What dishes can be prepared and eaten in the post-lenten menu.

Everything today large quantity people decide to fast. This is due to the desire of man to become closer to God. However, many mistakenly believe that fasting is just a strict diet designed to subdue the flesh.

They are deeply mistaken, in addition to restrictions on food, we must cleanse ourselves spiritually, not swear, be kinder to the people around us, and then a piece of God's grace will surely descend on us.

Also if you are being followed addictions, connected with overuse alcohol or smoking, then at least for a while give them up.

Practical guide. How to eat during fasting?

During the fast, it is worth giving preference to products of plant origin.

Among them:

  • Cereals;
  • Fruits;
  • Vegetables;
  • Mushrooms;
  • Nuts.

On certain days you can eat fish and drink small amounts of red wine. However, there are days when eating is strictly not allowed - this is Good Friday, preceding the bright holiday of Easter. If a person does not strictly adhere to the fast due to feeling unwell, then on this day you can eat vegetables and fruits, as well as drink water.

In order not to make a mistake and during the fast to take the food that you can, you need to look into the Church orthodox calendar. According to it, it is forbidden to eat products of animal origin, which include:

  • Dairy products (as well as sour-milk);
  • Meat of domestic animals and game;
  • Eggs.

An exception is made only for nursing mothers, pregnant women, as well as sick people.

But not only all of the above is undesirable on our table during preparation for great easter. Delicacies such as chips, crackers, cakes, sweets and chocolate should also not be present in the fasting daily menu.

Depriving yourself of the usual diet, you must take care to support the body with a full replacement for the products excluded from the diet. Here are some tips on how to do it right.

Since the main ban is imposed on foods containing a lot of protein, it is important to find a worthy replacement for animal protein with vegetable protein.

  • fish;
  • Beans;
  • Mushrooms;
  • legumes;
  • Wheat
  • Nuts.

2. Since the meat and liver of animals contain iron in abundance, care must be taken to replenish its reserves and prevent the occurrence of anemia. To do this, you can include in your diet:

If you suffer from iron deficiency, then this may be a reason to eat meat even in fasting.

A couple of meal recipes

Here are a couple of fast food recipes that you can treat yourself and your loved ones without fear of violating church rules.

Recipe from lean products - dumplings with cabbage

Knead the dough in water without eggs. As a filling, we use sauerkraut, which should be thoroughly stewed with tomato. After you remove the finished dumplings from the boiling water with a slotted spoon, serve them on the table with a special frying. Prepare it as follows. finely chopped onion and sauté it until golden brown in a frying pan richly poured with vegetable oil.

Recipe from lean products - potatoes baked in uniforms

Medium size potato tubers Wash well under running water and cut into quarters. Salt and spread on a baking sheet greased with vegetable oil. Potatoes should be baked at a temperature of 200 degrees. You can find out that the dish is ready by piercing the skin of a potato with a match or a toothpick, it should pierce the flesh through and through. Potatoes can be served as an independent dish or used as a side dish for fish.

How to get out of a post?

In addition to the fact that you need to fast correctly, you also need to be able to properly exit the fast. To do this, we recommend a smooth transition to the consumption of fast foods. If you do not adhere to this rule and on the very first day of the festival, leaning on rich dishes and meat, you can overload the stomach, pancreas and liver too much. Try to break your fast slowly and gradually, including new dishes in your menu every day.

We wish you to go through all the tests of Great Lent with dignity and meet the Easter holiday cleansed both spiritually and bodily!

Julia Shapko

Reading time: 9 minutes

A A

The longest, most important and strictest of the fasts for all Orthodox is post Great, the purpose of which is spiritual and physical preparation for the Easter holiday.

For 40 days and nights the Lord fasted in the wilderness, after which he returned to the disciples in the power of the Spirit. great post- there is a reminder of that 40-day fast of the Savior, as well as the introduction of the Orthodox to Holy Week and further - to the Bright Resurrection of Christ.

What you need to know about food in Lent?

The essence of Lent - when does Lent begin and how many days does Lent last?

The beginning of the main fast for Christians is seven weeks before Easter. The fast of 48 days is divided into certain parts:

  • Forty-cost. It is 40 days and recalls the days spent by Jesus in the wilderness.
  • Lazarus Saturday. This day falls on the sixth Saturday of Lent.
  • Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem . 6th Sunday of Lent
  • Holy Week (all the last week)

The time of Great Lent is spiritual and physical components.

Weaken post only the elderly, pregnant, sickly and traveling, and only with a blessing.

What food can be eaten in Lent, and what can not - when can you eat fish?

What is allowed/prohibited in certain days Great post?

fasting days What is allowed/prohibited?
Solid week (1st week) A particularly strict diet week. The first 2 days of fasting are the most strict, you can’t eat at all
Meatfare Week (2nd week, Maslenitsa) Moderate food is allowed, except for Wed and Fri. Under the ban - meat. Eggs and fish, cheese, milk and butter are allowed on Wed and Fri. Pancakes are traditionally baked
Holy Week (last week) Particularly strict diet. Only dry eating (forbidden - boiled, fried, stewed, any heat-treated). Raw/half-raw vegetables are allowed, without the use of salt. You can't eat at all on Fri and Sat.
On Mon, Wed and Fri - meals 1 time per day Food - only cold, without oil. Xerophagy. That is, fruits and vegetables within reasonable limits, water, gray / black bread, compote
On Tue and Thu - meals 1 time per day Hot food (mushrooms, cereals, vegetables) without oil is allowed
Sat and Sun - meals 2 times a day Allowed food with oil + grape wine (exception - Sat of Passion Week) + vegetable oil (if you can’t do without it at all)
Feast Days of the Saints Vegetable oil allowed
Holiday Holy Mother of God(on April 7th) Fish dishes allowed
Last day before Easter Fish dishes allowed
Lazarus Saturday caviar is allowed
Palm Sunday and Annunciation fish allowed
Good Friday (before Easter) and Clean Monday (1st day of Lent) Can't eat anything at all
1st Friday of Lent Only boiled wheat + honey is allowed

Universal food calendar for Great Lent


How to make a lenten menu by day to observe Great Lent - advice from nutritionists

Great Lent requires serious restrictions both in food and in the usual way of life.
Undoubtedly post is coming the body benefits if the menu is compiled correctly.

Key principles of Great Lent considered: a ban on animal food (they can be replaced with legumes, beans, nuts), an emphasis on vegetables with fruits, a minimum of spices and salt, a maximum of compotes, jelly and decoctions, small portions with a slight feeling of hunger after dinner.

For first courses - pickles, beetroot soups, vegetable soups, cereals.

For the second - vegetable salads, side dishes (cereals, potato dishes, cabbage rolls with vegetables, etc.), berries and jelly for dessert.

Approximate Menu for Tuesday/Thursday of Lent

Fast days - hot dishes are allowed, vegetable oil is prohibited.

Don't forget the main thing: the essence of fasting nutrition is self-restraint. Therefore, culinary delights should not be carried away. Overeating with lean dishes is also not welcome.

The Christian faith teaches people to lead a modest lifestyle and not be carried away by gluttony. The days when Christians fast are not days of tormenting themselves with hunger, but days of spiritual purification, repentance for sins and humble prayer for their forgiveness. Abstinence from gluttony is a natural part of this process and every Christian knows what can you eat in fasting.

How to eat healthy while fasting

The Holy Church of Christ has determined 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 betrayed into the hands of the Roman soldiers by Judas, and on Friday he was crucified on the cross. There are four multi-day fasts during the year.

  1. Great post. This is the longest and strict post. It lasts for seven weeks preceding the Day of the Holy Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Charter Orthodox Church allows during Great Lent to use vegetable oil only on Saturdays and Sundays. On the day of the Annunciation and the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the use of lean fish. On the rest of the days of Great Lent, Christians eat only vegetable food and bread.
  2. Assumption post. This fast lasts from August 14 to 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 very Nativity of Christ, which we always celebrate on January 6 in a 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, it is allowed to eat fish and vegetable oil. 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, you can 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. It is similar in severity to the Nativity Fast. It begins a week after the Feast of the Holy Trinity and lasts until the feast day of the Apostles.

Before you start fasting, be sure to make it clear to yourself that you are not going to starve, but 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 earn gastritis, especially since the power of faith in most of us is not as powerful as that of holy people who could manage only spiritual food for many weeks and did not feel any weakness at the same time. Do not forget about the main purpose of the post and do not focus on the secondary. If a person constantly experiences a feeling of hunger, then it will interfere with him in his spiritual purification. Instead of thinking about God and about your lifestyle, you will only be worried about food, and instead of feeling deep repentance, only irritability and impatience will arise.

What can you eat while fasting

Let's figure it out together when it comes 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, the consumption of pure fruits and vegetables without any accompanying products leads to the maximum absorption of all vitamins and minerals. useful substances that are present in these priceless gifts of nature. During the summer fast, of course, you need to eat all kinds of salads from fresh vegetables. During the winter fast, at your service are all kinds of pickles and, of course, vegetables and fruits, which in our time people have learned to store all year round.

During fasting, you can not only eat dishes from raw vegetables, but also boil them. Of course, boiled vegetables lose about ninety percent of their nutritional value. Vegetables should be boiled in as little water as possible and should not be overcooked. It is not necessary during fasting to go in cycles only in potatoes and cabbage. The Lord gave us a lot of delicious vegetables and you can alternate them during fasting. These are zucchini, pumpkin, cauliflower, green pea, corn, beans and many other tasty and healthy vegetables and fruits. The more varied your plant food on fasting days, 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 high-calorie foods.

Do not forget that during fasting, Christians are allowed to eat almost any cereal. It is unlikely that after a plate of delicious porridge, someone will feel hungry. Although porridge these days is allowed to cook only on water and without adding oil to them. 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 organism. This opinion is only partially correct. The fact is that the Lord gave us a mass of plant cultures 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 soy dishes, which are almost similar in taste and calorie content to meat products. Why not take advantage of this while fasting?

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

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

Now let's talk about what absolutely not to eat during fasting. Definitely forbidden to eat meat, poultry, eggs and all dairy products, even kefir. On strict days, fish and vegetable oil are prohibited.

Many people have a question, how can you cook the same salad or fry vegetables without vegetable oil. Meanwhile, to prepare a salad, you can use lemon juice or marinade. You can fry vegetables easily and without oil. To do this, you need to have a frying pan with a Teflon coating. In the summer, oil is absolutely necessary for making salads, since fresh vegetables are already very juicy.

Temporary refusal of dairy products brings nothing but benefits to the body. Nutritionists have long argued that, in essence, milk is a product for children, and for adults it is generally in pure form not recommended as their body does not absorb it well.

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

Finally, you need to spend a little time on how you need to end the fast and switch to your usual diet. In no case, after the completion of the fast, one should greedily pounce on heavy meat food. The body has lost the habit of it during fasting, so in the first days after fasting, try to eat less meat. No need to abuse spices and very salty foods. Everything that you gave up during the fast should return to your diet gradually, but by no means immediately.

Great Lent has begun. Someone decided to fast for the first time, but for someone it is an annual ceremony. But, there are still people who ask the question: “Why is it important? Is it really necessary?”, “What can and cannot be eaten?”.

Great post what is it?

Fasting is an important part of Christians. The majesty and meaning of Great Lent lies not only in abstaining from food. Fasting teaches temperance in general. The inability to deny yourself leads to disaster. First of all, fasting is a spiritual exercise, a pursuit of God, not a diet.

The fast lasts for 40 days or seven weeks.

Let's take a look at popular misconceptions about fasting.
1. Fasting is in no way a diet, not a hunger, and clearly does not include the goal of losing weight. excess weight. Many, even completely unbelievers, refuse meat and other products, but this does not mean that they are on a fast. Fasting is possible in the presence of prayer, communication with God.
2. The main thing is not to lose God during fasting, and not to strive to fulfill the external obligations of fasting. To experience pangs of conscience after biting off a piece of meat, but not to experience it when you are angry with your own children, yell at your spouse, etc. The main thing is not to eat each other, especially during fasting.
3. Avoid arrogance. During fasting, a person's gaze should be focused on himself, and not on others.
4. Fast in secret. Some Christians, having started fasting, endlessly say that they are fasting. Everyone should understand how they go every day. Their facial expressions and mannerisms emphasize the feat they are accomplishing. But you need to perceive Fasting before God, and not before people.

How to fast properly

In order to fast properly, you must know the following:
- on fasting days, a person refuses food containing animal fats.
- From the reception of hot food will have to be partially abandoned.
- a lot of attention is also paid to dry eating (however, it should be remembered that dry eating is very hard kind fasting, so before you start dry eating, you should consult with your confessor).
- despite the fact that the bread is prepared in hot oven, you can still eat it.
- need to drink enough water to maintain the water-salt balance
- eat in small portions and more often, 6-7 times a day
-be sure to include protein-rich foods in the diet to make up for the forbidden meat
-Do not forget that fasting is a voluntary abstinence from food, which shows how Christians are able to refrain from unclean passions.

Lent symbolizes the wandering of Jesus Christ in the desert for 40 days, when he resisted the temptation of the devil and did not eat. By refusing food, Jesus began the salvation of all mankind. Lent is an important holiday for Christians. During the days of Great Lent, Christians mainly eat dry food. Lent lasts seven weeks. In the first and last week, fasting is especially strict. On Saturdays and Sundays, vegetable oil and grape wine are allowed. Fish is allowed only on the holidays of the Annunciation and Palm Sunday. Do not forget that despite the fact that the traditions of refusing food for many years, even monks do not fully adhere to them. The severity of such a fast is not obligatory for the laity.

Who can't fast?

Fasting is undesirable, and in some cases even contraindicated for the following laymen
-pregnant women
-People who have recently had surgery
-children under 12 years old
- with ischemia of the heart
- with stomach ulcers and gastritis
- people suffering from hypo- and hypertension
- with diseases of the joints, osteoporosis
- with blood diseases, especially with anemia
- people engaged in hard work, located on military service etc.

What You Can and Cannot Eat During Lent

In this section of our article, we will not only give you a list of products that are allowed and prohibited for use in fasting, but also tell you how to eat during fasting by day, what recipes you can adopt.

Lent food calendar

To begin with, we will give you a table-calendar that will help you orient yourself by day in eating food.

What can you eat during Lent?

Vegetables (cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, sweet peppers, greens)
Cereals (oatmeal, buckwheat, rice, corn, wheat, barley)
Legumes (beans, beans, peas, lentils)
Fruits
Mushrooms
Fish (only twice in the entire post)
Sweets (e.g. halvah, dried fruits, nuts, dark chocolate, honey, sugar, lollipops, sugar-coated cranberries)
Drinks (juice, tea, coffee, uzvara, fruit drink, jelly. Grape wine on weekends)

What can not be eaten in Lent?

Meat and semi-finished products from it
-milk products
- bread and pastries, if they are made with the addition of eggs, butter, milk
-eggs
- sweets containing milk
-alcohol

Recipes for Lenten Meals During Lent

Bean soup without vegetable oil

To get started, you will need good beans, onions, a few tomatoes, kitchen salt, herbs and a couple fresh leaves celery. Before you start all this cooking, you need to prepare workplace. After that, you should cut the onion into small pieces and pour 4 tbsp. spoons of cold water and then boil over medium heat. At night, you should soak the beans, after the onion is cooked, add the beans, 1 tbsp. a spoon is enough, but if you want to make the soup more saturated, you can add 2 tbsp. Spoons. Do not forget about the tomatoes, they should be chopped and also thrown into boiling water. We wait about 20 minutes, add salt, mix, and you can remove the soup from the heat, before serving the soup on the table, you should add parsley and a couple of celery leaves, they will add flavor and taste to our soup. It should be noted that this soup suitable for people suffering overweight not only during fasting, but also on any other day.

Quite a popular dish during fasting is herring under a fur coat.
What you need to know when preparing this dish. First of all, you need to buy a herring, 2 should be enough, however, if the table involves more people, more is possible. In addition to fish, boiled potatoes, carrots and onions are also needed. All this must be crushed, for this we need a grater. To give the dish a beautiful look, you need a flat saucer, on which we will place layers with potatoes, fish and onions. After all this is cooked, the layers are laid out, you should spread the dishes with mayonnaise. When you have finished cooking, let the dish brew, then its taste will be richer and more pleasant.

In order to cook this caviar, you will need dried mushrooms, these mushrooms can also be salted or a mixture of them can be used. It is better to collect mushrooms for this in the forest or buy them in the market. Before you cook them, you need to wash them thoroughly, then cook them until cooked, and after that cool and chop them into small pieces. If you are making caviar from salted mushrooms, they should also be washed in cold water. Cut onion into small rings and fry in oil with mushrooms, then simmer them for about 15 minutes. A few minutes before stewing, add some spices and crushed garlic, pepper to add spice, salt to taste and pour over with vinegar. The caviar is ready, now it is better to leave the caviar to stand for 20-30 minutes so that it brews and absorbs all the components. Bon appetit!

Oat pancakes

To prepare such a lenten breakfast, you will need oat flakes, water, yeast, flour, salt and of course vegetable oil. Pour oatmeal into an iron bowl, mix, pour 2 cups into it warm water(not boiling water), pour sugar, salt and a bag of yeast there, mix it all thoroughly and add flour. Somewhere in half an hour, mix again and you can proceed to the pancakes. To do this, heat the pan and pour vegetable oil into it. It remains now only to fry the pancakes. Pancakes are useful with honey and jam, so they are best served together. This breakfast is not only lean, but quite healthy.

Before cooking, put the water to boil, cut the potatoes into quarters, pour the canned red beans into the pan, mix, you should also cut the carrots, onions, and a little greenery in order to give a pleasant aroma to the soup. Boil all these ingredients in a pot covered with a lid for 20 minutes. Salt to taste, throw crushed garlic, red pepper, tomato juice and tomato paste. Boil for about 10 minutes and throw some greens there.

To prepare this dish, it is necessary to boil finely chopped carrots and beets in salted boiled water. In another saucepan, it is advisable to boil finely chopped potatoes (in cubes) separately. These decoctions should be combined and preserved. These vegetables should be thrown into a colander and mixed with chopped cucumbers. Get a jar with canned peas and pour the contents into a bowl. In another bowl, pour 1 glass of vegetable oil and a glass of red wine, squeezed lemon juice and salt. Bring this marinade to a boil. Salad should be poured with marinade and mixed. Leave the salad for 30 minutes to infuse. This vinaigrette is quite high-calorie and healthy, it should be consumed not only during fasting.

In our next upcoming article, we will tell you how to correctly compose Lenten menu, which dishes are better to include and which are not, we will give sample menu for a week. Follow our releases, subscribe to updates.

(Visitors 4 321 times, 8 visits today)

We have all wondered more than once about what you can eat in Lent and how to diversify the table so as not to harm the body. After all, it is known that Great Lent will help to cleanse only if you follow the rules of eating and provide yourself with good nutrition.

If you decide to stick - it does not mean that you have to starve. Be prudent and try not to harm your body by earnest "mortification" of the flesh. Even during fasting, you can provide yourself with a complete, healthier diet.

Great Lent: Allowed Foods

In order for you to feel the joy and holiness of eating in your soul and body, your food should be varied, but simple.

Vegetables and fruits: boiled, stewed, baked - should be the basis of your diet. Let there be carrots, potatoes, beets on your table, sauerkraut and cucumbers. Don't forget corn, peas, lettuce, apples, pomegranates, bananas, and citrus fruits. The more varied, the better.

In fasting, you can not abuse spices, salt, sugar and fried food. Give preference to food cooked on a steam bath or grilled.

Helpful advice: when boiling vegetables, drop them into already boiling water and do not let it boil too hard. So it will be possible to save more useful substances in them.

Kashi: cereals should be another important part of your diet. Do not forget that they should be cooked only on water and you will have to do without adding oil. But you will have an additional reason for culinary experiments.

Helpful advice: add nuts, carrots, mushrooms and onions to your cereals, dried fruits and raisins are suitable for sweet cereals.

Instead of meat, milk and eggs: if you include vegetable protein in your diet, then your body will hardly suffer from the lack of meat. vegetable protein found in eggplant, peanuts, lentils, soybeans and all plants of the legume family. Now “soy meat” is available for sale, which, subject to the manufacturing technology, may well replace the real one.

By the way, nutritionists confirm that soy protein in its composition can compensate for the protein found in meat and fish.

Great Lent: Forbidden Foods

Pa throughout the post, you should abandon the following products:

  • Meat and meat products
  • fish and fish products(except non-strict days).
  • Bird
  • Milk and dairy products
  • Sweets
  • Fast food
  • Alcohol

Strict and non-strict days of fasting

The first 4 days, as well as the last week before Easter, are considered the strictest days of fasting. Clean Monday (the first day of fasting) and Good Friday (the last Friday before Easter) are among the strictest days of fasting, when you can’t eat at all. But on the first Friday of Lent, boiled wheat sweetened with honey or sugar is allowed.

On other days, meals are held according to a specific schedule:

  • Monday Wednesday Friday: bread, water, vegetables, fruits, compotes
  • Tuesday Thursday: hot food without oil
  • Saturday and Sunday: food with vegetable oil and all variety of fish products.

The weakening of fasting is allowed for pregnant women, the sick and the elderly, as well as travelers.