As you know, practically nothing is given in our life without the application of certain efforts and work. Fasting for 40 days helps prepare for the holiday Happy Easter, to cleanse not only the body, but also your soul. Let's take a look at the features of the Passover fasting calendar: when to start fasting and when to finish, how to fast fast and what food should be eaten.
The beginning and meaning of Great Lent
The forty-day fast before Easter is considered the strictest and most important in the life of Orthodox Christians. During this period, believers need to show not only physical, but also spiritual abstinence from various worldly goods, filth and animal food.
As the Holy Scripture says, Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil in the wilderness for 40 days. During the period presented, he did not drink or eat anything. As we fast, we give our reverence to the suffering and the last days of Christ's life.
Let's first find out when the Easter fast begins in this year... We need this in order not to miss its beginning and in no case violate it.
In 2017, Easter Lent starts on March 14th and ends on April 30th. The most stringent are the first and last week.
During this period, they consume mainly food of plant origin, without any seasonings, oils and heat treatment.
Eating rules
As mentioned above, the most stringent are the first week and Holy Week before Easter itself. On the rest of the days, you need to eat in accordance with the food calendar for Easter fast, which looks like this:
There are also days when you can diversify the menu a little. They relate to certain Christian holidays... Among such days:
Please note that in Good friday(April 29) food must not be consumed until the time when the shroud is taken out during the service. After that, you can only eat vegetables, herbs and fruits.
Features of dry eating in fasting
For most of the Passover fast, believers observe dry eating, which means eating without any sweets and vegetable oil. This food is dry and rough, which makes it difficult to eat. Moreover, it is prepared without the use of any heat treatment.
Adhering to dry eating, you can eat bread, various dried fruits (dried apricots, prunes, figs, dates, raisins, etc.) and nuts. Also, raw vegetables and fruits may be present in the diet.
Dried fruits and nuts for dry food 
Fruits and vegetables 
As a rule, priests observe dry eating during Easter fast. Lay people adhere to it on the first day of fasting, as well as on Good Friday. However, they often try to comply with strict fasting and limit yourself to the usual food. Please note that before starting a strict fast, it is recommended to ask the priest's blessing.
Spiritual and physical cleansing
Restricting food in fasting before Easter promotes physical cleansing. The body gets rid of harmful toxins and waste products. Thus, fasting promotes health, immunity and energy accumulation. As a result, a person becomes stronger, healthier and more cheerful.
However, physical cleansing is not the only task, which must be achieved during the period of Great Lent. Spiritual cleansing is also of particular importance.
Many people who followed the Passover fast testified that they really began to feel better and more cheerful.
This period served to enlighten the mind, improve health, the appearance of lightness in the body and the accumulation of energy.
Do's and Don'ts During Lent
Things to do while fasting:
Instead of watching TV, visiting a cafe or cinema, it is better to devote your free time to reading religious literature. Thus, you will expand your understanding of faith, as well as the meaning of life.
- You should confess to the priest and receive communion at least once. These religious rituals help purify the soul.
- On Parental Saturdays, which fall this year on March 7, 14 and 21, you should visit the temple and light candles for the repose of the dead.
- In the period before Easter, it is necessary to exercise moderation in food. Even if you eat only one plant-based food, you should not gorge on it to the fullest, as this will no longer be considered fasting.
- It is necessary to give alms to the poor and help those in need. However, you can ask them to pray for your health or for the peace of your deceased relatives.
- You should do good deeds: help the elderly, feed birds and street animals, make donations, not turn away from those people who ask you for help, etc.
You shouldn't brag to each other. Especially it is not necessary to do this for the observance of the Easter fast. Restricting oneself in food and pleasure is a personal matter for every believer, and you do not need to flaunt it, thereby showing your pride.
First week of fasting
This year, fasting begins on March 14th. The first Monday is called clean. On this day, it is recommended to completely abstain from food intake.
The first week of Easter fast, along with the last one, is the strictest. Food can only be taken once a day. It must be dry.
In no case are hot dishes allowed, and even more so the use of fish or dishes cooked in vegetable oil.
Please note that it is better to discuss the measure of abstinence from food with your confessor. In addition, it is also of great importance that a person has various chronic diseases associated with the gastrointestinal tract. Fasting should be good for a person, and not harm his health.
Most food restrictions apply to clergy. Laymen at this time are allowed to cook food using a small amount of vegetable oil. During this period, chocolate and various flour dishes should not be eaten. The only exception is lean baked goods.
1st week of Great Lent, repentance - Metropolitan Kirill tells, video
Last week of post
The last week of Easter fast, which is called Passionate, just like the first, is distinguished by special severity. Only dry eating is allowed, and on Good Friday it is generally recommended to refrain from eating food.
During this period, it is necessary to behave modestly, quietly and calmly. Not even allowed to sing, play on musical instruments and dance, as well as attending various recreational activities. The Passion Week before Easter must be spent in harmony with oneself, as well as in meditation about God and about your life.
Let's take a look at how to properly prepare for Easter in the last week of fasting:
After Lent, it is necessary to return to ordinary food gradually and with caution.
If you suddenly start eating fatty foods and meat, you can significantly worsen your health, as well as damage the normal functioning of the stomach and intestines.
How to diversify the table while fasting
At first glance, food during the Passover fast seems very meager. However, if you show imagination and culinary skills, you can diversify your daily menu quite well. Moreover, today there are a huge number of recipes lean dishes.
The table can be varied with the following products and dishes:
- Various vegetables and fruits - both fresh and dried.
- Pickles.
- Greens and seeds of cereals.
- Honey and nuts.
Lenten first courses 
- Various salads and vegetable dishes.
- Lean baked goods.
- Macaroni.
- Mushrooms: fresh, boiled, dried, canned, etc.
- Vegetable soups and lean borscht.
Delicious and healthy lean meals
During the strict Easter fast, contrary to popular belief, many tasty and healthy dishes can be prepared. Let's take a look at some interesting options:
Precautions
Orthodox Easter fast should be observed with caution by the following categories of people: 
- Pregnant women.
- To old people.
- Small children.
- Minors.
- People suffering from chronic diseases.
- People who have problems with the work of the endocrine system.
The above categories of people should consult with their attending physician and also talk with a priest before observing the fast. The fact is that abstaining from meat, fish and dairy dishes can be detrimental to health. In addition, the meaning of the Passover fast is not in restricting food, but in spiritual cleansing and strengthening of one's faith.
According to the Easter Lent calendar, three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) it is recommended to stick to dry food, eating fresh fruits, bread, vegetables and dried fruits.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can eat hot dishes, and on weekends, you are allowed to drink a glass of red wine and cook vegetable dishes with the addition of vegetable oil.
Fasting is a personal matter for every believer. Easter fast is obligatory for clergymen; laymen may not adhere to it so strictly.
Have you ever wondered what you can eat during the fast before Easter? There is a widespread belief among the uninitiated that fasting is full of difficult restrictions. And believers survive during this period on bread and water. But this is a myth. In the fast before Easter, you can eat modest and simple food. What is a lean menu?
Diet while fasting
The fast itself lasts about two months. It is a spiritual and physical challenge, it is considered an excellent way to heal the body, as well as fill the soul with grace.
In fasting, the strictest rules apply to the first and last weeks. The first, fourth and seventh weeks - only dry food without reheating.
For the remaining weeks, you can eat foods that do not contain animal protein. Alcohol is also prohibited throughout the fast. But cereals, vegetables, fruits in all their variations are allowed.
On weekends during the fasting period, you can eat fish that was caught in local waters. Mushrooms can be eaten throughout the fast. Lots of greens and seafood are also welcome.
Limit spices and fatty foods by replacing them with oven-baked and steamed dishes. For those who find it difficult to completely do without meat, recipes with the addition of soy analog will come in handy. Valuable in post and legumes... In addition, do not forget about berry fruit drinks, as well as jam.
Lenten menu best done in advance. Then it will be easier to tolerate food restrictions. For those who are fasting for the first time, a thoughtful diet is also important and necessary. In order not to experience unnecessary stress, you need to think over the set of products that are acceptable for use by each family member.
What cannot be eaten on Holy Week?
Passion Week (week) is considered the most difficult and strict during the entire fast. Food restrictions are at their peak this week. And the menu consists of raw vegetables and salads, mushrooms, fruits and pickles.
During the week, do not consume processed thermal methods food. For drinks, chilled herbal infusions and teas are acceptable. Compotes, cocoa, coffee are prohibited. During this period they are classified as excesses.
Devout believers take food only in the evening during Holy Week. Starting on Maundy Thursday, you can eat hot food... On this day, you can even drink a little wine, and also allow yourself two meals instead of one.
On Good Friday, Christians completely refuse to eat, drink only water. On this day, according to biblical legends, Jesus Christ was crucified. On Saturday, Orthodox Christians can again take hot food, but exclude any oils from the diet.
On Sunday, the holiday of Bright Easter begins. And all restrictions on food are removed completely. The whole family is going for festive table to taste the desired food and praise the Lord with prayer.
Now you know what you can't eat on Holy Week. What product restrictions exist throughout the post?
About what you can eat in fasting before Easter, it is written above. Consider a list of foods that are strictly prohibited during fasting:
- alcohol in any form;
- fast food from fast food restaurants;
- fish and seafood (with the exception of lax days);
- meat and semi-finished products from it;
- bird;
- dairy products and milk;
- eggs and foods with their addition (for example, mayonnaise);
- homemade sweets and from the store;
- baked goods (exception - lean baked goods on lax days).
In addition to the purity of the body, during the period of fasting it is necessary to observe the purity of the soul. You cannot swear, slander, condemn, hate, attend entertainment and entertainment festivals and programs, smoke cigarettes and their derivatives, use stimulants, energy drinks and even coffee. You need to pray diligently, try to remain calm and peaceful.
The above rules and prohibitions have a long history. They help people to be cleansed both physically and spiritually. They teach patience, humility, modesty and endurance.
Who is not allowed to fast?
Restrictions for the seven weeks before Easter apply not only to food and behavior, but also to certain categories of people. Pregnant women do not fast strictly. Since their body works for two. Days of complete refusal of food for women in position are also excluded.
People with serious illnesses are exempt from fasting altogether or under the supervision of a doctor. Severely ill patients also receive their usual diet.
Young children do not fast at all or go through this period using various indulgences. Older children decide the issue of fasting with their parents. Teens can decide for themselves whether they need fasting. It all depends on the degree of their involvement in religion.
People exposed to serious physical activity, go through fasting without strict restrictions and "hunger" days. All the rest are fasting according to church canons and rules.
Fasting promotes spiritual and physical development personality. It strengthens faith, helps spiritual work. In addition, such a period of time trains the will, which is so necessary for believers in everyday life.
Christianity is absolute communion with the divine. This is a way to get closer to God's plan, to understand it. Through fasting, a person shows God how strong his faith is and how much he is worthy of his mercy. V church history there are cases when monks spent their entire lives in fasting and prayer, achieving spiritual enlightenment and receiving the power to help people with healing and advice.
The question of what can be eaten during the fast before Easter is asked by those who have recently come. For those who have long lived with faith in their souls, this question is simple and does not require an answer. Among the Orthodox there are families where recipes for lean dishes are passed down from generation to generation. So, we can conclude that in this particular family, both ancestors and their descendants were believers. Treat fasting with joy and the misery of not having a favorite food will be minimized.
Fasting is a custom followed by a large part of the religious population with pious intentions. It provides for a fickle refusal to eat and drink and is associated with some spiritual activities. For Orthodox people fasting is the period of the highest union with the Lord in the Confession of the Blessed Sacrament. How to Fast The question immediately arises for beginners. Further, this article will tell about it.
What's the point
Its essence is that a person first decides to lose a certain meal, fun and connections with the world in order for his spirit to be delivered from sins. Real abstinence is not only infringement of oneself in food, but also refusal from anger, bad speech, lies, rage and addictions. During the days of Great Lent, people try not to commit wrongdoings and not to deviate from all the commandments of God in order to find forgiveness. Now, in more detail about how to observe the fast correctly.
Length of fasting
This abstinence lasts a lot - as much as seven weeks. How can you fast for so long? And even withstand it? Many, of course, ask such questions. However, any devout person is required to follow strict nutritional requirements for about two months. During this period, any beginner can repeatedly try to finish the job he has begun. But you can't throw him in any way.
They perceive fasting as torture. But, only by overcoming it, you can get power. Therefore, aiming at a favorable order and with a wonderful attitude, it is likely to endure the entire post.
The main conditions for fasting
Let's figure it out. There are some rules on how to fast before Easter. It is very important to understand that all prohibitions during abstinence are combined not only with food. There are also other limitations in some circles of life:
What foods are banned
There is food that cannot be eaten during fasting. But how to properly observe Great post and at the same time eat well? The answer is there. First you need to try to involve the whole family in this - it will be much easier to adhere to all the routines. So, what products should you turn a blind eye to:
- The unattainable food includes, first of all, meat and products made from it. These are dumplings, steaks, cutlets, sausages, sausages (although there is almost no meat in them). Rabbit, chicken, beef will also fall under the taboo.
- You will also have to wait a little with eggs. True, how to observe Easter fast, if you habitually eat your own for breakfast favorite dish- omelette?
- Adherents of dairy products such as kefir, yoghurts and milk will not be easy, since this category of products is also listed under a strict ban. This type also includes creams, condensed milk, sour cream, cream and other dishes in which there is even a minimal proportion of processed milk.
- Many people also think about how to fast without sunflower, butter and olive oils. This can frighten off even more those who are about to start fasting.
- Probably, for the majority it will be just a shock that their favorite fish will not be present on the table either. Carp, bream, crucian carp and salmon should not be on it.
Horrified by such harsh rules, one can immediately imagine that the likelihood of using all the necessary products for such a long period... But this is far from the case. The menu also includes vegetables, fruits, cereals, nuts and much more. Now about them in more detail.
with good products
As stated earlier, the toughest requirements of Lent are in the beginning and ending weeks. The middle of abstinence is also full of various difficulties and trials.
Only dry food is allowed (without the addition of various sauces and oils), which can be eaten during the first, fourth, and seventh week. All dishes on the table during these weeks should be eaten cold or room temperature... On other days, you can comfortably eat boiled vegetables, as well as other steamed foods.
Only dry food is allowed.
On Saturday, just before Easter, it is allowed to eat boiled food.
Fish are allowed on weekends for all seven weeks. But it should be ordinary, that is, live in local lakes, not imported.
Without breaking the fast, you need to develop your own routine - to eat food clearly at the appointed time. And we must not forget to drink some water in any volume.
Acceptable and unacceptable drinks
How to observe Great Lent without disturbing the order in which certain drinks are consumed? After all, teas, coffee, fruit drinks, juices, beer, vodka, wine and fermented milk drinks are drunk constantly all over the planet.
It is clear that dairy and juice drinks, which contain milk, are definitely impossible.
With regard to tea and coffee, there is the importance of abstinence. Better to reduce their consumption by two days. Do you have a feeling that you can do without them? Then it is necessary to overcome, and fasting is very suitable for this.
Definitely, all various jelly, juices, fruit drinks and compotes can be drunk, even necessary. You should also not ignore such healthy drinks as cranberry juice.
How to fast without alcohol? Here, as with coffee and tea, some are allowed to take them, others are obliged to restrain themselves. The church routine allows laymen to drink grape wine on weekends.
Follow the fast or not
Based on the above, anyone will be able to decide on the decision to observe the fast. But how to observe Great Lent, adhere to all the rules and not give up this matter halfway through? Here you also need to know and remember that strict adherence to fasting is offered by the very temple of God only to monastics, and the laity must decide for themselves to what extent they are prepared to observe abstinence. The main thing is deliberate restraint from pleasure. There are people who don't even watch entertainment TV shows. And that is why it is important to know not only about prohibitions, but also about the spiritual form of fasting.
Based on these actions, there will be no need to ask questions what is required to eat in fasting, and what to refuse, setting these restrictions for yourself independently and following the instructions of the church.
Who cannot fast
Abstinence is also a test of weakness. modern people... How to observe fasting correctly, how not to violate its prohibitions? Many do not even want to delve into these issues, continuing to poison their body. junk food, ruin your health For any person there is a whole problem to remove chips, convenience foods, sweets and much more from their diet. But Great Lent was granted to humanity for rethinking important things in life.
It is useful to visit your doctor before you start fasting. Since it is harmful for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and ulcers to change their food preferences to stricter ones.
Pregnant women, as well as those who have just given birth, should not adhere to rigid fasting altogether. They should refrain from certain foods, but without harm to the baby.
A person must come consciously to the intention to fast individually. And how to fast before Easter, when to come to this and how to take this far from easy step to self-purification - everything will depend only on the believer himself.
Fasting before Easter for the Russian people is a time of purification 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 directly? Under simple word"Fasting" 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 tremendous effect on our body, but this can only be verified by our own experience.
Lent usually lasts 40 days. These 40 days symbolize the wanderings of Jesus in the hot desert.
General rules for fasting before Easter
Prayer and visit to the temple. Prayer is an integral part of Great Lent, so you should pray in the morning and evening to cleanse your spirit.
Visiting the temple in fasting should be done 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. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as on weekends, abstinence is not so strict: you can eat twice a day and you can also drink church wine. Food is served hot on these days.
Consider: Fasting is always stressful for the body, so before you start to fast, you need to carefully prepare your body for a new diet. It is better for pregnant women, children and sick people not to fast.
Such abstinence from animal products is observed as a sign of memory of the feat that Jesus performed. For 40 days he wandered in the desert, refusing the temptation in the form of bread, remained faithful to the Father. That is why during this period of time Christians adhere to especially strict rules.
It is worth observing the fast with particular rigor, at this time the rules are the same for everyone. Good Friday and Great Saturday you should not eat anything, and on normal days you should eat once a day.
Allowed products, as it would seem, are not so many. 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 may be vegetables such as: carrots, cucumbers, beets, potatoes, corn. From fruits, there can be bananas, apples, citrus fruits, it is also worth remembering about pomegranate, it can also be eaten in fast days... The more varied your food is, the better off you will be. You should also include porridge in your diet, but always boiled 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 - this is soy meat, your body will not suffer at all from vegetable protein, and it may even feel only better.
The eternal worrying question of newcomers who are going to adhere to the fast "is it possible to 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, you can only eat certain types of bread.
White bread is strictly prohibited, as it contains butter and eggs, and these products are strictly prohibited in preparation for Easter. But you can eat black bread - this is great alternative any type of muffin.
For lovers flour products this type of product should be phased out, especially if they choose to abstain from strict prohibitions.
The main feature of the fast is the refusal of meat products, as well as eggs, white bread, sweets and dairy products.
Here is a list of foods to eat while fasting.
- Mushrooms. They can be used 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 properly replace and add these foods to your new diet, we will give an example of a lean menu.
Breakfast: oatmeal cooked only in water. You can add jam, honey, dried fruits to the porridge. Green tea is preferable as a drink.
Dinner: broccoli puree soup and fresh salad from cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage and grated carrots.
Afternoon snack: fruit and apple compote.
Dinner: vegetable stew... From 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 in Great Lent, as mentioned earlier, one should not eat animal products, namely meat, eggs, oil, fish.
Also you can not use alcoholic drinks, only 50 mg of wine is allowed on certain days. In addition, during this period you cannot get married, because on these days it is advisable to move away from intimacy altogether and devote time to prayers.
You can not go to bars, discos and clubs, in other words, withdraw from entertainment in your free time, and devote this time to fighting your sins. You should also refrain from smoking, because the use of alcohol and nicotine addiction, the church also equates to a sin.
Daily prayer can help get rid of nicotine addiction, 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 have a haircut during the post, it is believed that this is not prohibited in any way. But earlier it was customary for priests to have their hair cut before the very fast.
In the last week of fasting, it is advisable to have a haircut in Maundy Thursday, because on this day it is customary for the Orthodox to complete the cleaning, wash and cut their hair. Cutting the ends of girls on Maundy Thursday promises the growth of stronger and healthier hair, and it is also said that this leads to a healthier body as a whole.
Take into account: also, do not get a haircut on Good Friday, as this is considered the most mournful and strict day, on this day people even refuse to eat. You can also not clean and wash.
Every truly religious person must adhere to certain rules in order to remain a righteous person.
Lent before Easter for every believer is a time when you can cleanse your soul and body. It is just before Easter that fasting is the longest and most difficult, and it lasts forty-eight days. In this article, we will explain the basic rules of fasting without harming your body. So, let's figure out how to do everything right.
When does the fast before Easter begin?
Any fast is a human opportunity to express reverence and respect for the feat that the Lord accomplished. He spent forty days in the desert without food or water. The post leads to Holy Week: this is the last days Christ on earth, when he had to suffer and suffer.
To all believers, Christ showed that for forty whole days one can not use the usual earthly blessings, having eliminated devilish tricks and sinful thoughts from their souls. However, it is erroneous to believe that the body can be cleansed only by restricting nutrition. The main thing is the cleansing of the soul. And during the entire fast, the believer must attend services and read prayers - this is how he draws closer to God.
The beginning of Lent before Easter this year is scheduled for the period from February 27 to April 15. All these days, every believer must follow important and rather strict principles. Christian life... Strict abstinence lasts forty-eight days. It is customary to divide it into four periods:
- Forty days (first forty days);
- Lazarev Saturday (festive celebration). This is the sixth Saturday during the entire fast;
- Palm Sunday(the entry of the Lord into Jerusalem). This is the sixth resurrection during the fast;
- Passionate Week.
How to fast before Easter: basic rules
The essence of Lent is not only about giving up food. The believer must deprive himself and any worldly pleasure, as Christ once did. Here are some basic rules on how to observe Lent:
How to fast in Great Lent: the main principles of nutrition
Rule 1. The first day of Lent is Maundy Monday (February 27). Church canons state that on this day the believer must completely refuse food.
Rule 2. During all the weeks of Great Lent, a believer can only eat fish twice: on the Annunciation (April 7) and on Palm Sunday (April 9).
Rule 3. Fish caviar can only be eaten on Lazarev Saturday (this year it is April 8),
- Mondays: only dry food is allowed, heat treatment is excluded;
- Tuesdays: you can only eat dry and hot food without adding oil;
- Wednesday: you can only eat dry food, heat treatment is excluded;
- Thursdays: you can only eat dry and hot food without adding oil;
- Fridays: you can only eat dry food, heat treatment is excluded;
- Saturdays: you can only eat dry and hot food, you can add vegetable oil;
- Sundays: you can eat dry and hot food, you can add vegetable oil.
A dry meal is the ability to eat vegetables and fruits, as well as bread. As for drinking, only pure water... You can eat only twice a day. It is worth noting that such nutritional principles are quite strict and are designed for clergy. If these principles are followed by ordinary lay people, then the church only welcomes it. But, in general, avoiding animal products will be enough.
Attention! It is not recommended to observe Orthodox Great Lent for pregnant women, elderly and sick people, as well as children under fourteen years of age.
Details of what you can eat in Lent
By the way, even doctors assure that the post in spring time goes the human body for good. Not to mention spiritual food. The main time of fasting should be devoted to prayer and bright thoughts, but about the right menu also worth remembering. So, the permitted products are:
Vegetables
Lent before Easter welcomes a wide variety of vegetables, from broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Peking and Brussels sprouts to potatoes. You can eat cucumbers and tomatoes, Bell pepper and celery, different types carrots and green beans... Fresh herbs are also allowed: it can be parsley, dill, spinach, green onions, remember sorrel, cilantro, basil, lettuce.
Cereals
Most families prefer several of their favorite cereals, although in fact the choice of cereals today is much wider than the usual buckwheat and rice. The lean menu can be safely diversified with new cereals: for example, wheat porridge, millet or pearl barley. Also look out for barley porridge, couscous, or corn porridge. Well, and where without your favorite oatmeal.
Legumes are another worthy option of what is eaten in fasting before Easter. After all, it is beans, beans and peas that are critical sources protein during this period. These foods should be included in your diet if you exercise. Legumes are delicious mashed, or they can be cooked with vegetables. We recommend trying lobio made from carrots, beans and bell peppers.
Fruits
It is remarkable that a strict fast before Easter welcomes fruit. Feel free to eat them as usual, as well as squeeze out juice or prepare fruit salads. Buy apples, oranges, bananas, exotic options ... Anything is possible!
Mushrooms
During Lent, it is mushrooms that can equally replace fish and meat. Dozens of various soups and snacks are prepared from them, you can make schnitzel or, for example, a fragrant sauce for porridge.
A fish
Fish belongs to the category of what should not be eaten during the fast before Easter. However, as we emphasized above, it will be possible to eat it twice: on the feasts of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem and the Annunciation. Holy Mother of God... Fish caviar can be eaten on Lazarev Saturday.
Sweets
If you cannot imagine life without sweets, then you will not be tight during fasting. Feel free to eat oatmeal cookies, dark chocolate, which does not contain milk, halva, candies, cranberries in powdered sugar, kozinaki, as well as sugar and honey.
Beverages
If you really feel bad without milk. and the first week of Lent is difficult, replace this product with soy or coconut. What's more, soy tofu and soy yogurt are on the market today. It is allowed to drink cocoa during fasting (only not mixtures containing powdered milk), tea, coffee, compotes, fruit drinks, juices, jelly. Even red wine is allowed, but only on weekends (exception - Holy Week).
Daily Lent: What Other Foods Are Allowed?
You may have algae in your diet while fasting. Most often they are part of the so-called Korean salads that are sold in jars - you can eat them. Feel free to buy nuts and seeds. As for pasta, they are also acceptable (the main thing is that the composition does not include chicken eggs). Of the whole variety of flour products, only those that directly contain flour, water and salt are possible. If you want bread, then eat, but remember that the composition should not contain eggs and milk. You can also buy unleavened pita bread, lean mayonnaise, ketchup, adjika, tomato paste and soy sauces.
Menu for Great Lent: what is there in the first and last week?
It is the first and last weeks of fasting that are the most severe. On some days, believers need to completely give up food. The first week of Lent is Maundy Monday. It is on this day that you cannot eat. Then we adhere to the following menu:
- Tuesday: water and bread;
- Wednesday: dry food;
- Thursday: believers are starving. But if it is very difficult to withstand, then it is allowed to eat a piece of bread;
- Friday: boiled or baked food (oil cannot be added). If you eat, for example, porridge, then you need to cook it exclusively in water. You can add nuts and honey. You can also stew vegetables with mushrooms;
- Saturday and Sunday. These days, the diet can be varied. Bake lean pancakes in the morning, cook soup at lunchtime, and eat porridge with lean cutlets in the evening.
Attention! Worldly people in the first week should eat twice a day. As for other days, two or three meals are allowed.
Last Holy Week: on wednesday, tuesday and monday, only dry food is encouraged.
Thursday: there should be only one dish on the table. You cannot eat boiled food.
Friday: complete refusal to eat. If you cannot completely refuse food due to poor health, then eat once a day. Before the Great Resurrection, it is better to completely refuse to eat or eat only plant foods in limited quantities. See the meal calendar for Great Lent below.
| Week 1 | |
| Monday | It is customary to abstain from food. |
| Tuesday | Black bread, water, kvass are allowed |
| Wednesday | Dry food, that is, food that is eaten raw, it can be various vegetables and fruits, as well as nuts and herbs. Bread is allowed. |
| Thursday | |
| Friday | You can eat vegetables, fruits, nuts, vegetable oil on this day is prohibited. Cooking is not recommended, eat everything raw |
| Saturday | The food is the same as on Friday, it is allowed to drink grape juice. |
| Sunday | On this day, it is allowed to eat boiled food with vegetable oil... You can also drink a small amount of red wine, which should be natural, without the addition of alcohol. |
| 2 week | ||
| Monday | Breakfast | Oatmeal porridge on the water. Tea. |
| Dinner | Noodle soup. Potato cutlets. Apples. Coffee or tea. | |
| Dinner | Tea. | |
| Tuesday | Breakfast | Rice porridge. Cucumber and tomato salad. Tea. |
| Dinner | Vegetable soup. Vermicelli with mushroom sauce... Tea with jam. |
|
| Dinner | Tea. | |
| Wednesday | Breakfast | |
| Dinner | Solyanka vegetable. Cabbage salad. Compote.. | |
| Dinner | Tea. | |
| Thursday | Breakfast | Corn porridge. Tea or coffee. |
| Dinner | ||
| Dinner | ||
| Friday | Breakfast | Barley porridge, cucumbers, tomatoes. Tea or coffee. |
| Dinner | ||
| Dinner | Buckwheat porridge. Tea. | |
| Saturday | Breakfast | The vinaigrette. Tea or coffee. |
| Dinner | Millet porridge. Vegetables. Compote. | |
| Dinner | ||
| This is the first parent saturday during Great Lent. Whenever possible, people go to the cemetery in order to visit their deceased relatives. | ||
| Sunday | Breakfast | |
| Dinner | ||
| Dinner | ||
| 3 weeks of fasting |
||
| Monday | Breakfast |
Wheat porridge. Nuts. Tea. |
| Dinner |
Potato soup with buckwheat. Potato zrazy. Fruits. Coffee or tea. | |
| Dinner |
Tea | |
| Tuesday | Breakfast |
Buckwheat porridge. Tea |
| Dinner |
Bean soup. Vermicelli with mushroom sauce. Tea with jam. | |
| Dinner |
Tea | |
| Wednesday | Breakfast |
Rice porridge. Tea or coffee. |
| Dinner |
Vegetable hodgepodge. Cabbage salad. Compote. | |
| Dinner |
Tea. | |
| Thursday | Breakfast |
Oatmeal porridge. Fruits. Tea or coffee. |
| Dinner |
Cabbage soup from fresh cabbage. Vegetable Salad. Compote. | |
| Dinner |
Mashed potatoes with eggplant caviar. Tea. | |
| Friday | Breakfast |
Barley porridge. Tea or coffee. |
| Dinner |
Pea soup. Vegetable salad. Compote. | |
| Dinner |
Buckwheat porridge. Tea. | |
| Saturday | Breakfast |
Millet porridge. Tea or coffee. |
| Dinner |
Rassolnik. The vinaigrette. Vegetables. Compote. | |
| Dinner |
Boiled vermicelli with lecho. Tea. | |
| Note: This is the second parental Saturday during Great Lent. You also need to go to the cemetery to pay tribute to your deceased relatives. | ||
| Sunday | Breakfast |
Wheat porridge. Tea or coffee. |
| Dinner |
Russian-Ukrainian borscht. Fried potato. Compote. | |
| Dinner |
Rice porridge with onions and carrots. Tea. | |
| 4 weeks of fasting |
||
| Monday | Breakfast |
Oatmeal porridge. Nuts. Tea. |
| Dinner |
Vegetable soup. Pea porridge. Nuts. Coffee or tea. | |
| Dinner | Tea | |
| Tuesday | Breakfast |
Barley porridge. Tea. |
| Dinner |
Lentil soup. Salted mushrooms. Tea with jam. | |
| Dinner |
Tea | |
| Wednesday | Breakfast |
Rice porridge. Tea or coffee. |
| Dinner |
Lean borscht. Cucumber and tomato salad. Compote. | |
| Dinner |
Tea. |
|
| Thursday | Breakfast |
Rice porridge. Nuts. Tea or coffee. |
| Dinner |
Potato soup with beans. Vegetable Salad. Compote. | |
| Dinner |
Mashed potatoes with eggplant caviar. Tea. | |
| Friday | Breakfast |
Oatmeal porridge. Tea or coffee. |
| Dinner |
Potato soup with green peas. Vegetable salad. Compote. | |
| Dinner |
Corn porridge. Tea. | |
| Saturday | Breakfast |
Buckwheat porridge. Tea or coffee. |
| Dinner |
Rassolnik. The vinaigrette. Compote. | |
| Dinner |
Boiled vermicelli with mushroom sauce. Tea. | |
| Note: This Saturday will already be the third parental Saturday. | ||
| Sunday | Breakfast |
Oatmeal porridge. Tea or coffee. |
| Dinner |
Russian-Ukrainian borscht. Vegetable Salad. Compote. | |
| Dinner |
Buckwheat porridge. with onions and carrots. Tea. | |