In the modern world, fasting is already much easier than before. Many manufacturers now offer a wide variety of lean foods that can be consumed during the fast.

But let's first understand the benefits and dangers of certain products, as well as what will really relate to lean foods.

Soy and soy products

There are entire stores specializing in the sale of processed soy products. And what kind of lean soy products do not make: cutlets, and chops, and goulash, and even the entire list of dairy products, from milk to cheese.
This is very healthy, because soybeans are rich in various vitamins, they cook quickly and contribute to the saturation of the body with proteins. Also, soy products are good for blood vessels, brain function and comprehensively improve the functioning of our body.

There is perhaps only one risk - most soybeans are grown using transgenes. Those. to abuse soy, albeit lean products, is still not worth it.

Lean sausage

Sausage. Once upon a time it was impossible to dream about this product in the post. Now, even during the fasting period, it turns out, you can pamper yourself with such a lean product as sausage. But here is its composition: colorants, thickeners, flavors, etc., alas, except to worsen your well-being, they are unlikely to be able to do anything else.

Lean bread

Frankly speaking, we already eat lean bread. After all, eggs and butter are not used in its manufacture.

But what kind of bread is healthier is still worth mentioning. The healthiest bread is a product made from malt. The second most useful is bran bread. It is not very pretty, but it is very useful, because in its manufacture, coarse flour is used.

And, of course, bran and bread made from grain, undoubtedly, can also successfully and with the greatest benefit replace ordinary bread. They contain a lot of vitamins and minerals.

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

Pasta and dumplings

Pasta is another product that you can eat without restriction during the fast. As we all know, they are made using only water, flour and salt. In the post, however, you cannot add butter to them, but it is quite possible to drip a little vegetable oil.

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

Dumplings are, in fact, the same pasta in composition, only with a filling. Whether they can be used in fasting or not depends only on what was put into them. Those. also carefully read the composition.

Margarine and spread

Both margarine and spread are butter substitutes. They are made from herbal ingredients. However, manufacturers sometimes add animal fats to spreads. An all-vegetable spread, whether allowed as a lean product or not, can be understood from the name. If the name is "vegetable-fat spread", then there are no animal fats in it. If - "vegetable-creamy", then animal fats are present in the composition and it is no longer possible to call such a product lean.

Lean mayonnaise

Theoretically, mayonnaise cannot be a lean product in principle. The main thing that mayonnaise is made of is eggs. That is, "lean mayonnaise" is a sauce flavored with mayonnaise. It is better to cook this sauce yourself. It will be both healthier and better for your figure.

Lean pastries and sweets

During the fasting period, you can find pastries specially made for fasting in the confectionery departments. The main thing is to pay attention to the composition so that there are no eggs and milk there.

Also, a lean product is black and bitter chocolate. It is important that there is no milk in the composition. But this applies to white and milk types of chocolate. You cannot use them in fasting.

Fruit jelly, kozinaki and halva. Well, where without these sweets during the fast! They do not contain any animal fats, so they can be enjoyed with pleasure.

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

Well, so that it does not take you much time to plan lunches and dinners, we offer a list of permitted foods.

List of lean foods

The system of posts has existed in the world for a very long time. On fasting days, a person should take care of his soul, first of all, cleanse himself both from the burdens of eating meat, and from bad thoughts, bad feelings and actions.

Of course, the second aspect, from the point of view of true Christianity, is more important and important. But today I propose to talk about the physical aspect of fasting, namely, about eating habits during fasting. What you can eat in the post, and what you can't. Are there any indulgences in the lean calendar in terms of nutrition? What are the benefits of fasting food for a normally eaten person?

Let's start with the latter.

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Fasting food - what does it do for our health?

What is the significance of the transition from meat to lean food , why is it important for the body in fasting?
Fasting in our understanding is a limitation, a rejection of something. In terms of nutrition, this is, first of all, the rejection of animal products. It is these products that give our taste buds maximum pleasure, but they also make our body work with constant "overload" ...

According to some studies, eating meat protein causes constant detoxification in the body, a kind of self-poisoning! Therefore, when we give up meat dishes for a while, we begin to experience something like “withdrawal of drug addicts”.

The biologist researcher Frolov Yu.A. . there is even a whole theory on this score. In short, the organism, intoxicated by a CONSTANT toxic release, when switching to natural food (in its studies - to raw food, we are talking about a raw food diet) seems to "sober up". The toxic injection into our blood stops abruptly and the body begins to "move away" gradually from the toxic shock ... All these are not verbal statements, but the results of blood cell research with different types of nutrition.

When eating a large amount of high-protein foods, such as meat, milk, cheeses, etc., the body does not have enough enzymes to completely digest it, as a result of which a process of constant decay occurs in the large intestine. This process not only causes distortion (bursting) pain in the abdomen due to increased gas production, but also causes the entry of putrefaction products (toxins) into the bloodstream, which is a serious burden for the liver and kidneys, which neutralize these substances.
What can we say about the harmful cholesterol, which forms atherosclerotic plaques and deposits in the blood vessels, with the frequent use of fatty animal foods.

And due to the fact that we have become undoubtedly more satisfying and richer to live than our ancestors lived some 100 years ago, such foods are found in our diet almost every day and more than once a day ..
It is from such an effect that our body rests during the days of Great Lent! And it is extremely beneficial for the health of all organs and systems! Therefore, do not deny your body a similar "diet" these days.

On the contrary, set yourself up for cleansing and lightness.

Such an attitude, as well as the realization that you are not “doing nonsense in splendid isolation,” but following ancient Orthodox traditions together with thousands of other people at the same time, will give you the necessary determination and the necessary strength.
During Lent -

• all body systems are cleansed
• the work of internal organs improves
• immunity increases, general well-being improves

If this type of nutrition is new to you, then your health will not improve immediately, a likely crisis will pass within one to two weeks.

Seven weeks of Lent is quite a long time. If you have never restricted your food intake, you may not need to fast all these days. For a try, start limiting your menu on Wednesdays and Fridays. Look at the reaction of the body - are there any weakness and ailments these days?

If you are not feeling very well, return fish or dairy products to your diet. But still try to give up meat for the entire duration of the fast.

If you don't feel better, try giving up one thing - either meat or dairy products.

But, as a rule, one to two weeks is enough for the body to rebuild and your well-being will improve a lot over time.

There are serious diseases in which lean food must be administered with caution, as advised by doctors. For example, diabetes mellitus, or stomach problems.

Fasting and raw food - can they be combined?

Sometimes a person is inspired by the idea of ​​lean food and decides to switch not just to plant foods, but also to raw foods, without heat treatment. So to speak, to improve their health "in full", because so much tempting and interesting information is now being issued about the benefits of a raw food diet ...

Here, problems with the gastrointestinal tract can appear and worsen quite unexpectedly.

I am writing based on my personal experience - this is exactly what I had a year ago. I decided to combine fasting with the beginning of a raw food diet, and everything was done in one moment. Yesterday I still ate, relatively speaking, sausages in dough, and today I am already sitting on some apples ... Not really, I can tell you. The stomach after 2 weeks began to ache and "rebel" from such an unceremonious treatment with it. Moreover, before that I did not even know where this very stomach is located!

Therefore, my sincere advice is to do everything gradually and in stages, not to get carried away. You can eat some vegetables and fruits raw (salads, snacks between meals), and some - in the form of cereals, vegetables baked in the oven, etc.

Any freshly squeezed juices from any vegetables and fruits are very good - great food and drink in one, no digestive problems, but only one continuous vitamin and mineral benefit for the body!

Raw radish, turnip radish, as well as mushrooms in any form are heavy food for the stomach.

During the fast, it is better to eat in small portions, but more often.

Drink a lot of pure raw water, but try to remove coffee-tea from the diet altogether - they drag along the habit of seizing it all with a candy-cookie-pie, etc.

Why do you need to drink a lot of water? For enhanced removal of toxins, which are inevitable when switching from a conventional meat-eating diet to vegetarianism. The body is being cleansed - help it to remove all this!

Excellent drinks, besides water, are vitamin teas with raspberries, rose hips, and herbs.

And a separate caveat -

Easter holidays ending Lent

When the fast ends, it is allowed to eat the so-called fast food. In practice, this means that you can eat anything, but also festively, that is, especially tasty, especially rich and “quite official”. Here, a person can seriously suffer if he understands everything literally and one day will sharply attack such products as fatty sweet cottage cheese (Easter), hearty pastries (Easter cakes). wine, eggs, etc. Even banal indigestion can be obtained!

Therefore - eat everything, but little by little, as if tasting. Believe me, even after trying each dish from the festive table just a little bit, you run the risk of overeating for real. Just be attentive to yourself and you will be fine.

Food during Lent is limited to plant foods - grains, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, and nuts. These are the permitted foods during the fast.
There are special days when you can eat fish and even red wine. There are special days when you cannot even eat vegetable oil, and on the most severe days - the first and last days of fasting, it is recommended not to eat any food at all.

If you are interested precisely in strict adherence to Orthodox traditional dietary recommendations on every day of fasting, you can use the special Fasting Calendar 2017, which contains all the restrictions and indulgences in the daily lean diet.

If you want to benefit from these fast days and weeks of restrictive eating, you need to remove all the loopholes in your head about those foods that may technically be of plant origin, but at the same time be extremely harmful. We are talking about different chips, crackers, pies, etc.

They should definitely be removed from the menu.
See how many delicious fruits, nuts, dried fruits you have at your disposal! Take the same dates - a complete set of balanced beneficial micro and macro elements, vitamins, delicious glucose and fructose. They will help you not to get depressed about the rejection of conventional sweets, will cheer you up and will not let you deplete the reserves of minerals and substances necessary and important for health.

An important rule of any post(and not only fasting!) - do not abuse! Even the healthiest and most wonderful herbal product can have negative health effects if consumed too much!
Treat food not as a source of unlimited pleasure, but as a kind of "fuel" for the body.

List of lean foods

1. Cereals. Any.
2. Vegetables and mushrooms. Also any.
3. Peas and all legumes.
4. Vegetable fats. We are talking about any vegetable oils.
5. Fermented products. From traditional cabbage to soaked grapes.
6. Greens in any form (fresh and dried) and in any quantity.
7. Soy and soy products.
8. Bread and pasta.
9. Olives and olives.
10. Desserts include jam and jam, dark chocolate, marmalade, halva and kozinaki.
11. Any fruit. Both ours and exotic, including dried fruits (raisins, candied fruits, etc.)

Orthodox Fast 2017 - Food Calendar by Day

The days of fasting are interpreted in different ways from the point of view of nutrition. There are especially strict fast days - days on which it is generally not recommended to eat. This is the first and penultimate day of a 40-day fast. Below, in another version of the lean calendar for 2018, these days are marked.

Some days they recommend eating, literally, “bread and water”. Apparently, these are the strictest recommendations of all. For the average person, it is quite enough just not to eat any products containing animal food. The same bread should be made without eggs and butter.

Another concept is introduced as "dry food" - this is the use of bread, herbs, vegetables (raw or fermented), fruits and dried fruits, olives, honey, berry or fruit decoctions, kvass, herbal teas.

Here is a detailed calendar of fast days 2018 where every day has its own dietary habits. You can follow exactly these recommendations if you want to more accurately reproduce the Orthodox Christian traditions during this period.

Questions on individual products in the post

• Bread... Often fasting people, especially those of the older generation, completely refuse bread, explaining that there is butter and eggs ... Tell me, knowing the modern food industry, do you also think that butter and real chicken eggs were put in your loaf of bread? However, there is also an alternative - now they produce a lot of bread. containing nothing of the kind by definition. They may well replace our usual bread, which, by the way, is not very useful anyway, and many advise to give it up altogether, regardless of the calendar ..
• Pasta... They contain only flour, water and salt. The composition should not contain egg powder. For lean food - it is the most. Only now they will have to be flavored not with butter, but with sunflower or other vegetable oil.
• Dumplings, lean dumplings. If you like such dishes, it is quite possible to continue eating them during Lent with appropriate changes: dough without eggs, filling - without butter, meat, cottage cheese. Substitute cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, potatoes and similar vegetable fillings.
• "Meat" soy products. The idea itself is not bad. It seems that the rules are followed and the usual piece of sausage can be eaten .. But just think, due to what the usual taste of meat is achieved where meat has never "spent the night"? At the expense of dyes, flavor enhancers and flavorings, in short, at the expense of chemistry .. Is it worth it? Decide for yourself.
• Mayonnaise... Now they make the so-called "lean mayonnaise". Lean means no eggs, so again they were replaced with something and it is unlikely that this is something natural ...
• Lean pastries and sweets. Yes, now you can find one in our stores or. Probably, it has a right to exist. But I would rather advise you to replace it with natural sweets - the same, dried fruits, halva, marmalade, kozinaki.

Balancing food while fasting

How do you balance your fasting food list so you don't get health problems from a nutrient deficiency?

We replace animal protein with vegetable one. On some days it is possible with fish, but this is already an exception to the rule. The rest of the time - mushrooms, beans, peas, nuts, lentils.

Iron deficiency in the absence of meat, it can be replenished with apples, buckwheat, bananas, cocoa.

Vitamins and minerals perfectly absorbed from freshly prepared fruit and vegetable juices. Make it a rule - drink one glass of fresh juice a day, and you will not suffer from avitominosis.

The main thing is the right attitude! Don't take everything too seriously or even tragically. Thousands and even millions of people on the Earth globe for years do not eat meat, do not drink milk, and do not even boil or fry any of their food. To get some kind of harm from such a diet, for example, the same vitamin B12 deficiency, which they love to scare raw foodists and vegans, you need to exist on such a diet continuously for more than one year! It certainly does not threaten us with you.

And we are only "threatened" by vigor, harmony, excellent health and even possibly getting rid of some diseases.

Are you fasting this year 2017? What are you eating at this time? How do you feel in terms of spirit and health? What do you think about the system of Orthodox fasting in terms of the health of the body?

Nowadays, during the period of Lent, manufacturers and stores actively offer hundreds of lean foods that can replace fast foods.

Before buying them, heed our advice.

Soy and soy products

The stores sell ready-made dairy and meat products from soy: chops, meatballs, cutlets, goulash, milk, cream, sour cream, mayonnaise, bifidonic, tofu curd, cheese paste. Soy products are enriched with vitamins, trace elements, omega-3 fatty acids, isoflavones.

Lean soy products have many advantages: they are convenient and quick to cook, and do not need to be stored in the refrigerator. Finally, soy can significantly diversify the diet during fasting - it can be considered a complete source of protein.

Soy products reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and breast tumors, improve brain activity, and regulate blood cholesterol levels.

Soy foods are fortified with omega-3

And yet, modern medicine advises to be careful with soy-based products. After all, a huge amount of soybeans are grown using transgenic technologies.

Lean sausage

She is also in great demand, although there is not a single gram of meat in it. What is? Soybeans, thickeners, colors, flavors and flavor enhancers. Studies have shown that they can lead to poor health.

Bread for the lean table

Bran and cereal crisps can replace bread. They are produced from natural raw materials and are rich in vitamins, microelements, dietary fiber. But if you still prefer bread, then in Lent choose bran, that is, baked from wholemeal flour. Bran bread is not as beautiful as bread made from premium flour, and it is more expensive, but it is extremely useful.

Bran and cereal bread can replace bread

Although malt bread is considered the healthiest. It is baked from flour, ground from malt - sprouted grain. Lean bread and pies are baked in some monasteries especially for Great Lent. And bakeries are adjusting their assortment.

True, the recipe for the main products - the same loaf and bread - is not changed. They are already lean: flour, water, vegetable oil, sugar and salt. No eggs or butter. In other words, we eat lean bread every day even without fasting. True, for those with a sweet tooth, factory confectioners produce lean pastries and cakes, on which the label "To a lean table" is appropriate.

Pasta and dumplings

It is also often written on pasta: "Ideal during fasting." But these are products made from unleavened wheat dough, which contain only flour and water! Of course, some manufacturers put egg powder or eggs in pasta and noodles, but this is always indicated on the package. Note that soft wheat pasta is almost the same as buns.

Lean and healthy pasta is made only from durum flour. It is easy to distinguish them: they look golden, translucent and as if polished. There is no powdery dust in the pack, and during cooking the pasta does not boil over and does not change color.

Dumplings are made from the same dough as pasta. Whether they are lean or not depends on the filling. True, sometimes egg powder is added to it. Again, read the labels carefully.

Margarine and spread

They are designed as a substitute for butter. Regular margarine is made only from plant materials, so it is lean by definition. Spreads or "soft butter" are made from vegetable fats (sometimes with the addition of butter). If the package says "vegetable-fat spread", it means that there is no oil or very little in it. If the additive is weighty, they write “vegetable-creamy”.

Actually, the concept of "lean mayonnaise" is nonsense. After all, the main ingredient in mayonnaise is egg yolk. So it turns out that all mayonnaise jars with a sticker "For Lent" - it is a sin to consider mayonnaise.

Lean mayonnaise, but it may contain egg powder

Perhaps with sauce. It contains a mixture of vegetable oil, starch, water, vinegar and ... the letters "E". Maybe it's healthier to make lean mayonnaise sauce at home?

Lean baked goods

In pastry shops and cafes, you can find lean pastries, cakes, cookies and even lean baklava. But we advise you to carefully read the label. May include milk and eggs.

Chocolate, marmalade, halva and kozinaki

Dark chocolate and dark chocolate are also lean by definition. It is made from cocoa powder and butter, as well as powdered sugar. Although some dark chocolate bars are still labeled "Fast Food". Apparently to boost demand. But milk powder or cream is added to milk chocolate, respectively, it cannot be lean.

Jujube is sugar, fruit, water and agar-agar gelling agent. Kozinaki are made from nuts or seeds and honey, halva - from sunflower oil cake and molasses. So eat them for health.

When choosing lean foods in stores, consider whether you need lean imitators. After all, the meaning of fasting is to refrain from temptations, including culinary ones, and thereby strengthen the spirit. And saturation with substitutes is no longer fasting. What is the conclusion? Eat natural foods during the fast: cereals, bread, vegetables and fruits, as our ancestors did. This will help to strengthen both spirit and health.

Eat natural foods in the fast

Most importantly, remember the spiritual lessons learned during Lent. And try to keep your soul pure as long as possible! Fasting is not only patience and a test of resilience in the face of temptations, but also a means to create a special state. Fasting means thinking about your actions, and it should be a joy!

List of lean foods

When you go to the store or market, take a list of lean and whole foods with you. He will help you plan your purchases correctly.

• Groats: buckwheat, oatmeal, rice, pearl barley, barley, wheat, corn, couscous, quinva, bulgur;
• Vegetables: potatoes, beets, carrots, cabbage of all kinds, onions, garlic, peppers, asparagus, spinach, etc .;
• Mushrooms: Champignons, Hungenians, chanterelles, honey agarics, porcini, in all types: fresh, frozen, dried;
• Beans: peas, lentils, chickpeas, mung bean, dolichos, adzuki, green and asparagus beans, peanuts;
• Vegetable fats: olive, sunflower, pumpkin, linseed, sesame oils, etc .;
• Pickles: sauerkraut, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, pickled and pickled apples;
• Greens: All types of salads, dill, parsley, leeks, basil, mint, etc., fresh and dried, spices;
• Soy and soy products: soybeans, milk, cream, sour cream, mayonnaise, bifidonic, tofu curd, cheese paste;
• Bakery products: bran bread, malt bread, lean pies, lean pastries;
• Pasta products: Durum wheat pasta, wheat and whole grain rye flour;
• Olives: green and black, canned, dried;
• Desserts and sweets: Jams, jams, confitures, dark and bitter chocolate, marmalade, kozinaki, halva;
• Fruit: seasonal and exotic;
• Nuts and seeds: Walnuts, hazelnuts, forest, cashews, flax and sesame seeds;
• Dried fruits: Dried apricots, raisins, prunes, figs, candied fruits, etc.

On certain days (see our calendar for Lent 2018) Fish and canned fish, seafood, and Cahors wine are allowed.

Hello my friends. Today my article will be about Great Lent. I will tell you what you can eat during Lent every day, I will list the list of permitted and prohibited foods, and I will give you several recipes for healthy, hearty and delicious dishes. I wonder what you can and cannot eat before Easter? Then we read and remember.

In 2018, the most important fast for all Christians began on Monday 19 February and will end on Saturday 7 April. This is the brightest period that directs all Christians to the main holiday - Easter or, in other words, the Bright Resurrection of Christ.

Why post at all

The fact is that, according to the biblical scripture, Jesus went to the desert, where the devil subjected him to all kinds of temptations for 40 days. During this time Jesus did not eat anything. This was the beginning of the salvation of human souls. Lent is a period in honor of the Savior, who for us, people, experienced many sufferings and was ultimately crucified.

The purpose of fasting is to completely eradicate any destructive manifestations that a person may have. As a result, believers limit themselves to food, pray all the time, attend church services, renounce bad habits and keep all 10 commandments.

What are the different days of fasting called

In fact, this post does not last 40, as it was supposed, but 48 days and it is divided into several parts:

Detailed food calendar by day

The rules regarding food during this period are established by the Typikon (main church traditions). Here they are:

• Throughout all fasting days, a person must flatly refuse food of animal origin.
• The most severe days are considered to be the first and also the last week. A strict fast is observed on these 14 days.
• Three times a week, namely on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, you must observe a raw food diet, that is, eat food only cold and only once in the evening. Vegetable oil is prohibited.
• On Tuesdays, Thursdays, hot dishes are allowed, but also once in the evening and also without vegetable oils.
• Some indulgences are allowed on weekends. Twice a day you can drink a little red wine and eat food with vegetable oil.
• On Friday, during Holy Week, one should refrain from eating.
• Eating is prohibited on Saturday immediately before Bright Sunday.
• On Palm Sunday, fasting people are allowed to eat fish.
• Also, seafood is allowed during the celebration of the day of the Most Holy Theotokos, but only if it does not fall on Holy Week.
• If during the period of fasting there are other holy holidays, then the believers are allowed hot food with vegetable oils, as well as a little wine.

What foods can be consumed during the days of Great Lent

You know, during this period you can not only cleanse your soul, but also your body. Doctors unanimously say that light food will only be beneficial after a long winter and the consumption of heavy food.

Many people think that it is very difficult not to eat. Will you be able to survive all seven weeks? To be honest, I have not tried it, because I know for sure that I cannot. But my grandmother always fasted, and this is what she was allowed to eat.

Vegetables

To them, first of all, I will include cabbage, and of any varieties and types: broccoli, white cabbage, Brussels sprouts, Chinese, cauliflower. Any kind of potatoes, celery root, bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, green beans are allowed. Various greens are also allowed. There are no restrictions here.

Legumes

These products are ideal substitutes for meat during Lent: lentils, peas, beans. It is the best food for athletes as it contains a huge amount of protein.

Here's a delicious recipe for you - lobio made from beans, sweet peppers and carrots. On ordinary, not fasting days, I make such a dish with chicken or turkey, but even if you remove the meat, you get an excellent vegetable dish that will delight all households.

Cereals

If you think that the list of cereals stops at buckwheat, barley, millet and rice, then you are wildly mistaken. Take a closer look in the store ... Our family is now hooked on barley, wheat and corn porridge. I buy already packaged in sachets, which is very convenient when cooking.

Even ordinary rice can be replaced with other varieties - black, Chinese, brown. This is all allowed in the post.

Fruits

They can and even should be eaten by all fasting people. Apples, oranges, grapes, lemons, pomegranates, bananas, tangerines - this is not the whole list of healthy foods for the whole family. You can eat them raw, add them to dishes, and squeeze juice from them.

Mushrooms

They, like legumes, can replace your meat for all seven weeks. From mushrooms, you can make soup, appetizer, porridge stir-fry and other lean dishes.

A fish

Despite the fact that fish is prohibited on fast days, there are several times when you can still eat it (read about this above). Steamed, boiled, fried fish and other seafood (squid, mussels, shrimp, crab meat) are allowed a couple of times during fasting.

On Lazarev Saturday, you can even eat a little fish caviar, but only without butter.

Sweets

And now, good news for all lovers of sweets: those who are fasting can eat sweets, but only if they are prepared without butter, eggs, or milk.

You can eat kozinaki, halva, oatmeal, honey, sugar, fruit candy, lollipops, dark chocolate (dairy-free). In addition, the stores offer a large selection of lean sweets, so you can easily choose a tasty one.

Beverages

If you really want to drink milk, you can find and buy coconut or soy milk. Soy yoghurts and bean curd (tofu) are also sold.

You can cook yourself cocoa in water (an instant drink will not work because it contains milk powder), jelly, uzvar, fruit drink, juice, tea, compotes, red wine on some permitted days.

Other permitted products

Here is another small list of those products that can be safely eaten by those who are fasting:

• nuts;
• pasta that is made without adding eggs;
• salads in Korean;
• seaweed;
• unleavened pita bread, bread made without prohibited ingredients;
• flour products (only those that contain water, salt, flour);
• seeds;
• any vegetable-based sauces, lean mayonnaise;
• all kinds of vinegars;
• sushi without fish products.

That it is categorically forbidden to eat fasting

• any type of meat (chicken, turkey, pork, beef, rabbit and others);
• milk - milk, cottage cheese, kefir, sour cream, butter, cheese;
• semi-finished products - sausages, sausages;
• eggs;
• pastries and pastries with the addition of milk, eggs, butter;
• milk chocolate, candy that contains milk;
• alcohol in any form (red wine is available on some days).

Well, dear fasting people, now you know what you can eat during Lent and, as you can see, there is not such a meager list of permitted foods. From them you can make an excellent menu and eat deliciously. Moreover, many dishes will turn out to be very satisfying and healthy.

Do you fast? Or maybe you just limit yourself to something? Share your impressions with our readers.

Voluntary refusal from food, abstinence from any entertainment is called fasting. True Christians who want to be reunited with make the decision to fast. But what can you eat while fasting to maintain your strength for daily life?

The essence of fasting

Many Orthodox Christians who are just beginning their journey to God believe that fasting means giving up food altogether. But this is not entirely correct. First of all, you need to limit yourself from activities that carry idleness and pleasure:

• do not participate in recreational festivities;
• refuse to watch entertainment programs;
• do not commit bad deeds;
• not to fulfill marital duties;
• do not use foul language or gossip.

Secondly, you need to refuse to eat fast food. Only lean food is allowed.

There is a basic list of lean foods that you can eat:

1. Various types of cereals: semolina, barley, buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, pearl barley.
2. Any vegetables: potatoes, cabbage, onions, beets, carrots.
3. Fruits and berries.
4. Mushrooms.
5. Nuts: walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pine nuts.
6. Beekeeping products.
7. Canned vegetables, fruits and berries (compotes, preserves, vegetable salads).
8. Condiments, spices and herbs (dill, parsley, bay leaves, black and red peppers, cardamom, etc.)

You can eat while fasting, because this is a test, not a survival test. In order for the body to function fully, it needs a sufficient amount of protein. And where to get it, if meat on fast days is strictly prohibited? The answer is simple, you should replace meat products with those that contain vegetable protein. Legumes (beans, soybeans, chickpeas, peas) are especially enriched with this protein.

Try making a lean soup with any kind of legumes, vegetables, and cereals. Season with spices to taste, and you will find that fasting is delicious. But don't overeat. After all, an excess of food is a violation of the fast. You should eat everything in moderation, trying only to satisfy your hunger, and not to gorge yourself.

When can you eat fish during the fast?

Fish is a kind of product that is banned on strict days. To answer the question “When can you eat fish during fasting?”, You should study the basic rules of its use.

Most often, fish can be included in your diet when the days of fasting coincide with major church holidays. For example, April 7 (Annunciation), the last Sunday before Easter (the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem), the Saturday of Lazarus.

During the Dormition Lent, fish is allowed on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Petrov post allows you to eat fish on such days: Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.

During the Christmas fast, fish can be included on the menu on weekends: Saturday and Sunday.

Special rules apply to people with impaired health. When talking with the priest, you can ask for relief, then you will be allowed to eat fish products at any time.

Meals on different days

During the week, you need to know on which days you should relax, and on which, on the contrary, completely abstain from food.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday are the days of the strictest fasting. At this time, if possible, you should completely give up food or you can afford to eat very little raw, not cooked foods. In addition, vegetable oils cannot be added to dishes during these 3 days. The main food is rye bread, vegetables, fruits and unsweetened jelly or compote.

Tuesday and Thursday. On these days, it is allowed to eat food that can be pre-cooked or fried. But again, it is forbidden to add sunflower oil.

Saturday and Sunday. Days of relaxation. You can make yourself a soup or make a vegetable stew with fish and oil.

This post is the strictest and longest. Therefore, before starting to commit it, you need to think about whether it will harm your health. Sick people and nursing mothers are allowed to eat even a little meat on fast days.

You should refuse:

• from any kind of meat, fish and even seafood;
• dairy and fermented milk products, eggs and even egg powder;
• baking, since prohibited foods are added to the dough during cooking;
• mayonnaise and other sauces, if they contain milk or eggs;
• alcoholic beverages, as they have amusing properties.

It must be remembered that those who are fasting do not eat at all on the first day of Great Lent and every Friday.

In the first and last 7 days, you can only eat vegetables and fruits, and drink exclusively fresh water.

On other days, it is allowed to use honey, sunflower oil, and sometimes fish.

Are sweets allowed?

Some sweet lovers are interested in whether it is sometimes possible to drink tea with sugar or eat a bar of chocolate during fasting? The Church gives a positive answer.

During the fast, it is allowed to add sugar to food, in addition, you can eat in small quantities dark chocolate without the addition of dairy components, dried berries, kozinaki, marmalade candies and honey.

Some Orthodox Christians believe that it is undesirable to eat honey. Especially Old Believers and monks adhere to this opinion. But church officials are not opposed to honey being present on the table of the Orthodox during Lent. They advise choosing buckwheat or linden varieties, as they contain many trace elements and vitamins.

Menu for one day of Great Lent

For people who have decided to fast for the first time, we can recommend the following approximate meal plan:

• Breakfast: a slice of black bread, 250 g of any porridge cooked in water.
• Lunch: lettuce salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, seasoned with lemon juice and salt.
• Afternoon snack: one apple or pear. A glass of berry compote.
• Dinner: stew of stewed vegetables: potatoes, cabbage and carrots.

According to the clergy, the most important thing is the cleansing of the soul. And the question "What can you eat during the fast" does not have such a big meaning. The main thing is to sincerely believe that we are through spiritual and physical abstinence.