Over the past few years, more and more parishioners have been coming to the Abode of the Lord. There are a lot of young people who come to the Lord for help and advice. Orthodox traditions, lost over the years, are gradually returning; religion is becoming an important part of every person. The parishioners faithfully follow the teachings of the Savior, just like him, they fast. Moreover, these are not fashionable trends; people fast consciously, understanding why they need it. Not everyone has the opportunity to go to church, but this does not weaken faith; on the contrary, it becomes stronger. She is strengthened by evening prayer and intimate conversation with the Almighty.
Much attention is paid to the Lenten menu, the rules of Lent, and the correct entry into fasting. Our article will tell you how to properly prepare for fasting, what you need to do and on what day, how to fast, how to avoid mistakes, what to exclude from your diet.
How to fast during Lent
Any fast is good, but you need to approach it with prudence. Fasting, like overeating, is an excess that does not lead to anything good. After a grueling fast, a person overeats and is no longer able to stop. With overeating, things are simpler; a person can repent, return to a normal lifestyle, and fast correctly. But in the first case there will be no return. An exhausted body will constantly require food.
That is why moderation is one of the main rules during long-term fasting. A person needs to eat exactly as much strength and energy as necessary to maintain vitality. On this occasion, St. Paul said to those who unnecessarily and without permission entered into fasting:
Fasting is not a ceremonial act, not a ritual, it is a sacrament given by the Savior to cleanse the soul. And putting it on display is a sin; it is tantamount to blasphemy against a shrine. There is good advice on this matter given by Isaiah:
These are wonderful words that explain to us that we should not humiliate loved ones with their weakness, do not show your superiority over them.
As for eating lean food in all the rigor of fasting, it’s not so simple. It is necessary to take into account the state of health; desire alone is not enough for this. The Lord does not require a hungry sacrifice from us, he needs a sacrifice of repentance, humility, and forgiveness.
It is also worth considering the main rule, everything is for the good, if after the end of the fast a person can significantly undermine his health, the fast should be postponed.
There are wonderful words on this occasion that explain to us the whole essence of existence, the attitude of the church to fasting as such:
Also, exhausted and sick people should not fast. The Lord needs a feasible sacrifice; only a healthy person can bear it.
Regarding proper nutrition during Lent for all churchgoers, it is worth paying attention to the rules and prohibitions of Lent. Also, when planning the menu, it is worth taking into account the number of weeks, there are seven of them this year. Each one is special and requires attention. To withstand long-term abstinence, to withstand an unequal battle with temptations, you need to prepare. For this purpose , a preparatory period is allocated, which helps a person tune in to the right mood.
Features of nutrition in the fast before Easter for every day
Compliance with the rules of fasting is the responsibility of everyone who wishes to fast. For the laity, the main thing is not the strictness of the diet, but faith and service to God, so nutrition during Lent may not be so strict, but for church ministers severe restrictions are required.
During the fast before Easter, the following products are necessarily excluded:
- animal meat, fish;
- fat, eggs, milk and dairy products;
- oil;
- alcoholic drinks;
- chocolate products;
- fast food, fast food.
Authorized Products
The basis of the Lenten diet of parishioners are fruits, vegetables, legumes, mushrooms, nuts and grains. Every year, more and more original lean first and second courses, salads, various snacks and baked goods based on them appear. The most popular products during Lent are:
- potato;
- beet;
- different types of cabbage;
- onion;
- carrot.
The charter of the monasteries states that, regardless of the ingredients, food should be modest, even if it is possible to make a delicacy out of dietary products. Various dried fruits perfectly nourish the body.
You can eat porridge, pasta, and you are also allowed to eat mushrooms and all types of legumes. You should also not completely give up flour and bread, if they are properly prepared. On certain days, steamed or baked fish is allowed. You should avoid fried foods, even vegetables, since oil is also allowed only on special days.
At the same time, it is always worth remembering the simplicity of the dishes. At the same time, you need to eat in small portions.
Menu by day of the week
Meals during fasting depend directly on the day of the week.
1 Week:
- Monday – it is forbidden to eat anything;
- Tuesday – you can have water and bread;
- Wednesday – raw food without oil is allowed;
- Thursday – abstaining from food;
- Friday – raw food without oil;
- Saturday – you can have hot dishes with butter;
- Sunday – hot dishes, some wine.
Week 2:
- 1 day – raw foods are allowed;
- Day 2 – you can eat hot food;
- Day 3 – raw food without oil;
- Day 4 – full meals without oil;
- Day 5 – raw foods;
- Day 6 – hot food with butter;
- Day 7 – good nutrition, wine.
Week 3:
- Monday – you can eat raw foods;
- Tuesday – hot food is allowed;
- Wednesday - only raw food;
- Thursday – hot dishes;
- Friday – only raw foods are allowed;
- Saturday – you can have hot food;
- Sunday – full meals, some wine.
Week 4:
- 1 day – only raw foods;
- Day 2 – hot food allowed;
- Day 3 – raw products;
- Day 4 – some hot food;
- Day 5 – raw foods;
- Day 6 – hot food is allowed;
- Day 7 – hot foods and wine.
Week 5:
- Monday – you can only eat raw;
- Tuesday – dishes without oils;
- environment – raw food diet;
- Thursday – hot food;
- Friday – only raw food;
- Saturday – full meals;
- Sunday – wine and hot dishes with butter.
Week 6:
- 1 day – only raw food;
- Day 2 – full meals without oil;
- Day 3 – raw foods are allowed;
- Day 4 – hot food;
- Day 5 – raw food diet;
- Day 6 – hot products;
- Day 7 – festive table with hot dishes, fish and wine.
What can you eat on Holy Week?
During Holy Week, parishioners eat only once a day, alternating raw food with hot food until Good Friday. On the fifth day, all fasting people completely refuse any food except spiritual food. On Saturday you can eat at your discretion.
With the onset of Bright Sunday comes the end of Lent and it is allowed to consume any food. The main thing is to remember that the body has become weaned from many foods during the period of restrictions, and not to overdo it when introducing them back into your diet.
Special days with relaxation
During the period of strict fasting, there are holidays on which you can deviate a little from the rules. So, on the Annunciation it is allowed to prepare dishes by adding butter, serving fish treats and drinking red wine. On this day, the church categorically prohibits any housework, which means that festive dishes must be prepared the day before.
Palm week allows you to deviate from the rules regarding nutrition for 2 days at once - Saturday and Sunday. During this period, you can eat fish dishes and delicious seafood, prepare festive dishes and drink wine.
There must be cookies on the table made according to an ancient recipe: you need to take 1 glass of beer and vegetable oil, flour if necessary, mix everything well. Roll out the finished dough into a layer and cut out circles using a mold. Each circle is filled with filling and rolled so that it resembles the shape of willow branches. The finished cookies are baked in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Rules of Lent
1. Moderation in food. This is practically one of the main rules of a fasting person. Experienced fasters should eat food at least three times a day in small portions. At the same time, drink plenty of fluids during breaks. Those who are starting to fast for the first time need to eat more often, at least 5-6 times a day, so as not to undermine their health, and drink up to 2 liters of liquid. This is the only way to stay healthy and not end up in a hospital bed.
2. Church day. This is a relative concept, it is very different from ordinary time. The next day, or the eve of a new one, begins at six o'clock in the evening, ends at six o'clock the next day. This is a very important rule when entering a fast and observing it in all strictness.
3.Humble restraint/do not break your spiritual fast. During all the days of long fasting, you need to control your thoughts, restrain your emotions, and be humble about everything that the Almighty sends on these days. Don’t be upset about the trials you’ve been sent, don’t anger the Lord. Everything that happens to you is entirely your fault. Change your attitude towards life, towards your loved ones, towards the church, pray. The Lord rewards everyone according to his deserts. Fast not only with food, fast with your soul first.
4.Home/temple prayer. Mental fasting consists of regular prayer. A prayerful appeal to the Lord can be at home or in a temple. Temple prayer cannot be replaced by home prayer, or vice versa, they are interconnected. Home prayer is very good, it puts you in the right mood and strengthens your faith. But general temple prayer adds strength to fasting. Weekend services during Lent are mandatory; you need to find time and energy for them.
5. Conversation with God. Confession is the only tool that helps in communication with God. Only during repentance does grace descend upon a person, sins are forgiven, and peace of mind is gained. Confession without communion does not have the power that the soul needs. Confession is precisely the instrument that should guide a believer before entering into fasting.
6. The first and last day of fasting. The strictest days of the entire Lenten period in 2020 are Monday March 2 and Friday April 17. You are supposed to drink water, you completely refuse food, and even bread is forbidden.
7. About loved ones and prejudices. The time of fasting is given for purification and spiritual growth. Unfortunately, not everyone understands a fasting person; they reproach him for refusing to eat, drink, have fun, or regularly attend church. Not only acquaintances, but also family members can behave this way, especially if your views on this matter differ greatly. In this case, you need not show them your faith, and temporarily retreat from abstinence.
8. Follow Jesus . Christ's stay in the desert is an example to follow. He showed us all how strong His faith and convictions are. He was not tempted by the devil, he did not betray the Almighty. That is why fasting before Easter is a test of our soul with trials. Only complete humility and faith in salvation will help our soul on the path to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Meals on special days of Lent
Clean Monday (first day of Lent - March 2, 2020)
The very name of this day suggests that this day calls for purity and purification - both spiritual and physical. Purification begins on Forgiveness Sunday, when everyone asks each other for forgiveness, as well as with Sunday evening prayer. On Clean Monday, complete abstinence from food, general cleaning of the home, and a visit to the bathhouse are customary.
On the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (April 7) and Palm Sunday (April 12 in 2020), fish is allowed.
On Lazarus Saturday (April 11 in 2020) fish caviar is allowed.
On Good Friday (April 17 in 2020) you cannot eat food until the shroud is taken out.
The rest of the time, according to the basic rules given in the table above: Monday, Wednesday, Friday - dry eating; Tuesday, Thursday – hot food without oil; Saturday, Sunday – food with vegetable oil.
What not to eat during Lent
Lenten abstinence involves giving up certain foods that we eat every day. This instruction is given by the church and Holy Scripture. Strongly religious people watch themselves most strictly in monasteries and churches. If for the former this is a law that is violated extremely rarely and has a good reason for this, then for the latter the permission of the holy father is needed. After all, such severity is not just a feat, it is a comparison, a direct follow-up to the 40 days of Jesus’ sojourn in the desert.
For the entire Orthodox world, the exceptions will be:
Great Lent meals by week and day
To make it easy to enter a long fast, the church established a period for preparing the body. On the days of Wednesday, Monday, and Friday during these weeks, it was necessary to give up meat dishes; everything lean was included in the diet.
The fasting period begins on the strictest day - the 1st. This day is marked as the cleanest. It is on the 1st that you need to put things in order in the house and sort out your thoughts. Cleaning is preceded by a morning service. If you can’t get to it, try to defend the evening one on the 29th, especially since it is no less important . They spend the whole day on nothing but water, without even eating a crust of bread.
What dishes are prepared during Lent, you can see Lenten recipes here. Guided by the Lenten menu provided below, you will always have the necessary information and cook without violating the rules of Lent.
first week of Lent, menu by day
The first seven days are very important and strict. Anyone who observes strictness during these days can spend the following weeks relaxing. The exception is the last seven days before Easter.
second week of Lent, menu by day
Starting from Monday of this week you can cook. Cooking is carried out without fanaticism, the number of dishes should be such that you and your family are full, but not overeat. You can prepare hearty salads for breakfast, lunch must include the first thing, and light food for dinner. Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day.
third week of Lent, menu by day
This is a special week. Services at the Abode of the Lord are held with a small procession of the Cross from the altar. It is necessary to bow to the cross. During the week, meals are reduced. You can cook many different dishes and drink some wine on the weekend.
fourth week of Lent, menu by day
During this period, the rule of the previous two weeks continues. On weekends the menu is more extensive. To celebrate the Annunciation of the Lord, you can serve fish dishes and wine. Wine is for the sake of relaxing the body, but not for the sake of drunkenness; more than a glass is not allowed.
The future Mother of God received the good news; the angels told her about the birth of a new life. The Lord made her happy by giving her, the righteous woman, His Son. It is He who is destined to become the King on a sinful earth, to save the world from fornication, to return people to faith, to die a terrible death for them.
The week is dedicated to St. John. He spent his entire life as a hermit, sharing the Word of God. The smartest book was written with his hand, which is re-read with trepidation even today.
fifth week of Lent, menu by day
Nutrition in the fifth week is no different from the previous three. Dry food is replaced by cooked food. The main thing is no fat, including vegetable fat. Closer to the weekend, you can diversify the menu with lean but tasty dishes, and even drink a little wine.
sixth week of Lent, menu by day
The penultimate week is similar to the fifth, dry food is replaced by very lean dishes. On weekends, you are allowed to add oils, serve fish dishes, and drink a little wine.
Authorized Products
The Lenten menu seems monotonous, bland, tasteless, so at first you want to give it up, despite the obvious benefits. But it can be varied with dishes made from the same permitted products.
Menu plan for the week:
- Monday. Food may only be consumed raw. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, fresh herbs, brown bread, water.
- Tuesday. Boiled, steamed or baked foods. For example, lean soups, crumbly porridges, side dishes, vegetable side dishes cooked in water, steamed or in the oven. To improve the taste, season with different spices.
- Wednesday. You can eat the same foods as on Monday. Dishes and drinks made from fresh vegetables and fruits. But you can't sweeten them with honey.
- Thursday. The menu is the same as for Tuesday. You can bake vegetables, puree them in a blender, add the necessary spices and treat your family to an unusually tasty, healthy puree soup.
- Friday. Again the transition to fresh products. They can be used to make smoothies, light salads and spiced snacks. Be sure to add a lot of greens.
- Saturday and Sunday. Appetizers and salads seasoned with vegetable oil, light stews, soups.
Also read: Dessert pancakes with apples
During the period of fasting there are 3 Orthodox holidays: the Annunciation, Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday. These days it is allowed to eat seafood and fish.
When does Lent 2020 end?
Let's summarize:
Fasting is given to a person as a test; it is a kind of test of faith by temptation. A person who firmly believes in Christ will never deviate from the right path and will stand in any post without breaking the rules. Our recommendations will help you understand yourself and come to the temple of God. Confession and Holy Communion are tools that will help not only with fasting. They make us cleaner, brighter, bring us closer to God.
If you doubt your own abilities, you are tormented by prejudices, doubts creep in, talk to a priest. This is a servant of God, who is destined to be a listener, a mediator between you and the Almighty, he does not condemn, since he has no right to do so. Don’t be afraid, tell him about your difficulties, he will tell you what to do. The same applies to fasting, with it you will select the measure that you can carry through all the blessed 48 days.
May the Almighty bless you for fasting, cleanse your soul, relieve you of doubts, give you strength, humility, and patience.
