Proper nutrition during Lent and an example menu for the week. Calendar of fasts and meals Soon fasting what you can eat by day

The longest, strictest and most famous fast in Christianity is called the Great Fast. In Orthodoxy it is called “Quentary Day” because it lasts forty days and precedes Easter – Christ’s Resurrection. After Pentecost comes the strictest time of abstinence - Holy Week. The purpose of fasting is the spiritual and physical cleansing of the believer, therefore, during the entire “fast” time, lay people completely limit themselves to eating meat, and partially fish and dairy foods. Lent 2017 , starting February 27 , Christians' diet will also be modest. What you can and cannot eat at this time, nutritional rules for every day and week by week can be found out from special calendars published on Orthodox websites.

Nutrition calendar for Lent 2017

Spiritual cleansing during fasting includes daily prayers and repentance, forgiveness of enemies; physical cleansing involves strict adherence to dietary rules. The food calendar for Lent was introduced at the end of the 4th century. You should have limited yourself in certain types of food already six weeks before the resurrection of Jesus - Easter. Today, many who fast for forty days consider abstinence from meat foods to be a cleansing diet. Throughout Lent 2017, hot spices, alcohol, and meat are prohibited for consumption. On some days, wine may be on the table.

Beginning of Lent 2017 - Diet according to the calendar

Opens Lent 2017 Clean Monday February 27 - the day of the strictest abstinence at the beginning of the next forty days (except for the last Holy Week). Believers are starving; Only water is allowed. After the end of Clean Monday, you can only eat bread for four more days. In the future, the laity must adhere to the general rules of eating food. They involve eating cold, dry food on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Animal oils and fats, meat are prohibited. Food should not be heat treated. The main products included in the lean diet are mushrooms, fruits, and vegetables. On Tuesday and Thursday of Lent, eating hot food is allowed (soups, baked or stewed vegetables, porridge). Every Saturday and Sunday of forty days of abstinence you can consume a little wine and oil, and on Palm Sunday and the Annunciation you are allowed to eat fish. The consumption of fish products is prohibited on Saturday of the 6th week of fasting (Lazarus Saturday). During the last Holy Week of Lent, from Monday to Wednesday, only fruits and vegetables are eaten. On Maundy Thursday the consumption of oil and wine is allowed, and on Good Friday believers fast. On the last Saturday before fasting in the evening, you can eat food that has not been heat-treated. However, many people who observe strict fasting do not eat anything until Easter.

In the calendar, strict days of fasting are indicated in gray, on which one should eat meager food consisting of bread and water.

Blue color is the days when hot food without oil is allowed. Liquid and hot oily food - yellow tint.

Dry eating days are marked in green:

Mondays - 27.02, 6.03, 13.03, 20.03, 27.03, 3.04, 10.04;

Wednesdays – 01.03, 10.03, 17.03, 24.03, 31.03, 05.04;

Fridays – 03.03, 25.04, 01.04, 08.04, 15.04, 22.04

Great Lent 2017 - Meals by day for the laity - Rules of a lean diet

During Lent, believers not only train their bodies, but also develop their will. Not every person, especially those who often eat meat and fish at other times, will be able to resist the temptation to try, for example, fried chicken or brisket. Lenten food is food of plant origin. Monks in monasteries fast very strictly, even avoiding fish, which is allowed for lay people on certain days of abstinence. According to the basic rules of a fasting diet, meat and animal fats are completely excluded from the diet of the fasting person.

How to eat on the days of Lent 2017 for the laity

Lent 2017 is not the same diet. The quality and quantity of food allowed for consumption during these days varies. For example, the laity should observe the strictest fast on Wednesday and Friday. Those who fast according to the full regulations do not even consume vegetable oil on these days. The most moderate days of fasting, allowing even wine, are Saturday and Sunday. The main principle of fasting is abstaining from meat. Strict or moderate adherence to the remaining rules of the “Quentary Day” is associated with the personal zeal of each person, his piety, capabilities, health and many other factors - location, age, degree of church affiliation, etc.

Lent 2017 - Meals for every day strictly according to the rules

Lent 2017, starting on February 27, involves both complete abstinence from food and moderate consumption of fish and dishes with the addition of vegetable oil. According to the church charter, fasting consists of Lent, which lasts forty days, Lazarus Saturday, which occurs before Palm Sunday, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem and Holy Week before Easter. Those fasting during this time must strictly follow the dietary rules. They depend on the days of fasting.

Meals for the days of Lent 2017

Lent 2017 begins with Clean Monday on February 27th. The First Week lasts until March 4. On Monday you should refrain from eating any food, but on Tuesday you are allowed to eat bread. On March 1, Wednesday, the consumption of raw food is allowed - greens, vegetables, fruits, water and bread. On Thursday, churchgoers fast, and on Friday, March 3, they eat boiled or baked food once a day. On Saturday, March 4, the laity can eat hot food twice a day, but, of course, lean food. The Second Week, from March 5 to 11, allows the consumption of hot food. On the remaining days, up to the strictest abstinence during Holy Week, it is better to follow the general rules of Lent day by day: eat hot foods of plant origin in moderation on Tuesdays and Thursdays, strictly fast on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and even allow yourself to taste diluted wine on Saturdays and Sundays . Those interested in more precise nutritional rules for Lent can familiarize themselves with the tables that provide detailed information by day.

Nutrition rules for Lent

The basic rules of nutrition during Lent, as mentioned above, are a complete abstinence from animal food. However, we should not forget that fasting is also a spiritual cleansing. Daily prayers, appeals to the Lord, forgiveness of enemies must also be observed. The strictest days of Lent 2017 are the first Week from February 27 to March 4 and the seventh Week from April 9 to 15. You can learn about the exact nutritional rules on these and other days from the tables.

What can you eat according to the rules of Lent?

The dietary rules for Lent were drawn up many hundreds of years ago. At that time, some products that appeared in the diet of believers later did not yet exist. Today, during Lent 2017, it is allowed to eat seaweed and other seaweed, a variety of nuts, durum wheat pasta prepared without adding eggs to the dough, unleavened bread, crackers, and vinegars. Cakes and cookies, milk and chocolate candies can be replaced with figs, dates, raisins, prunes, and dried apricots. Stewed vegetables with the addition of tomato paste are very healthy and tasty. On days that allow the consumption of fish products, you can prepare aromatic stuffed fish. The list of permitted lean foods can be found below.

Lent 2017—Meals by week

Speaking about nutrition during the days and weeks of Lent 2017, we should not forget about those who, for various reasons, cannot limit themselves to consuming certain foods. It also happens that a nutritionist or attending physician does not allow believers to strictly adhere to the Lenten rules. For example, a doctor may recommend a patient a diet rich in protein - in this case, you can and should eat fish and dairy products. People with gastrointestinal diseases, patients recovering from major operations or illnesses, young children, pregnant and lactating women should not fast. On the contrary, in the presence of certain diseases, a fast diet is recommended. People with problems of the cardiovascular system, hypertension, and kidney failure will only benefit from abstaining from meat and dairy products. It should be remembered that fasting is not the same as dieting. Yes, it includes strict abstinence from certain foods. However, the main thing during Lent remains prayer, daily conversation with the Lord, and rethinking your life.

How to eat during Lent 2017

If a believer, accustomed to regularly eating foods such as meat, strong broths, Olivier-type salads, and fried foods, decides to start fasting, his body may experience some stress. When changing a diet, a person gets used to new food gradually - it all depends on the person’s ability to adapt to sudden changes in diet. An active, healthy middle-aged person will adapt to changes in diet and quality of nutrition much faster than older people and children. We should not forget that food restriction should not become an end in itself during Lent 2017. Fasting is a time of reflection, so thoughts about food should not distract the believer from prayers and reflections. It makes no sense to prepare specially for each day of fasting, since in this case the layman will only think about the diet. Fasting should be approached gradually, depending on age, health status and readiness for restrictions. It is also worth remembering that you should break fast gradually, at first still maintaining a restriction in the consumption of animal food.

During Lent 2017, the laity should limit their diet. The rules of strict abstinence in food by day and week can be found in the nutrition calendar produced by various book publishers and published on websites devoted to Christian topics.

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Fasting, by its definition, is a strict prohibition or restrictions on the consumption of food or only certain products, for example, meat or dairy products.

Great Lent is the path to the Bright Feast of Great Easter, through which a believer must go through, keeping himself in strictness. The ban is imposed not only on eating food, but it is also prohibited to spend this time in fun and pleasure. Great Lent is one of the strictest fasts in the church calendar; it begins seven weeks before Easter and consists of forty days (Quentary Day) and a week before Easter (Holy Week). Pentecost is celebrated in honor of the fact that Jesus Christ fasted in the desert for forty days, and Holy Week commemorates the life of Christ in the last days of his life, His crucifixion and resurrection.

Lent in 2018- from February 19 to April 7

During Lent, it is not recommended to eat food of animal origin - meat, eggs, milk. However, it is allowed to eat fish, but only on the holidays of Palm Resurrection and the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Eating seafood such as squid, shrimp, and mussels is not prohibited during Lent.

But we should not forget that Great Lent is not an Orthodox diet, and the purpose of fasting is not so much to cleanse the stomach as to cleanse the human soul.

According to church regulations, Lent is a tribute to the memory of the Lenten feat of the son of God - Christ. After his baptism, Jesus wandered through the desert in thought for 40 days without water or food. This act marked the beginning of his great saving deeds in the name of all mankind. And in order to thank the Savior and honor him, the church introduced the strictest restrictions on the entire Lent, preceding Easter.

However, there is another version of the origin of the ritual of long pre-Easter fasting. At the dawn of Christianity, before the baptismal rite, future “children of the church” were ordered to pray fervently for 40 days and strictly limit food and water. The christenings themselves took place only 1-2 times a year on major holidays, most often on Easter. Everyone who wanted to join the religion was called catechumens. And being in solidarity with them, the rest of the Christians adhered to 40 days of abstinence in the period before the ritual (that is, before Easter). As a result, the post known to us today was established not all at once, but rather gradually. True, over hundreds of years, the conditions of fasting have undergone changes more than once.

The main rules of modern Lent:

Rejoice in everything and thank the Lord;
Visit the temple during Lent 2018;
Repent at Pentecost and you can be cleansed during Holy Week;
Take care of your health. In case of illness, soften the conditions of fasting;
Don't think about food;
Look at your plate;
Hasten to do good;
Remember why you entered into fasting;
Give up temptations and imaginary pleasures in favor of tireless prayers to the Lord;

As for the meal, according to the Church Charter, there are some rules:

During the first and last weeks of Great Lent, a particularly strict fast is observed.
Meat and dairy products (butter, cheese, cottage cheese, milk), eggs, are excluded. That is, all products of animal origin.
You can eat only once a day, in the evening, however, on Saturdays and Sundays you are allowed to eat twice a day, at lunch and in the evening.
On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, eat cold food, without vegetable oil. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, hot food without oil is allowed.
On Saturdays and Sundays it is allowed to add vegetable oil to food, and it is also allowed to drink grape wine (except for Saturday of Holy Week).
On Good Friday (this is the last Friday of Lent) you should abstain from food altogether.
On Saturday, many who observe fasting also abstain from food until the onset of Great Easter.

How to fast correctly for Orthodox laypeople and what to eat on different days

The annual pre-Easter Lent is flexible in the calendar and in 2018 it falls from February 18 to April 7. The ritual of fasting lasts 49 days, of which 40 are the days of the Fourth Day, two twelfth holidays (the Annunciation and the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem) and the ascetic 6-day cycle of Holy Week. According to the church charter, Lent 2018 is as follows:

first week - February 18-24, 2018;
second week - February 25 - March 3, 2018;
third week - March 4-10, 2018;
fourth week - March 11-17, 2018;
fifth week - March 18-24, 2018;
sixth week - March 25-31, 2018;
Seventh “Holy” Week – April 1-7, 2018.

In addition to the church charter, it is important to know how to fast correctly and what Orthodox laity can eat by day in the 2018 Lent calendar. According to strict conditions, there can be no more than two meals per day. The first traditionally occurs around lunchtime (after church liturgy), and the second in the evening (i.e. after Vespers). If there is only one meal, its time is 15.00 Moscow time. In terms of nutrition, the first and last “passion” weeks are the strictest. They include days of dry eating and complete fasting. On certain days in other weeks, hot dishes with or without butter are allowed, sometimes fish caviar, and on the twelve holidays - wine and fish. The Orthodox calendar of Lent for 2018 will help you understand each week and its meaning in more detail: what can the laity eat by day, read further in our article.

What foods are allowed to be consumed during fasting?

If you approach your diet wisely during Lent, then, firstly, you will not have to go hungry, and secondly, even during the period of strict fasting, nutrition can be quite varied and balanced.

So, the main products allowed during fasting:

Black bread, cereal crispbread.
Cereals (oatmeal, buckwheat, rice, corn, wheat, barley)
Salted and pickled vegetables, berry and fruit jam.
Mushrooms of various preparations.
Legumes (beans, lentils, peas)
Dried fruits, nuts, honey.
Seasonal vegetables (potatoes, beets, carrots, onions, cabbage, radishes, etc.)
Fruits in season (apples, bananas, grant, oranges, etc.)
Fish is allowed to be consumed twice during the entire fast. On the feast of the Annunciation (in 2016 it falls on April 7) and Palm Sunday (April 24, 2016)

Nutrition calendar by day (menu)

The first week of fasting (the most strict). It is important to enter the fast correctly on the eve of the start. It is also important to know the personal contraindications, who should not fast.

1 Week
Monday	It is customary to abstain from food.
Tuesday	black bread, water, kvass are allowed
Wednesday	dry eating, that is, food that is eaten raw, this can be various vegetables and fruits, as well as nuts and herbs. Bread is allowed.
Thursday	continuation of dry eating
Friday	You can eat vegetables, fruits, nuts; vegetable oil is prohibited on this day. Cooking is not recommended; everything should be consumed raw.
Saturday	The food is the same as on Friday, you are allowed to drink grape juice.
Sunday	on this day you are allowed to eat boiled food with vegetable oil. You can also drink a small amount of red wine, which should be natural, without adding alcohol.

Above we described one week, how, according to all the rules and canons, fasting should be observed; this is more acceptable for monks, or for people who strictly observe all the regulations of the church. If you decide to fast for the first time, then you should not take on excessive loads! It is quite possible, for example, to eat oil.

Here is a sample menu that you can use as a basis, adding or replacing certain dishes:

2 week
Monday	Breakfast	Oatmeal porridge with water. Tea.
	Dinner	Vermicelli 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	Vegetable solyanka. 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's Saturday during Lent. Whenever possible, people go to the cemetery to visit their deceased relatives.
Sunday	Breakfast
	Dinner
	Dinner

3rd week 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 solyanka. Cabbage salad. Compote.
	Dinner	Tea.
Thursday	Breakfast	oatmeal porridge. Fruits. Tea or coffee.
	Dinner	Cabbage soup made from fresh cabbage. Vegetable Salad. Compote.
	Dinner	Mashed potatoes with eggplant caviar. Tea.
Friday	Breakfast	barley porridge. Tea or coffee.
	Dinner	Pea soup. Salad with vegetables. 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 already the second Parent's Saturday during Lent. It is also necessary 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.

4th week 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	Lenten 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. Salad with vegetables. 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 be the third one for parents.
Sunday	Breakfast	oatmeal porridge. Tea or coffee.
	Dinner	Russian-Ukrainian borscht. Vegetable Salad. Compote.
	Dinner	Buckwheat porridge. with onions and carrots. Tea.

In the subsequent fifth and sixth weeks After fasting, you can repeat your menu as in the second and third weeks.

The seventh (Holy Week) week of Great Lent is as strict as the first.

The sixth Sunday of Great Lent falls on the celebration of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem, or it is also called Palm Sunday. On this day you can eat fish, food with butter, and consume a little Cahors.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - dry eating. Thursday you can eat warm food, but cooked without oil, and only once a day. On Friday only bread and water. Eating is prohibited on Saturday.

And finally, Sunday, the end of the strictest fast falls on the celebration of Easter.

It is important to watch this video for your safety!

It is worth noting that if you decide to fast for the first time, it is recommended to talk with a priest and decide for yourself the severity of fasting, because you need to understand the very important truth that the main purpose of fasting is not food restriction, but humility and repentance, prayer!

On Monday, February 19, Lent begins for Orthodox Ukrainians. It will last 48 days and will end only before Easter, which falls in April in 2018.

The priests remind that food becomes lean not only from the absence of animal products in it, but also from simplicity. Saint John Chrysostom advises spending money saved during Lent on simple food on alms.

What you can and cannot eat

Previously, in ancient monasteries, during the first week of the Holy Pentecost, monks ate nothing at all for five days, and even tried to limit themselves to water. But for a modern person such restrictions can be harmful. It is advisable to coordinate the measure of fasting with your confessor - a priest who knows the spiritual and physical state of a person.

During fasting, animal products - meat, fish, milk, eggs - are excluded from the diet. You should also not drink alcohol. The consumption of sugar, salt, and spices is limited.

Meals should mainly consist of vegetables, mushrooms, fruits and cereals. Vegetables can be eaten raw, boiled, baked, and porridges - buckwheat, oatmeal, millet, corn, rice and others - are prepared without adding oil and only with water.

Only black bread is allowed, as well as cereal bread. You can diversify your diet with salted and pickled vegetables - cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, you can also eat pickled apples, fruit and berry jam.

It is also necessary to include legumes and nuts in your diet to get all the necessary nutrients.

At the same time, you shouldn’t overeat even permitted foods - the church recommends maintaining moderation in everything.

Let us add that the first week of Lent is particularly strict not only regarding the content of food, but also regarding the daily routine of the believer.

During the first four days, Orthodox Christians gather in the church for prayer. During evening services on these days, believers receive a repentant mood, which should accompany them throughout Lent.

Lent nutrition calendar

The strictest restrictions apply at the beginning and last week - Holy Week. On Monday of the first week of Lent, as well as on Good Friday, it is customary to fast, completely giving up food. In addition, there are some days when only bread and water are allowed.

During fasting, days of dry eating alternate with days when hot food is allowed. They eat once a day during fasting. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during fasting, only raw cold food is allowed. For example, these days you can eat boiled vegetables, fruits, and bread.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, hot dishes are allowed, including vegetable soups. On Saturdays and Sundays it is allowed to eat hot food with the addition of vegetable oil. Only on Saturday of the last week of fasting is oil not added to food.

You are allowed to eat fish and fish products once during Lent - on Palm Sunday, which will be April 1. On Saturdays and Sundays, except for the first and last weekends of Lent, you are allowed to drink a little red wine.

A physically healthy person can withstand dietary restrictions during Lent. However, if you are fasting for the first time, you may experience digestion difficulties. To prevent constipation, doctors advise eating prunes and dried apricots steamed with boiling water, and drinking warm water with honey.

Meal schedule for Lent by day

1 week of Lent

Monday, February 19 - complete refusal of food, you only need to drink water.
Tuesday 20 February - bread and water
Wednesday February 21 - dry eating: cold raw food without oil
Thursday February 22 - complete refusal of food
Friday February 23rd - dry eating
Saturday 24 February - hot food with vegetable oil
Sunday February 25 - hot food with vegetable oil, maybe a little wine

Second week of Lent

Monday 26 February - cold food without oil
Tuesday 7 February - hot food without oil
Wednesday 28 February - cold food without oil
Thursday March 1 - hot food without oil
Friday March 2 - cold food without oil
Saturday March 3rd - hot food with vegetable oil
Sunday March 4 - hot food with vegetable oil, maybe a little wine

Third week of Lent

Monday March 5 - raw food without oil
Tuesday March 6th - hot food without oil
Wednesday March 7 - dry eating
Thursday March 8 - hot food without oil
Friday March 9th - dry eating
Saturday March 10 - hot food with vegetable oil
Sunday March 11 - hot food with vegetable oil, maybe a little wine

Fourth week of Lent

Monday March 12 - dry eating
Tuesday March 13th - hot food without oil
Wednesday March 14 - strict fasting: bread and water
Thursday 15 March - hot food without oil
Friday March 16th - dry eating
Saturday March 17 - hot food with vegetable oil
Sunday March 18 - hot food with vegetable oil, wine allowed

Fifth week of Lent

Monday March 19 - dry eating
Tuesday March 20 - hot food without oil
Wednesday March 21 - dry eating
Thursday March 22 - hot food without oil
Friday March 23rd - strict fasting: bread and water
Saturday March 4 - hot food with vegetable oil
Sunday March 25 - hot food with butter and wine allowed

Passion Week

Monday March 26th - dry eating
Tuesday March 27 - hot food without oil
Wednesday March 28 - raw food without oil
Thursday March 29 - hot food without oil
Friday March 30th - dry eating
Saturday March 31st - hot food with vegetable oil
Sunday April 1 - hot food with vegetable oil, wine, fish and seafood are also allowed. This is Palm Sunday.

Holy Week

Monday April 2 - dry eating
Tuesday April 3 - hot food without oil
Wednesday April 4 - dry eating
Thursday April 5 - hot food without oil
Friday April 6th - complete refusal to eat. It's Good Friday.
Saturday 7 April - hot food with butter
Sunday April 8th - Easter. The end of Lent. Any food is allowed.

Fasting is a strict prohibition or restriction on eating food or only certain foods, such as meat or dairy products.

During Lent, it is not recommended for people to eat food of animal origin - meat, eggs, milk. However, it is allowed to eat fish, but only on the holidays of Palm Resurrection and the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Eating seafood such as squid, shrimp, and mussels is not prohibited during Lent.

But we should not forget that Great Lent is not an Orthodox diet, and the purpose of fasting is not so much to cleanse the stomach as to cleanse the human soul.

As for the meal, according to the Church Charter, there are some rules:

During the first and last weeks of Great Lent, a particularly strict fast is observed.
Meat and dairy products (butter, cheese, cottage cheese, milk), eggs, are excluded. That is, all products of animal origin.
You can eat only once a day, in the evening, however, on Saturdays and Sundays you are allowed to eat twice a day, at lunch and in the evening.
On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, eat cold food, without vegetable oil. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, hot food without oil is allowed.
On Saturdays and Sundays it is allowed to add vegetable oil to food, and it is also allowed to drink grape wine (except for Saturday of Holy Week).
On Good Friday (this is the last Friday of Lent) you should abstain from food altogether.
On Saturday, many who observe fasting also abstain from food until the onset of Great Easter.

What foods are allowed to be consumed during fasting?

If you approach your diet wisely during Lent, then, firstly, you will not have to go hungry, and secondly, even during the period of strict fasting, nutrition can be quite varied and balanced.

So, the main products allowed during fasting:

Black bread, cereal crispbread.
Cereals (oatmeal, buckwheat, rice, corn, wheat, barley)
Salted and pickled vegetables, berry and fruit jam.
Mushrooms of various preparations.
Legumes (beans, lentils, peas)
Dried fruits, nuts, honey.
Seasonal vegetables (potatoes, beets, carrots, onions, cabbage, radishes, etc.)
Fruits in season (apples, bananas, grant, oranges, etc.)
Fish is allowed to be consumed twice during the entire fast. On the feast of the Annunciation (in 2016 it falls on April 7) and Palm Sunday (April 24, 2016)

Nutrition calendar by day 2019. Menu.

The first week of fasting is the most strict. It is important to enter the fast correctly, as well as to know personal contraindications.

1 Week
Monday	It is customary to abstain from food.
Tuesday	Black bread, water, and kvass are allowed.
Wednesday	Dry eating, that is, food that is eaten raw, this can be various vegetables and fruits, as well as nuts and herbs. Bread is allowed.
Thursday	Continued dry eating.
Friday	You can eat vegetables, fruits, nuts, vegetable oil is prohibited on this day. Cooking is not recommended; everything should be consumed raw.
Saturday	Meals are the same as on Friday, you are allowed to drink grape juice.
Sunday	On this day you are allowed to eat boiled food with vegetable oil. You can also drink a small amount of red wine, which should be natural, without adding alcohol.

Here is a sample menu that you can use as a basis, adding or replacing certain dishes:

2 week
Monday	Breakfast	Oatmeal porridge with water. Tea.
	Dinner	Vermicelli 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	Vegetable solyanka. 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's Saturday during Lent. Whenever possible, people go to the cemetery to visit their deceased relatives.
Sunday	Breakfast
	Dinner
	Dinner

3rd week 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 solyanka. Cabbage salad. Compote.
	Dinner	Tea.
Thursday	Breakfast	Oatmeal porridge. Fruits. Tea or coffee.
	Dinner	Cabbage soup made from fresh cabbage. Vegetable Salad. Compote.
	Dinner	Mashed potatoes with eggplant caviar. Tea.
Friday	Breakfast	Barley porridge. Tea or coffee.
	Dinner	Pea soup. Salad with vegetables. 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 already the second Parent's Saturday during Lent. It is also necessary 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.

4th week 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	Lenten 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. Salad with vegetables. 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 be the third one for parents.
Sunday	Breakfast	Oatmeal porridge. Tea or coffee.
	Dinner	Russian-Ukrainian borscht. Vegetable Salad. Compote.
	Dinner	Buckwheat porridge. with onions and carrots. Tea.

In the subsequent fifth and sixth weeks After fasting, you can repeat your menu as in the second and third weeks.

The seventh (Holy Week) week of Great Lent is as strict as the first.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - dry eating. Thursday you can eat warm food, but cooked without oil, and only once a day. On Friday only bread and water. Eating is prohibited on Saturday.

And finally, Sunday, the end of the strictest fast falls on the celebration of Easter.

It is important to watch this video for your safety!

Lent requires special nutrition; certain foods should be absent from the diet. This time is intended for good deeds, prayers, searching for measures to become better, and comprehensive cleansing of the soul and body. The beginning of Lent is a chance for spiritual improvement and rest from animal food.

The right approach to fasting

We welcome Lent in 2019 with joy and special inspiration. This is a good chance to improve your spiritual life and learn how to eat right. A daily menu with recommendations will help with this; it is given below. From March 11 to April 27 are the days when Lent will take place. Some dietary restrictions should not be taken as a priority. The spiritual part of fasting is mainly aimed at working on oneself, caring for loved ones, abstaining from judgment, anger, lies, envy and evil deeds, and the food component is insignificant.

You should not restrict yourself in food, practice diets and fasts if you are unhealthy, travel a lot, are weakened, work hard, live in an unfavorable or cold geographical area, are breastfeeding a child or are pregnant. You are allowed to eat everything according to the doctors' recommendations and your needs. Children also cannot be forced to eat fast; they can abstain from some food only if they themselves strive for this and fully understand the meaning of fasting. As an option, you can try to plan your children's fast before Easter so that the meals are free of desserts, sweets and unhealthy foods, and contain less heavy food. This is also a good way to cleanse.

It should also be said about how long Lent lasts, the total number of days in it is 48. Correct preparation is to gradually lighten your diet, learn to analyze your inner world more deeply and learn more about Orthodox culture. Let's try to introduce this ancient tradition into our lives. Despite the fact that the essence of fasting is not a diet, the issue of proper and varied nutrition is still relevant. Every person who accepts Orthodoxy as their worldview and way of life and undergoes the rite of baptism consciously must understand the topic of fasting. One of the best nutrition calendars is presented in this article especially for your convenience.

Monastic Lenten menu for every day

What foods can you eat during Lent according to the regulations of most Orthodox monasteries:

different types of vegetables (including pickled and salted vegetables, sauerkraut);
seasonal fruits;
mushrooms;
the whole range of dried fruits;
cereal porridges cooked in water;
different varieties of nuts;
compote based on dried fruits;
natural kvass;
homemade jelly.

What not to eat during Lent:

meat products;
milk products;
eggs;
bakery;
all alcoholic drinks;
candies;
fish;
mayonnaise;
White bread.

Food during fasting by day of the week:

Monday is a day of dry eating (vegetable and fruit dishes, water, bread, compote);
Tuesday - hot dishes without oils (stewed vegetable dishes, porridge with water, first courses, for example, rassolnik soup);
Wednesday - day of dry eating (vegetable and fruit dishes, water, bread, compote);
Thursday - hot dishes without oils (stewed vegetable dishes, porridge with water, first courses, for example, rassolnik soup);
Friday - dry eating (vegetable and fruit dishes, water, bread, compote);
Saturday - dishes seasoned with oil (vegetable salads, stewed vegetable dishes, first courses);
Sunday - foods with oils (stewed vegetable dishes, vegetable salads and soups).

There are special days during Lent:

Clean Monday (in the first week) - fasting;
2, 3, 4, 5 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) days of fasting - eating bread and water;
The middle cross environment is the consumption of natural wines;
Day 40 of the Holy Martyrs - food with vegetable oil and wine;
Palm Sunday holiday - fish dishes, caviar, wine, vegetable oil.

Meals during Holy Week (final week):

Maundy Monday, Maundy Tuesday, Maundy Wednesday - a ban on processed foods, raw food days;
Maundy Thursday - dishes with vegetable oil, wine;
Good Friday - fasting;
Holy Saturday - fasting or minimal nutrition with olives, bread, dried fruits;
Easter holiday - on this day all Lenten restrictions are lifted, you can eat any food.

It should be noted that monastics do not eat meat even outside of fasting, but nevertheless, good nutrition is provided in the monasteries and their diet is rich in nutrients.

Now you have an idea of what foods you can eat during fasting and when you should fast. In fact, there is nothing complicated in planning a diet; for daily nutrition control, you can buy a special calendar, which contains many monastic recipes. We urge you to take the food of Lent seriously and be sure to combine it with spiritual improvement, otherwise there is no need to fast.

List of nutritious Lenten foods for the laity

Here are the best food products that fit into the framework of Lent and supply the body with many valuable substances to maintain health, vigor and good mood:

different types of table vinegars;
edible seaweed;
lean bread (lavash or other bread products with a neutral composition);
tomato paste and ketchup;
lean mayonnaise;
adjika and many other sauces;
all types of nuts;
all types of seeds;
pasta and flour products without unnecessary ingredients;
dried fruits;
all types of cereals (a good option is porridge with dried fruits);
mushrooms;
legumes (for example, lentils, peas, beans);
fish and caviar (as well as shrimp, squid, all this is possible on certain days according to the calendar);
seasonal and exotic fruits (the more variety of fruits, the better);
seasonal vegetables (you can prepare a lot of healthy dishes from vegetables, eat them pickled and salted, for example, cabbage, beets, carrots, celery);
homemade sweets (fruit and berry preserves, jam);
lean chocolate;
milk (coconut, soy and other types);
drinks (decoctions and infusions of herbs, teas, coffee, jelly, compote, juices, fruit drinks);
soy yogurt and cheese;
lean marshmallows;
marmalade;
berries;
Turkish Delight;
halva and kozinaki;
sugar and candy;
Korean dishes (salads).

When the Great Orthodox Lent begins, there is no need to suddenly change your diet and go hungry for a long time. As you already understand, by abstaining from all meat and dairy foods during Lent, lay people do not need to torture themselves and greatly limit themselves. On the contrary, variety and lightness should reign in the home kitchen of Lent. Strict restrictions are intended for highly spiritual persons carrying out a feat.

this time is intended for good deeds, prayers, searching for measures to become better, comprehensive cleansing of the soul and body, eating light food, taking a break from animal products

How to keep an Orthodox fast?

Fasting in the monastery and in the world

We figured out what you can eat during Lent and what to abstain from, and how to properly distribute your diet over the days. You understand that monastic food differs significantly from secular food, since the monastery has a special charter and the most serious restrictions on food. We are ordinary people, strict fasting is not for us, we can observe fasting days at our own discretion, because everyone has different opportunities. Thus, by eating right, you will be able to maintain and increase your health.

Leaving the post

It is important not only to start Lent correctly, but also to complete it with dignity. Everyone asks when they can eat after fasting. Typically, all Orthodox Christians begin to eat normally at the onset of Easter. Ideally, after the Liturgy there is a rich meal. It is important not to overeat, but to switch to your usual diet gradually. Having completed your fast, you need to go to the Easter service. Before communion, Orthodox Christians experience special religious feelings, and after this sacrament they are overcome with enormous, indescribable joy, compensating for all the efforts made earlier.

Lenten recipes may be of interest to you; we will describe them below.

Recipes for meatless dishes without animal ingredients

Lenten first course - tomato soup

Components:

water - liter;
chopped tomatoes - 450 grams and tomato paste - 4 tablespoons;
canned white beans - 420 grams;
onions - 1-2 pieces;
olive oil - 2 large spoons;
chili pepper - a quarter of a small spoon;
garlic - 2 cloves;
wine vinegar - 1-2 large spoons;
Provençal herbs - 2 small spoons;
sugar - 1-2 large spoons, as much pepper and salt as you like;
for croutons - ciabatta or baguette, salt, garlic - 3 cloves, olive oil - 3 large spoons.

In the oil heated at the bottom of the pan, saute the onion for about 5 minutes, add pepper, garlic, fry for a couple of minutes, add tomato paste, fry for another minute. Next, add herbs and tomatoes, then pour in water and wait until it boils. Add the beans, draining the water from them, after cooking for a quarter of an hour, add black pepper, salt, sugar, vinegar. Cook covered for 10 minutes. Cook croutons with garlic in the oven - fry the bread in butter with garlic.

Lenten second course - stewed cabbage and mushrooms

Components:

cabbage - up to 1 kg;
champignons - 400 grams;
vegetable oil - about 3 large spoons;
salt, pepper, lemon juice - 2 small spoons.

Chop the cabbage and mushrooms as desired and heat the oil in a frying pan. First, the mushrooms are fried, then cabbage is added to them. After pouring a small amount of water, simmer the dish under the lid until the food softens. If necessary, add water. The cooking time for mature white cabbage is about an hour; if it is Chinese or young cabbage, 20 minutes is enough. Season the finished dish with pepper, salt, lemon juice, leave on the fire without a lid for 3 minutes to evaporate the moisture.

Second courses for fasting can be quickly and tasty prepared on those days when it is necessary, and with the correct selection of products, the impression of an incomplete diet will not be created.

Lenten salad

Components:

carrots - 2 pieces;
tomatoes - 2 pieces;
cucumber - 1 piece;
apple - 1 piece;
onion - 1 piece;
lemon - half;
vegetable oil - a large spoon;
herbs, salt, sugar.

Grate the carrots with a Korean or simple grater. We cut onions, tomatoes, cucumber. Chop the greens, cut the apple, removing the skin. Butter, salt and sugar, squeezed lemon juice - make a dressing from these products, mix everything.

Lenten cookies

Components:

water - 200 ml;
flour - up to 400 grams;
baking powder - half a small spoon;
salt, sugar, nuts, dried fruits, basil or other herbs;
vegetable oil - 70 ml.

Pour oil into water. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, gradually combine the liquid with the dry component. Keep the resulting dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. From a layer of dough with a thickness of 2 to 4 mm, make any shape - round, diamond-shaped, square, triangular. To make the cookies sweet, dip them in sugar with chopped dried fruits and nuts. For salted cookies, use basil and salt. Bake the cookies, pierced with a fork, in the oven for 15 to 25 minutes at 200 degrees.

Oatmeal cutlets

Components:

oatmeal - a glass;
onion - 1 piece;
potatoes - 1 piece;
carrot - 1 piece;
spices, garlic and herbs.

Lenten cutlets are easy to prepare. Soak the flakes in hot water for about 20 minutes. Grate the onions, potatoes, carrots, crush the garlic with a garlic press, chop the greens. Mix vegetables, garlic gruel and herbs with oatmeal, add salt and pepper (you can add any spices). Using a spoon, fry the cutlets on both sides. We also recommend including mushrooms in this recipe and eggs on non-fasting days.

Lenten nutrition is unthinkable without potato dishes and pureed soups. For lunch you can cook hearty cabbage soup, for dinner you can serve pancakes, pilaf, pancakes without animal ingredients. To make your dishes more interesting, you can make lean mayonnaise or various sauces. To feel the holiday on ordinary days, the best solution is a Lenten cake or Lenten pizza.

So, we talked about all the generally accepted features of the diet and the preparation of lean dishes. Let there always be light, healthy, tasty lean food on your tables. Don’t forget to attend church services, come to church not only with your troubles and problems, but at any free time. It is not difficult for Christians to observe Lent, the main thing is to properly tune in to it.