Meal schedule during fasting. What can you eat in a post? Sample menu for strict fasting days

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

Pros and cons of fasting

The main disadvantage is that it is forbidden to eat meat, fat, fish, chicken and quail eggs, milk, cottage cheese, butter and so on. It is these products that are able to 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 excludes the possibility of protein intake, so on certain time a person loses tryptophan and some amino acids. This can affect mood, immunity and activity.

It is not necessary to strictly observe the fast, this is the privilege of the ministers of the Church, the rest is enough for a certain time to adhere to less stringent rules, because in the first place is spiritual cleansing.

Of course, there are pluses, the diet helps to 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 a person, especially for those who live in big cities. Plant food rich in potassium, vitamin C, B, practically does not contain cholesterol and fat, so it is so necessary for residents of megacities who are used 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. Now in stores there are many products - substitutes, for example, soy milk, meat, yogurts. In addition, you can eat beans, nuts, a variety of cereals, they are capable of short time replenish protein deficiency in the body.
The most important foods that help replenish energy are cereals on the water and potatoes. Every housewife should have recipes for lean cereals, because they are very healthy and easy to prepare.
Vegetable oils are equally important. They can be added to any dishes or salads.
During fasting, it is allowed to eat fruits and vegetables, so you can safely consume at least 500 grams every day.
In order for the mood to always be at its best and to avoid spring depression, great option breakfast will be boiled brown rice with fruit, lentils or bananas.
Do not spare money and go to the pharmacy for a vitamin and mineral complex. It will help improve health and immunity.
And of course, we must not forget about water. Daily use several glasses pure water help avoid digestive problems that may occur 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 slightly reduce portions. Thus, we will be able to monitor our figure while dieting.
If you don't like some certain products that are allowed in the post, then you should not force yourself.
After the fast is over, you need to be as careful as possible when taking meat, fish, dairy and sour-milk products, since the body has already managed to wean itself from this. You need to be more careful with your usual diet. It is important to remember that it will be very difficult for children, the elderly and people with digestive problems to start fasting, so the diet can be slightly simplified. Now let's take a 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 cook it according to all the rules, observing the nuances.

Ingredients:

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

Cooking:

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

Of course, there are some nuances in the preparation of this dish. Mushrooms are known to have a richer flavor when added to soups dried, so don't be afraid to substitute. fresh mushrooms. The cooking process will also change a little: before sending them to the broth, you need to pour warm water for a few hours to soften slightly.

Meals during fasting - at least important aspect than spiritual cleansing, therefore, this needs to be given a lot of time and attention.

Lenten Solyanka

Recipes for dishes that can be consumed during Lent can also 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 tomato
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

Cooking:

Put the broth on the fire, add salt and bring to a boil. While the water is heating, prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Cut pickled cucumbers into strips, preferably thin, but so that they keep their shape and do not fall apart.
Finely chop the onion, grate the carrots and send to fry in vegetable oil until golden brown.
Soak mushrooms beforehand if dried mushrooms are used, then transfer to vegetables and fry for about 5-10 minutes.
Add chopped pickled cucumbers to the pan and stew a little, then send to the broth along with chopped olives.
Pour a little flour into a dry frying pan and heat it up to a delicate, creamy color and appearance of a lung nutty flavor, then sift and pour into the hodgepodge, cook it 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 dishes. It is in the first week that dieters have a particularly difficult time, because the body is not used to being deprived of meat or dairy products, so it is important to thoroughly approach nutrition during fasting and try to cook food that will be saturated with 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 it's cooked right.

Ingredients:

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

Cooking:

Peel the carrots and put to boil until cooked or half cooked in salted water. Cool, cut into not very thin rings.
Prepare sauce by mixing honey Orange juice and finely minced garlic.
Chop the leek into thin strips, add to the sauce. You can also send chopped herbs and spices to taste there.
Pour the carrots with the prepared mixture, mix thoroughly and transfer to a baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and send the dish to bake 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 your sleeve, then you can slightly change the cooking method, and thereby save time. In this case, you don’t have to boil the carrots, you just need to cut them, mix with the sauce and send them to bake in the sleeve.

Also on the Internet you can find recipes 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 second courses during Lent are very important, but it's time to move on to desserts. The list of sweets will turn out to be much smaller, because the products from which the dessert will turn out can be counted on the fingers, but if you show imagination, you can pleasantly surprise your family and guests.

Such a dessert is worthy of attention, do not hesitate to cook it during Lent.

Ingredients:

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

Cooking:

Cut prunes and dried apricots into thin strips and add a small amount warm water, mix, pour granulated sugar if desired, and leave to soak.
Preheat the pan and lightly toast the nuts, then remove the skin from them.
Transfer the prunes, dried apricots and dried fruits to the blender and chop.
Divide the mass into as many pieces as there are nuts, after which each nut is pressed into the mass and give the candy a neat, round shape.

Of course, recipes can be changed at your discretion, add fruits, berries, it all depends 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.

The recipes for the classic apple strudel usually include butter and eggs, but all this is missing here, so you can safely call this dish lean and eat during Lent.

Ingredients:

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

Cooking:

Mix water, salt and vinegar. Sift the flour through a sieve several times, then pour it into the water, knead the dough, gradually pouring olive oil.
The dough should be left for a while while the rest of the ingredients are being prepared. Peel apples, cut into pieces.
Grind nuts, rinse raisins properly, 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, prepare the syrup.
Mix cranberries with a banana, if desired, you can add any sweet syrup to taste, transfer the mass to a blender and grind until smooth.
Put the saucepan on the fire 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 is the abstinence from certain types of food in order to reunite with God, therefore, at such a time, not only food restrictions are assumed, but also the rejection of external impressions and pleasures.

Proper nutrition in fasting: essence and features ^

The essence of fasting is to abstain from everything that can bring pleasure: festivities, festive gatherings and, of course, from certain products. When people are just about to fast, they are very often interested in the question: what can not be eaten in fasting?

First of all, under strict prohibition are proteins of animal origin, which are found in meat and meat products, fish, poultry, eggs.
Do not eat cheese, sour cream, kefir, yogurt and other dairy products, as well as milk chocolate, pasta, White bread and alcohol.

In fact, eating on fasting days completely excludes any protein food, but not in strict days it is allowed to eat fish and vegetable oils, which contain mainly fats.

Now more about what you can eat in the post:

Any vegetables and fruits;
legumes;
Kashi;
Confectionery and bakery products cooked without eggs and dairy products;
Nuts;

Fasting food rules

It is not enough just to find out what you can eat in fasting, it is also important to follow some rules for eating:

You can’t overeat, even if these are allowed foods, otherwise the whole essence of fasting is lost;
It is necessary to abandon all carnal pleasures, tk. spiritual restrictions are of great importance;
The most stringent are the first and recent weeks Great Orthodox Lent, when you can eat crackers, kutya, and drink water. On the first day - only water.

What you can and cannot eat: a sample menu ^

What is possible in a strict post

The Great Lent is considered the strictest fast: its duration is 40 days, during which a person must refrain from watching entertainment programs and attending such events, as well as 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 it is allowed to eat honey, nuts, marmalade and any food. 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 on the period of other fasts.

What you can eat during fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays:

fish;
Vegetable oils;
Fruits and vegetables.

Is it possible to eat sugar in fasting

Despite the fact that albumin is present in sugar, its use in fasting by the church is not forbidden. What other sweets are allowed:

Bitter (dark) chocolate is one in which there is no milk and filling using prohibited ingredients. Many delicacies are made on the basis of dark chocolate - and almonds in chocolate icing, and paste using soy milk, and glazed cookies;
Dried fruits - all without exception. The abundance of offers is able to satisfy any gastronomic taste. Want even sweeter? Prunes in dark chocolate - for real gourmets;
Kozinaki - any nuts pressed with molasses, sugar or honey. Homemade kozinaki should be prepared without butter;
Marmalade, marshmallow, marshmallow, jelly on pectin. 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;
Honey is considered to be a lean product, because it is a product of insect production and does not contain animal proteins or fats. For some, it is honey that becomes the only consolation in this difficult time of spiritual and physical limitations.

When can you eat fish in fasting?

The fish is on the list forbidden foods, except for the following cases:

Petrov post: on Tuesday, Thursday and days off;
Dormition fast: only on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord;
Advent Post: on weekends, i.e. on Saturday and Sunday;
great post: on the feast of the Annunciation Holy Mother of God and on Palm Sunday.

Is it possible to eat vegetable oil in fasting

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

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

Is it possible to eat honey in fasting

Honey does not belong to plant products, but it is allowed for consumption by the modern church. Only the Old Believers and some monks oppose this, but in most cases the clergy do not exclude it from their diet. Which honey is better to choose:

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

Is it possible to eat bread in fasting

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

Is it possible to eat sweets in fasting

Sweets during fasting are allowed, but they should be eaten in moderation.
Lenten chocolate, candied fruits, dried fruits, nuts in chocolate, caramel, lollipops, chocolate grillage are allowed for use.

Orthodox fasting: how to eat for the laity

The calendar of proper nutrition in the days of Great Lent looks like this:

Good Friday: nothing can be eaten before the removal of the shroud;
Lazarus Saturday: you can eat some fish caviar;
Palm Sunday: it is allowed to add fish to caviar;
Annunciation: all permitted products, as well as fish.

sample menu on strict days of fasting:

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, eat fruit;
We have stewed vegetables for dinner.

What role does nutrition play during fasting?

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

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

Eastern horoscope for March 2019

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 pescatarianism - a type vegetarianism permitting the consumption of fish.

Who is allowed such a diet, albeit temporary? How not to turn food during fasting into an unbalanced diet and make it harmonious in terms of incoming nutrients, vitamins and trace elements? We listen to the recommendations of doctors.

How useful is this post

Temporary absence of proteins of animal origin in the diet or their replacement with vegetable "analogues" normalizes the rate of metabolic processes in the body, facilitates the cleansing of the body from toxins - waste products of metabolism. This helps to improve well-being and tone, prolong life.

Especially useful lean "diet" with chronic cholecystitis or pancreatitis - only, of course, in the presence of these diseases, it is better to coordinate your decision to fast with a doctor.

Who can't 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, in postoperative period or after a serious infectious disease).

Lenten menu: what is banned?

Meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, white flour pastries, coffee, and alcohol are blacklisted for fasting. Vegetable oil, lean fish, caviar and seafood are allowed with restrictions.

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

healthy fasting rules

Fractional nutrition
Strict church fasting rules require one or two meals a day. However, the body will be much more comfortable switching to a new diet if you maintain the usual four or five meals a day.

Beware, raw food!
Cannot be eaten only raw foods, so as not to cause problems with digestion, although fasting imposes a restriction on boiled food. Vegetables can not only be boiled, but also baked, steamed, stewed, salted, fermented, adding variety to your diet.

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

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

How to fill calcium deficiency?
In your diet during fasting, be sure to include legumes, seeds, nuts, green vegetables and fresh herbs. This means that every day you should have soybeans, beans, sesame seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, basil, parsley, savoy and white cabbage, watercress and other types on your plate. lettuce. Also a source of calcium drinking water: depending on the degree of its rigidity, it contains from 10% to 30% daily allowance this macronutrient.

How to make up for an iron deficiency?
This trace element is rich in buckwheat, yeast, Rye bread, white and red cabbage, bitter (dark) chocolate.

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

Note to sweet tooth
Allowed lean delicacies are marmalade, halva, gozinaki, dark chocolate without fillers, honey, dried fruits, pastries without eggs, milk and butter.

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

Lenten Recipes

Recipes for salads and appetizers

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts Salad with Strawberries

Soup Recipes

Recipes for main dishes and side dishes

Breakfast Recipes

In products that are forbidden to be eaten during fasts, everything for the production of which raw materials of animal origin were used. First of all, the ban applies to meat and any meat products, as well as poultry and eggs. Under the ban milk and everything connected with it: butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, dairy products and drinks, cheeses. In fasting, it is forbidden to eat pasta, white and rich bread, cakes, cookies, waffles and any pastries that contain butter, eggs and milk. Do not forget, there is also mayonnaise, because eggs are also used for its preparation.

Some foods, such as fish and vegetable oil, can only be eaten on fasting days that are considered non-strict, even though vegetable oil is not of animal origin. The ban also applies to chocolate and fast food, which are high in fat. Alcoholic beverages, including beer, should not be consumed during fasting.

Post by day of the week

On some days of the week, fasting may be more strict, and on some, including those that fall on, some indulgences can be allowed. So, Monday, Wednesday and Friday are the days of strict fasting, dry eating. These days, you can only eat foods that have not been cooked, and the addition of vegetable oil is also excluded. On the days of strict fasting, you can eat only black bread, vegetables and fruits, washed down with water or unsweetened compote. If you will be salads these days, you can use only lemon juice mixed with a little honey for dressing.

During fasting, you should not starve, especially if you have not denied yourself food before. This is fraught with problems with bile secretion and erosive processes in the gastrointestinal tract.

Hot meals can be eaten on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but on these days it is forbidden to add oil to them. But Saturday and the days of relaxation, when you can finally fry fish or vegetables in vegetable oil, add it to salads.

Proper nutrition during fasting

And while fasting, your food can be healthy. Missing in the diet animal protein Replace with foods that contain plant-based proteins. First of all, these are mushrooms and legumes: lentils, peas, chickpeas. The missing fats are found in nuts, and iron - in apples, buckwheat, bananas.

Remember that while observing religious fasts, one should not fall into the sin of gluttony immediately after they are completed, this is harmful not only for the soul, but also for health.

Mayonnaise, which contains both butter and eggs, is not allowed as a sauce, so salads are best seasoned with soy sauce or lemon juice.

It is forbidden to drink any alcohol, despite the fact that in natural recipes it must have vegetable. This is due to the fact that fasting is primarily a cleansing of the soul, and not, and alcohol for a person is an excess, not a necessity.

note

The fish exception applies only to Palm Sunday and the Annunciation. These days fish is allowed.

The diet of a nursing mother should be complete, include foods with high content vitamins and microelements vital for a newborn baby. However, there whole line restrictions in the mother's diet, since not all foods will benefit her and her newborn baby.

Reasons for rejection

Breastfeeding mothers should observe special diet recommended by pediatricians and based on many years of experience of previous generations. Otherwise, they may affect the child. Overuse eating certain foods threatens allergic dermatitis, popularly referred to as diathesis, infantile colic and increased gas formation, and feeling unwell and often the mother herself.

Most severe dietary restrictions apply to the first month of a child's life. Over time, it will be possible to gradually include new products.

First of all, keep in mind that each baby has its own individual reaction on foods in the diet. What is well tolerated by one will cause problems for another.

Dairy and dairy products

One of the most common advice that women who have recently given birth hear is to definitely drink cow's milk. No less often, in order to increase lactation, it is advised to drink several cups of black tea with condensed milk every day.

If you like to drink tea with herbs, you should not get carried away with sage, it reduces lactation.

Maybe these drinks really number breast milk and make it taste sweeter. The pitfall is that pretty a large percentage in the first months after birth, protein is poorly tolerated cow's milk. This is biologically determined and is not a disease. If you notice a rash on the face and body, a yellow seborrheic crust on the head, or other allergy symptoms in your baby, reduce the amount of milk you consume. Dairy products, cottage cheese, sour cream are considered more acceptable in the diet of the mother.

Confectionery

All kinds of sweets like cakes, sweets, cakes, etc. should also be limited, ideally completely eliminated from the diet. Confectionery very often contain harmful trans fats, margarine and artificial additives. In general, try to reduce the amount of food with chemical dyes and preservatives and eat natural products.

A pediatric dietitian or breastfeeding specialist can help clarify the situation about the effect of products on a particular child.

Foods that cause allergies

The nursing diet should be hypoallergenic. Allergies are often caused by products containing cocoa beans (cocoa, chocolate, sweets). Use a large number eggs, nuts, honey, canned food, citrus fruits and berries can cause allergic reaction. Also, don't abuse fresh vegetables and fruits, especially if yours often has digestive problems.

You can not drink too much carbonated drinks and coffee.

Alcohol abuse during lactation

The most important rule that a nursing woman must unquestioningly follow is an absolute exception. alcoholic beverages! Drinking alcohol in 100% of cases affects the composition and quality of breast milk, alcohol enters the child's body and can affect his motor development.

Medications and breastfeeding

Majority medicines are also prohibited. Read the instructions carefully before taking any pill. In the vast majority of cases, lactation is included. If you get sick, it's best not to risk it, go to the doctor's office and consult about taking certain medications in the chest.

The right way to post

We celebrate Great Lent in 2018 with joy and special inspiration. This good chance improve your spiritual life and learn how to eat right. This will help the menu by day with recommendations, it is given below. From February 28 to April 15 - these are the days when there will be Lent. Some dietary restrictions should not be taken as priority. The spiritual part of fasting is mainly aimed at working on oneself, taking care of loved ones, refraining from condemnation, 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 weak, work hard, live in an unfavorable or cold geographical area, breastfeed a child or are pregnant. You are allowed to eat everything according to the recommendations of doctors and your needs. Children should not be forced to fast food, they can abstain from some food only if they themselves strive for this and are fully aware of the meaning of fasting. As an option, you can try to plan a children's fast before Easter so that the food is without desserts, sweets and harmful products, it had less heavy food. This is also a good way to cleanse.

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

Monastic lenten menu for every day

What foods can be eaten in fasting according to the charter of most Orthodox monasteries:

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

What not to eat in fasting:

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

Food in fasting by day of the week:

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

There are special days in Great Lent:

Clean Monday (in the first week) - fasting;
2, 3, 4, 5 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) days of fasting - food with bread and water;
Environment - the use of natural wines;
day 40 of the Holy Martyrs - food with vegetable oil and wine;
holiday Palm Sunday - fish dishes, caviar, wine, vegetable oil.

Power on Holy Week(final week):

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

It should be noted that monastics do not eat meat even outside of fasting, but nevertheless it is provided in monasteries good food 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 best products nutrition that fit into the framework of Great Lent and supply the body with a lot of valuable substances for maintenance, health, vitality and good mood:

different types of table vinegars;
edible algae;
lean bread (lavash or other bread products with a neutral composition);
tomato paste and ketchup;
lean mayonnaise;
adjika and many other sauces;
all kinds of nuts;
all kinds of seeds;
pasta and flour products without unnecessary ingredients;
dried fruits;
all kinds of cereals a good option- porridge with dried fruits);
mushrooms;
legumes (eg 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 (from vegetables you can cook a mass healthy meals, use them pickled, salted, for example, cabbage, beets, carrots, celery);
homemade sweets (fruit and berry jam, 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 gozinaki;
sugar and lollipops;
dishes Korean cuisine(salads).

When the Great Begins Orthodox post You don’t need to change your diet drastically and starve for a long time. As you already understood, by abstaining from all meat and dairy foods, the laity does not need to torture themselves and severely limit themselves during fasting. On the contrary, variety and lightness should reign in the home cooking of Lent. Severe restrictions are intended for highly spiritual persons carrying a feat.

this time is intended for good deeds, prayers, search for measures to become better, comprehensive cleansing of the soul and body, acceptance light food, rest from animal products

How to keep an Orthodox fast?

Fasting in the monastery and in the world

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

Leaving a post

It is important not only to start Great Lent correctly, but also to complete it with dignity. Everyone asks when you can eat after fasting. Usually all Orthodox begin to normal nutrition at the time of Easter. Ideally, a rich meal is arranged after the Liturgy. It is important not to overeat, but to switch to the usual diet gradually. After completing your post, you need to go to the Easter service. Before communion, the Orthodox experience special religious feelings, and after this sacrament they are overwhelmed with great inexpressible joy, compensating for all the efforts made earlier.

You will be interested meatless recipes, 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;
Provence 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, put the tomato paste, fry for another minute. Next, put the herbs and tomatoes, then pour water and wait for it to boil. Add the beans, draining the water from it, after cooking for a quarter of an hour, add black pepper, salt, sugar, vinegar. Cook under the lid for 10 minutes. Cook garlic croutons in the oven - fry the bread in oil with garlic.

Lenten second dish - 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.

Randomly cut the cabbage and mushrooms, heat the oil in a frying pan. Mushrooms are fried first, 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. Mature cooking time white cabbage- about an hour, if it is Beijing or young cabbage - 20 minutes is enough. Season the finished dish with pepper, salt, lemon juice, leave on fire without a lid for 3 minutes to evaporate moisture.

The main dishes for fasting can be prepared quickly and tasty on those days when it is necessary, and when correct selection products will not create the impression of inferiority of the diet.

lean 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 carrots with a Korean or simple grater. We cut onions, tomatoes, cucumbers. Grind the greens, cut the apple, removing the skin. Oil, salt with sugar, lemon juice squeezed out of a lemon - make 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 for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. From a layer of dough, with a thickness of 2 to 4 mm, make any shape - round, diamond-shaped, square, triangular. To make cookies sweet, dip them in sugar with chopped dried fruits and nuts. For salty cookies, use basil with salt. Bake cookies pierced with a fork in the oven for 15 to 25 minutes at a temperature of 200 degrees.

Oatmeal cutlets

Components:

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

Lean cutlets are easy to prepare. Soak for about 20 minutes the flakes in hot water. Grate 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. In this recipe, we also recommend including mushrooms and eggs on non-fast days.

Lenten nutrition is unthinkable without potato dishes, mashed soups. For lunch, you can cook hearty cabbage soup, for dinner, serve pancakes, pilaf, pancakes without animal ingredients. To make the dishes more interesting, you can make lean mayonnaise or various sauces. For a holiday feeling common days The best decision- Lenten cake or lean pizza.

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