observing fasting is your conscious decision, then try not to do yourself any big favors and eat properly during fasting, as you should.

An example of proper lean nutrition

Eating properly during Lent means not allowing yourself too much, but from time to time adding variety to the list of allowed foods. What and when exactly? If you do not fall into one of the categories of people described in the previous paragraph, then according to the schedule established by the church. Its specific calendar dates change slightly from year to year, but overall the “schedule” remains unchanged. Here are his main postulates using the example of Lent:

Fasting begins on Monday, or Clean Monday. On this day you cannot eat at all, you can only drink water.
All subsequent Mondays during fasting will not be so strict, but not without restrictions: you can eat food once in the afternoon, adhering to dry eating (cold raw vegetables, fruits, greens without oil).
Every Wednesday and Friday during fasting you should also follow a dry raw food diet, drink cool water and avoid even vegetable fats. On these days, unleavened bread is allowed.
On Tuesday and Thursday you can indulge in hot dishes, boiled or steamed. True, you will have to enjoy them again only once a day (in the evening) and do without oil.
Saturday and Sunday are the most nice days fasting in terms of nutrition. Firstly, these days you can eat twice a day: morning and evening. Dishes can be boiled and seasoned with oil, and you can even drink grape wine for dinner.
Friday and Saturday of the last week of Lent are exceptions to these general rules. IN Good Friday any food is prohibited, and on Holy Saturday you can extend your fast or take boiled food without oil and other seasonings.
Twice during Lent you are allowed to treat yourself to fish: on Annunciation and Palm Sunday.
Lazarus Saturday is an occasion to treat yourself to caviar, although eating fish on this day is not allowed.
At the end of the post, all last week, you will have to limit yourself more strictly and adhere to dry eating.

These are the canonical rules of lean nutrition, but their observance requires high level self-discipline and a certain amount of habit. When fasting for the first time, you can adjust them slightly - for example, by increasing the number of meals. This will not break the fast if you keep it in essence, which is to choose simple, frugal and inexpensive food and avoid snacking on "delicious" foods for pleasure.

How to eat deliciously during Lent
Some people mistakenly perceive fasting as a diet, best case scenario- health-improving, at worst - for weight loss. In both cases, when the true role of fasting is taken into account, and the restrictions are not supported by internal desire, it is quite difficult to endure the fast psychologically. Culinary experience and imagination come to the rescue, necessary to add variety to daily menu. So what if vegetable salad and lean cabbage soup is already setting your teeth on edge, try using these tricks:

In addition to sunflower and olive, use other vegetable oils: flaxseed, grape, sesame, etc.
Eat a variety of cereals to help your bowel movements. Don’t forget about sauerkraut so as not to deprive your body of lactic acid, which has a beneficial effect on intestinal microflora.
Explore exotic cuisines. For example, many Asian dishes contain tofu, sesame, and seaweed. And Ayurvedic cooking almost entirely meets the requirements of a lean diet.
Take advantage of a lean diet to increase the amount of healthy foods in your diet: for example, replace your usual bread with yeast-free bread, or even better, whole bread with bran.
Use spices and look for new ways to prepare dishes. For example, a pinch of allspice in a salad improves digestion and promotes faster satiety, and instead of oil, fish can be fried in a dry non-stick pan, grilled or steamed.

Lenten food recipes
You can prepare a huge number of dishes without meat - perhaps you can’t even imagine the number of lean cooking recipes. Not only cold salads and appetizers, but also first, second, sweet dishes and drinks are prepared from vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and berries. Well, for example:

The vinaigrette. Take 4 potatoes, 2 pickles, 1 beet, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 100 grams sauerkraut, 1 teaspoon of mustard, a pinch of salt and sugar, vinegar. Boil potatoes, carrots and beets, peel and cut into small cubes. Chop the onion and cabbage, cut the cucumbers into cubes. Prepare a dressing from salt, sugar, mustard and a tablespoon of vinegar. Place all ingredients in a salad bowl, season and mix.
Lenten bean soup. Take 4 potatoes, 2 onions, 2 carrots, 1 cup beans, 4 walnuts, bay leaf, a pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Cook the beans until tender. Peel and cut the potatoes into cubes, place in a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add bay leaf and salt. Peel and chop the onion and carrots, fry in a frying pan until soft. 5 minutes before the potatoes are ready, place the beans, carrots with onions and peppers in the pan, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. Add the peeled nut kernels and serve.
Fruit puffs. Take a package of puff pastry, 1 large apple, 1 kiwi, 1 pear, 100 grams of raspberries or other berries, 100 grams of sugar. Peel the fruits and cut them into small equal cubes. Roll out the dough and cut into 6 pieces square shape. Place fruits and berries on the dough, mixed or in parts, sprinkle with sugar. Fold the edges of the dough over to form small rolls. Preheat the oven to 200°C and bake the puff pastries for 15 minutes.

Thus, by observing the main principles of fasting - restraint, humility and modesty, you can make fasting not only correct, but also very tasty. The main thing is to focus your attention not on what you can’t do, but on what you can, that is, on the positive instead of the negative. They also say that the main thing during Lent is not to eat each other and yourself, that is, forget about vanity, nagging, pretensions and self-flagellation, devote time to spiritual and intellectual growth, communication with loved ones, useful deeds and good deeds. If you can do all this, then you will probably be able to eat correctly both during Lent and at other times.