What can and cannot be eaten and drunk on fasting and fasting days? Nutrition calendar for Lent by day: what is possible, what is not.

In the modern world, fasting is much easier than before. Now many manufacturers offer a huge number of lean products that are allowed for consumption during fasting.

But let's first understand the benefits and harms of certain products, as well as what really applies to lean products.

Soybeans and products made from it

There are entire stores specializing in the sale of soybean semi-finished products. And all sorts of lean products are made from soybeans: cutlets, chops, goulash, and even the entire list of dairy products, from milk to cheese.
This is very healthy, because soy is rich in various vitamins, it cooks quickly and helps saturate the body with proteins. Also, soy products are beneficial for blood vessels, brain function and comprehensively improve the functioning of our body.

There is, perhaps, only one risk - most soybeans are grown using transgenes. Those. It’s still not worth it to abuse soy products, even if they are lean.

Lean sausage

Sausage. Once upon a time it was impossible to even dream about this product. Now, even during the period of fasting, it turns out that you can treat yourself to such a lean product as sausage. But here is its composition: dyes, thickeners, flavors, etc., alas, they are unlikely to do anything other than worsen your well-being.

Lenten bread

To be honest, we already eat lean bread. After all, no eggs or butter are used in its production.

But it’s still worth mentioning which bread is healthier. The healthiest bread is a product made from malt. Bran bread can be considered the second most useful. It is not very beautiful, but very useful, because... Coarse flour is used in its production.

And, of course, bran and grain breads can undoubtedly also successfully and with the greatest benefit replace regular bread. They contain a lot of vitamins and microelements.

But for lovers of sweets, confectionery factories during Lent significantly expand their range of lean products, and sweet pastries appear in stores that everyone can enjoy.

Pasta and dumplings

Pasta is another product that can be consumed without restrictions during Lent. As we all know, they are made using only water, flour and salt. True, you can’t add butter to them during Lent, but it’s quite possible to add a little bit of vegetable oil.

The main thing is to pay attention that the pasta is made without adding egg powder and made from durum flour. This information can be found in the description.

Dumplings are, in fact, the same pasta, only with filling. Whether you can use them during Lent or not depends only on what you put in them. Those. We also carefully read the composition.

Margarine and spread

Both margarine and spread are substitutes for butter. They are made from plant ingredients. True, manufacturers sometimes add animal fats to spreads. A completely plant-based spread, whether it is allowed as a lean product or not, can be understood already from the name. If the name is “vegetable-fat spread,” then it contains no animal fats. If it is “vegetable-fat”, then animal fats are present in the composition and it is no longer possible to call such a product lean.

Lenten mayonnaise

Theoretically, mayonnaise cannot be a lean product in principle. The main thing that mayonnaise is made from is eggs. That is, “lenten mayonnaise” is a mayonnaise-flavored sauce. It’s better to make this sauce yourself. It will be both healthier and better for your figure.

Lenten baked goods and sweets

During the fasting period, in the confectionery departments you can find baked goods specially made for fasting people. The main thing is to pay attention to the composition so that it does not contain eggs or milk.

Also a lean product are dark and dark chocolate. It is important that there is no milk in the composition. But this applies to white and milk chocolates. You can’t use them during fasting.

Marmalade, kozinaki and halva. Well, where would we be without these sweets during the fasting period! They do not contain any animal fats, so you can enjoy them with pleasure.

The most important thing during the fasting period is not to replace your usual food with something the same, only different in composition. The main thing is to cleanse the soul through the ability to think through your actions and refrain from temptation. Therefore, when creating a menu, the main thing is to remember the purity of your soul.

Well, so that you don’t have to spend a lot of time planning lunches and dinners, we offer a list of allowed products.

List of Lenten Products

I decided to write an article about what you can eat during Lent, what dishes you can prepare for the Lenten table.

After all, you want to eat tasty, varied, healthy and not boring, so that you don’t eat the same thing every day, right?

I would like to offer you some delicious ideas on how to feed yourself and your family during the fasting period.

From this article you will learn:

What can you eat during Lent - menu for Lenten nutrition

So, many people know that fasting can be strict and not strict.

Moreover, during the same fast there are certain differences in daily nutrition.

Accordingly, the dishes that are consumed are different.

Strict fasting and non-strict fasting - what are their differences?

All posts vary in their degree of severity.

• Strict post:

During strict fasting, only plant foods (vegetables, fruits, cereals) are allowed, and all products of animal origin are completely excluded. Food can be thermally processed or raw (these are days of dry eating).

• Less strict post:

when vegetable oil is allowed in plant-based dishes on some days.

• Not a strict post:

on these days fish and vegetable oil are allowed. Otherwise, all food is plant-based; meat, milk and eggs are not consumed at all.

Lent is considered the strictest. The rest are less strict.

What can you cook during Lent?

Many people think that fasting means only carrot cutlets, sauerkraut and “empty” rice... But, in fact, everything is not so scary at all, friends!

How do you like lasagna, spaghetti, pizza, various pancakes, dumplings, pancakes, pies and pies? It is not necessary to cook with white wheat flour if we do not want to gain weight! Can be prepared from buckwheat, corn, oatmeal, pea, etc.

How do you like various delicious sandwiches with hearty pates, vegetable and mushroom caviar, jelly, mushroom aspic, sweet porridges, dumplings with different fillings and “lazy” dumplings (gnocchi, dumplings, dumplings), julienne, various salads with such a satisfying composition, that they can be called the main course and dumplings?

Borscht, cabbage soup, soups, dishes made from mushrooms and nuts, and even “scrambled eggs” without eggs!

And how many sweets you can prepare, it’s completely incomprehensible!

And sweets, and kozinaki, and pies, and cookies, and even cakes with cream!

Including cakes without flour, without eggs and without sugar, this is already “aerobatics”, but you can also learn this!

And this is not a complete list of those dishes that are called lean...

And if fish is allowed, then it’s generally a holiday: fish soup, cutlets, meatballs with rice, fish pastes (pates), steamed fish, fried, grilled and oven-baked.

With vegetables, stuffed, stewed with mushrooms and onions, various fillings with fish for pies and pancakes... You can’t list it all!

What products can be used in preparing Lenten dishes?

• Cereals:

millet, wheat, pearl barley, barley, rice of all varieties, . Also buckwheat, bulgur, couscous, spelt, corn grits. As well as oatmeal and cereals from several types of grains.

• We prepare from them:

porridge, add to vegetable dishes, make cutlets, zrazy, fillings for pies and pies, prepare cereal soups and various casseroles.

We prepare our own baked goods and bread from buckwheat, oatmeal, rice, barley, corn flour, rye flour, and spelled flour.

• Vegetables - absolutely everything

We prepare from them:

soups, vegetable stews, vegetable purees, puree soups, various fillings, vegetable sauces and cutlets.

We add them to pates, make salads from raw and boiled vegetables, casseroles, stew, bake, boil, fry, steam them.

We add cereals and mushrooms to them, pour all sorts of delicious sauces over them and eat them just like that, cut into pieces.

Berries, fruits and dried fruits - absolutely everything

We prepare from them:

fruit purees, pastilles, compotes, fruit drinks, jelly, jams and confitures for tea. We also swirl freshly squeezed juices, add them to baked goods, prepare fillings for pancakes and pies, and add them to porridge. We eat it just like that, whole or cut into beautiful pieces.

• Greens - any

We prepare from it:

“green” salads, add to smoothies, cut boiled and raw vegetables into salads, generously sprinkle on your prepared dishes, make “green” fillings for your pancakes and pies.

• Legumes:

peas, beans of all kinds, beans, chickpeas, mung beans, lentils.

• From legumes we prepare:

soups, puree soups, add to salads, boil and puree, add to vegetable stews, prepare bean pastes, fillings, etc.

• Nuts – all the ones you like

From nuts we prepare: nut sauces (sweet and salty), nut muffins, nut cutlets, make kozinaki and halva, prepare delicious nut milk, add to pates and fillings, sprinkle our porridge with chopped nuts and add to any other dishes and baked goods.

We make cheese from nuts. We prepare nut butters and nut urbechi. We gnaw just like that

• Seeds:

sunflower, sesame, flax, poppy seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds.

We prepare from them:

We add it to baked goods, make kozinaki, sauces for dishes (sweet and salty), sprinkle our porridge with crushed seeds and add it to other dishes.

We prepare plant-based milk (sweet and unsweetened), urbechi from seeds, cheese from seeds, tahini (tahini, tahini) from sesame seeds and a paste mix for sandwiches from various seeds.

• Mushrooms - absolutely everything

We fry them, stew them, bake them, grill them, and steam them.

We cook them with various fillings, make pates out of them, cook julienne, add them to vegetable dishes, soups, prepare mushroom soups, mushroom fillings, add them to porridges, and salads.

• Vegetable oil - any you want

For salads, cold dishes and snacks, and in ready-made dishes, it is best to use first cold-pressed vegetable oils. Their taste and aroma are simply divine!

Choose those that you like: olive, flaxseed, camelina, and hemp, grape seed oil and walnut oil, sesame.

As well as mustard oil, coconut oil, rice oil, sunflower oil and pumpkin seed oil.

For frying, boiling and stewing, 100% and refined oils are suitable, they are odorless and can be used for cooking, as well as coconut oil.

Where to get protein in a lean diet?

Mushrooms are our “meat” for the period of fasting. This also includes legumes, nuts, greens and seeds.

All of these foods are very nutritious, containing plenty of protein, healthy fats (nuts and seeds), and vitamins and minerals.

During fasting, all these products are MANDATORY in the daily diet. In this case, you will not have any “protein fasting”.

What kind of porridges are prepared during Lent?

Our Russian porridge is not just food, it is a whole “philosophy”! We are, of course, not talking about quick, instant porridges that you “poured and ate right away.”

Although, this is also an option: simple oatmeal or a mixture of cereals, doused with boiling water or vegetable milk, and with the addition of berries, nuts, fruits and seeds - what’s not a hearty, tasty breakfast?

And porridge with vegetables and mushrooms is not a wonderful and satisfying dish for lunch?

The main idea here is this: porridge is never NOT tasty. The porridge just needs to be cooked correctly.

Here's an example: pearl barley. Do not love? You just don’t know how to cook it!…

Here you need to know the secret of delicious pearl barley. Try to do this: rinse it, pour a fairly large amount of boiling water, wrap it in a warm blanket and let it brew all night, 8–10 hours. If all the water is not absorbed, then drain it, add a small amount of water again and cook for 10 minutes.

Fry separately the onion, cut into beautiful rings and grated potatoes, add spices and mix with the prepared pearl barley.

If you want, you can add mushrooms too.

No one will refuse such porridge!

It’s a similar story with buckwheat porridge. Do you like it with milk? Please: grind the seeds or nuts with water in a blender, strain, and you will have the healthiest milk in the world! Any porridge is good with vegetable milk, and buckwheat is especially good. Make the porridge sweet or salty as you wish.

An excellent option for buckwheat porridge is buckwheat with onions, carrots and other fried vegetables.

Buckwheat with mushrooms and onions - who can refuse it, right?

Very tasty buns, pancakes are prepared from buckwheat flour, and “grechaniky” are fried.

In stores, look for spaghetti or any other pasta made from buckwheat flour. It's very tasty and unusual!

Prepare sweet pilaf from rice: add steamed raisins, nuts, seeds, any fresh berries or fruits to boiled rice, pour over sweet nut sauce or honey. This is delicious!

What about rice with mushrooms and vegetables? Why not pilaf? A very tasty and satisfying dish, you won’t even notice the absence of meat...

You can serve any porridge with a sauce you prepare yourself. It’s as easy as shelling pears to make a sauce from the same seeds or nuts. You can make vegetable sauce, tomato sauce, sweet fruit and berry sauce.

Be sure to add spices to any porridge. This will enrich the taste of your cereals, give them an incredible aroma and make them more healthy and easily digestible.

Dried fruits for fasting

Of course, dried fruits are eaten during Lent.

The amount of vitamins in them, of course, decreases, but the amount of sugar increases.

But, despite this, the benefits of dried fruits are still beyond any doubt, because all trace elements are stored there in the necessary and sufficient quantities.

They are available for sale, they are not so expensive in price, especially since you can’t eat too many of them. Of course, it is better to buy those that have not been processed, that have been dried and stored without being subjected to “chemical influence.”

They are not as beautiful and glossy as those that were first filled with sugar syrup and dried at high temperatures, and then also treated with sulfur dioxide, etc., but you know 100% that you are not doing harm to yourself by consuming their.

You can eat dried fruits just like that, say, with tea. To do this, it is better to first soak them in water. They will acquire juiciness and softness, and will look like fresh.

You can make a delicious dessert treat from any dried fruit.

Particularly good in this dessert will be: figs, cherries, large prunes.

You need juice from red berries. If it’s not the season, then feel free to take your preparations off the shelves and get started! Add the following spices to the juice: vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, black pepper and sugar. Add dried fruits cut into large pieces, mix and boil it all over very low heat: first without a lid for 50-60 minutes, then under the lid for another 40 minutes. Watch, it may take less time. The main thing is that the syrup becomes thick.

This dessert can be served with tea, served with porridge, or simply cracked with a spoon...

The use of dried fruits is not limited to this.

Many amazing things are done with dried fruits: for example, they are added to the filling for stuffing tomatoes, sweet bell peppers and eggplant. They are stewed with red beans and fried onions.

It turns out unusual, original and piquant.

How to cook mushrooms during Lent?

If we do not take into account the “newfangled” soybeans, then mushrooms are exactly the “meat” that will be on our table during the entire Lent.

Mushroom soup, potatoes with mushrooms and onions, vegetable stew with mushrooms, mushroom julienne, mushroom caviar, potato cutlets stuffed with mushrooms, with mushroom sauce (zrazy), mushroom risotto and dumplings with mushrooms...

All this, of course, can be easily prepared from dried or frozen mushrooms. Not only boring champignons and oyster mushrooms are suitable. Honey mushrooms, chanterelles, boletuses, porcini mushrooms – anything goes!

Recently, you can also find Japanese shiitake mushrooms. They are “world champions” in the fight against cancer. In addition, they are incredibly tasty, the Japanese know a lot about them!

And the huge, simply gigantic portobello mushrooms? It tastes like pure chicken! And they are quite often sold in regular supermarkets, check them out!

Mushrooms have a simply fantastic variety, and this is a great reason for daily “mushroom experiments” in order to cook with mushrooms often, cook a lot and taste delicious.

Here are some options for you:

1. You can make sandwiches with tapenade from wild mushrooms: grind capers with olive oil, add lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. The result is a paste that is perfectly spread on toasted slices of bread, and between two slices are slices of mushrooms fried until crisp.
2. And from the good old oyster mushrooms a salad “emerges” by itself: mushrooms, apples, celery stalks, lettuce and large dark grapes fried until beautifully golden brown. Everything is topped with a dressing of lemon juice with crushed pine nuts, salt, pepper and a little cinnamon. Mmm…
3. What about mushrooms fried with soy sauce, honey, sesame seeds and green onions? Served hot right away, they are incredible!

How to eat nuts and seeds during fasting?

Nuts play a fairly important role in our lean diet.

You can not only sprinkle them on cakes and add them to beetroot and garlic salad...

During Lent, when almost every protein counts, nuts are simply irreplaceable!

If the nuts are fresh, then consider it “almost a panacea” in the autumn-winter period, when all sorts of colds and ARVI bother us.

It’s just so nice to chew nuts and make nut butters from them. It doesn’t have to be peanuts; very tasty pastes can be made from absolutely any nut! It’s even better to make it from nuts, and from raw ones. Still, peanut butter is a controversial product...

Although, if you really want to, then you can, just not a lot. It can be prepared very easily at home: fry peeled peanuts in the oven, grind them in a meat grinder twice, add salt and water to the desired consistency.

Or blend everything at once in a blender - peanuts + salt + water.

Use the same principle to make raw nut paste:

• Do you want something sweet? No problem: add honey and cinnamon.
• Do you want something unusual? Please: add pepper, just a little honey and spices. The nut butter has a very original taste!
• Want something more filling? Then combine lightly roasted nuts in a blender (walnuts are perfect for this snack, but you can use any nuts, depending on your taste), fried onions, salt, pepper and water. Very, very tasty, filling and aromatic snack! It smells so good that you immediately need to spread it on your own bread and eat it before your family “grinds it”, otherwise you won’t get it, believe me!
• If you want to make something “more substantial” for a snack, you can add boiled beans and a little garlic to this recipe. Again: we scroll everything in a blender with adding water to the desired paste-like consistency.
• You can do the same with seeds - prepare a paste, and every morning spread a thin layer on a piece of bread, crispy toast, cookies (can be sweet or salty) or whole grain bread. Nourishing, tasty, healthy, what more do you need, right?

Make sweet pastes, make savory ones, whatever you want!

Who said tahini has to be salty?

Aren't you afraid of experiments? Then prepare sweet tahini: sesame seeds (can be raw, or fried in a dry frying pan, with fried seeds it turns out much more fragrant) + honey + cinnamon + salt.

This is such an awesome thing, friends! To say that it’s delicious is to say nothing! Therefore, as soon as you prepare it, grab yourself a spoonful of bread, and only then call your family, although you won’t need to call them, I’m sure: the aroma of fried sesame seeds is something that they will come running to, believe me!

Here’s another very, very original idea for a snack: raw almonds, lemon juice, a little honey, fresh basil leaves, salt, a little garlic and ginger (the proportions are arbitrary, to your taste), grind through a meat grinder or in a blender, adding as much water as you like. to obtain a paste of the desired consistency.

Then you take apples, carrots, celery stalks, cucumbers and whatever else you can think of, cut them into pieces and eat them, dipping them in the prepared sauce.

Very tasty, unusual, nutritious and mega-healthy snack! Be sure to cook it, you will definitely like it!

I really love preparing various pastes and pates from seeds and nuts, it’s so helpful when you don’t have time, but you need to eat something quickly, preferably healthy!

And don’t be afraid of the calorie content, even if you want, you won’t be able to eat a lot, it’s very filling!

Such pastes can not only be spread on bread, they can be used as fillings, added to your own porridge, and to spaghetti - instead of sauce.

You need to store nut or seed butter in the refrigerator.

Lenten first courses

Friends, try to do this, and buckwheat soup will become your “favorite” for the Lenten period, honestly!

What do you think of the idea of ​​kharcho soup, gazpacho, pickle soup? You can continue the list. All this can be prepared without meat, and it’s all quite tasty and nutritious!

This, friends, is what I wanted to tell you today. I really hope that you will take some ideas for yourself and apply them.

If you liked the ideas from this article, then share with your friends on social media. networks, friends and co-workers at work.

Write in the comments what you can eat during Lent, your ideas for Lenten nutrition. What are you cooking? It will be very interesting for me, I'm always looking for something new and cool.

And other readers will also be interested to know, write!

See you later, my dears!

Alena Yasneva was with you, Health and Delicious Fasting to all!

Lent is approaching, which helps to cleanse the body and soul of a person. During it, believers eat only lean foods. Before you start fasting, consider the following tips.

What not to eat during fasting

The main condition that fasting people must observe is to give up meat products (pork, chicken, beef, fish, lamb). You should also not include the following components in your diet:

Candies;

Dairy cheeses, butter, fermented milk and, strictly speaking, milk).

So, what should your diet be like and what lean foods are best to use in your diet during Lent?

Grocery list

As you know, you cannot consume products of animal origin during Lent, but only on the shelves of supermarkets and markets you can find a large assortment of such products. Before you go shopping, take with you a list of lean foods:

Cereals (oatmeal, buckwheat, rice, bulgur, pearl barley, corn, wheat, barley);

Vegetables (beets, spinach, potatoes, asparagus, carrots, peppers, cabbage, garlic, onions);

Mushrooms (porcini, champignons, honey mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, chanterelles) can be consumed in any form - fresh, dried, or frozen.

Legumes (peas, green and green beans, lentils, mung beans, chickpeas);

Vegetable fats: olive, flaxseed, sunflower, pumpkin);

Pickles (cucumbers, apples, cabbage, tomatoes);

Greens (basil, dill, mint, leeks, parsley) are used dried and fresh or as a spice;

Dried fruits (raisins, candied fruits, dried apricots, figs, prunes);

Nuts (cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, hazelnuts);

You can use any fruit, even exotic ones;

Sweets (jams, kozinaki, preserves, halva, honey);

Black and green olives;

From durum wheat;

Malt and bran bread;

Drinks (green tea, fruit drink, cocoa, compote, juices, jelly);

Soy products (milk, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream).

These are the types of lean foods you can eat. The list is quite wide. We advise you to adhere to it during fasting.

Soy meatless products

Stores also sell prepared meat and dairy products made from soy. They are enriched with vitamins, Omega-3 acids, microelements, and isoflavones. These lean foods have many advantages:

1. They do not need to be stored in the refrigerator.

2. They cook quickly.

3. Soy can be considered a complete source of protein.

4. Reduce the risk of breast tumors and cardiovascular diseases.

5. Regulate cholesterol in the blood.

6. Improve brain activity.

But doctors still advise caution when using these products. After all, most soybeans are grown using transgenic technologies. When choosing soy products, consider whether these simulants are really necessary.

Example of a Lenten menu

Before you start cooking, purchase provisions. As mentioned above, lean products for fasting can be bought in supermarkets and markets. So, here are a couple of menu options that exclude components that are prohibited in Lent.

For breakfast: wheat porridge cooked exclusively in water. Add finely chopped pumpkin to it. The drink is green tea.

Lunch: vegetarian borscht, light salad of fresh cabbage with finely grated carrots.

Afternoon snack: cook potato rolls with mushrooms in the oven. The drink is apple compote.

Dinner: stew turnips with carrots. As a dessert - cranberries, which are mixed with honey.

Here's another option.

Breakfast: potato pancakes, radish salad. The drink is green tea.

Lunch: broccoli soup, salad of celery root, apples, rutabaga.

Afternoon snack: vegetable stew. The drink is apple-cranberry mousse.

Dinner: stewed cabbage rolls with rice and carrots. Drink - tea with jam. Dessert - candied fruits.

Now you are convinced that it can be varied and, most importantly, useful. All dishes are balanced and include a sufficient amount of vitamins, proteins, and microelements.

Benefits and contraindications

For some people, dietary restrictions are extremely contraindicated. The following categories of persons are exempt from office:

Anyone who has recently undergone a complex operation or serious illness;

Aged people;

Pregnant women, nursing mothers;

Patients with diabetes;

Suffering from high blood pressure, renal failure, serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, stomach ulcers, gastritis;

People who are engaged in heavy physical labor.

As for the rest, doctors welcome their desire to fast. After all, at least once a week you need to arrange a fasting day.

Fasting is also beneficial for the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. When eating lean food, harmful toxins and slags are removed from the body. The intestinal microflora is restored. The level of cholesterol and sugar decreases, excess fluid is excreted. During fasting, many lose weight. Many people dream about this. After all, excess weight puts a strain on the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. The lenten menu is rich in fruits and vegetables, which saturate the body with vitamins.

Mistakes of fasting people

In no case should you eat once or twice a day. The body ceases to receive a sufficient amount of energy sources. In this regard, the functioning of the immune system may deteriorate and hormonal levels may be disrupted. In the diet, be sure to include not only carbohydrate foods, but also protein. Otherwise, it will lead to the accumulation of adipose tissue. Excessive consumption of raw fruits and vegetables, nuts can cause colic, bloating and even exacerbation of intestinal disease. Be sure to include the first course in the lenten menu for every day.

The main thing in fasting is not limiting yourself in food, but completely cleansing the soul. And you shouldn’t go to extremes and make your menu only from water and bread.

Doctors do not advise entering into a multi-week fast without preparation. This can lead to nervous breakdowns and health problems. All this arises due to the feeling of hunger. It's best to prepare yourself throughout the year. Have a deload once a week. Meals should be frequent and small. Eat five times a day. Avoid fried foods. Steam, boil, stew and bake.

After reading the article, we hope you understand that lean foods are nutritious, healthy and appetizing, and not at all tasteless.

During this period, it is customary to strictly monitor nutrition and not consume fatty foods, meat and alcohol. However, there are days when you can treat yourself to fish. At the same time, many fasting people tame their flesh too hard, and instead of improving their health, they lead themselves to exhaustion and gastritis. You should also break fast gradually, diversifying your diet a little every day.

HOW TO FAST CORRECTLY: 7 RULES

1. There are small portions 6-7 times a day.

2. Drink more water to maintain fluid balance in the body.

3. As a substitute for meat, include in the diet mushrooms rich in protein, vitamins D and PP, as well as legumes - beans, lentils, peas, which are also a source of protein.

4. Don't forget about another protein supplier - nuts - which also contain calcium, phosphorus, zinc, selenium, folic acid, vitamins E and A. An additional plus of nuts in a low glycemic index, which protects against spikes in blood sugar and does not play out appetite.

5. Include cereals in the diet, as they contain many different vitamins, minerals, trace elements and biologically active substances.

6. Remember that during fasting, the most useful vegetables are potatoes, eggplant and cabbage: white, Beijing, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and kohlrabi. You can eat vegetables in any form, but the less heat treatment, the better.

7. For sweets, limit yourself to fruits, dried fruits and honey.

WHAT NOT TO EAT DURING LENT

• It is not allowed to eat meat and any meat products, including poultry, eggs, milk and dairy products - butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, kefir, cheeses, yogurt and more. You can not eat dishes where these products are included as components, such as mayonnaise.
• Fish and fish products, as well as vegetable oil, are allowed only on non-strict fast days.
• Fatty sweets, chocolate, baked goods and any fast food are prohibited.
• Drinking alcohol is prohibited.

WHAT CAN YOU EAT DURING LENT?

• seaweed;
• Korean salads;
• seeds;
• nuts;
• pasta that does not contain eggs;
• flour products made from flour, water and salt;
• bread (without milk or eggs), unleavened pita bread, crisps; sauces (ketchup, lean mayonnaise, adjika, soy sauce, tomato paste);
• balsamic, apple, table vinegar.

FEATURES OF GREAT LENT

• During the first and last weeks of Lent in 2017, fasting is observed with particular strictness. All animal products should not be eaten.
• Eating is allowed only in the evening; on Saturdays and Sundays, only the morning meal can be excluded.
• On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, food is eaten only cold, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, hot food is allowed without oil.
• On Saturdays and Sundays, in addition to vegetable oil, moderate consumption of grape wine is allowed (this does not apply to Saturday of Holy Week).
• On Good Friday, it is better to abstain from eating all day.
• Many Christians also abstain from food until Easter.

LENT: FOOD MENU BY DAY

February 27 – Clean Monday. Refrain from food.
February 28 – Tuesday. Refrain from food.
For those who have health problems, as well as for the elderly, bread and kvass are allowed on Tuesday after Vespers. You can eat bread with salt and drink water or kvass (optional)/
March 1 – Wednesday. Dry eating: bread, water, herbs, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (one dish to choose from).
Dill infusion or decoction of berries/fruits with honey.
Food is taken once a day, during the day.
March 2 – Thursday. Refrain from food.
March 3 – Friday. Baked or boiled hot food without oil once a day, during the day.
March 4 – Saturday. Baked or boiled food with vegetable oil twice a day. Olives and black olives are acceptable. Grape wine without alcohol and sugar, diluted in hot water, is allowed in small quantities, but abstinence from wine is recommended.

First week of Great Lent (first Sunday of Lent). Triumph of Orthodoxy
On the week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the victory of Orthodoxy over the iconoclastic heresy is celebrated. Iconoclasts believed that the veneration of icons was idolatry. Thanks to the patronage of the emperors, the persecution of icons continued for almost a hundred years. Icon veneration was finally restored in the 9th century by Empress Theodora on the first Sunday of Great Lent, on which the Triumph of Orthodoxy has been celebrated ever since.

March 6 – Monday.

March 7 – Tuesday.

March 8 – Wednesday.
Once a day, around 15.00.
9 Matra – Thursday.
The Finding of the Head of John the Baptist (first and second discovery) is an Orthodox holiday in honor of the most revered part of the relics of John the Baptist - his head.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. With vegetable oil and wine (one bowl 200g). Once a day, around 15.00. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, preferably diluted with hot water. At the same time, abstaining from wine is highly commendable.
March 10 – Friday.
Dry eating: bread, water, greens, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (for example: raisins, olives, nuts, figs - each time one of these). Once a day, around 15.00.
March 11 – Saturday.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. With vegetable oil and wine (one bowl 200g) twice a day. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, preferably diluted with hot water. At the same time, abstaining from wine is highly commendable.

March 12 – Sunday.
Second Sunday of Great Lent (Second Sunday of Lent). Memorial Day of St. Gregory Palamas.
St. Gregory Palamas lived in the 14th century. In accordance with the Orthodox faith, he taught that for the feat of fasting and prayer, the Lord illuminates believers with His gracious light, as the Lord shone on Tabor. For the reason that St. Gregory revealed the teaching about the power of fasting and prayer and it was established to commemorate him on the second Sunday of Great Lent.
March 13 – Monday.
Dry eating: bread, water, greens, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (for example: raisins, olives, nuts, figs - each time one of these). Once a day, around 15.00.
March 14 – Tuesday.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. No oil. Once a day, around 15.00.
March 15 – Wednesday.
Dry eating: bread, water, greens, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (for example: raisins, olives, nuts, figs - each time one of these). Once a day, around 15.00.
March 16 – Thursday.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. No oil. Once a day, around 15.00.
March 17 – Friday.
Dry eating: bread, water, greens, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (for example: raisins, olives, nuts, figs - each time one of these). Once a day, around 15.00.
March 18 - Saturday.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. With vegetable oil and wine (one bowl 200g) twice a day. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, preferably diluted with hot water. At the same time, abstaining from wine is highly commendable.
On Saturday of the third week, during Matins, the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord is brought into the middle of the church for the worshipers to worship, therefore the third week and the next, fourth, week are called the Worship of the Cross.

March 19 - Sunday.
The third week of Great Lent (the third Sunday of Lent) is the Adoration of the Cross.
On this day, they read legends, consecrate prosphyra, do not work, visit churches to worship the cross, reflect on the concept of "bearing one's cross", fast (with eating brew with oil and wine).
March 20 - Monday.
Dry eating: bread, water, greens, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (for example: raisins, olives, nuts, figs - each time one of these). Once a day, around 15.00.
March 21 - Tuesday.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. No oil. Once a day, around 15.00.
March 22 – Wednesday.
Memorial Day of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste.
The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste are Christian soldiers who were martyred for their faith in Christ in Sebastia (Lesser Armenia, modern Turkey) in 320 under Licinia.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. With wine (one cup 200g). One meal a day. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, preferably diluted with hot water. At the same time, abstaining from wine is highly commendable.
March 23 – Thursday.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. No oil. Once a day, around 15.00.
March 24 – Friday.
Dry eating: bread, water, greens, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (for example: raisins, olives, nuts, figs - each time one of these). Once a day, around 15.00.
March 25 – Saturday.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. With vegetable oil and wine (one bowl 200g) twice a day. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, preferably diluted with hot water. At the same time, abstaining from wine is highly commendable.

March 26 – Sunday.
Fourth week of Lent (fourth Sunday of fasting). Memorial Day of the theologian John Climacus.
John Climacus was the abbot of the Sinai Monastery, he wrote the famous “Ladder of Virtues,” where he showed the steps of ascent to spiritual perfection. ("Ladder" from the old Slav. "Ladder". Variants - Paradise Ladder, Spiritual Tablets). The image of the "Ladder" is borrowed from the Bible, which describes the vision of Jacob's Ladder, on which the angels ascend (Gen.28:12).
The calendar memory of John Climacus falls during Lent, it was moved to Sunday, and it was assigned to the 4th Sunday of Lent.
On the day of memory of John Climacus, “ladders” were baked.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. With vegetable oil and wine (one bowl 200g) twice a day. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, preferably diluted with hot water. At the same time, abstaining from wine is highly commendable.
March 27 – Monday.
Dry eating: bread, water, greens, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (for example: raisins, olives, nuts, figs - each time one of these). Once a day, around 15.00.
March 28 – Tuesday.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. No oil. Once a day, around 15.00.
March 29 – Wednesday.
Dry eating: bread, water, greens, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (for example: raisins, olives, nuts, figs - each time one of these). Once a day, around 15.00.
On Wednesday evening, a special service is performed in Orthodox churches - "Maria's Standing". At this service, the only time a year the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is read in its entirety, which was read in parts from Monday to Thursday of the first week of Great Lent, and the canon of St. Mary of Egypt.
March 30 – Thursday. Standing Rev. Mary of Egypt.
On this day, according to ancient custom, the sequence of the Great Canon is sung. The Monk Andrew composed it at the same time that Saint Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, wrote down the life of Mary of Egypt. Father Andrei first brought the Great Canon and the word about the Venerable Mary to Constantinople when he was sent by Patriarch Theodore of Jerusalem to help at the Sixth Council.
On Standing Rev. Mary of Egypt - hot food that has undergone heat treatment, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. With vegetable oil and wine (200g). Once a day, around 15.00. Some statutes only allow wine and no oil (oil).
March 31 - Friday.
Dry eating: bread, water, greens, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (for example: raisins, olives, nuts, figs - each time one of these). Once a day, around 15.00.
Before the Feast of the Praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary, some statutes allow wine. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, preferably diluted with hot water. At the same time, abstaining from wine is highly commendable.
April 1 - Saturday.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. With vegetable oil and wine (one bowl 200g) twice a day. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, preferably diluted with hot water. At the same time, abstaining from wine is highly commendable.

April 2 - Sunday.
Fifth week of Lent (fifth Sunday of fasting). Memorial Day of Rev. Mary of Egypt
The Venerable Mary was born in Egypt in the middle of the 5th century. At the age of 12, she left her parents and went to Alexandria, where she spent 17 years living in sin. One day, Mary arrived in Jerusalem on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and tried to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, but some force held her back. Realizing her fall, she began to pray in front of the icon of the Mother of God, located in the vestibule of the temple. After this she was able to enter the temple. The next day, Mary crossed the Jordan and went into the desert, where she spent the rest of her life, 47 years, in fasting and repentance. The Church gives in the person of the Venerable Mary of Egypt an example of true repentance and shows in her an example of God's ineffable mercy towards repentant sinners. The calendar memory of Mary of Egypt falls during Lent, it was moved to Sunday, and it was assigned to the 5th Sunday of Lent.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. With vegetable oil and wine (one bowl 200g) twice a day. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, preferably diluted with hot water. At the same time, abstaining from wine is highly commendable.
April 3 - Monday.
Dry eating: bread, water, greens, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (for example: raisins, olives, nuts, figs - each time one of these). Once a day, around 15.00.
April 4 - Tuesday.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. No oil. Once a day, around 15.00.
April 5 - Wednesday.
Dry eating: bread, water, greens, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (for example: raisins, olives, nuts, figs - each time one of these). Once a day, around 15.00.
April 6 - Thursday.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. No oil. Once a day, around 15.00.
April 7 – Friday, Feast of the Annunciation.
The name of the holiday - Annunciation - conveys the main meaning of the event associated with it: the announcement to the Virgin Mary of the good news about the conception and birth of the Divine Infant Christ.
Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. With vegetable oil and wine. Fish allowed. Once a day, around 15.00.
April 8 - Saturday. Lazarus Saturday.
On this day, Christians remember the miracle of Christ’s resurrection of the righteous Lazarus (John 11:1-45), which was performed as evidence of the coming resurrection of all the dead. The celebration of Lazarus Saturday has been established since ancient times; it precedes the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem
Fish caviar up to 100 grams is allowed. Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. With vegetable oil and wine (one bowl 200g) twice a day. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, preferably diluted with hot water. At the same time, abstaining from wine is highly commendable.

April 9 – Sunday. Sixth week of Lent (sixth Sunday of fasting).
Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday). - (the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem on a donkey, when the people greeted him by throwing palm branches on the road - replaced by willow in Rus') - the last Sunday before Easter. Fish is allowed. Hot food that has been cooked, i.e. boiled, baked, etc. With vegetable oil and wine (one bowl 200g) twice a day. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, preferably diluted with hot water. At the same time, abstaining from wine is highly commendable.
April 10 – Maundy Monday
On Maundy Monday, the Old Testament Patriarch Joseph, sold by his brothers to Egypt, is remembered as a prototype of the suffering Jesus Christ, as well as the Gospel story about Jesus’ curse of the barren fig tree, symbolizing a soul that does not bear spiritual fruit - true repentance, faith, prayer and good deeds. Mt 21:18-22
Dry eating: bread, water, greens, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (for example: raisins, olives, nuts, figs - one of these every time).



April 11 – Maundy Tuesday
On Holy Tuesday we remember the sermon of Jesus Christ in the Jerusalem Temple. On this day He told the disciples about the second coming of Matthew 24, the parable of the ten virgins, the parable of the talents Matthew 25:1-30. The chief priests and elders tempted him with questions, wanted to arrest Him, but were afraid to do this openly because of the people, who revered Jesus as a prophet and listened to him attentively.
Dry eating: bread, water, greens, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (for example: raisins, olives, nuts, figs - one of these every time).
To drink: dill (hot infusion or decoction of herbs or berries, fruits) with honey.
Once a day, around 15.00.
"As in the 1st week of this holy Lent."
April 12 – Holy Wednesday
On Great Wednesday we remember the anointing of Jesus Christ with myrrh and the betrayal of Judas. Matthew 26:6-16
Dry eating: bread, water, greens, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (for example: raisins, olives, nuts, figs - one of these every time).
To drink: dill (hot infusion or decoction of herbs or berries, fruits) with honey.
Once a day, around 15.00.
"As in the 1st week of this holy Lent."
April 13 – Maundy Thursday. Last Supper
On Maundy Thursday, the Last Supper and the establishment of the sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion) by Jesus Christ are remembered. Matthew 26:17-35, Mark 14:12-31, Luke 22:7-39, John 13-18
According to the usual (Palestinian) tradition, one dish is served, but eating boiled food with vegetable oil is allowed.
According to the Studio Charter, one boiled dish is supposed, but supplemented with sochivo (any porridge) and legumes; no oil.
According to the charter of Holy Mount Athos, there are two boiled dishes with oil and wine. Pure grape wine without alcohol and sugar, preferably diluted with hot water. At the same time, abstaining from wine is highly commendable.
April 14 – Great Friday. Good Friday. Crucifixion of Christ
On Good Friday, Orthodox Christians remember the arrest of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, the trial of the high priests, the trial of Pilate, the way of the cross of Jesus, the crucifixion, death and the signs accompanying it, the removal from the cross and burial.
They don't eat anything. For the elderly, bread and water are allowed after sunset.
April 15 – Holy Saturday. The Descent of Christ into Hell
Holy Saturday is dedicated to the remembrance of Jesus Christ's stay in the tomb and His descent into hell for the liberation of the souls of the dead.
On Holy Saturday, many believers also refuse food until Easter. For the rest - 200-250g of bread, 6 pieces of figs or dates and a cup of wine, or kvass, or honey drink. Or bread with vegetables. Once a day, around 19.00.
The end of Great Lent.

Lent requires special nutrition; certain foods should be absent from the diet. This time is intended for good deeds, prayers, searching for measures to become better, and comprehensive cleansing of the soul and body. The beginning of Lent is a chance for spiritual improvement and rest from animal food.

The right approach to fasting

We welcome Lent in 2018 with joy and special inspiration. This is a good chance to improve your spiritual life and learn how to eat right. A daily menu with recommendations will help with this; it is given below. From February 28 to April 15 are the days when Lent will take place. Some dietary restrictions should not be taken as a priority. The spiritual part of fasting is mainly aimed at working on oneself, caring for loved ones, abstaining from judgment, anger, lies, envy and evil deeds, and the food component is insignificant.

You should not restrict yourself in food, practice diets and fasts if you are unhealthy, travel a lot, are weakened, work hard, live in an unfavorable or cold geographical area, are breastfeeding a child or are pregnant. You are allowed to eat everything according to the doctors' recommendations and your needs. Children also cannot be forced to eat fast; they can abstain from some food only if they themselves strive for this and fully understand the meaning of fasting. As an option, you can try to plan your children's fast before Easter so that the meals are free of desserts, sweets and unhealthy foods, and contain less heavy food. This is also a good way to cleanse.

It should also be said about how long Lent lasts, the total number of days in it is 48. Correct preparation is to gradually lighten your diet, learn to analyze your inner world more deeply and learn more about Orthodox culture. Let's try to introduce this ancient tradition into our lives. Despite the fact that the essence of fasting is not a diet, the issue of proper and varied nutrition is still relevant. Every person who accepts Orthodoxy as their worldview and way of life and undergoes the rite of baptism consciously must understand the topic of fasting. One of the best nutrition calendars is presented in this article especially for your convenience.

Monastic Lenten menu for every day

What foods can you eat during Lent according to the regulations of most Orthodox monasteries:

• different types of vegetables (including pickled and salted vegetables, sauerkraut);
• seasonal fruits;
• mushrooms;
• the whole range of dried fruits;
• cereal porridges cooked in water;
• different varieties of nuts;
• compote based on dried fruits;
• natural kvass;
• homemade jelly.

What not to eat during Lent:

• meat products;
• milk products;
• eggs;
• bakery;
• all alcoholic drinks;
• candies;
• fish;
• mayonnaise;
• White bread.

Food during fasting by day of the week:

• Monday is a day of dry eating (vegetable and fruit dishes, water, bread, compote);
• Tuesday - hot dishes without oils (stewed vegetable dishes, porridge with water, first courses, for example, rassolnik soup);
• Wednesday - day of dry eating (vegetable and fruit dishes, water, bread, compote);
• Thursday - hot dishes without oils (stewed vegetable dishes, porridge with water, first courses, for example, rassolnik soup);
• Friday - dry eating (vegetable and fruit dishes, water, bread, compote);
• Saturday - dishes seasoned with oil (vegetable salads, stewed vegetable dishes, first courses);
• Sunday - foods with oils (stewed vegetable dishes, vegetable salads and soups).

There are special days during Lent:

• Clean Monday (in the first week) - fasting;
• 2, 3, 4, 5 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) days of fasting - eating bread and water;
• The middle cross environment is the consumption of natural wines;
• Day 40 of the Holy Martyrs - food with vegetable oil and wine;
• Palm Sunday holiday - fish dishes, caviar, wine, vegetable oil.

Meals during Holy Week (final week):

• Maundy Monday, Maundy Tuesday, Maundy Wednesday - a ban on processed foods, raw food days;
• Maundy Thursday - dishes with vegetable oil, wine;
• Good Friday - fasting;
• Holy Saturday - fasting or minimal nutrition with olives, bread, dried fruits;
• Easter holiday - on this day all Lenten restrictions are lifted, you can eat any food.

It should be noted that monastics do not eat meat even outside of fasting, but nevertheless, good nutrition is provided in the monasteries and their diet is rich in nutrients.

Now you have an idea about what foods you can eat in fasting and when you should starve. In fact, there is nothing complicated in planning a diet; for daily nutrition control, you can buy a special calendar, where there are many monastic recipes. We urge you to take the food of Great Lent seriously and be sure to combine it with spiritual perfection, otherwise you do not need to fast.

List of nutritious Lenten foods for the laity

Here are the best food products that fit into the framework of Lent and supply the body with many valuable substances to maintain health, vigor and good mood:

• different types of table vinegars;
• edible seaweed;
• lean bread (lavash or other bread products with a neutral composition);
• tomato paste and ketchup;
• lean mayonnaise;
• adjika and many other sauces;
• all types of nuts;
• all types of seeds;
• pasta and flour products without unnecessary ingredients;
• dried fruits;
• all types of cereals (a good option is porridge with dried fruits);
• mushrooms;
• legumes (for example, lentils, peas, beans);
• fish and caviar (as well as shrimp, squid, all this is possible on certain days according to the calendar);
• seasonal and exotic fruits (the more variety of fruits, the better);
• seasonal vegetables (you can prepare a lot of healthy dishes from vegetables, eat them pickled and salted, for example, cabbage, beets, carrots, celery);
• homemade sweets (fruit and berry preserves, jam);
• lean chocolate;
• milk (coconut, soy and other types);
• drinks (decoctions and infusions of herbs, teas, coffee, jelly, compote, juices, fruit drinks);
• soy yogurt and cheese;
• lean marshmallows;
• marmalade;
• berries;
• Turkish Delight;
• halva and kozinaki;
• sugar and candy;
• Korean dishes (salads).

When the Great Orthodox Lent begins, there is no need to suddenly change your diet and go hungry for a long time. As you already understand, by abstaining from all meat and dairy foods during Lent, lay people do not need to torture themselves and greatly limit themselves. On the contrary, variety and lightness should reign in the home kitchen of Lent. Strict restrictions are intended for highly spiritual persons carrying out a feat.

this time is intended for good deeds, prayers, searching for measures to become better, comprehensive cleansing of the soul and body, eating light food, taking a break from animal products

How to keep an Orthodox fast?

Fasting in the monastery and in the world

We figured out what you can eat during Lent and what to abstain from, and how to properly distribute your diet over the days. You understand that monastic food differs significantly from secular food, since the monastery has a special charter and the most serious restrictions on food. We are ordinary people, strict fasting is not for us, we can observe fasting days at our own discretion, because everyone has different opportunities. Thus, by eating right, you will be able to maintain and increase your health.

Leaving the post

It is important not only to start Lent correctly, but also to complete it with dignity. Everyone asks when they can eat after fasting. Typically, all Orthodox Christians begin to eat normally at the onset of Easter. Ideally, after the Liturgy there is a rich meal. It is important not to overeat, but to switch to your usual diet gradually. Having completed your fast, you need to go to the Easter service. Before communion, Orthodox Christians experience special religious feelings, and after this sacrament they are overcome with enormous, indescribable joy, compensating for all the efforts made earlier.

Lenten recipes may be of interest to you; we will describe them below.

Recipes for meatless dishes without animal ingredients

Lenten first course - tomato soup

Components:

• water - liter;
• chopped tomatoes - 450 grams and tomato paste - 4 tablespoons;
• canned white beans - 420 grams;
• onions - 1-2 pieces;
• olive oil - 2 large spoons;
• chili pepper - a quarter of a small spoon;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• wine vinegar - 1-2 large spoons;
• Provençal herbs - 2 small spoons;
• sugar - 1-2 large spoons, as much pepper and salt as you like;
• for croutons - ciabatta or baguette, salt, garlic - 3 cloves, olive oil - 3 large spoons.

In the oil heated at the bottom of the pan, saute the onion for about 5 minutes, add pepper, garlic, fry for a couple of minutes, add tomato paste, fry for another minute. Next, add herbs and tomatoes, then pour in water and wait until it boils. Add the beans, draining the water from them, after cooking for a quarter of an hour, add black pepper, salt, sugar, vinegar. Cook covered for 10 minutes. Cook croutons with garlic in the oven - fry the bread in butter with garlic.

Lenten second course - stewed cabbage and mushrooms

Components:

• cabbage - up to 1 kg;
• champignons - 400 grams;
• vegetable oil - about 3 large spoons;
• salt, pepper, lemon juice - 2 small spoons.

Chop the cabbage and mushrooms as desired and heat the oil in a frying pan. First, the mushrooms are fried, then cabbage is added to them. After pouring a small amount of water, simmer the dish under the lid until the food softens. If necessary, add water. The cooking time for mature white cabbage is about an hour; if it is Chinese or young cabbage, 20 minutes is enough. Season the finished dish with pepper, salt, lemon juice, leave on the fire without a lid for 3 minutes to evaporate the moisture.

Second courses for fasting can be quickly and tasty prepared on those days when it is necessary, and with the correct selection of products, the impression of an incomplete diet will not be created.

Lenten salad

Components:

• carrots - 2 pieces;
• tomatoes - 2 pieces;
• cucumber - 1 piece;
• apple - 1 piece;
• onion - 1 piece;
• lemon - half;
• vegetable oil - a large spoon;
• herbs, salt, sugar.

Grate the carrots with a Korean or simple grater. We cut onions, tomatoes, cucumber. Chop the greens, cut the apple, removing the skin. Butter, salt and sugar, squeezed lemon juice - make a dressing from these products, mix everything.

Lenten cookies

Components:

• water - 200 ml;
• flour - up to 400 grams;
• baking powder - half a small spoon;
• salt, sugar, nuts, dried fruits, basil or other herbs;
• vegetable oil - 70 ml.

Pour oil into water. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, gradually combine the liquid with the dry component. Keep the resulting dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. From a layer of dough with a thickness of 2 to 4 mm, make any shape - round, diamond-shaped, square, triangular. To make the cookies sweet, dip them in sugar with chopped dried fruits and nuts. For salted cookies, use basil and salt. Bake the cookies, pierced with a fork, in the oven for 15 to 25 minutes at 200 degrees.

Oatmeal cutlets

Components:

• oatmeal - a glass;
• onion - 1 piece;
• potatoes - 1 piece;
• carrot - 1 piece;
• spices, garlic and herbs.

Lenten cutlets are easy to prepare. Soak the flakes in hot water for about 20 minutes. Grate the onions, potatoes, carrots, crush the garlic with a garlic press, chop the greens. Mix vegetables, garlic gruel and herbs with oatmeal, add salt and pepper (you can add any spices). Using a spoon, fry the cutlets on both sides. We also recommend including mushrooms in this recipe and eggs on non-fasting days.

Lenten nutrition is unthinkable without potato dishes and pureed soups. For lunch you can cook hearty cabbage soup, for dinner you can serve pancakes, pilaf, pancakes without animal ingredients. To make your dishes more interesting, you can make lean mayonnaise or various sauces. To feel the holiday on ordinary days, the best solution is a Lenten cake or Lenten pizza.

So, we talked about all the generally accepted features of the diet and the preparation of lean dishes. Let there always be light, healthy, tasty lean food on your tables. Don’t forget to attend church services, come to church not only with your troubles and problems, but at any free time. It is not difficult for Christians to observe Lent, the main thing is to properly tune in to it.