What can and cannot be eaten and drunk on fasting and fasting days? Nutrition during fasting. Lenten menu, Lenten recipes

Lent is approaching, which helps to cleanse the body and soul of a person. During it, believers only use lean products. 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, asparagus 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;

Beverages ( green tea, fruit drinks, 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 sufficient quantity vitamins, proteins, 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 suffered complex operation or serious illness;

Aged people;

Pregnant women, nursing mothers;

Patients with diabetes;

Suffering from high blood pressure, renal failure, serious illness 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 have a fasting day.

Fasting is also beneficial for the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. When eating lean food, harmful toxins and waste are removed from the body. The intestinal microflora is restored. Reduces cholesterol and sugar levels, eliminates excess liquid. During fasting, many people 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

Under no circumstances should you eat once or twice a day. The body ceases to receive sufficient energy sources. As a result, performance may deteriorate immune system, and hormonal balance will be disrupted. Be sure to include not only carbohydrate foods in your diet, but also protein foods. Otherwise, it will lead to the accumulation of fatty 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 dish in your Lenten menu 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 may lead to nervous breakdowns and health disorder. 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.

Humility of the body is considered the first step towards humility of the spirit, according to Christian beliefs. When starting to fast, it is also necessary to abstain spiritually. In this way, a Christian cleanses himself of bad emotions and learns to restrain negativity. Without observing spiritual rules of behavior, fasting becomes a common diet.

What to eat from cereals during Lent

Porridge is one of the most important components of the Lenten table. Of course, cereals should be cooked in water without adding butter. However, such a restriction does not mean that the porridge will be tasteless. Firstly, there are many different cereal crops, which can diversify the menu. Take a closer look in the supermarket: on the shelves with cereals you will find many more options than the usual buckwheat, rice, and pearl barley.

Secondly, during fasting you are allowed to eat many foods that can improve the taste of any porridge. For example, you can add raisins, dried apricots, nuts, carrots, and mushrooms. In this matter, you can safely rely on your imagination and experiment with tastes.

Also don't forget about prosers. This is the name given to sprouted grains of wheat, oats, and corn. These products contain over 30 percent vegetable protein, as well as many macro- and microelements. Regular consumption of prosers, even not during fasting, will provide the body required quantity vitamins and nutrients, will prevent the development large number diseases.

Based on cereals, you can prepare a huge number of delicious Lenten dishes:

• Vegetable pearl barley porridge. You will need pearl barley, carrots, onions, salt, and spices to taste. We wash the cereal, add water in a ratio of 1:3 and cook until soft. In the process, add chopped carrots, onions, salt, and seasonings.
• Fruit pilaf with nuts. Take two glasses of steamed rice, some raisins, dried apricots, dates, prunes, some walnuts, a couple of tablespoons of honey, and salt. Cook rice in slightly salted water. Halfway through cooking, add scalded raisins, chopped dried fruits and roasted nuts to the porridge. Cook the porridge and add honey after cooling.
• Semolina porridge with cranberry juice . Take a glass of cranberries and pour 6 glasses of water, bring to a boil and add half a glass of semolina and the same amount of sugar. Cook the porridge until tender, cool and serve with honey.
• Smolensk porridge with fruit drink. Prepare the fruit drink by analogy with the recipe described above. Add half a glass of rice cereal and the same amount of sugar to the prepared broth. Cook until done and serve cooled.
• Pilaf with dried mushrooms. To prepare, you will need several large dried mushrooms (preferably wild mushrooms), one glass of rice, three onions, one carrot, three tablespoons of sunflower oil, one and a half glasses of mushroom broth, tomato paste, salt. We sort the mushrooms and soak them in water for three hours. We cook them in it until done. Cut the boiled mushrooms into strips, fry them together with carrots and onions, add tomato paste and a little “mushroom water”. Add rice to the mixture and cook over low heat until tender.
• Mash porridge. We mix two types of cereals, for example, millet and barley, rice and wheat, corn and rice, and so on. In this case, one of the cereals should be crushed, and the other whole. We grate a couple of types of any vegetables. For a glass of cereal mixture, take a glass of vegetable mixture. Place 1/3 of the vegetables on the bottom of the pan, a layer of cereal on top, then again vegetables, and so on all the products in layers. Pour in hot salty water to cover the entire mixture. Place in the oven for 10 minutes.

What can you eat from vegetables during Lent?

Various varieties of cabbage (white cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts), potatoes, celery, pumpkin, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs (parsley, dill, basil, cilantro, sorrel) should take their rightful place on your Lenten table.

You can prepare salads from fresh vegetables, as well as eat pickled and pickled foods.

Let's look at a few popular lean vegetable dishes:

1. Cabbage salad with prunes. Take a quarter of a small head of cabbage, a handful of prunes and half a lemon, one carrot and salt and sugar to taste. Chop the vegetables and pour in lemon juice, season with salt and spices to taste.
2. Salad with carrots and pickled cucumber. You will need 800 grams of carrots, a couple of pickled cucumbers and 200 grams of tomato juice. Cut the cucumber into small cubes, add juice, and add black pepper to taste. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater and add to the cucumber mixture. Mix and serve.
3. Potato salad with pomegranate and walnut . Boil a couple of potatoes in their skins. Peel and cut into cubes. Prepare the dressing: crush the chopped nut kernels together with garlic in a mortar, add salt and pomegranate juice. Pour the mixture over the potatoes and sprinkle with herbs.
4. Vinaigrette with champignons. Take about 300 grams of mushrooms, 4 tomatoes, one apple, a few spoons vegetable oil, a tablespoon of mushroom broth, lemon juice from half the fruit, a tablespoon apple juice, onion, mustard seeds, salt, sugar, spices, herbs. Chop the mushrooms and simmer in oil until tender. Cut tomatoes and apples and mix with champignons. Add grated carrots and onions to the broth remaining after cooking the mushrooms. Pour this dressing over the prepared vinaigrette and sprinkle with herbs.
5. Lenten cabbage soup. To prepare this dish we will need 50 grams of white cabbage, three onions, one carrot, a couple of potatoes, parsley and celery roots, spices, herbs, garlic. Finely chop the potatoes and roots. Shred cabbage with herbs. Fill the vegetables with water and add spices. Cook for about 15 minutes. Grate the carrots, mix with chopped garlic, and add to the semi-finished cabbage soup. We bring it to readiness.
6. Vegetable soup. Prepare about a dozen pods of green beans, a couple of stalks of green onions, a clove of garlic, a couple of carrots, parsley, spices, salt, a couple of drops of vinegar. Pour about five glasses of hot water into the container, adding vinegar. Add beans, chopped carrots, and greens. Cook for about ten minutes over high heat, then reduce it and cook for another half hour.
   Before serving, sprinkle the soup with herbs.

What can you eat from fruits during Lent 2017?

You can eat both raw and heat-treated fruits, add them to salads and prepare desserts from them. Fruits go well with various nuts.

You can prepare the following quick fruit dishes:

• Apple salad with pumpkin. Take three sour apples, two hundred grams of pumpkin and half a glass of berry jelly. Peel apples and pumpkin and grate them on a coarse grater, add jelly and mix.
• Cranberry salad. Grind two or three glasses of cranberries with sugar. Add a couple of grated carrots and the same amount of chopped turnips. Finely chop one celery root and mix with the salad.
• Lingonberry salad. Grind a couple of glasses of lingonberries with sugar, add peeled and chopped two carrots and a piece of rutabaga. Mix thoroughly.
• Salad with dried fruits. Wash thoroughly in warm water 250 grams of prunes, cut into strips, mix with 50 grams of sugar, add a pinch of cinnamon, cloves and pour over lemon juice. Salad with dried apricots is prepared in the same way. Only instead of cinnamon, vanilla is added to it.
• Baked apples. To prepare, take four large apples, a couple of tablespoons of sugar, a little thick jam, cinnamon and nuts to taste. We wash the fruits, remove the core and stuff the fruits with a mixture of nuts, spices, sugar and jam. Bake in the oven for about twenty minutes.

What can you eat during Lent 2017 from sweets?

It is allowed to eat marmalade, Lenten marshmallows, halva (in certain days), oatmeal cookies, dark chocolate, sugared cranberries, honey, Turkish delight, lollipops. These products are classified as meatless, but please read the label carefully before purchasing them.

You can prepare a Lenten sweet dish for dessert yourself. Choose the appropriate recipe:

1. Rice with lemon jelly. To prepare you will need one hundred grams of rice, three sugars, one tablespoon of agar, a couple of glasses of water, six lemons. Cook the rice until tender with 1.5 cups of sugar. Pour the agar with two glasses of water, heat until dissolved, add a glass of sugar, pour in the juice of three lemons. Place the rice in a deep container, fill it with hot jelly, and put it in the refrigerator. You can use oranges instead of lemons.
2. Cranberry mousse. Take three glasses of water, half a glass of cranberries, half a glass of semolina, half a glass of sugar. We wash the berries and squeeze the juice out of them. Boil the “dry” berries and strain. Add sugar and semolina to the liquid and cook until tender. Cool the porridge, add juice and beat with a mixer. Place into bowls and decorate with cranberries.
3. Orangeade. This sweet drink will be a great addition to dessert. You will need eight oranges, a couple of lemons, half a kilogram of sugar, 2.5 liters of water. Wash the citruses and remove the peel. Place the zest in a container with water and add sugar. Place on low heat and cook, stirring and pressing on the zest until the oil comes out. Cover the broth with a lid and cool. Cut oranges and lemons in half and squeeze out the juice. Pour it into a decoction of zest. Cool the drink before serving.

What to eat during Lent by day from seafood

As for other seafood, opinions differ regarding their intake during fasting. Some believers claim that sea creatures are akin to fish and can only be eaten on strictly designated days. Others believe that fish is not comparable to shrimp or squid, so you can eat the latter on other days of Lent.

Even if the opportunity arises to eat fish, it is better to cook it not by frying. The optimal method of heat treatment would be stewing, boiling, baking.

Try treating yourself to these fish dishes during Lent:

1. Jellied pike perch. To prepare you will need about one kilogram of pike perch, a couple of onions, two carrots, black pepper, Bay leaf, salt, agar (instead of gelatin), a couple of lemons, pickles, green peas, bell pepper, parsley. We remove the scales from the fish, take out the entrails, remove the fins, bones, and head. We put the latter in a container and fill it with water (one and a half liters). Add peeled onions and carrots. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam and add pepper and bay leaf. Cook the broth for an hour. At the same time we fill cold water agar-agar. Let it brew for an hour and strain. Add the liquid to the broth and add salt. Place the pre-boiled pike perch fillet on a large dish, pour in a small amount of agar mixture and place in the refrigerator. After hardening, decorate the top with slices of lemon and pepper. Fill the dish again and cool until completely solidified.
2. Fish okroshka. Fry any fish in vegetable oil, remove the bones, cut into pieces and place in a deep plate, add pickles, green onions, dill, tarragon and pour in kvass. If desired, you can salt the dish.
3. . Take half a kilogram of any fish, three potatoes, one carrot, one onion, parsley root, half a glass of green peas, four tomatoes, a little vegetable oil, herbs, salt, spices. Boil the fish until cooked. Add chopped potatoes, pre-fried vegetables, and roots to the hot broth. Five minutes before complete readiness, add tomatoes and peas. When serving, sprinkle with herbs.
4. Fish pie. For the filling you will need fillet of pink salmon, pike perch, onion, a little sunflower oil, salt, and spices. Take the finished puff pastry and roll it onto the pie. Place the pink salmon fillet, salt and pepper, and place the fried onion on top. Place pike perch on top of pink salmon and salt it. Cover the top with another layer of dough and form a “fish”. You can draw a pattern of scales with a knife. Bake the pie in a hot oven.

What can you eat during Lent from fats by day?

These days you can eat any oil: sunflower, flaxseed, olive, sesame. It is advisable not to fry food with them, but to add them to salads and ready-made dishes.

Palm Sunday and the Annunciation are considered days of relaxation.

But animal fats (lard, lard, butter) cannot be eaten on any days during Lent. Moreover, they are prohibited even as part of various dishes and products. For example, even bread should be prepared without them.

What can you eat from flour products during Lent?

Of course, all kinds of baked goods that are prepared on dough cannot be eaten during Lent.

TO flour products This includes various pastas. You can eat spaghetti, vermicelli, pasta, noodles.

For example, in many recipes Italian cuisine you can find lean dressings for pasta. Vegetable sauces and spices will help diversify dishes.

You can experiment with these lean dishes:

• Pasta with vegetables. Take half a kilogram of pasta, a couple of carrots, 50 grams of parsley root, three onions, a glass canned peas, a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste, one hundred grams of sunflower oil, greens. Chop the onion, carrots and greens finely and fry in tomato paste in vegetable oil. Add peas to the vegetables and mix them. Boil the pasta, drain the water and combine it with the vegetables. Serve the dish hot, sprinkled with herbs.
• Noodle soup. To prepare, you will need one onion and one carrot, parsley root, a couple of tablespoons of sunflower oil, spices, salt, a glass of flour, and a little water. Sauté the onions, carrots and parsley with the addition of salt and spices. For the noodles, prepare the dough in water. Roll it out thinly and cut into narrow strips. Boil the noodles until tender and add the prepared vegetables to the water. Before serving, sprinkle with herbs.

What not to eat during Lent

1. Meat, poultry, and products based on it. These are sausages, sausages, broths and more.
2. Dairy. This category also includes fermented milk products, as well as butter and ice cream.
3. Eggs. You should not eat raw or cooked eggs or foods that contain them. For example, baked goods, confectionery, mayonnaise, etc.
4. Gelatin. It is produced from cartilage tissue, which means it cannot be eaten. Agar-agar can replace it on the fasting table; jelly is also made from it. It is worth remembering that many sweets, marmalade, and chewing gum are made from gelatin.
5. Alcohol. Strong alcoholic drinks are especially prohibited. On relaxation days, you can drink red wine, for example, Cahors in small quantities.

According to strict rules, on weekdays you are allowed to eat only once a day. On weekends - twice a day.

What you can eat during Lent - watch the video:

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. Eat small portions 6-7 times a day.

2. Drink more water to maintain water balance in organism.

3. As a replacement 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 advantage of nuts is their low glycemic index, which protects against surges in blood sugar and prevents appetite.

5. Include cereals in your diet, as they contain a lot different vitamins, minerals, trace elements and biologically active substances.

6. Remember that during fasting the most useful vegetables are potatoes, eggplants and cabbage: white cabbage, Beijing cabbage, 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 consume meat and any meat products, including poultry, eggs, milk and dairy products - butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, kefir, cheeses, yogurt, etc. You should also not eat dishes that contain these products as components, such as mayonnaise.
• Fish and fish products, like vegetable oil, are allowed, only on non-strict fasting 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).
• IN good friday It is better to refrain 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. Allowed in not large quantities grape wine without alcohol and sugar, diluted in hot water, but abstinence from wine is recommended.

First week of Lent (first Sunday of fasting). 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.
Finding the head of John the Baptist (first and second discovery) - Orthodox holiday in honor of the most revered part of the relics of John the Baptist - his head.
Hot food passed heat treatment, 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, mostly diluted 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 - one of these every time). 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 week of Lent (second Sunday of fasting). Memorial Day of St. Gregory Palamas.
St. Gregory Palamas lived in the 14th century. According to 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 - one of these every time). 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 - one of these every time). 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 - one of these every time). 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, a Life-giving cross The Lord's week, therefore the third week and the next, fourth, week are called the Worship of the Cross.

March 19 – Sunday.
The third week of Lent (third Sunday day of fasting) is the Worship of the Cross.
On this day, they read legends, consecrate prosphyra, do not work, visit churches to venerate the cross, reflect on the concept of “carrying one’s cross,” and fast (eating boiled oil 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 - one of these every time). 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 accepted martyrdom for their faith in Christ in Sebaste (Little Armenia, modern Turkey) in 320 at 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 - one of these every time). 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 Old Slavic “ladder”. Options – Paradise Ladder, Spiritual Tablets). The image of the "Ladder" is borrowed from the Bible, which describes the vision of Jacob's Ladder, along which 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 - one of these every time). 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 - one of these every time). Once a day, around 15.00.
On Wednesday evening, a special service is performed in Orthodox churches - “Standing of Mary”. 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 31st – Friday.
Dry eating: bread, water, greens, raw, dried or soaked vegetables and fruits (for example: raisins, olives, nuts, figs - one of these every time). Once a day, around 15.00.
Before the Feast of Praise Holy Mother of God 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 - one of these every time). 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 - one of these every time). 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. Lazarev 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. Matthew 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.

There is a version that the roots of the concept of Lent lie at the origins of the Christian faith. Its preachers proved to the pagans that only true faith in the Savior Jesus Christ could help overcome any trials, even such serious ones as fasting.

The spiritual meaning of Lent

Despite the fact that Lent is strict and difficult, for a true believer it does not at all mean the burden of trials, but carries with it the joy of the opportunity to receive communion, as well as the happiness of freeing the soul from everything bad, black and sinful that has accumulated in a person throughout the year.

There is such a concept in the Bible as church tithes - part of the income that a person receives, he must give to the church. If you calculate accurately, then Lent in its strict version, excluding weekends, when slight deviations are allowed, lasts approximately 36.5 days. This is a tenth of the 365 days of the entire year. This means, according to the biblical canons, a true Christian must give these 36.5 days to the church, to God, remember the torment of the Savior and take part in them through abstinence and prayer.

What is strict fasting based on? What can a Christian eat these days? As a rule, Lent involves eating meat, cottage cheese, and yoghurt. It is important to understand not what exactly a person does, but why he does it, what is the meaning of it. Fasting is a purely individual matter for everyone, his personal secret. The duration of the Sacrament is 40 days, after which Easter begins - the holiday of the Bright Resurrection of Christ.

Unfortunately, people are influenced by new trends, according to which it is very fashionable today to be a believer. The time of oblivion of Christianity has passed, although true believers prayed and bowed before the Lord even during the years of Soviet power. During the Great Patriotic War the soldiers prayed to the icon, deeply hidden under their overcoat, and no one could shake their faith. This is what true belief consists of - this is what lives in a person from the very beginning of his existence, and is not brought in by the wind of public opinion.

Strict Orthodox fasting: rules and laws

A person who has consciously come to faith and regularly observes fasts is unlikely to leave this path if he has walked this path sincerely and consciously, without lying to himself.

If a person is still at the very beginning of his path to faith, he should know the basic postulates, without which fasting will be meaningless.

Firstly, Lent is not part of a weight loss program for women, it is not an anti-cellulite measure, which even sounds somewhat blasphemous. The priests believe that a pure soul will never allow such a thought.

Secondly, no one should or is obliged to know that a person is fasting. This is not empty bravado, not a subject of boasting, but a purely individual Sacrament of each person.

Thirdly, when you decide to start fasting, you don’t need to give yourself any food instructions, say that starting tomorrow I won’t eat meat, and on Wednesdays and Fridays I won’t eat at all. The beginning of any Lenten abstinence is marked by reconciliation with loved ones, relatives and with oneself, the elimination of all omissions, misunderstandings and conflict situations. During fasting, it is unacceptable to engage in “eating” of loved ones and yourself, and you should also remember to abstain from food.

Fourthly, the strictest fast is not a renunciation of marital responsibilities, but acts of adultery on the side are prohibited, since the church condemns any relationships other than those that occur between husband and wife. On the contrary, you cannot bring yourself to such a degree of abstinence that you then literally throw yourself at the first person you meet.

Fifthly, alcohol can only be consumed on weekends, preferably wine diluted with water, and no more than one glass.

Sixth, repeating what was said above, we must not forget that Lent is not a diet, and its meaning is not to lose a couple of kilograms, but in spiritual cleansing, in acquiring the ability to control oneself and restrain the impulses of the body.

There are a lot of food additives and flavoring toppings to help you endure a strict fast. What can you eat so that it doesn’t seem so heavy, especially for a beginner?

How to turn limitations into new opportunities?

It should be remembered throughout the entire period that Lent is strict, and during this time it is necessary to forget about any animal food. Meat products, milk, eggs and foods containing animal fats should be completely excluded. But you can pamper yourself with all kinds of fruits and vegetables in raw, boiled, baked and dried form, as well as cereals, herbs, honey and jam. Vegetable oil can be added to food on weekends and holidays. During strict periods it is recommended to drink more clean water and switch from thoughts about food to prayers and going to church.

Strict fasting involves limiting watching TV and going to entertainment events. A television program sometimes carries so much negativity that you can’t help but regret turning on the TV.

In Rus', weddings were not held during Lent, but this did not mean that life was over. It is better to use the time allotted for fasting for the purpose of spiritual development- you can pick up a book that you have long wanted to read, go to church once again, talk with your loved ones, show attention to them. The main thing is to think positively and refrain from anger and bad deeds. Lent is strict not only for physical body, but also to the moral character of a person.

It must be remembered that strict fasting is not recommended for the sick, pregnant women, children and those who work hard physically. In each case, you need to consult a doctor and spiritual mentor. For these categories of citizens, individual proposals for observing fasting are possible.

How to enter a strict fast

The beginning of strict fasting is the most difficult stage, especially for those who are fasting for the first time. First day and Friday last week must be completely fast, that is, you must abstain from food altogether. During strict weeks of fasting, namely the first and last weeks, fruits, vegetables, bread, and water are allowed.

Throughout the entire period of fasting, any cereals, nuts, fruits and vegetables, and legumes are allowed. You can eat honey, marmalade, milk-free cocoa, and jelly. On the dates of great holidays, such as the Annunciation, Palm Sunday and Lazarus Saturday, fish and seafood are allowed, and on weekends it is permissible to consume vegetable oil.

In order not to harm your health, the fasting person must periodically deny himself the consumption of meat and meat products in advance. In this way, you can accustom your body to the absence of animal protein. On such “preparatory” days, it is recommended to drink more water, it will normalize metabolic processes body.

How to leave a post

When Lent ends, the strict regime to which a person is accustomed cannot be immediately broken. The body will not absorb meat in large quantities after long days abstinence. Use large quantity Eating food of animal origin will only lead to disruption of the stomach, and possibly to poisoning. It is necessary to start with food that is easily digestible, and it is desirable that the smooth exit from the fasting regime lasts as long as the fast lasted.

The menu is lean, salty and spicy

Strict fasting recipes may differ in the presence of a large number of spices, additives, and herbs. You can use parsley, dill, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and then no one will be able to say that salads and appetizers, first and made from vegetables and cereals, are impossible to eat because of their bland taste. And some recipes can become your favorite dish for all occasions. It is necessary to ensure that spices and seasonings do not contain traces of animal origin.

The hostess of the Lenten table, especially one who works and comes home only in the evening, knows firsthand that racking her brains about the upcoming dinner is much easier than preparing this dinner. We must manage to do something lean, low-calorie, but so that everyone is full. However, the number of ingredients is very limited.

It will serve as a real lifesaver for a practical housewife during Lent. It can become the basis of any dish - both the first and the second. The broth is beautiful and aromatic when fresh, and if you store it in the freezer in portions, it will definitely come in handy for urgently preparing a delicious soup, vegetable stew or eintopf. Any vegetables that are available and that are loved by the household are taken for cooking it.

For a special taste, you can add mushrooms, thyme, rosemary and other favorite spices and herbs to the vegetable broth. First, chopped vegetables and mushrooms are sautéed in oil, then poured with water, brought to a boil, herbs and pepper are added and simmered for about an hour over low heat.

For lean dishes, like no other, it is important appearance. They are bright and distract from the composition of the dish itself, in which you often desperately want to find meat. The feeling of fullness is usually caused by heat, so meatless dishes are best served warm, and chili pepper or ginger will help create the effect of a hot dish.

Multi-colored vegetables and fruits during Lent - eggplants, apples, plums are simply irreplaceable when creating a Lenten menu, since bright colors greatly lift your spirits.

Finally, don't forget about in various ways salting, soaking, fermenting and pickling vegetables and fruits! Sauerkraut with boiled potatoes - it couldn’t be tastier!

Great Lent. Strict diet as a reason for flights of fancy

Fasting people should not feel deprived of tasty and beautiful food. There are so many wonderful, aromatic and satisfying Lenten dishes that any fast will become a gastronomic joy for everyone!

If lentils are available, the housewife can prepare a very healthy, tasty and beautiful soup with olives, lemon and herbs.

The signature dish of the Lenten menu is fried potatoes with mushrooms; you can add any vegetables to it, and to create a variety of color pictures the best option there will be bell pepper.

Another spicy recipe is baked potatoes in foil with garlic sauce. Eggplants can be generously seasoned with garlic if no meetings or personal contacts are planned. And if you really want meat, then lean chickpea balls called falafel can serve as an imitation of meatballs.

Many people complain that during strict fasting they cannot treat themselves to cottage cheese. That's not true! If you mix semolina with sugar and bake it in an apple, the resulting filling will taste very much like cottage cheese. Useful property semolina is that it absorbs fruit juices, swells and becomes like a cream. Housewives need to know this and use this property of cereals in lean cuisine.

An excellent dish for dinner is couscous with herbs. Cooking it is a pleasure. Mix two tablespoons of cereal with olive oil and add salt. Make a well in the couscous, pour boiling water into it, stir, add chopped herbs, and beat. Fifteen minutes on the fire is enough to enjoy a simple and satisfying dish.

If you have leftover vegetables from yesterday's dinner, you can cook rice noodles with vegetables in 10 minutes. To do this, pour boiling water over the vermicelli and let it brew for a while. Vegetables cut into strips should be fried for 7 minutes in oil in which a clove of garlic was previously sauteed, then add rice paste to the vegetables and season with a little soy sauce, and sprinkle sesame seeds on top to taste.

Bean paste looks like liver pate. When serving it on the table, you can play in contrast with the brown color of the beans if you put corn kernels or any greens on top. To prepare the paste, mash the canned beans with a fork and add a mixture of 30 g of walnuts, 2 olive oil, several black peppercorns, as well as coriander and mustard seeds. The resulting pate is salted to taste, and then spread on bread, tomatoes, or eaten as an independent dish.

Fried tofu goes well with any vegetables. It must be cut into thick slices and fried in garlic oil. Crushed garlic is pre-sautéed. Soy sauce must be mixed with starch and chili pepper and cooked until thickened. Then pour this sauce over the fried tofu, sprinkle with sesame seeds and herbs.

For dessert, you can treat yourself to a smoothie made from greens and banana. It looks like an alien fantasy theme healthy image life. And it’s easy to prepare - just mix three handfuls of spinach, a few sprigs of tarragon, leaves of any green salad and one banana in a blender.

You can also bake an apple with nuts. To do this, two green apples must be stuffed with “minced meat” of five walnuts, 2 teaspoons of brown sugar or honey and raisins. The fruits will be ready in 20 minutes; the temperature of their baking in the oven should be at least 200 degrees.

Finally, connoisseurs of oriental sweets will find it easy to prepare kozinaki from sunflower seeds, and the butter that is present in the recipe simply needs to be replaced with vegetable oil.

The Christian faith teaches people to lead a modest lifestyle and not indulge in gluttony. The days when Christians fast are not days of torturing themselves with hunger, but days of spiritual cleansing, repentance of sins and humble prayer for their forgiveness. Abstinence from gluttony is a natural component of this process and every Christian knows what can you eat during fasting?

How to eat healthy while fasting

The Holy Church of Christ has defined both one-day fasts and multi-day fasts. Every Wednesday and Friday a Christian abstains from eating meat and dairy foods. This is done as a sign of memory of the tragic days in the earthly life of Jesus Christ. As we know from the Bible, on Wednesday he was delivered into the hands of Roman soldiers by Judas, and on Friday he was crucified on the cross. There are four multi-day fasts throughout the year.

1. Great Lent. This is the longest and strictest fast. It lasts for seven weeks preceding the Day of the Bright Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Charter of the Orthodox Church allows the use of vegetable oil only on Saturdays and Sundays during Lent. On the day of the Annunciation and the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, it is allowed to consume lean fish. On the remaining days of Lent, Christians eat exclusively plant foods and bread.
2. Assumption Fast. This fast continues from August 14 to August 27 and is dedicated to the memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The severity of this fast is similar to the severity of Great Lent. On the Day of the Transfiguration of the Lord, August 19, Christians are allowed to eat fish. On other days, the diet consists only of lean dishes.
3. Christmas post. This fast is also very long, namely it lasts 40 days until the Nativity of Christ, which we always celebrate on January 6 according to the new style. The Nativity Fast is less strict than the Great or Dormition Fast. So during this fast, with the exception of Monday, Wednesday and Friday, eating fish and vegetable oil is allowed. On the eve of Christmas, Christians fast especially strictly and limit themselves in almost everything. On the last day before Christmas, Christians do not eat anything at all until the first evening star rises in the sky. Only after its appearance can you eat dried fruits soaked in water. This dish is called “sochivo”, hence the name last day before Christmas - “Christmas Eve”.
4. Petrovsky post. This post is dedicated to the memory of the Great Apostles of the Christian Church Peter and Paul. In terms of severity, it is similar to the Nativity fast. It begins a week after the Feast of the Holy Trinity and lasts until the day of remembrance of the Apostles.

Before you start fasting, you need to understand that you are not going to starve, but you want to stop eating fatty foods for a while. The ridiculous idea of ​​torturing yourself with hunger will not lead you to anything good. This is how you can get gastritis, especially since the power of faith in most of us is not as powerful as that of holy people, who could manage only with spiritual food for many weeks and did not feel any weakness. Do not forget about the main purpose of the post and do not focus your attention on the secondary. If a person constantly experiences a feeling of hunger, then it will interfere with his spiritual cleansing. Instead of thoughts about God and about your lifestyle, you will be worried only about food and instead of a feeling of deep repentance, only irritability and impatience will arise.

What can you eat while fasting?

Let's figure it out together when it goes post, do's and don'ts eat. Let's say right away that any fruits and vegetables can be eaten in any form and in any quantity every day. That is, your stomach will never be empty during fasting. In addition, eating pure fruits and vegetables without any accompanying products leads to maximum absorption of all the vitamins and nutrients that are present in these invaluable gifts of nature. During the summer fast, of course, you need to eat all kinds of salads from fresh vegetables. During winter fasting, all kinds of pickles and, of course, vegetables and fruits are at your service, which in our time people have learned to store all year round.

During fasting, you can not only eat dishes made from raw vegetables, but also boil them. Of course, when boiled, vegetables lose about ninety percent of their nutritional value. Vegetables should be boiled in the minimum possible volume of water and should not be overcooked. There is no need to focus only on potatoes and cabbage during fasting. The Lord has given us a lot of delicious vegetables and you can alternate them during Lent. These are zucchini, pumpkin, cauliflower, green peas, corn, beans and many other tasty and healthy vegetables and fruits. The more diverse your plant food on fasting days, so much the better.

The first dishes during fasting should be prepared without meat, but this does not mean that they will not be tasty and satisfying. You can always add various cereals to the soup, which are both healthy and quite high-calorie foods.

Do not forget that during Lent, Christians are allowed to eat almost any cereal. It is unlikely that anyone will feel hungry after a plate of delicious porridge. Although porridge these days can be cooked only with water and without adding oil to it. But you can add raisins, nuts, dried apricots, mushrooms or carrots to the porridge. At the same time, it will become both tastier and healthier.

There is an opinion that by refusing to eat meat, milk and eggs, a person thereby deprives himself of protein, which is so necessary for normal operation body. This opinion is only partly correct. The fact is that the Lord has given us a lot of plant crops rich in proteins no less than meat, milk and eggs. During the fasting period, they must be included in your daily diet. Mushrooms, eggplants, all legumes without exception, and of course soybeans, which contain the most proteins and other useful substances, are rich in proteins. Nowadays, in the culinary departments of stores you can always buy excellent soybean dishes, which in taste and calorie content are almost similar to meat products. Why not take advantage of this during Lent?

Many people, when talking about nutrition during fasting, forget about non-strict days, which, by the way, during fasting are much more numerous than strict days. These days you can eat buns, bagels, cookies, vegetable oil and any fish dishes. Is it possible to remain hungry at the same time? Of course not! Another thing is that during fasting you should not overeat these dishes. The essence of nutrition at this time is only to satisfy the feeling of hunger, but not in excessive consumption of lean foods.

The main thing is that during fasting your food is simple and not oversaturated with various spices. Try to cook boiled and steamed dishes more often. Proper nutrition during fasting, in combination with sincere prayer, fasting is transformed not into suffering, but into powerful spiritual pleasure.

Now let's talk about what you should absolutely not eat while fasting. Eating meat, poultry, eggs and all dairy products, even kefir, is definitely prohibited. On strict days, consumption of fish and vegetable oil is prohibited.

Many people wonder how it is possible to prepare the same salad or fry vegetables without vegetable oil. Meanwhile, you can use lemon juice or marinade to prepare the salad. You can easily fry vegetables without oil. To do this, you need to have a Teflon-coated frying pan. In the summer, oil is absolutely necessary for preparing salads, since fresh vegetables are already very juicy.

Temporarily giving up dairy products brings nothing but benefits to the body. Nutritionists have long argued that, in essence, milk is a product for children, and it is generally not recommended for adults in its pure form, since their bodies do not absorb it well.

During fasting, it is forbidden to eat sweets. It’s probably not worth saying once again that sweets are far from being the foods that the body needs. Of course, during fasting it is unacceptable to use alcoholic drinks. Even a glass of good wine is already a sign of idleness. The time of fasting does not imply such a state of the Christian’s soul, for fasting is not a holiday, but, if you like, a work of the mind and soul.

Finally, you need to devote a little time to how you need to end your fast and go back to your normal diet. Under no circumstances should you greedily pounce on heavy meat foods after completing your fast. During fasting, the body has become unaccustomed to it, so in the first days after fasting, try to eat less meat. There is no need to overuse spices and very salty foods. Everything that you gave up during fasting should return to your diet gradually, but in no case immediately.