All people know that Lent is the most severe of all religious fasts that Orthodox Christians perform throughout the year. Many mistakenly consider it one of the diets that have become popular in recent years. The goal of any post is to abstain from carnal desires, which should make a believer stronger, free and wise.
General recommendations
Great Lent occurs in the spring, when the human body is in some weakness after the winter colds and has lost almost all its vitamin reserves. Eating in Great Lent allows you to avoid heavy protein load and replenish the body with the missing beneficial substances contained in lean foods.
General recommendations for observing it are known to all Christians. Although some still do not know whether fish is allowed in Lent. All the features of this church custom we will now describe. In the forty-day period, you should completely abandon the use of food of animal origin, switch to vegetable food and be moderate in nutrition. Abstinence also extends to bad habits: smoking, alcohol. It will be right to change your behavior towards generosity, forgiveness and reconciliation with people around you. An Orthodox person should abandon evil and evil thoughts, not express negative emotions. All these actions will help to strengthen oneself in one's own faith, temper the will and spirit of a person.
Important Notice
The strict rules of food in Lent are prescribed to strictly observe church servants and monks. Ordinary laypeople can make some digressions.
For example, do not force food abstinence in children under the age of fourteen, pregnant and lactating women, as well as sick and debilitated people. However, spiritual abstinence must be performed by all believers without exception.
Food during Lent
For those who first decided to fast, it can be difficult at the beginning to radically change their diet. Therefore, before it begins, it is worth considering what foods you can eat in Great Lent for the benefit of the body.
Porridge in the menu of Slavic cuisine is the most common food. In practice, two or three types of cereals are used for their preparation . Most often it is buckwheat, rice or oats. But you can diversify your menu with cereals from barley, millet, wheat, millet, corn, barley, sorghum. Cooking in Lent should only be done on water without the use of fats. By adding mushrooms, nuts, vegetables and fruits, you can increase the nutritional value of cereals and ensure a healthy diet.
Vegetable proteins
Refusing to consume animal protein, a person runs the risk of being left without building material for his body. Legumes can be an excellent substitute - peas, beans, soybeans, lentils. These are wonderful plant foods rich in protein, iron, vitamins and a full range of amino acids. The universal and unique properties of the chemical composition of plants are able to provide proper nutrition in Great Lent. Bean products have long been popular in the national cuisines of many countries.
Vegetables and fruits are especially welcome during the seven-week period of abstinence. From them you can cook the first, second courses, side dishes, desserts and drinks. You can eat in any form: fresh, boiled, stewed, canned, pickled or dried.
Mandatory on a lean table mushrooms, which are a complete substitute for meat. From them you can prepare snacks, main dishes, sauces or toppings for pies. In the absence of fresh, it is recommended to use canned or frozen mushrooms. The distribution network provides modern consumers with a large selection of natural products that have undergone dry freezing.
What about fish?
When wondering what foods you can eat in Lent, do not forget about fish and other seafood. Only two times in forty days are allowed to feast on fish: on the Annunciation and Palm Sunday. By the way, caviar will be on the fasting table only once - on Lazarev Saturday. Concerning seafood, ministers differ slightly. Shellfish do not belong to animal or plant foods. They are not connected with fish either. Therefore, how to use them, the laity should decide on their own. Most often, it is recommended to eat seafood only on Lenten Sunday . We conclude that fish in Lent is allowed.
However, this is not all. In addition to the aforementioned, we will also list the products allowed during Lent: sweets, nuts, seeds, pasta and sauces that do not contain fats and eggs. Without restriction, it is allowed to eat inedible pastries and bread. For lovers of cow's milk, it is suggested during the period of abstinence to try to replace it with coconut or soy.
Beverages
Having determined for yourself what foods you can eat in Great Lent, you need not to forget about drinks. A variety of hot and cold drinks, prepared on the basis of natural plant components, are allowed to be consumed. Hot include tea, coffee, cocoa. Cold - stewed fruit, jelly, uzvar, juices, fruit drinks. As for alcohol, permission is given only for dry red wine and cahors in very limited quantities. You can drink wine on Saturdays and Sundays, excluding the first and last weeks of fasting.
Daily Nutrition
To prevent church servants and ordinary believers from once again thinking about what foods can be eaten during Lent, a special calendar is published. It provides a detailed list of products recommended for use on a particular day of the week. The diet is specified for each week separately. All clergy and monks are required to strictly observe the calendar of Lent. The food is compiled so that, without violating the canons of the church, a person receives a sufficient amount of nutrients. In this way he will be able to maintain his physical and mental strength.
Menus during Lent
On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, it is prescribed to eat vegetables, fruits, bread and water. On Tuesday and Thursday you can eat hot fat-free foods. On Saturday and Sunday it is allowed to add oil to food, and you can also cook fish. This is how the general recommendations on nutrition look like during the days of Great Lent. However, every week there are some features.
So, the first week prescribes strict fasting. All food is cooked without oil, and on the first day you should completely refuse food. From the second to the fifth week, meals are the same: raw or boiled foods without fat on weekdays, and with the addition of oil on weekends. In addition, church wine is added to the diet on Saturday and Sunday.
The sixth week is similar to the previous ones with the only difference being that caviar is added to the menu on Saturday. Last, seventh week, recommends strict fasting. From Monday to Wednesday, only raw foods with no added fat. On Pure Thursday, you can eat boiled food with butter and drink wine. On Good Friday there should be an absolute abstinence from food. On the eve of Easter, you can eat a little boiled low-fat food on Saturday.