Nutrition during Lent. What is not possible and what is possible? Easter fast: calendar, do's and don'ts

Yulia Shapko

Reading time: 9 minutes

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The longest, most important and strictest of the fasts for all Orthodox Christians is Lent Great, whose purpose is spiritual and physical training for the Easter holiday.

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

What you need to know about nutrition during 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 48-day fast is divided into certain parts:

• Pentecost. It is 40 days and recalls the days Jesus spent in the desert
• Lazarev Saturday. This day falls on the sixth Saturday of Lent
• Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem . 6th Sunday of Lent
• Holy Week (entire last week)

The time of Great Lent is spiritual and physical components.

Relax your fast It is possible only for the elderly, pregnant, sick and traveling, and only with blessing.

What food can you eat during Lent, and what can you not – when can you eat fish?

What is allowed/prohibited in certain days Lent?

Universal nutrition calendar for Lent

How to correctly create a Lenten menu by day to observe Lent - advice from nutritionists

Lent requires serious restrictions both in food and in the usual way of life.
Definitely a post good for the body benefits if the menu is compiled correctly.

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

For first courses – pickle pancakes, beetroot pancakes, vegetable soups, cereals.

For the second – vegetable salads, side dishes (porridge, 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 nutrition during fasting is self-restraint. Therefore, you should not get carried away with culinary delights. Overeating with meatless dishes is also not encouraged.

If you are fasting and would like to know what you can eat during this period and what is prohibited, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the list of products. Do not think that by fasting you will go hungry and not eat enough. A properly selected menu and knowledge of the main products containing fats, carbohydrates and proteins will allow you to easily carry out the holy cleansing, and even lose weight. overweight.

You can eat any fruits and vegetables during fasting:

1. Potato
2. Cabbage, including sauerkraut
3. Mushrooms
4. Radish and radish, turnip
5. Beet
6. Carrot
7. Onion and garlic
8. Greens and lettuce
9. Eggplants and zucchini
10. Bell pepper
11. Cucumbers, including pickles
12. Pumpkin
13. Apples
14. Pears
15. Bananas
16. Tangerines, oranges, grapefruit and lemon
17. Persimmon
18. Plum and grapes
19. Peaches and apricots
20. Any berries

Vegetables and mushrooms can be boiled, stewed, baked without adding butter. Great amount salads and snacks will be made from vegetables. Fruits can be eaten fresh, or baked, or made into salads. Addition vegetable oil allowed only on Saturday, Sunday and holidays.

During Lent you can eat any cereals and porridges:

1. Buckwheat
2. Oatmeal
3. Pshenka
4. Pearl barley
5. Lentils, peas and beans
6. Corn porridge
7. Semolina

You can also eat dried fruits, nuts, pasta, cookies and bread (without eggs or egg powder). You can prepare delicious pastries and pies, most importantly without adding animal fats or eggs. Fish is allowed twice during the entire Lent: on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and on Palm Sunday. If it is difficult for you to fast without fish, then it is better to replace it with soy products. Even on holidays, you can drink a small amount of wine.

During fasting you should not eat products of animal origin:

1. Meat and all meat-containing products
2. Bird and eggs
3. Milk and all dairy products (sour cream, cottage cheese, yoghurts, kefir, cheeses and milk drinks)
4. Baking and pasta with eggs, butter
5. Mayonnaise
6. Chocolate
7. Fast food because it's high in fat
8. Fish and vegetable oil, excluding weekends and holidays
9. Alcohol, with the exception of small amounts of wine on holiday

In fact, modern priests, speaking about fasting, note that this is a limitation that a person must make for himself. For some people, it is enough to give up only meat, while eating dairy products, while others need to adhere to fasting according to all the canons.

Do you know how many fasting days are recommended by the church in a year? According to some data, depending on variations and more or less strict adherence, there are from 180 to 280 of them, that is, the majority. The figure is truly impressive! And the fasting diet must also be observed along with other possible abstinences. But this does not mean that during a strict or non-strict fast, a tasty and satisfying lunch or dinner is impossible. There are a lot of culinary treats in the world that are worthy of attention, and dieting during Lent can be not a burden, but a joy!

Strict and non-strict

As is known, according to folk wisdom, “fasting is not in the belly, but in the spirit.” In Russian Orthodox tradition There are as many as four multi-day, extensive fasts (Great, Petrov, Uspensky, Rozhdestvensky), as well as an almost weekly fast on Friday and Wednesday (with the exception of a few weeks), three one-day fasts. As a rule, “fasting” is divided into strict and non-strict, and a raw food diet and temporary abstinence from food are also practiced (for hermit monks and ascetics mainly). But you must still remember that a fasting diet is not a panacea for all ills. In addition, the confessors themselves allow non-fasting for pregnant women, the elderly, and the sick. various ailments, children.

What can and cannot be eaten?

During this period, it is prohibited to eat any products of animal origin (including eggs and caviar), as well as bread products. Herbal products, teas, jelly, porridge are allowed (but only with water, not milk and without butter). In the non-strict - you can eat fish and seafood, vegetable oil. So this fasting diet is very suitable for weight loss.

Vegetables fruits

This is certainly allowed as a foundation food. The fasting diet largely consists of these important good nutrition our body's products. In addition, they contain microelements and vitamins, useful to people and necessary - especially in the context of insufficient receipt of the usual animal proteins during fasting.

Mushrooms, nuts

They are traditional sources of protein during fasting. Mushrooms of all types and varying degrees of processing are allowed: dried, salted, fresh. And there is simply a huge variety of nuts. However, do not forget about a reasonable norm: a glass of peeled walnuts at one time - a serious challenge for the stomach and liver! The maximum intake of nuts, due to their nutritional value and energy value, is 50-100 grams per day.

Porridge

A fasting diet for weight loss is not complete without cereals from various types cereals and cereals Basically, any. However, in last years There are articles in the press about the dangers of this or that cereal. But, rather, it’s a matter of the amount of consumption and the combination of products. Particularly useful: oatmeal, buckwheat, millet, Wheat groats(better - crushed), rice. During Lent, do not forget to cook porridge in water, and not, as many are used to, in milk or with the addition of cow butter. They are prohibited during the fasting period!

Diet for Lent

The tradition of observing this fast defines the expression of love and devotion to the Savior and precedes the celebration of His Resurrection. During all forty-eight days of humility, physical and spiritual, Christians fast strictly. After all, without cleansing the spirit, the entire ritual of fasting becomes an ordinary diet. So, keeping this in mind, during this period you especially need to take care of the purity of your own thoughts, eliminate anger and bad emotions.

The diet itself during the fast before Easter should also look more strict than, for example, during Christmas. On many days, it is recommended to eat food that has not been heat-treated (raw food diet). So, for example, you need to eat in the first four days of a seven-week fast. And in the first place, it is advisable to abstain from food altogether. On First Friday, on the contrary, food sweetened with sugar or honey is welcome. On Palm Sunday you can eat fish and seafood. On Lazarus Saturday - caviar.

Note: open church calendar for this year and look at what date this or that holiday falls on during Lent (because many of them are “floating”, that is, they fall on different dates of the month in different years). And based on this information, adjust your menu.

Diet during the fast before Easter. Some recipes

Well, in general, the principles of nutrition are most likely already clear to you. Now let's talk about dishes that can be prepared. They are of great variety. Truly, looking at the existing abundance, you understand that a person, with some skill, can completely do without animal-based food. Since there are many recipes, and the article is short, we will present only a couple of the most common ones.

The vinaigrette

An ordinary vinaigrette, familiar to everyone, probably since childhood, is a very popular dish during fasting. It contains a lot of vegetables, which contain vitamins and microelements, some amino acids. In addition, it is a fairly light calorie food that is quickly absorbed by the body.

We will need: large beets, three pickled cucumbers, three large potatoes, carrot. Boil all vegetables separately, peel and cut into cubes. Mix thoroughly and add a little vegetable oil (but if the fast is strict, you can use cucumber pickle instead of oil - a few spoons).

Rice porridge with dried apricots and nuts

Boil a cup of rice until crumbly. without bones) pour boiling water over and chop finely. Crush walnuts in a mortar. We mix everything and eat with pleasure. When allowed, you can add a tablespoon of honey to the porridge and stir. You can also add raisins here.

Before Easter, the longest and strictest fast begins, during which the consumption of many foods is prohibited. But fasting is not only about dietary restrictions! This is immersion in one’s spirituality, rethinking one’s actions and correcting mistakes. Fasting is a period in a person’s life when he needs to show patience and understanding, wisdom and meekness when communicating with loved ones, acquaintances and strangers. What else do you need to know about fasting before Easter?

Fasting is important not only in the physical sense, but also in the spiritual sense.

Peculiarities of Easter Lent

Fasting is not a diet. Yes, many foods are prohibited for consumption - and therefore fasting is not available to some groups of people:

• Pregnant women and nursing mothers;
• Children and adolescents under 14 years of age;
• To people suffering chronic diseases gastrointestinal tract, stomach ulcers, gastritis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, anemia, diabetes and immune system disorders;
• For those who are recovering from a serious illness or surgery;
• For those who engage in heavy physical labor, intense sports training or increased mental work.

What foods are prohibited for those who can and want to fast?

1. Any meat products and those that contain meat.
2. Any dairy and dairy products, including powdered milk and ice cream.
3. Eggs and all products containing eggs.
4. Any baked goods and everything confectionery, including white bread and rolls.
5. Alcohol, chocolate, fast food, mayonnaise.

Products that can be consumed during fasting:

• Plant foods are the basis of fasting. All vegetables and fruits, boiled, stewed and raw, are allowed, as well as dried fruits, pickled, salted and pickled vegetables, mushrooms, nuts and seeds.
• Teas, herbal infusions, fruit compotes and jelly.
• Porridge with water, black and gray bread, crackers and dry bread (unsweetened and savory).
• Fish, seafood, caviar and vegetable oil.
• For sweets, you can eat jam and fruit.

Fish is allowed during the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th weeks of fasting on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. On Sundays it is also allowed to eat fish and seafood. In addition, fish is eaten on Palm Sunday and the Annunciation. On Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday, it is customary to eat caviar. It is best to cook fish boiled, baked or stewed - and certainly without creamy, sour cream and milk sauces and gravies. On Great Good Friday it is customary not to eat anything at all, but to drink only water.

All meat products are prohibited, fish is allowed on certain days

If it is difficult for you to do a fasting day on the water, you are allowed to eat nuts, raw fruits and dried fruits, as well as raw vegetables without vegetable oil. On Holy Saturday (before Easter) boiled food without vegetable oil is allowed. On other days, you need to eat hot first and second courses every day - lean soups and borscht, porridge with water, stewed vegetable stews. Hot food necessary for normal functioning intestines and healthy peristalsis.

Don't worry about the lack of animal protein in your diet - protein from legume products. Dishes made from peas, beans, lentils and soybeans will help meet the body's need for protein. Jerusalem artichoke is very useful - it supplies the carbohydrate inulin to the body. Porridge, grains and potatoes are sources of starch, protein and carbohydrates. Cranberries are a supplier of benzoic acid, nuts are a supplier of protein and fat, and rosehip decoctions, bell pepper, lemons and all citrus fruits are responsible for vitamin C.

Vegetable oils are rich in vitamins E, F, K, and their fats are well absorbed by the body. Plant products will not leave your body without essential microelements, but the fasting diet does not contain enough vitamins A and D, and does not contain vitamin B12 at all, so doctors recommend taking additional vitamins and microelements. Just don’t prescribe them for yourself - it’s better to visit your doctor and listen to his recommendations.

The transition from fasting to celebrating Easter must be careful!

He is the one who will decide what is appropriate for your age and physical condition. If you stick to your diet correctly, during fasting you can not only lose extra pounds, but also normalize blood pressure, cholesterol levels and many vital functions. important processes. You should also pay attention to breaking the fast - after a strict diet, you should not indulge in an abundance of meat and fish delicacies, baked goods, sweets and fatty dishes flavored with sauces.

Such a powerful food shock can disrupt the work digestive system. On the first Easter day, it is allowed to supplement the Lenten diet with 1-2 eggs, a piece cottage cheese casserole and a slice of butter cake. In the first 4 days, it is prohibited to consume chips, sweet straws, salty crackers, sweet and salty nuts, strong tea and coffee, as well as any carbonated drinks (especially sweet ones).

You should also avoid eating fish and meat. fatty varieties, herring, smoked meats, lard, thick cream sauces, sour cream, confectionery with butter or butter cream. Consume any product in minimal quantities and try not to overeat. The same goes for alcohol - know moderation in everything. Easter lasts a whole week, and you will definitely try all the goodies, just not all at once!

Fasting before Easter for the Russian people is a time of cleansing not only of their body, but also of their spirit. But not all Russian people attend church and understand the deep essence of Lent before Easter.

What is the significance of abstaining from certain foods for the purification of our spirit itself? Under in a simple word"post" refers to the transition from more nutritious food to less nutritious, one might even say light.

So thanks to this “lightness” we make ourselves more mobile and capable of spiritual life. Food has a colossal effect on our body, but this can only be verified by our own experience.

Lent usually lasts 40 days. These 40 days symbolize Jesus' wanderings in the hot desert.

General rules for fasting before Easter

Prayer and visiting the temple. Prayer is an inseparable part of Lent, so you should pray morning and evening to cleanse your spirit.

You should visit church during Lent on Sundays for better enlightenment

Refusal of temptations, including entertainment and confession. You need to confess at least once during the entire fast; this also helps to cleanse the spirit.

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday you need to eat only raw foods, that is, bread, vegetables, fruits, water. Tuesday and Thursday, as well as on weekends, abstinence is not so strict: you can eat twice a day and you can also drink church wine. These days the food is served hot.

Please note: Fasting is always a big stress for the body, so before you start fasting, you need to carefully prepare the body for a new diet. It is better not to fast for pregnant women, children and the sick.

Such abstinence from animal products is observed as a sign of memory of the feat that Jesus performed. For 40 days he wandered through the desert, refusing the temptation of bread, and remained faithful to the Father. That is why Christians adhere to especially strict rules during this period of time.

Fasting should be observed with particular strictness; at this time the rules are the same for everyone. On Good Friday and Holy Saturday you should not eat anything, and on common days you should eat once a day.

It would seem that there are not so many permitted products. You can eat fruits and vegetables, both stewed, boiled and baked, but in no case fried. Do not overuse salt, sugar and spices.

On your table you may find vegetables such as: carrots, cucumbers, beets, potatoes, corn. Fruits can include bananas, apples, citrus fruits, it is also worth remembering pomegranate, it can also be eaten in fast days. The more varied your food is, the better it will be for you. You should also include porridge in your diet, but be sure to cook it in water.

At this time, you should definitely give up meat - this is the main component. For meat eaters, there is an excellent substitute for real meat - soy meat, from vegetable protein your body will not suffer at all, and may even feel better.

The eternal worrying question for beginners who are planning to fast is “can I eat bread?” The answer to this question is absolutely ambiguous. On the one hand, bread is a flour product to which animal products such as eggs are added, but on the other hand you can only eat certain types of bread.

Under strict ban There is white bread, as it contains butter and eggs, and these products are strictly prohibited in preparation for Easter. But you can eat black bread - it is an excellent alternative to any type of baked goods.

For lovers flour products should gradually give up this type of product, especially if they have decided to observe strict abstinence.

The main feature of fasting is the refusal meat products, as well as from eggs, white bread, sweets and dairy products.

Here is a list of foods that are advisable to eat during fasting.

• Mushrooms. They can be consumed in absolutely any form, most importantly, not fried.
• Corn. Be it oatmeal, buckwheat, barley - any cereal can be consumed.
• Pickles.
• Any greens.
• Vegetable fats.
• Soy products.
• Bran bread or black bread.
• Instead of sweets - fruits, even citrus fruits, dried fruits, jams and honey.
• Olives are both black and green.

To understand how to correctly replace and add these products to your new diet, we will give an example of a Lenten menu.

Breakfast: oatmeal, prepared only with water. You can add jam, honey, and dried fruits to the porridge. Green tea would be preferable as a drink.

Dinner: pureed broccoli soup and fresh salad from cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage and grated carrots.

Afternoon snack: fruits and apple compote.

Dinner: vegetable stew. For drinks, it is preferable to drink tea with jam, and for dessert, cranberries, which you can mix with honey to taste.

According to the Monastic Charter, on which the traditions of Russian fasting are based Orthodox Church During Lent, as already said earlier, you cannot eat products of animal origin, namely meat, eggs, butter, fish.

You should also not use alcoholic drinks, only 50 mg of wine is allowed on certain days. In addition, during this period you cannot get married, because during these days it is advisable to distance yourself from intimacy altogether and devote time to prayers.

You cannot go to bars, discos and clubs, in other words, step away from entertainment in your free time, and devote this time to the fight against your sins. You should also abstain from smoking, because the church also equates drinking alcohol and nicotine addiction with sin.

Help get rid of nicotine addiction maybe daily prayer, and if a smoker cannot quit smoking at all, then the church advises to abstain from tobacco at least 2 times a week - this is Wednesday and Friday.

However, it is allowed to cut your hair during Lent; it is believed that this is in no way forbidden. But earlier it was customary for priests to cut their hair before fasting. IN last week it is advisable to get a haircut during fasting Maundy Thursday , because it is on this day that it is customary for Orthodox Christians to finish cleaning, wash and get a haircut. Cutting the ends of girls on Maundy Thursday promises the growth of stronger and stronger women. healthy hair

, and they also say that this leads to the improvement of the entire body as a whole. Take into account:

You should also not cut your hair on Good Friday, as this is considered the most mournful and strict day; on this day people even refuse food. You are also not allowed to clean or bathe.