Orthodoxy nutrition. Getting rid of ailments: Lenten food and therapeutic diet. – How do they solve the problem with fish – in practice?

Should an Orthodox woman lose weight?

A person's appearance always reflects his health. A fresh complexion and healthy blush, clear eyes and vivacity of movements without words indicate that their owner is healthy and full of strength. What about completeness? Excess weight, which is becoming a problem for more and more people? Is it always a sign of ill health and should we get rid of it? These issues are especially relevant for women. To make the answer objective, we asked them to specialists in different fields - spiritual and medical.

Archpriest Sergius Filimonov, Professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Chairman of the Society of Orthodox Doctors of St. Petersburg.

- Father Sergius, as a priest and as a doctor, please answer the question: does an Orthodox woman need to lose weight?

Regarding the weight loss of an Orthodox woman, the Church does not have any specific answer. This question has two sides: medical and spiritual. Medically A woman needs to lose weight if she has problems with metabolism, develops hypertension, diabetes, or other diseases. Excess weight can cause problems with the respiratory and circulatory system. Often women get better after taking medications, especially hormones. Sometimes this is due to dysfunction of the thyroid, pancreas, and sex glands. From stress, nervous breakdowns, and previous infections, endocrine diseases can develop that lead to weight gain. In these cases, a woman can turn to specialist doctors for advice and prescription of special diets.

Problems for a woman due to excess weight can also arise in family life if the husband is not a church member. He sees that his wife is losing her former attractiveness due to her obesity. After giving birth, mothers often gain weight. If family relationships were built on passion, and not on deep moral foundations, the husband may begin to look “to the side.” Therefore, if a woman knows about her husband’s attitude towards her and is forced to follow a diet that promotes weight loss, she cares about preserving her family. Although I would like to emphasize that her prayer and trust in God should always come first, and concern about losing weight comes second.

Being overweight can also interfere with the woman herself - a person with a more graceful physique can more easily perform her duties at home and at work. This is what concerns medical and everyday aspects, which may be the basis for a confessor to bless a woman to lose weight.

Let's consider the spiritual aspect. Motivation is important here. A girl who wants to get married must first of all take care of the beauty of her virtues. A Christian spouse should be attracted primarily by her modesty, patience, obedience, gentleness, tenderness, prayerfulness, and the like. Of course, when dating, appearance also matters, and if a girl cares about him for the sake of marriage, this also has its justification. But if a married or divorced woman does this in order to attract the attention of men and enter into fornication with them, then through weight loss she cultivates the following passions: lust, fornication, vanity, exaltation, pride and others. In this case, the desire to lose weight is most definitely sinful.

Some women, with an obsession with losing weight, drive themselves to the brink of mental illness, literally counting how many grams per day they have gained. Here we are faced with a violation of the second Commandment of God - “ don't make yourself an idol" For people involved in bodybuilding, their own body often becomes an idol, which fosters in them pride, vanity, exaltation, and narcissism. A person begins to worship himself, makes him an idol, i.e. the object of worship is your body. Same with weight loss. This can become a certain “religion” of a person, only it connects not with God, but with his ego, with his own “I”. In some cases, this psychological dependence leads women to serious deviations. I have seen such unfortunate people whom the Lord deprived of reason, they developed anorexia– progressive self-restraint in eating while maintaining appetite, due to impaired perception of one’s body. They could no longer eat food - vomiting occurred, they came to the appointment - literally - bones covered with skin. We had to put them on IVs, inject drugs into their bodies, special nutrition for the body so that these women would not die.

Here we see the wrong motivation for losing weight, leading to spiritual delusion, when a person does not want to come to terms with God’s Providence, but lives according to his own will. Such weight loss has a demonic basis and is destructive for a woman.

- A reader asked us this question: is it a sin to lose weight in order to wear smaller clothes and please your husband? Because clothes for plus size people are less beautiful, the choice of models is limited.

Is it a sin to adapt your body to your clothes? Health care should still come first. But if a person has gained a lot of weight, it can be really difficult for him to choose clothes. In this case, you can lose weight. If losing weight does not pursue other goals, does not interfere with spiritual life, does not interfere with prayer, does not lead to lustful thoughts, then this is a purely everyday issue, there is no need to transfer it to the spiritual realm.

- A woman from Ukraine also wrote to us that she loves to cook delicious food for her husband, children, and guests. This kind of cordiality and hospitality brings her to completeness. She writes that it turns out to be a vicious circle - she repents of the sin of gluttony, but immediately comes home and cooks deliciously again and eats with everyone again. What to do?

Firstly, on this problem she should consult with her confessor, repenting of the sin of gluttony. And secondly, if a person loves to eat deliciously and cook deliciously, which, of course, develops the sin of gluttony, one must cultivate in oneself the virtue of abstinence. There are posts for this. Four fasts throughout the year, as well as on Wednesdays and Fridays, during which you need to fight this sin. During fasting, you must restrain yourself and not break down, otherwise it will not be fasting, but pharisaism: I will fast for a day, but I will eat for a day.

- Should an Orthodox woman do gymnastics?

Any woman needs to do gymnastics, because it helps not gain excess weight, maintain physical fitness and improve health, and restore strength for work. With gymnastics, the body becomes more resilient and able to work.

- Now in some organizations there is such a thing as a dress code, when they hire women of a certain appearance, and plumpness also plays a big role here. Should an Orthodox woman adapt to such a dress code of secular organizations?

Standards have always existed - in the army, in sports, and in other professions, they just called it differently. And now any institution has its own rules and conditions for employment. There are certain standards of appearance for the profession of flight attendants and secretaries in law firms, there is nothing wrong with that. If a woman likes working in this organization and brings in income to support herself, then these conditions must be accepted, unless, of course, they contradict moral standards. If the employee’s appearance is used for some vicious purpose, then the woman should not get a job at this company at all. When adjusting to certain standards, a woman must weigh how pious her stay in this organization will be and how it will affect her relationship with the Church.

I. V. Demidovah, homeopathic psychotherapist.

- Irina Vitalievna, in what cases does a woman need to lose weight?

When excess weight prevents her from living: moving fully, working, resting. So, it's time to change something in your life. This issue must be approached individually. The doctor must find out how uncomfortable a woman is with her weight and why it is uncomfortable, how much it limits her life activity. The doctor must understand that God heals, and the doctor only participates in this. And the doctor’s main task here is not to break the self-regulation systems that exist in the human body.

- Is it possible to cope with the problem of excess weight with the help of homeopathic remedies?

With the help of homeopathic remedies, you can cope with any problem relating to human health. The question is whether the patient is ready for the long and thoughtful work on himself that homeopathy offers, whether he is ready to be consistent and cooperate with the doctor. This includes lifestyle change. After all, women often eat food not only to satisfy hunger, but also “eat up” some troubles or problems. Such food, of course, does not provide any benefit, but leads to the appearance of excess fat cells in the body. Instead of eating candy or cake, a woman should find the strength to go for a walk or to the pool, ride a bike, or you never know the interesting and useful activities!

- Can a woman be fat and healthy at the same time?

- Certainly. The concept of fullness has wide boundaries, and what is fullness for one woman is the norm for another. For physically healthy women who come to us about excess weight, we offer, first of all, solve a psychological problem, which is behind obesity. And then the weight comes off by itself. And without eliminating the psychological cause, no diet will bring the desired result, and can even cause serious harm. Diets rock our body. For some time, a woman cuts down her diet or completely changes it, but then most often breaks down and returns to her previous menu. As a result, he gains even more kilograms.

- What problem can be hidden behind excess weight??

Often this is depression, low self-esteem, a negative attitude towards oneself and the world and, of course, a lack of trust, which hides disbelief or lack of faith. And this is not only and not so much a physical problem, but a spiritual one. And with spiritual illnesses they go to a spiritual hospital, that is, to a temple. You need to take the first step with faith and hope, come and tell the priest about your worries and experiences, listen to his advice and try to change something in yourself.

- It must be difficult to treat this illness if your patient is an unbeliever?

I am sure that there are practically no non-believers: they believe, but do not admit it even to themselves or are stubborn. It is so obvious that man is a creature not made by hands, created by the Lord, that health is given to us in advance and all the reserves in the body are laid down by the Creator. The main thing is not to lose this goodness and understand why we live. If you don’t believe in God’s Providence and rely only on your own “I”, then get ready to bear numerous sorrows, and perhaps at some stage in your life you will believe. Through sorrows and illnesses - to the Lord.

- Another reason for obesity in modern people is physical inactivity. How to deal with this problem?

If a woman has a sedentary job, she needs to find an opportunity to increase physical activity. We need to use our individual resources, abilities that are given by God: for one it is exercise at home, for another it is fitness in the gym or classes in the pool, and for the third it is just a walk in the fresh air. In short, choosing a load also requires an individual approach. Determine for yourself what you can do and follow through. Relying on God's help, work on yourself, train your willpower. There is no other way.

E. B. Mishenko, allergist-immunologist.

- Elena Borisovna, what women should not lose weight at all?

Pregnant women and nursing mothers should not lose weight. It is very important to monitor your diet during pregnancy and lactation. If a mother gains a lot of weight by eating chips, chocolate, cakes and buns, then this is, of course, an alarming signal. And if the mother eats a balanced diet, that is, eats lean meat, fish, eggs, cereals, vegetables and fruits, and the weight gain is 15-20 kg, there is no need to worry. For nursing mothers, diets can lead to loss of milk. Therefore, you need to eat well - you are eating for two.

Even with normal weight, excellent health and excellent appetite, a pregnant woman needs to move more. Walking, exercise, swimming in the pool or performing special gymnastics (each with its own) are necessary to maintain the health of mother and child.

- How do you feel about diets?

Very carefully. The diet needs to be selected purely individually, taking into account the woman’s health characteristics. I am absolutely against fasting - when a woman sits only on water or, even worse, without water. This is severe stress for the body, after which a woman can gain even more kilograms. I'm for reasonable nutrition: try to exclude numerous fats from the menu, and your weight will begin to change.

The golden rule of normal weight is moderation in nutrition. There is no need to starve, just don’t overeat. As a practicing doctor, I can say that most people in Russia eat twice as much as they need, in addition, they sit down at the table without feeling hungry, but only because the time has come. And they leave the table with a feeling of extreme satiety.

In addition, in our Orthodox culture there are multi-day posts, as well as Wednesdays and Fridays - fasting days, which relieve our body and give us time and strength to take spiritual food.

- Some people keep Orthodox fasts with the goal of losing weight. Is there any benefit to such abstinence?

Of course, this is no longer fasting, but a kind of diet. Such “fasting” does not bring spiritual benefits, only physiological ones. If a person does not eat at least meat for forty days, then he significantly cleanses the intestines. By the way, this reduces the risk of colon and small intestine cancer.

- Does age affect the ability to get rid of extra pounds?

Yes, it does. Up to the age of thirty, it is quite easy to adjust your weight, but after thirty or forty, when a woman’s hormonal levels change, various diseases appear, and it becomes more difficult to fight excess weight.

- At what age should you start monitoring your weight?

Parents need to instill in their children from childhood food culture and physical education. This will save him from problems in the future. And in our families, unfortunately, it is not customary to do exercises in the morning, walk in the fresh air, let alone go to the pool or gym. The habit of overeating has already been mentioned.

Weight problems can also be related to heredity. If mom, dad and other relatives are fat, then your daughter or son should take care of themselves from their youth.

- How do you feel about pharmaceutical drugs that promote weight loss?

I have a negative attitude towards such drugs, because they are a gross interference in the human body. Even if people lose weight as a result of taking these drugs, they soon gain more weight than before. Because they remove the effect, not the cause.

- It is known that excessive care for the body harms the soul, but, on the other hand, the body is the house of the Holy Spirit and it must be “kept” in order. How to find the golden mean?

You need to take reasonable care of your health: eat when you want, choose optimal set of products of those offered by modern stores and markets, read what is written on the labels, and also:

Mayonnaise should be replaced with vegetable oils or low-fat sour cream;

Reduce the amount of potatoes consumed, especially in the autumn-winter period;

Avoid carbonated drinks;

It is advisable to completely remove white bread from your diet;

Replace pork with turkey or chicken.

Fruits should also be eaten selectively, for example, bananas, grapes and persimmons are not healthy for an overweight woman, but eat apples or pineapples for health.

If a person really loves sweets, then you can eat a piece of cake or candy, but in the first half of the day and not every day.

Try not to overeat at night, and if you do have dinner late, then dinner should be low-calorie. It is advisable to have dinner two hours before going to bed.

And, of course, move. Choose the physical activity that suits you pleasant: For some it’s swimming, for others it’s running, rollerblading or skiing, for others it’s just walking.

Human health is a gift from God and not supporting it is a sin. Review and change your lifestyle and stay slim and healthy.

Prepared by: A. Sabitova and I. Sendetskaya.
« Slav", Orthodox women's magazine, 2011, July-August.

Many Christians strive to be as close to the Lord as possible. This is expressed in a lifestyle, the main component of which is nutrition. The question that most believers ask is: how to determine the most suitable food for a Christian and the diet for its consumption?

Today there are several theories regarding the Christian diet, but most of them come more from man than from God. There are two main opinions on this matter: the first is that a person by nature, and therefore at the behest of the Lord, must adhere to a system of vegetarianism based on the principles of a raw food diet; and the second opinion is that all living things given to us by God must be eaten, because animals feed on their own kind, and why should a person abstain.

What the Bible Says About Christian Diet

If you follow the biblical guidelines, the Bible somewhat supports both opinions, but they do not contradict each other. Namely, the Old Testament states that all deeds, as well as what a person eats or does not eat, are carried out for the Lord.

Initially, even during the creation of all living things and in particular man, God intended separate products for each species: seeds, grains, trees and their fruits, grass and other fruits of the earth for man, as well as grass and trees for animals and birds (indicated in Genesis 1:29 -30). As we see, at first people really ate exclusively food of plant origin and, apparently, in raw form.

Later, after the flood, the climate changed dramatically and in such harsh conditions a person could not survive if he did not eat meat and other animal products. The Bible says that God himself allowed us to change the way we eat, to eat everything that grows and moves as food (Genesis 9:3).

Therefore, most Christians are of the opinion that everything created by God is closely connected, necessary and intended for use in life. Consequently, there is nothing sinful either in the method of eating exclusively plant foods, or in the omnivorous method, the main thing is that what is consumed does not harm health.

Basic rules of Christian nutrition

Special strict rules for Christian nutrition apply during periods of fasting and on major church holidays. There are few general rules for a believer, only three; although they are simple at first glance, they are very important. If followed and maintained, they will become the key to a healthy diet.

1 Avoid obesity. This is not only an external defect, but also a disease that gradually harms health more and more and reduces life expectancy.
2 Avoid overeating, because gluttony is sinful. Food was given to us by the Lord in order to maintain the normal functioning of the body, and not for pleasure and abuse. According to Christian principles, you need to eat exactly as much as your body requires.
3 With a large assortment of products, you need to choose those that really benefit the body and do not lead to obesity and other diseases.

All these rules are interconnected and complementary; failure to maintain at least one will lead to violation of others. The Bible calls ignoring these rules a sin.

Common Misconceptions

In any food system or lifestyle in general, the Bible does not allow extremes. Every Christian knows that the ancient apostles, prophets and clergy often refused food or proper nutrition. Today, many servants of God, missionaries or simply believers, also strive to go through this, hoping for the help of the Lord. This is wrong, all the examples of sufferers and saints support some heavenly goal, pursue an idea because of which God helped to cope with difficulties and sacrifices. Doing this just like that or out of your own discretion is not only unnecessary, but also not recommended, because this is only causeless harm to health.

There is also a misconception that Jesus took away human illnesses on the cross, so you can not maintain a healthy lifestyle and eat poorly. Firstly, Christ took away our sins, and secondly, it is important not only not to get sick, but also to take care of your health.

Nutrition during fasting

There are many fasting periods throughout the year, but the most important for every Christian is Lent. The period of Lent is the longest and most significant. The main purpose of fasting is to strengthen love for God and everything around him created by him, as well as to atone for sins and cleanse ourselves spiritually. During Lent, every Christian must confess and receive communion, and also abstain from solemn holidays such as birthdays or weddings.

Nutrition plays an important role during any period of fasting. There are several basic rules of nutrition during fasting:

1 It is advisable to go without food on the first and last day of fasting, if health, age category (children and elderly people are not allowed to fast) and other special circumstances (pregnancy, breastfeeding, hard work, etc.) allow it. Abstinence during the day will in no way harm an adult, but on the contrary will promote health, because these are the so-called

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. In Christianity, there are two sacred books: the Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament. If these two holy books differ in the interpretation of some events and things, then undoubted preference is given to the New Testament. Believers themselves consider Christianity a healthy way of life.

There are very strong discrepancies in these books in relation to nutrition. Christians believe that with the coming of Christ many laws and prohibitions ceased to apply. The laws existed to achieve spirituality, Christ showed that any person is spiritual, with his death he atoned for all the sins of humanity.

In relation to nutrition, the following words are noteworthy: “Everything is lawful for me, but not everything is profitable; everything is lawful for me, but nothing should possess me. Food is for the belly, and the belly is for food.”(1 Cor. 6:12-13)

That is, a person can eat absolutely everything, but not everything is healthy. And since we must take care of our body as a vessel for the soul, it is our duty to think about health and how to be healthy. A healthy diet is the key to health, so eating everything in a row is not recommended, although it is permissible.

It is these principles that are laid down in Christianity, where there are no complete prohibitions on any products, but there are rules of restrictions.
Let's take a closer look at the nutrition of Christians.

The first people were vegetarians, ate grass and tree fruits. This is what everyone “who has a living soul” fed on. This food was favorable for human development; the first people, according to the Bible, lived for a very long time. But conditions changed, people multiplied. Noah was allowed to eat “every moving thing that lives.” There was a strict ban on flesh and blood (soul); any other food could be consumed.

This way of eating existed until the moment when the Jews received special instructions on eating food through Moses (Leviticus and Deuteronomy). The Jews were a strong, healthy and intelligent nation. This can be judged by the fact that there were no sick people while crossing the desert. The intelligence of Jewish children can be judged by the story of Daniel, who lived in the palace of the king of Egypt. Daniel tried to adhere to the laws of kashrut as much as possible (which was difficult among the Gentiles). The diet of the prophet Daniel consisted of vegetables, fruits and grains. Daniel showed himself to the king to be smarter than the Egyptian wise men.

Jesus Christ, as a Jew, adhered to the dietary laws of his people. But after his death and resurrection, only one prohibition remained: not to eat something sacrificed to idols, although even in this case, if a person could not know exactly what kind of meat it was, it was better not to think about its origin. However, the diet includes foods that are beneficial to the body. Let's find out why.

A Christian must be a living testimony to the correctness of Christ's teachings; a healthy body largely depends on nutrition. The New Testament contains a lot of information about the Christian's attitude to food. The main thing is not to impose any burden other than what is necessary: abstain from offerings to idols, blood, and the flesh of a dead animal. That's all. In Christianity there are no prohibitions on the type of food. But its consumption is strictly regulated.

Firstly, the commandment is relevant: do not kill, which applies not only to humans, but also to any animal “with a soul.” Therefore, killing an animal is allowed only when necessary, when there is no other food. In the modern world, there is enough other food, so giving up animal meat can only be welcomed. In addition, “a virtuous person honors the life of the animal.”

Secondly, although there is no explicit prohibition on eating pork, Jesus still sent demons into the herd of pigs, which means that a Christian should avoid including pig meat in the diet. Fatty meat can cause heart and mental diseases (a herd of pigs rushed off a cliff in a rage and died from a broken heart).

Third, what did Jesus and his companions eat? As a rule, these were the fruits of trees in the shade of which they rested, bread that they could take with them on the road, and honey.

When various people came to listen to Christ’s sermons and needed something to eat, Christ fed everyone with bread and fish. He did not feed people more nutritious meat, because it takes more time to digest meat food, meat does not contribute to spiritual development, in addition, a person needs to rest, which is unacceptable during the short time allotted for preaching and teaching.

Vegetable oil was used not only for food, but also in some rituals; we can say that it is “blessed”; the harlot who brought a vessel of oil to Jesus Christ was allowed to eat. Remember that all of Christ’s companions are Jews, who are forbidden to sit at table with a non-Jew, and eating foods that a non-Jew has touched is a sin.

How did Jesus Christ feel about wine? Wine in the diet is acceptable, but it must be of high quality (the episode of turning water into wine at a wedding, when water became high-quality wine, much better than what was served at the beginning of the wedding ceremony). Under no circumstances should you get drunk, it is a sin.

Jesus Christ observed long fasts during which he ate practically nothing. To think, he went to the desert so that no one would distract him and there would be no temptations of all kinds. He himself did not say that all people should follow such spiritual practice, it is impossible, but many Christian saints, monks and church fathers adhere to the rule of fasting and refuse food of animal origin, eating plant foods. Moderation in food is necessary so that it is not the flesh that guides our actions, but the mind. You cannot bring meat for consecration. You can bless fruits, bread, vegetable oil, Cahors, and cereal dishes. On special days, the blessing of baked goods (pancakes, Easter cakes) and eggs is allowed. Ritual food is distributed to the hungry and poor or eaten by church ministers. Consecrated food should absolutely not be thrown away or given to animals. Jesus Christ taught, and later his apostles repeated, that for the sake of food there is no need to destroy God’s creation if there is an opportunity to eat something else.

Let us briefly summarize nutrition in Christianity. There are no prohibitions on eating food, except food with blood and carrion. But eating meat is not encouraged; there are many restrictive fasts and fasting days (there are more than 200 of them a year). There are almost the same number of prohibitive days for dairy products and eggs (there are fewer of them for a week; on Maslenitsa, dairy products are allowed to be consumed, but meat is no longer allowed). Fast days - twice a week (outside fasting). On some fast days, fish is acceptable. There are no restrictions on cooking methods. Here we can already talk about traditional Russian cuisine, there are a lot of soups, main courses are stewed, baked (the food was prepared in a Russian oven, it was very difficult to fry in it). Plant foods are used in season, fresh or cooked. It can be blessed, which means that fruits and vegetables are blessed. Honey is not considered a food of animal origin, it is allowed during fasting, it is preferable to sugar, especially on those days when eating food prepared by human hands is not recommended. Fasting involves eating food for some days that does not require cooking, such as nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables.

In general, this diet can be called healthy. For Orthodox Christians who are thinking about how to be healthy for all family members, eating in accordance with the canons of religion will be useful. Reasonable alternation of the consumption of animal and plant foods, a rational ratio of the consumption of saturated and unsaturated fats. Flour cakes and sweets (sweets, chocolate) on holidays are also reasonable. Disadvantages: although rare, fatty foods of animal origin are allowed (fatty meat, lard), restrictions are only during fasting on the consumption of fatty dairy products (cream, sour cream, butter). If you strictly adhere to fasting, then there is little fish in your diet. Most Christians believe that fish is not an animal food and always eat it. But attitudes towards fish are ambiguous, for example, during the strict Lent, eating fish is allowed only twice (the Annunciation and the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem) and caviar once (Lazarus Saturday). The approval for pork and lard can be explained by climatic conditions. It has always been cold in Russia, so meat food is necessary. And lard stores better than meat. Therefore, in order to prolong the possibility of meat consumption, lard was preserved and consumed.

Every person who adheres to one or another religious belief can emphasize the merits of his diet and explain the shortcomings (from the point of view of a non-religious adherent). For example, a Muslim will say that eating during fasting in the evening is explained by hot climatic conditions; during the day, all kinds of bacteria are more likely to multiply in food; cooking food in the evening is more reasonable from this point of view. Meat cooked by a Jew is soft, less caloric, and the broth is clear and tasty. A Christian, with the abundance of many fasts and fasting days, will justify the daily consumption of pancakes on Maslenitsa and Easter cakes on Easter. Doctors can also defend the correct nutrition of their people, and with reason. I would like to note that the main thing with any diet is moderation. If you are thinking about how to be healthy, healthy food products can be found in the national cuisines of any nation.

Religions had a significant influence on the traditions of peoples, including nutrition, and guided the entire lives of believers. Ancient chronicles brought to us the exhortations of holy ascetics and elders addressed to monks to observe moderation in food. “Gluttony and drunkenness” were declared “the worst sin.” Gradually, the culture of the people was formed, and a harmonious system of rational nutrition was developed. Willingly or unwittingly, many modern health and dietary methods, developed and implemented by official and alternative medicine, use the practical experience of church traditions verified over centuries.
The Church introduced fasting - strict prohibitions and restrictions on certain types of food on certain days and weeks. But “it is not food that is evil, but gluttony,” as the Rev. asserted. Maxim the Confessor. At the end of the fast, previously forbidden foods: meat, butter, sour cream, cheese and all sorts of other pickles - bring more joy than those consumed daily and without restrictions.
About the post
The Church of Christ commands Christians to constantly lead a moderate lifestyle, especially highlighting days and periods of compulsory abstinence - fasting. Weekly fast days (with the exception of “solid” weeks) are Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday, fasting was established in memory of Judas' betrayal of Christ, and on Friday - for the sake of the suffering on the cross and death of the Savior. On these days of the week, the Holy Church certainly prohibits the consumption of meat and dairy foods, and the period from the Week of All Saints (following Trinity) to the Nativity of Christ should also abstain from fish and vegetable oil. Only when the days of the celebrated saints (that is, those for whom the festive service is performed) fall on Wednesday or Friday is vegetable oil allowed, and on the biggest holidays - fish.
There are four multi-day fasts a year.
The most important and strictest is Lent, which you continue* for 7 weeks before Easter. It was established in imitation of the Lord Himself, Jesus Christ, who fasted in the desert for 40 days.
During Lent, the church charter commands the use of vegetable oil only on Saturdays and Sundays, and fish is allowed only on the holidays of the Annunciation (March 25/April 7) and the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday). On the days of remembrance of the most revered saints, it is also allowed to eat vegetable oil. The first and last days of fasting should be carried out especially strictly, without food if possible. Lent should be a time of special repentance and intense prayer. Great Lent, according to the teachings of the holy fathers, is the spiritual “tithe” of the year, a sacrifice to God, a path that through repentance returns a person to paradise. Everyday church service is accompanied exclusively by prostrations to the ground. During Great Lent, Christians must go to confession and perform the required penances in order to celebrate Easter in spiritual correction. Meat is excluded from consumption in the last week before Lent - Maslenitsa, or otherwise - cheese week. Its name is due to the fact that it is “a continuous week, on all days of which it is allowed to consume dairy foods.”
Close in the strictness of observance to the Great Fast is the Assumption Fast from August 1/14 to August 14/27. With this fast, the Holy Church honors the Most Holy Theotokos.
During the Dormition Fast you should eat the same way as during Great Lent. Fish is allowed to be eaten only on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord - August 6/19. If the Feast of the Assumption coincides with Wednesday or Friday, only fish is allowed to be eaten on this day, and the breaking of fast (the beginning of eating meat food) is postponed to the next day.
The Nativity fast lasts 40 days before Christmas, it begins on November 15/28 and ends on December 24/January 6.
During this fast, you should not eat fish or vegetable oil on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. After the feast of St. Nicholas - December 6/19 - fish is allowed only on Saturday and Sunday.
The last days of fasting - from December 20/January 2 - should be observed in the same way as Lent.
A particularly strict fast is imposed on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, when once, in the evening, when the first star rises, announcing the hour of the Nativity of Christ, one is allowed to taste “sochiva,” that is, dry fruits soaked in water, which is why the day itself is called “Christmas Eve.”
The Nativity Fast is also called “Philippov”, as it begins on the day of remembrance of the Apostle Philip.
The fourth post is the Holy Apostles (Peter's Fast). It begins a week after the day of the Holy Trinity and continues until the day of remembrance of the holy chief apostles Peter and Paul on June 29/July 12. The food regulations for this fast are the same as for Christmas. If the day of the end of the fast falls on Wednesday or Friday, then breaking the fast, as in the Assumption Fast, is postponed to the next day, and on this day they eat only fish.
In addition to the indicated fasts, the Holy Church established a strict fast on the eve of Epiphany (Baptism of the Lord) on January 5/18, Lenten holidays - the Beheading of St. John the Baptist - August 29/September 11 and the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord - September 14/27, on which only vegetable oil is allowed.
The church charter concerns food, primarily because it largely determines a person’s spiritual state and thoughts. Therefore, fasting should be not only physical, but also spiritual. “He who believes that fasting only means abstaining from food is mistaken. True fasting, teaches St. John Chrysostom, is a withdrawal from evil, curbing the tongue, putting aside anger, taming lusts, stopping slander, lies and perjury.”
You cannot fast by forcing yourself. It must be a need of the soul, otherwise there will be no purification of either the body or the soul.

About prayer
And one more fundamental principle of religiously minded people seems to us worthy of respect and at least partial application in the whirlwind of our hectic everyday life. This is prayer, the creation of spiritual harmony. It is believed that food prepared with prayer is always successful, and prayers “for God’s help in every good deed,” “before eating food,” and thanksgiving for our daily bread will bring health, success, peace, and joy of being. „
We offer the reader the most commonly used prayers in everyday life.
Conditions for correct prayer according to the precepts of St. Theophan the Recluse are as follows: “You need to pray not only with words, but also with your mind. And not only with the mind, but also with the heart, let the mind clearly see and understand what is pronounced in words, and let the heart feel what the mind is thinking... Insert living faith into your heart that God sees and hears you, that He does not turn away from those who pray , but looks favorably at them and at you at the hour of prayer, and are inspired by the hope that He is ready to fulfill and will actually fulfill your request if it is useful to your soul.”

Prayer before eating food
Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Let Your guidance be as it is in heaven and on earth; Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Amen. Lord have mercy (twice). Lord, bless (bow).

Or:
The eyes of all trust in You, Lord, and You give them writing and in good time, You open Your generous hand and fulfill every animal good will.
Prayer after eating food
We thank Thee, Christ our God, for Thou hast filled us with Thy earthly blessings; do not deprive us and Your Heavenly
Kingdom, but as you came among Your disciples, O Savior, give them peace, come to us and save us.

Monastic cuisine recipes
Thousands of years of monastic experience with strict observance of fasts and glorious meals has been preserved to this day.

Cold snacks

To prepare mushroom caviar, take two glasses of dried mushrooms and soak in water for 12 hours. Boil in a small amount of water, pass through a meat grinder. Fry chopped onions in vegetable oil until light brown. Mix mushrooms with onions, add salt, vinegar, granulated sugar, and mushroom broth to taste.
Dandelion leaf salad: 75 g dandelion leaves, 10 g green onions, 5 g vegetable oil, 5 g 3% vinegar, 8 g parsley or dill, salt.
Prepared dandelion leaves are soaked in salt water (20 g of salt per 1 liter of water) for 30 minutes, then placed in a colander and allowed to drain. Chop, add finely chopped green onions and parsley, mix, season with vegetable oil, salt, vinegar, sprinkle with chopped dill.
Plantain salad with onions: 50 g of young plantain leaves, 30 g of onions, 20 g of grated horseradish, 20 g of nettle, 15 g of sour cream, 3 g of 3% vinegar, salt.
Prepared plantain and nettle leaves are placed in boiling water for 1 - 2 minutes, drained in a colander, allowed to drain, chopped, chopped onions, grated horseradish are added, and salt is added. On fast days, sprinkle with chopped boiled egg and pour over sour cream.

Soups and stews

Sort through the sorrel and simmer, adding a little water. Separately, saute the spinach.
Rub the sorrel and spinach through a sieve, cool the puree, dilute with kvass, add sugar, lemon zest, and refrigerate. Pour the botvinya into plates, add slices of boiled or smoked fish, chopped green onions, dill, fresh cucumbers, grated horseradish, and other seasonings to taste.

In the spring, when there are no garden herbs and vegetables yet, you can prepare soup (bentgrass) from wild plants: nettle, white edible quinoa (mari), sowweed, hogweed, sorrel, sorrel, plantain, fireweed, clover. Sorrel and sorrel with their sour taste should make up no more than a third of the harvest. Use only young plants; sorrel and nettle leaves can be scalded once with boiling water, quinoa leaves - twice.
Wash 300 - 400 g of greens clean, chop finely, pour boiling water or mushroom broth. Separately, lightly fry the roots and onions, add a selection of greens, add 2-3 diced potatoes and cook until tender. In 5-10 minutes. Before the end of cooking, add bay leaf, pepper, salt, and add a teaspoon of granulated sugar to the sour soup. Serve the soup seasoned with sour cream or fresh yogurt.
To prepare potato soup with mushrooms, rub 6 - 8 large crumbly potatoes boiled in salted water through a sieve. Dilute the puree with milk and knead until smooth. Then dilute this puree with water to obtain a soup of the desired thickness. Separately, simmer pre-boiled and chopped dried mushrooms in oil with salt, pepper and onion. Put all this in the soup, boil and serve with croutons fried in butter.
Pour boiling water over young leaves or fresh shoots of nettle, chop, add sorrel, carrots, parsley, onions, green onions in an approximate ratio of 150, 50, 5, 5.20, 15g.
Stew nettles, sauté vegetables. Place all ingredients in boiling water and cook for another 20 - 25 minutes. In 10 min. until ready, add bay leaf, pepper, cloves, mashed potatoes. Serve the village cabbage soup, top with sour cream and add a slice of hard-boiled egg to taste.
Boil the beets, peel and cut into strips. Soaked for 3 - 4 hours. Boil the mushrooms and strain the broth. Cut the mushrooms into slices and fry in vegetable oil. Finely chop the carrots, lightly fry the onions in vegetable oil (without changing color), add the tomato or peeled tomatoes, heat for 5 - 10 minutes.
Boil the soaked prunes, remove the pits and cut into slices. Put shredded fresh cabbage into the boiling mushroom broth, cook for 10 - 15 minutes, add fried mushrooms, carrots, roots, prunes and bring to readiness, adding vinegar, salt, and sugar to taste. It turns out to be lean borscht.
[Simmer cabbage, onions, bay leaves, parsley, and peppercorns in a small amount of water to prepare Valaam cabbage soup.
Separately cook finely chopped fresh mushrooms. Remove the mushrooms from the broth and lightly fry.
When the cabbage has evaporated and become soft, but with a crunch, add flour fried until light brown. Add all ingredients, fresh herbs, sour cream to the mushroom broth. Heat the cabbage soup for a long time and slowly over low heat, without bringing it to a boil, so that it becomes saturated with the mushroom and cabbage spirit.
For 1 kg of cabbage: 2 small onions, 1 large bay leaf, root plant or 3 - 4 leaf parsley plants, 8-10 black peppercorns, 400 - 500 g mushrooms, 1 tablespoon flour, fresh herbs to taste, 2 tablespoons sour cream.

Take a mixture of cereals (for example: wheat and barley, corn or rice and wheat,
corn and barley) for preparing mash porridge. The main thing is that one of the cereals is whole, and the other (or others) are crushed. Grate at least two types of vegetables on a coarse grater. For a glass of cereal mixture - a glass of vegetables.
Place a third of the vegetables on the bottom of the dish, a layer of cereal on them, then another layer of vegetables and so on to make 3 layers (vegetables on top). Pour hot salted water over everything so that the top layer of vegetables is covered. Place in the oven for 6 - 8 minutes. Serve with sour cream.
Stuffed turnips are prepared as follows: boil the peeled turnips for 15 - 20 minutes.
Then remove the core with a teaspoon, leaving the bottom and walls intact. Separately, cook thick semolina porridge. Chop or finely chop the turnip core, simmer until tender, mix with porridge, add salt (you can add granulated sugar, an apple), put the mixture in the turnip. Place the stuffed turnips in a frying pan, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, grease with oil (vegetable or butter) and bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Turnips can be filled with minced vegetables from carrots, onions, parsley, celery, and tomatoes.
Stuffed rutabaga is prepared in the same way.
To prepare rice pancakes, boil 400 g of rice in milk, rub through
sieve, put 400 g of wheat flour, dilute with milk not very thinly, as is usually done for pancake dough, add 50 g of yeast, put in a warm place so that the dough rises. Take 100 g of butter, grind with 4 yolks. Beat four chilled egg whites until foamy. When the dough has risen, put the yolks and whites into it, add salt, let it rise again and bake in small frying pans.

Drinks, jelly

To prepare bread kvass, use stainless steel, enamel or wooden utensils (wooden utensils must be evaporated). Slice rye bread (2 kg), dry in the oven or oven until brown and place in the prepared bowl. Boil ten liters of water, cool to 90 ° C and, pour crackers over it, leave for 10 - 12 hours, then strain through cheesecloth (do not squeeze out the remaining grounds). Take 100 g of yeast, 3 tablespoons of wheat flour, stir in a small amount of the remaining bread grounds and place in a warm place so that the yeast rises. Pour boiling water over the mint separately and boil for several minutes, strain and add sugar. Pour the risen yeast and strained mint tea into the bread liquid, mix well, cover with a napkin and leave in a warm place until thick foam appears, which must be carefully removed (if the foam remains, the spilled kvass will begin to ferment strongly). Then carefully drain the kvass, without shaking the sediment, through a sieve covered with a towel or gauze, and pour into bottles. Seal the bottles tightly and place them horizontally in the cellar or refrigerator. Kvass can be consumed after 12 hours. Instead of mint, you can take 3 tablespoons of grated horseradish and, in this case, instead of sugar, honey. Mint can be replaced with black currant leaves.
Thirty grams of rhubarb, 200 ml of water, 20 g of sugar, 1 g of yeast. The washed rhubarb is finely chopped, poured with water and brought to a boil, left for 2-3 hours, filtered, yeast and sugar diluted with warm water are added and set to ferment. The fermented kvass is filtered and cooled.
Eighty grams of rowan juice, 12 g of sugar, 2 g of yeast, 120 ml of water. Add sugar to boiling water, bring to a boil, add rowan juice, cool to room temperature. Then add yeast diluted with warm boiled water and set for fermentation. The result is rowan kvass.
Pour warm boiled water over oatmeal and leave for a day. Strain, squeeze.
Cook with salt to taste until the mixture thickens. Pour into small vessels and refrigerate. Cut the frozen oatmeal jelly into portions, pour onion sauce (fry the onions in vegetable oil, also cool.

Church fasting, which includes strict food restriction, is a voluntary, spiritual action. A religious person does not set himself therapeutic or mercantile goals. His diet is not associated with forced poverty or inevitable old age. The main principle of fasting is abstinence in everything. This applies to thoughts, sexuality and food.

We will understand all aspects of the church diet in order to determine its benefits, advisability of use and possible damage to health.

The tradition of eating certain foods in certain periods of time did not develop in Christianity right away. This took centuries. The spiritual essence of fasting is taken entirely from the Jewish understanding of restrictions, but is supplemented and complicated in church regulations by numerous new introductions.

Orthodoxy has developed a whole system of so-called minor and major abstinences:

universal (multi-day fasting);
one-day;
small (fast days on Wednesday and Friday).

In addition to the above-mentioned fasts, a tradition has also been established for general church abstinence in private, by vow, in obedience or in the name of a specific goal.

Fasting or fasting means a ban on fast food (meat and dairy products). On some days the consumption of fish is allowed, but the distribution principle is unclear.

Strict fasting is a ban on any meat, hot-cooked food, and even vegetable oil. Bread, fruits, vegetables, compotes, and water are allowed.

Small on Wednesdays and Fridays. The food system these days has an ideological basis - the tradition of the Lord and his crucifixion these days.

Church diet according to severity:

fish products are allowed;
Food cooked in vegetable oil is allowed;
hot food (ban on oil);
dry food;
complete ban on food.

Three components of church fasting

We are talking about a strictly established time, quantity and quality of food consumed.

Time

The tradition is based on the Old Testament. The fast begins at sunrise and ends at sunset. But your own option is also possible due to certain reasons, for example, for health reasons, or based on your work schedule.

Quantitative indicator

There are no specific quantitative parameters of the food eaten, but everything is subject to the rule - strict moderation. Food is a factor of maintaining strength, not pleasure and satiety. It is permissible to eat as much as is necessary to give strength during work.

Food quality

There are strict canons for zealous adherents of Orthodoxy. There is no consensus regarding the rest of the laity. Disagreements concern the choice of fish, milk consumption, and dry eating. Many believers decide this issue from their confessors or from the books of church authorities.

Church diet. Spiritual aspect

It is necessary to understand that the church diet has its own specifics, and it does not fit into the usual framework of dietetics. A person of faith draws strength from spiritual practice, and bodily limitations are a secondary matter. The church itself is well aware of the danger of church fasting for unprepared neophytes. First, prayer and repentance must be cultivated, clear argumentation and motivation must be formulated, then limitation must be practiced.

If a regular diet is already an end in itself, then with church fasting the situation is much more complicated. In Orthodoxy, fasting is not considered as a diet, but as part of the implementation of some spiritual improvement plan.

Rehabilitologist V.V. explains. Lutskaya (Medical Center of Doctor of Medical Sciences Professor S. M. Bubnovsky)

Lent is considered by church ministers as a period of transformation of mental and physical problems into a positive aspect. Medicine uses this vision for its own mercantile purposes, drawing our attention to the need to maintain the body within reasonable limits of energy expenditure and restore health.

In this regard, it is interesting to get acquainted with the opinion of rehabilitologist and specialist in therapeutic training devices Valentin Viktorovich Lutsky, who works at the Kiev Center, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor S. M. Bubnovsky.

As a person who has accumulated vast experience in improving the health of strength sports athletes and practicing a healthy lifestyle, Valentin Viktorovich, a Christian by conviction, has a clear understanding of the connection between diet and spiritual cleansing.

He emphasizes that a person’s well-being directly depends on his worldview and life activity. For interested parties, he developed a special nutrition program that can be adjusted individually. Lutskoy draws attention to excessive indulgence of the body, overeating, drunkenness and large gaps between meals, advises eating often and drinking a lot of spring water (up to three liters per day)

In addition, it is necessary:

A special feature of Valentin Viktorovich’s treatment measures is the practical implementation of centuries-old developments from church posts, which he popularizes everywhere.

Reasons for such a power system:

resting the digestive system from heavy foods;
restoration of strength;
cleansing the body.

The rehabilitologist claims that lean foods prolong life and help get rid of negative emotions that systematically destroy a person’s nervous system and his body. Let us add on our own behalf – subject to strong motivation and a 100% commitment to results.

In order to have the physical strength for such a test, you first need to accumulate spiritual strength.

Before the revolution in Russia, church fasts were observed very strictly, which, according to Lutsky, affected the health of the nation. Even foreigners envied the growth, strength and endurance of Russian men and women.

Nutrition must comply with the principles of rationality.

The body needs a building material - protein.

Make sure you have plant proteins in your home:

beans, lentils, peas, nuts, etc.
cedar, linseed, pumpkin oil;
cereal crops:
seafood;
sauerkraut, cucumbers;
honey products.

Vegetarianism or a raw food diet is a voluntary choice of few people. This is more of a difficult spiritual path than a diet. It is stupid and harmful to reconfigure the body without a solid ideological base.

Decide not to eat after 18:00 - you will protect your gastrointestinal tract from putrefactive processes. Of the alcoholic drinks, only good red wines will be harmless to you. But no more than 50 grams. It is this dose that stimulates the functionality of the stomach.

Fasting for one to three days helps get rid of taste addiction. But first, you should cleanse your intestinal system with a laxative.

Proper end of the post

The key here is the same moderation. Fast food after fasting is a serious blow to the body. To “start” enzymes during the transition period, add to your table:

horseradish;
mustard;
pepper;
garlic and onion.

Add meat, milk and other foods to your diet gradually and in small portions.

Modern science about Orthodox fasting

There is no consensus among nutritionists regarding church fasting. Some of them emphasize the positive aspects of its usefulness and safety, recommending fasting as a successful alternative to modern diets. The foundation is a time-tested practice.

Temporary transitions from meat consumption to purely plant-based components help the body get rid of cholesterol, toxic and carcinogenic substances.

In lean food products, a number of antioxidants “tune” the cardiovascular system and musculoskeletal system to “unload”, at the same time putting the psyche in order.

The seasonal nature of diets also contributes in this regard. In the spring, the body tries to switch to the summer mode of operation of the gastrointestinal tract, and in the fall - to the winter one. It is important to provide him with all possible assistance at this time.

Fasting is an opportunity to minimize the load on the stomach and renew its mucous membrane.

Recently, Western scientists identified a toxin in meat and milk, the accumulation of which provokes the occurrence of cancer. Fasting or a strict diet is an accessible way for everyone to get rid of this danger.

Reference. Research by scientists from the University of Milan (Italy)
Plant proteins lower cholesterol levels. As for animal proteins, scientists over the past years of research have been able to discover a direct relationship between malignant neoplasms of the colon, uterus and mammary glands and increased consumption of meat and milk.
The reason for this is the appearance of toxins as a result of digestion of food, since the human digestive system is not adapted to large amounts of animal protein. The human intestines are long, so meat and dairy foods that remain in the gastrointestinal tract for too long form toxins when left for a long time. The human body is not able to productively remove the breakdown products of animal proteins.
Consequence: deposition of toxins in the body, development of malignant pathologies, gout, arthritis, impaired kidney function.

The church's annual calendar specifies 200 days of restricted eating. This is quite a long period without meat and dairy products, a serious opportunity to reduce the risk of developing serious diseases.

Features of the food pyramid

Giving up a whole range of foods during long religious fasts looks scary only at first glance. The foods that a fasting believer refuses are not basic and absolutely necessary.

Products necessary for the body:

water;
most fruits and vegetables;
whole grains;
different types of nuts;
oil from plants;
legumes.

The unusualness of eating such food every day is due to factors of tradition, culture and modern technology, but not to the peculiarities of physiology.

What nutrition says about church fasting

If the essence of spiritual strengthening during church fasting does not raise questions, then we should clarify the problems of physiology and the state of the body.

About Lent, nutritionist Kovalkov, for example, in his article “Diet and fasting - together or apart?” speaks of a positive factor of rest from stress on the gastrointestinal tract. At the same time, he insists on consultations not only with confessors, but also with doctors, in order to avoid irreversible changes in the body.

lactating and pregnant women;
children;
people with a large list of diseases, including mental illnesses.

But, a reasonable approach is needed in everything.

For example, many patients resolve issues of fasting only with clergy, which is fundamentally wrong. Regarding any diet, you must first contact a body healer. If it is difficult to get relief from a confessor on a limited diet, then doctors will even insist on them.

An important factor is also taking into account the need to perform household and work responsibilities during fasting.

Fasting before the Holy Resurrection of Christ

Preparing for this holiday can hardly be called easy. We are talking about the central and most significant abstinence for the whole year. Add to this spring vitamin deficiency and draw conclusions.

The fast lasts for seven weeks in March and April. Of course, it can be very useful if followed correctly. But this is exactly what most believers have a problem with.

Excluding animal fats and meat from the diet allows the body to be well prepared for the predominance of plant foods in the summer and autumn. He needs a certain mindset to digest and absorb vitamins from natural plant foods.

Science points to an established fact -

reducing calorie content by up to 40% increases life motivation and prolongs the functionality of all human organs and systems.

Church charter and culinary features

The restrictions are quite serious.

We are talking about a series of regulations and prohibitions:

One meal per day on weekdays.
Refusal from so-called modest foods, on some days - from all types of vegetable oil, fish and wine products.
Saturday and Sunday - permission for two meals, with vegetable oil and a small amount of wine (permission is canceled during Holy Week).
Two fish days (on the holidays of the Annunciation and Palm Sunday) and a day of fish caviar on Lazarus Saturday.

The peak of the strictness of the church diet occurs at the beginning and end of Lent.

Fasting is prescribed on the first and second day of the first week and the last week. Holy Week is a time of dry eating.

Fast. Strict rules are not for everyone!

Not everyone is ready mentally, mentally and physically to overcome such a difficult post. The Church insists that these rules are prescribed only for the most steadfast believers, who take on the heavy burden of trials for spiritual growth. In fact, this is a guideline, and not a mandatory milestone for comprehending God. It is unreasonable and dangerous for the body for everyone to undertake to comply with all the strictest dietary standards without extensive preparation. Monks are accustomed to such abstinence, but not ordinary people accustomed to the benefits of civilization.

Doctors will confirm the facts of a huge influx of patients after the Easter holidays - people do not know how to properly complete their diet.

For children and sick people, a lighter type of fasting is prescribed, with an emphasis on prayer and ordering of thoughts. The church fathers insist on determining their strengths and the degree of possible zeal, so that abstinence is not a burden, but brings joy and helps to look at the world with the surprised eyes of a child.

Menu and post. Learning to cook lean food

The main problem of creating a menu on fasting days is to avoid monotony and create the impression of abundance from a small list of products.

We remind you that all milk derivatives, meat, eggs, animal fats and fish remain prohibited (except for a few days). But even from permitted products, a skillful housewife can easily prepare a nutritious and tasty lunch.

The Lenten diet includes:

various pickles;
stewed and boiled vegetables;
porridge;
salads;
fruits, berries, vegetables;
nuts, seeds, mushrooms, etc.

During this period, it makes sense to practice preparing a wide variety of soups and green borscht, with mushrooms, vegetables, but without meat.

For salads, which have become an important part of the table, dressing with corn, olive, flaxseed oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or just a pinch of salt is suitable.

Everyone knows the versatility of ordinary potatoes, which can be made the basis for a whole list of lean dishes. Add your favorite vegetables to boiled or stewed potatoes in fresh, stewed, pickled, salted, baked form. Fry the mushrooms and garnish the salad with green leaves. Make Lent a holiday of harmony and universal joy.

Don't forget peas, beans and lentils. Together with them, your body will receive an abundance of a complete type of plant protein, designed to temporarily replace the same from animal food.

Every other day, prepare dishes using flour, but without eggs. During Lent, you can learn how to make authentic Italian spaghetti or pasta.

Determine for yourself the usefulness of the post

Every person is the main character in his life. No one knows your needs and shortcomings better than you.

Food systems can be confusing, but they still haven't solved the problem of obesity in the world. Moreover, thousands of women and men around the world, in the race for harmony and beauty, lose the remnants of their health.

Why does this happen?

In order to determine the usefulness of any dietary plan or religious diet, it is enough to know the main signs that indicate dangerous symptoms.

Beware of hunger

Feeling very hungry?

This is a sure sign that you are not on the right path. But there are subtleties here too. It turns out there are different types of hunger. For example, a healthy feeling of hunger, anticipation before a good lunch. Or unbearable hunger, knocking you down, accompanied by severe irritation and headache. The human body warns that it is extremely undesirable to continue in this spirit. Stop dieting.

A sign of a natural, harmless diet is limited appetite. I want to eat, but not much.

How to achieve this?

Only frequent meals, which do not exclude the possibility of getting hungry quickly.

Beware of prohibitions

The method is simple - take a list of prohibited foods and see the amount of prohibited food. Diets with a complete ban on fruits and vegetables, carbohydrates, and meat products are now fashionable.

This means enormous stress for your body. Not everyone can maintain such a diet. And is it necessary? Consult your doctor. The list of creative mono-diets, on the one hand, gives the final result, but at what cost?

Time restrictions also raise questions. If you work until midnight and are told to abstain from eating after six o'clock in the evening, will it benefit you? Isn’t it better to focus on two or three hours before bedtime?

All this speaks to the extreme importance of an individual approach and reasonable choice when focusing on the needs of the body and their moderate compensation.

Avoid radicalism in dietetics

Let's look at this from a scientific point of view. The body will be subjected to hunger to which it is not accustomed. This is a powerful stress for him and negative consequences that will have to be eliminated. After losing weight quickly, don't throw away oversized clothes. You'll need it again very soon.

According to the famous nutritionist M. Ginzburg, fasting leads to gastritis, the formation of gastric and duodenal ulcers, cholelithiasis and urolithiasis, a significant decrease in immunity and an increased risk of infection.

Fashionable power systems. Collect all available information

Think about it, we are talking about a real risk for you!

Find out - is there any basic data on the effect of your chosen diet on metabolism, on the organs and systems of the body, including the psychological aspect?

Fasting and diets. Be reasonable

The absurdity of some dietary patterns defies description. Beware of beautiful names designed to turn on your emotionality and turn off your mental abilities. The infantilism of followers of candy, chocolate, rum, and flower diets cannot but make the specialist smile.

Medical history. A practicing doctor says . Patient, young woman. I practiced a raw food diet for seven years. Unfortunately, I have to admit that vitamin B12 deficiency was confirmed as a result of a comprehensive study. At the same time, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that for six years she felt great and advertised this way of eating to everyone. Six years later, he was diagnosed with megablastic anemia, a severe form. The condition leaves much to be desired. Anemia in this form and with such indicators is a serious diagnosis.

The body experienced an acute shortage of:

gland;
vit. B12;
and B9 (folic acid).

Reference. Folic acid cannot be fully absorbed by the body without the presence of the required amount of vitamin B12.

The patient's symptoms:

Destruction of the mucous membranes with the appearance of ulcers in the mouth, crimson-red tongue (“scalded”).
Enlarged lymph nodes.
Ulcers in the larynx and intestines.
Stomach ulcer.

Complaints: The whole body and all organs hurt, every day there is blood in the stool, severe weakness, cephalic lobes, pressure surges, loss of consciousness.

Recovery is slow, the body urgently needs normal levels of iron and vitamins, but prescribing large doses is dangerous, since high dosages are toxic.

Why did this happen? Vegetarian and raw food diets are not suitable for everyone, and it must also be taken into account that women lose blood every month during menstruation. Those who decide to be a vegetarian, firstly, need to undergo a serious comprehensive study, and secondly, even if the body is healthy as a whole, regularly undergo laboratory tests. If there is a lack of vitamins and microelements, in the case of continuing a vegetarian diet or raw food diet (if your doctor allows), start taking vitamin-mineral complexes (again, as prescribed by a specialist).

Reasons for stopping the diet

Let's name three main ones:

A feeling of malaise - weakness, later dry skin, impaired nail structure, hair loss. Symptoms indicate the onset of vitamin deficiency and a lack of certain minerals.
Impaired mental activity. Deterioration of mood, attacks of depression, irritability, aggressive reaction to people and the surrounding reality, sleep disturbance. Symptoms of brain starvation.
An unexpected desire to consume a certain product that was not previously typical for you. Symptoms of a lack of certain vitamins and microelements.

The above cases are a serious reason for immediately stopping the diet or fasting and visiting a doctor to find out the cause of specific symptoms and determine measures to eliminate a direct threat to health.

Dear visitors of the Farmamir website. This article does not constitute medical advice and should not serve as a substitute for consultation with a physician.