Before you start fasting, you need to think very carefully about your diet. No one forces you to eat only dry crusts, and please, let's do without such extremes ...

Before you start fasting, you need to think very carefully about your diet. No one forces you to eat only dry crusts, and please, let's do without such extremes. So it’s really not long and you get gastritis, and some other bad things, especially if your faith is not very strong yet and you can’t hold on to spiritual food alone, as the saints and ascetics did. Be prudent, do not earnestly "mortify" your flesh. Better learn to live with your body in friendship, listen carefully to its signals, understand what it really needs.

What can you eat in a post

We eat any vegetables and fruits in fasting

So, what can you eat during fasting? Of course the most welcome guests on the table at this time is fruits and vegetables. There the largest number vitamins and minerals needed by our body. So in the summer on your table every day let there be salads from fresh vegetables, and in winter - sauerkraut, pickles, carrots, beets.

We eat during fasting and boiled and stewed vegetables. But here, too, we must remember that the less heat treatment, the better - more useful substances will remain in ready dish. Therefore, it is better to lay the vegetables already in boiling water, and then make sure that they are not digested. Do not cook vegetables in a large amount of water, and do not allow a strong boil when cooking.

And remember that it is not at all necessary to be limited to one potato and cabbage. All variety fruit and vegetable the world is open before you, do not forget about zucchini, peppers, cauliflower, corn, green peas. The more varied, the better.

Can be cooked and vegetable soups, adding there cereals - rice, pearl barley.

We eat porridge

A very important component of the lean table is porridge. Of course, brewed with water, not milk, and without adding butter. But this does not mean that porridge will necessarily be tasteless. Remember that there are many fasting foods that can be added to porridge for flavor. These are raisins, nuts, carrots, and mushrooms, which can be combined with buckwheat, rice, and other cereals. Experiment, let your culinary fantasy!

What to eat instead of meat in fasting

There is an opinion that by not eating meat, eggs, dairy products, a person deprives himself of required amount squirrel. This is true, but only if you approach the post illiterately.

Remember to include plant-based protein in your diet and you'll be fine.

This and mushrooms, and eggplant, and legumes, and, of course, soybeans. Now on the shelves there are a lot of various products from the so-called " soy meat”, which, when properly prepared, flavored with spices and sauces, perfectly replaces real meat. Nutritionists claim that soy protein in terms of composition and biological value is an equivalent protein substitute for meat and fish.

Non-strict fasting days

Not prohibited in fasting and bakery products, and in nonstrict fast days- and vegetable oil, and all variety of fish products.

Just remember that you can’t overeat in fasting in any case - even if you are limited to strictly lean foods.

Remember that fasting excludes any abuse - spices, spicy, salty, sour, sweet, fried foods. It's better to prioritize boiled dishes as well as steamed or grilled.

Keep your food varied but simple. And you, of course, will be able to feel and appreciate this joy and sanctity of the simplest food.

What not to eat in a post

And now let's talk in more detail about what we still refuse to fast.

Of course, during any fast it is not allowed to eat meat and any meat products, you will have to give up poultry, eggs, milk and dairy products - that is, butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, kefir, cheese, yogurt and other things. You can not eat dishes where these products are included as components - for example, mayonnaise, which contains egg yolk.

fish and fish products like vegetable oil, are allowed on non-strict fasting days - and are prohibited on strict ones.

How to do without vegetable oil? If you do not have a Teflon pan, you will have to give up fried food on strict fast days. Salads, instead of vegetable oil, can be seasoned, for example, with a weak marinade or lemon juice, and in the summer you can do without dressing - after all, fresh vegetables have enough of their own juice.

Let the rejection of milk and dairy products not scare you - for some time it is necessary to do this, and such a ban on the period of fasting is not only not harmful, but useful. According to some studies, milk as a product intended by nature itself for baby food, not very well absorbed by the body of adults. So slowly weaning from milk, at least during fasting, will not hurt you.

Fatty sweets are banned chocolate, pastries and fast food.

In a post, of course. it is forbidden to drink alcohol.

How to eat after fasting?

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that after the end of the fast, it is necessary to switch to normal nutrition gradually and in no case should you immediately attack fatty meat, smoked sausage, fried entrecote...

It won't lead to anything good. Gradually, day by day, introduce small amounts of animal products into your diet - a little bit of cheese, a little bit of butter, and if it is meat, then in small pieces, boiled or steamed.

Remember, if you adhere to strict prescriptions on the first two days of Lent, that is, refuse food altogether, then after that you should not eat anything salty for two days, it is advisable to refuse salting food and even use special, dietary, salt-free bread. Do not abuse salty foods and immediately after fasting.

In order not to harm the body and use fasting to improve your health, you need to take food during Lent seriously. Experts believe that the human body, on average, needs up to 90 g of protein per day. Considering that in the course of existence our body wears out, protein losses must be restored by taking it with food. Therefore, while observing fasting, one must strictly monitor the presence in food of the required amount of both elements and trace elements, and protein, in this case preferably of vegetable origin. These proteins can provide following products: beans, sunflower seeds, nuts. Sometimes, if fasting conditions allow, fish, shrimp and other seafood.

The daily requirement for carbohydrates is 400-500 g. The main source of carbohydrates in the diet is plant foods. Fast does not exclude the use of sugar.

Regarding the consumption of fats, it can be noted that vegetable oil, if used separately from animal fats, does not turn into human fat in the human intestine, since it does not contain the saturated fats necessary for this. fatty acids, which is very important for those who decide to lose some weight during fasting.

Fluid intake also requires control - at least TWO liters per day.

It has long been known that the digestive functions of the body change their activity not only during the month, but also during the day. There is a so-called biological clock. According to biological laws, the most favorable time for eating is from 12 to 20 hours, but from 22 to 4 hours the body is most actively engaged in assimilation, that is, digestion and assimilation of food. There is time for rest and self-cleaning from approximately 4 to 12 hours.

I recommend three meals a day: in the morning - tea (coffee) and fruits; in the afternoon - tea (coffee, compote, juice or mineral water) and fruits, vegetables, you can kefir, yogurt, bread; but in the evening - the main meal, but within the normal amount, that is, not worsening the required conditions for the functioning of the digestive organs. In this case, the balance of nutrients coming from food should be observed.

Now let's turn to the distribution of the daily ration:

With rare meals (we are going to eat thoroughly 1-2 times a day), a reasonable restriction of the amount of food is a prerequisite.
When used a large number food, the walls of the stomach stretch excessively, limiting its mobility and worsening the mixing of food. As a result, its processing by gastric juices slows down. Food stays in the stomach for a long time, and the work of the digestive glands becomes long and intense.
A distraction from feeling hungry during the day can be eating fruits and drinking juices, water, tea, coffee (the latter in controlled doses) or kefir, yogurt.
Now you can start developing the menu for the entire period of fasting. As a rule, the intake of meat food is prohibited for the entire period of fasting. On some days, dairy and fish dishes are prohibited.

An approximate list of foods that can be consumed while fasting (it should be borne in mind that different foods are allowed to be consumed on different days of fasting) is presented in the following table:

Product List

Vegetables	Fruit	flour products, cereals	The products are alive. origin	Fats
1	2	3	4	5
fresh cabbage sauerkraut carrot beet celery fresh cucumbers pickles tomatoes green pea frozen vegetables greens sea kale cauliflower	apples oranges tangerines cranberry dried fruits: prunes dried apricots dates figs	black bread buckwheat rice white beans potato sunflower seeds walnuts, hazelnut	fish shrimps eggs cheese cottage cheese kefir yogurt	vegetable oil: sunflower, corn olive

You can use salads dressed only with vegetable oil and finely chopped herbs from the following vegetables:

Cabbage (you can add some pickled cucumbers for taste);
- cabbage with fresh cucumbers;
- fresh cucumbers and tomatoes;
- cabbage with carrots (you can add pickles);
- cabbage with boiled beets (you can add pickles);
- cabbage with raw beets;
- cabbage with celery;
- cabbage with carrots, beets, celery;
- sea kale (you can add pickles);
- sauerkraut;
- Bell pepper;
- beets with walnut and garlic;
- lettuce leaves.

The menu for two weeks can be presented in this form:

Day of the week	Dishes
Week before Lent: Monday	salad (any) buckwheat porridge seasoned with fried onions stewed carrots in tomato sauce
Tuesday	salad (any) fried fish or shrimp braised cabbage
Wednesday	salad (any) vinaigrette with pickled cucumber and sauerkraut black bread
Thursday	salad (any) cauliflower fried with a small amount crackers and eggs, you can add green peas black bread
Friday	salad (any) cabbage stewed with vegetables black bread
Saturday	salad (any) vegetarian pilaf or dumplings with cabbage squash caviar
Sunday	salad (any) boiled shrimp carrots stewed in tomato sauce
Beginning of Lent Monday	vegetable salad boiled beans or beans cabbage stewed with vegetables squash caviar
Tuesday	salad of potatoes and pickled mushrooms buckwheat porridge seasoned with fried onions and carrots green pea squash caviar
Wednesday	salad from sauerkraut with onion stew of frozen vegetables fried with breadcrumbs squash caviar
Thursday	tomato salad with onion and cucumber baked potato cabbage stewed with vegetables squash caviar
Friday	vegetable salad with nuts or seeds cabbage stewed with vegetables black bread
Saturday	vegetable salad the vinaigrette black bread
Sunday	baked tomatoes with rice and mushrooms boiled beans with walnut sauce squash caviar

During fasting, it is necessary to completely exclude from the menu the intake of products from column 4 of the "List of products" table. The variety of dishes should not suffer from this. Dishes can be changed at will. Below is a list of dishes from the respective products.

Buckwheat porridge with vegetables.
Wheat porridge with vegetables.
Vegetarian pilaf.
Millet porridge seasoned with fried onions.

Flour dishes

Vareniki with potatoes, seasoned with fried onions.
Vareniki or pies with cabbage.

Potato Dishes

Boiled potatoes (can be mashed).
Oven baked potatoes.
Fried potato.
Potatoes stewed with vegetables.

Vegetable dishes

Cabbage rolls (vegetables with rice).
Carrots stewed with celery, sweet peppers in tomato sauce.
Boiled beans, pureed and seasoned with fried onions.
Sweet pepper stuffed with vegetables.
Mushrooms fried, stewed with vegetables.
Eggs (to be consumed only before fasting - as a preparation for it).
Dairy dishes (use only before fasting).
The main idea of fasting is humility and rejection of one's negative emotions, pride. Restriction in nutrition is one of the methods for achieving the goals of fasting. Are you ready for this? Or maybe it's easier for you to "sit" on

What can you eat in a post

In this article:

Orthodox fasting has the most important, but not the only task - the expulsion of the evil spirit from one's soul.

The Lord said to His disciples - "This kind is driven out only by prayer and fasting."

Saint Athanasius the Great writes: "You see what fasting does - heals illnesses, drives away demons, removes evil thoughts and makes the heart pure."

Lent time - days are not random

Fasting periods are associated with certain events in the life of the church and important church holidays. By duration, Orthodox fasts can be divided into multi-day and one-day fasts.

One day posts:

Wednesday- this is the tradition of the Savior - the highest of the moments of the fall and shame of the human soul, going in the face of Judas to betray the Son of God for 30 pieces of silver;
Friday- this is the patience of bullying, painful suffering and the death of the Redeemer of mankind on the cross;
Days of some religious holidays.

Multi-day posts:

Filippov or Rozhdestvensky- precedes the feast of the Nativity of Christ, the coming into the world of the Savior of all mankind;
Great- this post prepares for the most important event in the history of mankind - the Resurrection of Christ. This is the path of the God-man to the Calvary sacrifice.
Petrov- this post prepares for the memory of the chief apostles Peter and Paul. The apostles, disciples of Christ, carried throughout the earth the good news of the Resurrection of the Savior.
Uspensky- celebrating the feast of the Assumption, Christians hope that by the grace of God, at the end of time, they will rise and share with Christ His eternal blessedness.

The basis of any post

For healthy people physically, the basis of fasting is abstinence in food. Five degrees of fasting can be distinguished:

refusal of meat;
refusal of dairy;
refusal of fish;
refusal of oil;
depriving oneself for some periods of food in general.

The first degree of fasting is more suitable for the elderly and the sick, and only healthy people can go to the last degrees of fasting.

You need to understand that not only the replacement of a fast table with a lenten one constitutes true fasting: lean food can be cooked fine dining and thus gratify his voluptuousness.

If a person gets up from the table with delicious meatless dishes, as well as with a feeling of overburdening the stomach, there will be no fasting. There will be few hardships and sacrifices, and without them there will be no true fasting.

And vice versa, when it is not possible to observe the usual norms of fasting due to illness or lack of food, then one can still join the fast to one degree or another, for example: fast only on Wednesdays and Fridays, give up sweets, dainty dishes and entertainment .

Post from a nutritional standpoint

There are nutritionists who believe that Orthodox fasting is safer, healthier and healthier than many modern food systems and advertised diets. After all, removing animal fats from the diet and temporarily switching to plant foods, the body gets rid of excess cholesterol, carcinogens and toxins.

Lean food includes antioxidants that improve the functioning of blood vessels, the heart and the musculoskeletal system, as well as excellently “unload” the body and help put the psyche in order.

In winter and summer, the human body assimilates food differently, and in order to switch from a winter type of exchange to a summer one without harm to health, you need to do a “reboot”. Perhaps this is the deep meaning of fasting, some nutritionists believe.

During fasting, the load on the gastrointestinal tract is reduced due to the restriction of food intake. There is a kind of renewal of the gastric mucosa. By self-purifying, the body gets rid of harmful and unnecessary substances.

Western scientists, in dairy products and meat, have identified a toxin that, when accumulated, can provoke the formation of serious diseases and oncological formations. In each liter of milk it contains 600-700 mg, and in a kilogram of meat 5000-12000 mg.

Every Orthodox person who observes all fasts cleanses his body of such substances for more than 200 days a year, since he does not eat milk or meat on these days. Therefore, the risk of contracting serious illnesses is reduced several times if fasting is observed.

What do they eat in fasting

Foods that cannot be eaten in fasting, and which must be abandoned for a while, are not the main ones in the food pyramid. The most important and necessary products for the proper functioning of the human body, it is water, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, vegetable oils and legumes, they can be consumed just in fasting. Not everyone is accustomed to replacing meat with beans, but it will be satisfying and tasty.

Doctors on the impact of fasting (video)

There is no doubt that long fasts spiritually purify and strengthen a person, but can the same be said about the state of the basic systems of the body. This question was asked to doctors of different specialties. Let's take a look at their answers by watching the video.

“Although I have always been against hunger strikes, even this also has a certain physiological meaning: after a week of pancakes with butter, caviar, cottage cheese, the body needs to rest. Unload." - writes A. Kovalkov.

In the article "Diet and fasting - together or apart?" Dr. Kovalkov advises:

In addition to the spiritual superior, it is worth talking with your doctor. Since there are diseases in which irreversible changes in the body can occur with strict adherence to fasting.
Fasting should not be observed by lactating and pregnant women, children, sick people (after surgery, with diabetes, gastritis, gastrointestinal diseases, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, who have undergone physical or mental trauma).
It is necessary to approach the observance of Great Lent wisely. Do not be too demanding of yourself, eat a little more varied food than the strict rules for believers prescribe.
With the blessing of your confessor, you can get a relaxation of the strict rules of fasting if you are obese and undergoing treatment, but the entire spiritual part in this case should not only be observed, but even increased.
Also keep in mind that you will have to carry out your normal duties and go to work during the fast.

great post

For the Orthodox, Great Lent is the time of preparation for the Light Christ's Resurrection- the main holiday of the Orthodox. Of all the fasts, Lent is the central and most significant. It falls on March-April and lasts 40 days (7 weeks).

Great Lent is no less useful to the body than the soul. Prolonged rejection of fatty and meat foods prepares the human body for the summer-autumn "herbalism". If the body is prepared - "spring and summer vitamins" are well digested and absorbed.

In the healing effect of fasting on the body and soul, most people do not doubt. Even doctors advise fasting as a diet, noting the positive effect of fasting on the body when refusing to use animal fats and proteins. According to some estimates, at overall decline caloric content of food, up to 40% increases life expectancy. However, the true meaning of fasting is not to improve health or lose weight.

What can you eat in Lent

From a culinary point of view, the Church charter divides fasting into 4 degrees:

"dry food" - fermented, dried or fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as bread (food is not boiled or fried);
"brewing without oil" - boiled vegetables, without vegetable oil;
"permission for wine and oil" - wine is allowed in moderation;
fish license.

General rules for eating during Lent:

you can not eat more than once a day;
you can not eat "fast" foods, vegetable oil, fish and wine;
on Saturday and Sunday you can eat twice a day, as well as vegetable oil and wine (except Saturday in Holy Week);
fish can only be eaten on April 7, (on the Annunciation) and on Palm Sunday;
before Palm Sunday (on Lazarus Saturday) it is allowed to eat fish caviar.

The strictest time of Great Lent is the first and last week. On the first two days of the first Lenten week, the Church Charter establishes complete abstinence from food. On Holy Week, dry eating is prescribed, and on Friday and Saturday - complete abstinence from food.

You have to be smart about your post. The rules indicate only the strictest norms, which believers must strive to comply with. We can't take on what we can't handle. Those who are inexperienced in fasting should approach it gradually and prudently.

Lay people often make it easier for themselves (this should be done with the blessing of the priest). Light fasting (fasting on the first and Holy Week) can be fasted by children and the sick.

It is necessary to adhere to such a fast that will be spiritually pleasant, measure one’s strength and not fast too hard or, conversely, not at all strict.

What to cook for fasting

Lenten menu is compiled without the use of any dairy and meat products, eggs, poultry, animal fats and fish (fish is allowed only in some holidays). Despite this, lean food is healthy and can be nutritious and very tasty, the main thing is to try to diversify the menu.

Pickles, stews, boils and cereals are the basis of any lean diet, they can be supplemented with salads, fruits, vegetables, nuts, mushrooms, etc. Using these products, you can cook many different dishes.

In the fasting diet, you can include various first courses without meat. For example, instead of the traditional meat soup you can cook vegetable or mushroom soup-puree.

Perfectly diversify Lenten table simple vegetable salads, they can be filled with one of the vegetable oils, apple cider vinegar Or just lemon juice.

Boiled potatoes are also a great base for meatless dishes. It can be supplemented with stewed, pickled, salted or fresh vegetables, fried mushrooms and salads.

Legumes (peas, beans, lentils) contain a lot of vegetable protein and well satisfy the feeling of hunger and perfectly compensate for the lack of animal protein.

During fasting, dishes based on flour and no eggs (spaghetti, pasta) are also popular.

Advice: many vegetarian recipes can easily be adapted by replacing or eliminating animal fats and dairy products.

When playing the text of an article What you can eat in the post - rules, tips and tricks, in whole or in part, an active link to the site site is required.

From February 27 - April 15 this year will be Lent - a time of abstinence from everything superfluous, including some food. In this article, we will tell you more about what fasting is, why it is needed, what is the meaning of observing it, what you can eat during Lent and what you can’t.

In our time, fasts are observed by average people not as massively as it was under the tsarist government, when many did not even think about contradicting the church charter with their behavior. At the same time, in last years there is clearly a tendency for Russian people to move towards healthier food, rational nutrition, which, from the point of view of many modern nutritionists, implies a partial or complete rejection of animal food. Simply put, more and more people are starting to support this or that kind of vegetarianism, which is connected with the fashion for a healthy lifestyle that has come to us from the West. And it is this trend that revives the tradition of fasting in our country, for Soviet time completely forgotten. A person thinks: “I was able to refuse meat, why not try to observe a fast?” – and many people come to this in our time. But this, of course, is true only for the majority of people, and believers who regularly attend church and fast for religious reasons stand apart.

It is a poor knowledge of religious canons that often leads a person to the question of what can be eaten in fasting. Having decided to try to fast, many people ask this very question in the first place, and, having found the answers, they decide on their basis whether to fast or not. And here we must say that the desire to try to fast is very commendable, but it is better to look at the question from a slightly different angle.

From a religious point of view, fasting is a time when a person deliberately limits his body to pleasures, one of which is food. This is a feat, to do or not to do which - everyone decides for himself. And who knows what is a feat for this or that person? Only himself. Today we are used to “pleasuring the body” - taking care of its physical beauty, caring for it, giving pleasure, including delicious food, and therefore, for many, simply giving up meat or dairy products will already be a huge step, difficult and requiring great dedication. But here it is very important to be honest with yourself - otherwise there is no point. That is, to understand the measure that you are ready to take during fasting, to realize the difficulty of its implementation and consciously set this limitation for yourself. This is what fasting looks like from a faith perspective—it is not a diet, as fasting is often mistakenly seen today.

Of course, even if a person has decided for himself how exactly he wants to fast, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules given by the church. Maybe in some of them you will draw inspiration for yourself, or maybe you will understand that you are ready to follow all the rules, go to the maximum restrictions. Therefore, we will talk about what you can eat in fasting and what not - about allowed and prohibited foods.

What you can eat in fasting before Easter in 2016 - allowed foods

Photo: postimg.org The church itself notes: fasting for ministers of monasteries and laity is not the same thing. To fully comply with the prohibitions, you need to prepare for this, have a suitable state of health for this. Consideration should also be given to the degree of daily physical activity, lifestyle - if a person of a working specialty limits the calorie content of his daily ration up to 1000 calories per day, then do not expect anything good from this. Therefore, fasting is not unconditional adherence to permissions and prohibitions, it is also the logic that any priest in the church will advise you not to forget.

Foods allowed in fasting are any vegetables and fruits, nuts, legumes, mushrooms, berries, honey, cereals. That is, it is allowed to eat any products that are of plant origin. The basis of the diet in fasting can be porridge cooked on water and lean soups, baked goods prepared without eggs or milk, stewed and baked vegetables.

Fish, which is considered a product allowed in fasting, is actually allowed to the table only on Palm Sunday and the Annunciation, but at the same time the church itself allows the laity to also eat fish on Saturdays and Sundays.

In addition, according to the church charter, you can eat fish on the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th week (week) of Great Lent on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, in addition to fish, food with vegetable oil is completely allowed for the laity during these weeks.

But on weeks 1, 4 and 7, from Monday to Friday, you can only eat boiled food, with or without vegetable oil - it is allowed as an exception.

Great (Good) Friday is a time of complete restriction from food for church ministers and dry eating for the laity.

Dry eating involves the consumption of fruits, vegetables, bread, dried fruits, honey, nuts - everything is raw, boiled food is prohibited. However, in order to observe dry eating, you need to get permission from the confessor - this is an additional feat.

What not to eat during fasting - prohibited foods

Photo: econet.ru Moderate foods are foods that contain animal food obtained from warm-blooded animals (mammals and birds). It is they who are forbidden during fasting. And during the most strict fasts, including the Great, animal products are also prohibited from non-warm-blooded animals - fish, seafood, etc.

Thus, during fasting, one should not eat any meat, fish (it can be eaten during Great Lent only on certain days - see above), milk and any dairy products, as well as eggs.

By the way, the widespread opinion that chocolate can be used to reinforce strength during fasting, as you might guess, is illogical - dairy products are very often used to make chocolate today, and they are prohibited. Chocolate can only be completely natural - milk chocolate it is forbidden. That is, you can not eat unauthorized foods, not only in pure form, but also as part of any dishes and dishes - dishes prepared using eggs or margarine, milk, kefir should also not be eaten.

You can also not eat jelly and other dishes prepared on gelatin - this is a substance of animal origin.

Useful products in the post - what will help not harm your health

Photo: dziennik.pl When the intake of animal protein in the body is limited for a long period, minerals contained in animal products such as cheese, cottage cheese, etc., must be included in the diet herbal products that will make up for the deficiency of these substances.

Protein foods - soybeans, legumes (beans, lentils), as well as nuts. Did you know that 200g of lentils or peas replace 1 egg or a glass of milk?

Mushrooms - they are perceived by many as a meat substitute due to the chemical composition substances and structure.

On days when you can eat fish, do not forget about seafood - squid, shrimp, etc., which have much more nutrients than fish.

For dessert in fasting, it is better to eat berries and honey. Honey with nuts - great option dessert.

Rice, beets, rye bread are a storehouse of healthy carbohydrates.

Spinach and buckwheat are sources of iron.

Vitamins A and C will be supplied to your body in abundance if you eat garlic, onions and sauerkraut more often.

The B vitamins are found in rye bread, bran, buckwheat, millet, oatmeal, beans, soybeans, peas, yeast, wheat flour, beans.

What you can drink in fasting - permitted and prohibited drinks

Photo: userapi.com Coffee, tea, juices, fruit drinks, such alcoholic drinks like wine, beer, vodka, as well as dairy and fermented milk drinks are the main drinks that are consumed regularly around the world. Which ones are possible?

Obviously - milk and sour milk are not allowed, as well as various juice drinks based on them - today manufacturers have come up with a lot of this.

As for coffee and tea, it is important to remember the essence of the post. Try to limit their consumption for 2-3 days, do you feel that you cannot live without them? So, we are talking about addiction, and addictions need to be fought, and fasting is a great time for this.

Of course, all kinds of compotes, kissels, juices, fruit drinks - all this can and should be drunk. Do not forget about such drinks as are extremely rich in healing substances for the body. cranberry juice, rosehip broth, etc.

As for alcohol - here, in general, as with tea and coffee, one should limit oneself in it, others are allowed. Church charter allows laymen to drink grape wine on Saturdays and Sundays.

Fasting - to observe or not to observe?

Based on the foregoing, everyone will be able to decide for themselves whether or not to fast.

Remember that strict observance of fasting is recommended by the church itself only to monastic people, and the laity should decide for themselves (attending church - under the guidance of a spiritual father) to what extent they are ready to fast. The main thing, we remind you, is a conscious restriction of pleasures, some people even refuse to watch entertainment TV shows and many other ways of entertainment during fasting. Therefore, it is especially important to keep in mind not only the restrictions, but the spiritual component of fasting, otherwise it would be more correct to call it vegetarianism or just a diet. Based on this principle, you will not wonder what you can eat in fasting and what you can’t, having determined these boundaries for yourself on your own, guided, among other things, by the recommendations of the church. Be happy!

Follow author

Any post is designed to purify both the thoughts of a person and his body. During the year there are 2 large fasts lasting more than a month and four one- and two-week ones. To eat according to all the rules, you need to know a number of nuances, be aware of all the prohibitions and strictly follow them. Are church rules really so strict and what is still allowed to eat during fasting?

Fasting food rules

There are many different fasts throughout the year, each with its own dietary rules. For example, the Great is strict and makes you exclude all animal products, while on Christmas 5 days a week you can eat fish. The weekly Petrov fast is strict for only 1 day, and the rest of the time only meat, eggs and dairy products are prohibited.

In order not to get confused in all the prescriptions, it is useful to refer to a special church calendar.

But there are rules that are the same for all posts.

We must know the measure. Often, people who are fasting for the first time try to compensate for their usual food with large amounts of lean meals. Since fasting involves, first of all, complete cleansing of both the soul and the body, it is necessary to eat the usual portions and within the allowed foods. Various delicacies and overseas delicacies cannot be eaten.
You can't just eat what you like. For example, someone enjoys eating strawberries and mangoes, and therefore decides to eat them every day. Despite the fact that these products can be attributed to lean food, if a person gets special pleasure from them, then this contradicts the main idea of fasting. Food should be as simple as possible, modest, no frills.
There are also restrictions on what time of day you can eat a particular product. According to the basic canons of the church, there are days when a person eats only in the evening, and all day he goes hungry. The modern Orthodox Church does not force parishioners to adhere to such a schedule. Previously, Great Lent fell at a time when people were not busy with hard work at this time of the year, they spent a lot of time at home doing easy things. Now a person leads an active lifestyle, moves around the city and works all year round, and therefore fasting during the day can be bad for his health.
As for the use of vegetable oil, you can not eat it on every day of strict fasting. The preferred methods of cooking at this time are stewing without oil, boiling in water and steaming, baking in a sleeve or foil.
There is a lot of controversy around drinks, as it is recommended to drink during the lockdown period plain water. Is it possible to have coffee in the post? There are no direct prohibitions, but since this is an overseas product that causes addiction for many, it is better to refuse it for a while. But is it possible to drink wine in fasting - the answer will be positive. Not every day and not in large glasses, but red dry wine not allowed.
There may be special restrictions during one post. For example, a major holiday in the spring is Palm Sunday, what can you eat in Lent on such a day? Despite the severity of Lent, it is allowed to eat some fish on this day, while other animal products are still prohibited. Strong restrictions are imposed by fasting during Holy Week. At this time, you need to eat as modestly as possible, food is prepared without vegetable oil and without water, so you can bake vegetables in the oven or eat them raw.

Approved Products

In any post, all products of plant origin are allowed. Separate restrictions are imposed only on vegetable oil. Fish and seafood are also controversial foods in some cases, their use in fasting requires special explanation.

Vegetables and fruits

During fasting, you should eat only those vegetables and fruits that are familiar to the local climate. For example, pineapple, although it is a frequent guest on store shelves, is more of a delicacy than ordinary food.

Fruits can be eaten fresh and canned, cooked with compotes, used as jam. They are also suitable for filling in pies. Can be added dried berries in porridge on the water for breakfast.

Vegetables are also allowed to be eaten in the most different types. They can also be eaten in fresh salads, cook pies with them. Many housewives cook cutlets without meat and eggs from cabbage, carrots and potatoes. There are many delicious meatless recipes vegetable dishes that are easy to make.

nuts

You can eat any nuts, but it is best to use the usual hazelnuts or hazelnuts. It can be used as a snack, added to cereals and pies.

Milk in fasting can only be used vegetable, which, in fact, is a cocktail of water and nuts, for which you need to soak 100 grams of hazelnuts, almonds or cashews in water for several hours, and then beat them with a blender in a liter of water. If you strain "milk" through gauze, then you can drink it just like that, cook porridge on it, make pancakes. Cake is often used in cookies.

cereals

Cereals are traditionally the basis of any post. You can eat buckwheat, pearl barley, and rice. Porridges are boiled without milk, nuts and dried fruits are often added. They can be cooked with vegetables or mushrooms in pots, for which both the oven and the microwave are suitable.

Legumes and soy

If fasting is strict, then the person is deficient in protein. To compensate for this shortage, it is imperative to include a large proportion of legumes in the diet. Soups are prepared from peas, beans and chickpeas vegetable broths. You can do with them delicious meatballs in a frying pan with and without oil.

Soybeans have become widespread as a meat substitute, and can be purchased in large supermarkets in the diet food section.

flour products

Many are interested in whether it is possible to eat bread in fasting. If it is made according to traditional recipes without milk, butter and eggs, then you can eat bread and any pastries. As a sweet for tea, many people buy simple drying and eat them with jam.

Fish and seafood

On the days when it is allowed to eat fish, you can eat seafood. At the same time, the church does not prohibit the use of them on days of strict abstinence. That is, to questions whether shrimp or squid can be eaten in Lent, the answer should be in the affirmative. But since seafood is a delicacy for most Russians, and it is forbidden to eat delicacies in fasting, it is better to refrain from seafood.

When can you eat fish during fasting? It is allowed in many fasts, even when it is forbidden to consume milk and eggs. For example, the Nativity Fast almost entirely consists of "fish" days, but on the Great this product is allowed only 2 days for the whole time: on the Annunciation and Palm Sunday.

By the way, on the same days of fasting (on the Annunciation and on Palm Sunday), except for fish, any vegetable products are allowed, and meat, milk and eggs are still prohibited.

Vegetable oil

Vegetable oil in fasting is allowed, but you can not use it every day. When this product is banned, the day or week will be called "dry eating", that is, all products must be eaten either raw or baked without oil and water.

As a rule, if fish is allowed at some period, then oil is also allowed, so dry eating is widely practiced on major church holidays, as well as on Lent.

Honey and other sweets

Honey and sweets are not forbidden during fasting, but it is better to refrain from using them or severely limit their amount. Is it possible to fast chocolate? If there is no milk in the tile, then it is not forbidden to eat a couple of pieces a day.

Is it possible to have marshmallows in the post? Due to the fact that it is made using egg white, this sweet is strictly prohibited. The same applies to marshmallows, many types of jelly, rich pastries, chocolate paste and so on.

Prohibited Products

The strictest fast is the Great Lent, which precedes the Easter holiday. At this time, it is forbidden to eat any products of animal origin. This means that you will have to give up:

dairy products (milk, kefir, cheese, cottage cheese, etc.);
red meat;
poultry meat;
gelatin (in desserts it can be replaced with agar-agar or pectin);
fish and seafood;

If this is not Lent, then you can eat fish and seafood. Vegetable oil is often banned. Now food manufacturers are adding the inscription "lean product", but with strict observance of church prescriptions, you should carefully read the composition. As a rule, in such a product there will be no products of animal origin, but there may be vegetable oil, which is not allowed every day.

How to get out of a post

Exit from fasting is directly related to how long a person ate according to church prescriptions.

If it was a short restriction of 1-2 weeks, then the exit should last up to 3 days. If this is Great or Christmas Lent, then it will take at least a week. The essence of this process is to gradually return to the previous diet, but at the same time, without creating additional stress for the body.
When can I break the fast during Great Lent? If a person went to church for a night service, then he can eat at 4 in the morning. If he slept peacefully, then the first meal will be for breakfast.
The most important rule when leaving any post says that you need to know the measure in everything. Often, after a few weeks of restrictions, a person lashes out at prohibited foods. Often this leads to digestive problems and even poisoning, despite the high quality of food. After a break in the use of animal products, they should be introduced into the diet gradually, try to avoid fatty and fried foods. The lighter the food, the less animal fat it contains, the better. For example, if a person loves ryazhenka very much, you should not drink a whole liter on the first day of release. This product contains high content fats, so you should start with milk or kefir, and after a few days, introduce fermented baked milk into the diet.
When returning to the meat menu, chicken or turkey breasts are eaten in the first days, then they move on to gray poultry meat or lean veal. After a while, you can start eating red meat again.