What can you eat on March 7 during Lent? Nutrition calendar for Lent by day: what is possible, what is not. What is possible, what is not

On February 27, Orthodox Christians began Lent. This is the longest of all fasts and will last until April 15th. Let's figure out what you can eat during Lent.

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What can you eat during Lent?

The first week of Lent is the strictest. On the first day of Lent, believers must completely abstain from food. However, such strict restrictions apply only to monks and church ministers. Ordinary people should not observe such a strict fast. They need to take into account their lifestyle and health status.

Therefore, the church advises pregnant women, the sick, children, and the elderly to refrain from fasting.

Menu for Lent 2017 by day

From Wednesday and on the following days you can already eat according to the usual Lenten menu. So, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays it is allowed to eat food that is not cooked over fire and without adding oil. On Tuesdays and Thursdays you can cook over a fire, but you cannot add oil. On weekends, relaxations are given - you can add vegetable oil and consume up to 200 ml of Cahors.

What can you eat during Lent:

• dried fruits;
• nuts;
• vegetables and fruits without heat treatment;
• bread;
• water, tea, herbal infusions;
• crackers;

From the fifth day of Lent, you can eat pickles, porridge with water, vegetables with mushrooms, and soups with vegetable broth.

What should you not eat during the first week of Lent?

During Lent, believers cannot eat food of animal origin. Among them:

• meat;
• milk;
• oil;
• sour cream;
• cottage cheese;
• dairy products
• eggs;
• fish.

Lent in 2018 The year begins on February 19 and ends on April 7. What you can and cannot eat during all 40 days, nutrition calendar by day during Holy Week.

Lent 2018, is the central post in all historical churches, the purpose of which is to prepare the Christian for the celebration of Easter. A special period of the liturgical year is celebrated in worship with prayers of repentance and the remembrance of the death on the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Lent 2018 established in memory of the fact that the Lord fasted in the desert for forty days.

In Lent 2018 Believing Christians abstain from food of humble origin (milk, fish, meat, eggs, etc.) Eating fish is allowed only on the holiday of Palm Resurrection and the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; on Lazarus Saturday, fish is not allowed, but caviar can be used for food. Now in today's society it is not forbidden to eat seafood (squid, shrimp, mussels, etc.) during the fasting period.

But every layman must decide on the purpose of fasting. Abstaining from food should bring him humility and spiritual purification.

Regarding meals, the Church Charter prescribes the following rules:

– in the first and final (Holy Weeks) weeks there is a particularly strict fast;

– “meat” foods are not allowed (meat and its by-products, animal fat, dairy products, eggs);

– on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - cold food without oil once a day (in the evening);

– on Tuesdays and Thursdays - hot food without oil once a day (in the evening);

– on Saturdays and Sundays it is allowed to consume vegetable oil and grape wine (except for Saturday of Holy Week) twice a day (in the daytime and in the evening;

– on Good Friday you are supposed to eat nothing;

– on Holy Saturday, many believers also refuse to eat until Easter, while the Charter allows for a single meal of raw food with wine in the evening of this day;

On the days of remembrance of the most revered saints, if they fall during Lent, the following is also permitted:

– on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday you can eat hot food with vegetable oil;

– on Wednesday and Friday it is allowed to eat hot food without oil, but with wine.

Lent 2018: what you can and cannot eat, nutrition table by day.

Lent begins seven weeks before the Holy Resurrection of Christ - in 2018, Orthodox Christians will celebrate Easter on April 8.

Great Lent, the strictest and longest of all four multi-day fasts established by the Orthodox Church, will begin on February 19, after Forgiveness Sunday.

During Great Lent, people cleanse themselves with prayer, fasting and repentance in order to meet the Bright Resurrection of Christ with a pure soul and body.

Therefore, Lent is the first of the many-day fasts of the year, the goal of which is to achieve internal qualitative changes, this is not just a refusal of modest food, but also from harmful passions and sinful thoughts.

The meaning of Lent

Observance of Lent is a voluntary act and is deeply individual. In order for laity to fast according to church regulations, it is necessary to receive the blessing of a confessor because Christians, before entering into fasting, must prepare spiritually and undergo the sacrament of confession.

Free time during the entire period of Lent should be devoted to prayers, subduing desires for food, eliminating any excesses and striving for a more secluded lifestyle.

It can be difficult to start fasting without any preparation, and you can harm your health if you don’t know how to eat properly.

For seven weeks, an Orthodox Christian who observes fasting must abstain from meat and dairy products, and also limit food intake per day.

Each person must determine his own measure of fasting, how much food and drink he needs per day, and gradually reduce the amount, minimizing what is necessary for life, the clergy explain.

But fasting is, first of all, abstinence from rich food, and not depletion of the body, so the fasting menu should be varied and rich in vitamins.

Seriously ill people, military personnel, workers engaged in heavy physical labor, travelers, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children under seven years of age are exempt from fasting. From seven to 14 years of age, children can fast only on Wednesdays and Fridays. And after 14 years of age, a teenager must choose whether to fast or not.

What you can and cannot eat

During Lent, like any other, the strictest food ban is placed on meat, since it is believed that the violent death of an animal whose meat we subsequently eat leaves its mark.

The Bible says that food for people in paradise was only plant-based, and that all the animals created by God were needed by people. Based on this, the attitude towards them should have been appropriate, therefore, during the flood, everyone was saved - “a pair of every creature.”

In the Bible, when creating Adam’s helpers, fish are not mentioned, and there was no need to save them during the flood. It is also read that fish do not experience the fear and emotions characteristic of other animals when killed.

On ordinary days of fasting, fish is among the forbidden foods, but the ban on it on holidays is not indicated anywhere.

During Lent, you can prepare various porridges - buckwheat, corn, oatmeal, peas, pearl barley, beans and others, as well as lean soups, pilafs, cutlets, pasta, salads and so on.

You can and should eat any vegetables that exist in nature: cabbage of all kinds, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, radishes, onions, green beans and so on.

To maintain health, during Lent it is important to eat a lot of fresh herbs and bell peppers, which are rich in vitamins and minerals necessary for the body.

You can eat any fruit available in this season - apples, pears, bananas, oranges and so on. You can add jams, dried fruits, pickles, honey, nuts and spices to the Lenten menu.

Lent calendar 2018

We offer the so-called monastic food option during Lent - it is the most strict and not obligatory for the laity. During fasting you should eat more vegetables and fruits, legumes, potatoes, etc. You should also pay attention to porridges, lean soups, dried fruits, nuts, honey, jelly and fruit drinks, etc.

First week of Lent February 19 - 25

Second week of Lent February 26 - March 4

Third week of Lent March 5 - 11

Fourth week of Lent March 12 - 18

Fifth week of Lent March 19 - 25

Sixth week of Lent March 26 - April 1

March 31, 2018, Saturday — Lazarev Saturday. Hot food with vegetable oil, fish caviar, and wine are allowed.

April 1, 2018, Sunday - Palm Sunday. Hot food with vegetable oil, fish and seafood, and wine are allowed.

Holy Week April 2 - 8

April 8, 2018, Sunday - Easter, Holy Resurrection of Christ. The end of Great Lent. Any food is allowed.

The cheerful and beloved holiday of Maslenitsa ends with Forgiveness Sunday, followed by a seven-week fast that lasts until Easter - from March 11 to April 27, 2019. It is very important to know during Lent what you can eat on a daily basis.

Nutrition, which is provided for by church canons, helps to cleanse the body, renew it and establish the correct spiritual state of a person.

Easter Lent 2019 provides for daily meals, the menu of which, despite strict restrictions, does not have a detrimental effect on the human body, but, on the contrary, helps to improve well-being, as well as establish mental balance.

Easter Lent - daily nutrition calendar

The most stringent are the first and last weeks of fasting, when the amount of food consumed is reduced to a minimum. Below is the menu you should follow in first seven days after Forgiveness Sunday:

Tuesday March 12, 2019: It is prohibited to eat foods that have undergone heat treatment. As a rule, on this day they eat raw vegetables and fruits, nuts, and dried fruits.

Thursday March 14, 2019: It is prohibited to prepare food in any way - it should be eaten exclusively in its natural form.

Saturday March 16, 2019: It is allowed to eat boiled foods, add vegetable oil to them, and also drink a small glass of wine.

When determining for yourself what you can eat during Lent 2019 by day, you should also pay attention to the menu last week before Easter:

Sunday April 28, 2019: the end of Lent, the Holy Holiday of Easter - you are allowed to eat whatever you want, and in any quantity.

In the weeks of less strict fasting than the first and last, namely from the second to the sixth (in 2019 from March 18 to April 21), the menu may be more varied, but it is mandatory to avoid meat and dairy products. At this time the menu will look like this:

Monday Wednesday Friday: water, bread, vegetables and fruits, compotes.

Tuesday and Thursday: hot food cooked without vegetable oil.

Saturday and Sunday: food cooked in vegetable oil.

In addition, on the feasts of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (April 7) and Palm Sunday (April 21, 2019), fish is allowed. And on Lazarus Saturday (April 20, 2019), fish caviar is allowed, but not the fish itself. However, it must be noted that when the Annunciation falls during Holy Week, then even on this holiday the usual rules of fasting apply.

In the old days, with the beginning of Lent, life in cities and villages literally came to a standstill - the noisy Maslenitsa festivities ended, there were no weddings, no visits, and people went to bed early.

This is not a diet!

For Orthodox believers, the main meaning of fasting is not in observing some gastronomic rules, but in purifying the spirit. Moreover, refusing food is not an end in itself. This is a kind of support necessary for deep inner work. You should not go hungry while fasting. You need to eat to your fill, but not overeat. It is necessary to satisfy the feeling of hunger so that you can work spiritually and physically.

It is possible and it is not possible

During Lent, believers refuse certain foods, the so-called fast food. This includes meat, eggs, milk and dairy products, and strong alcohol.

During Lent, you can afford grain products (bread, cereals, cereal products), vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts, mushrooms, honey, vegetable oils, and spices. On certain days you are allowed to drink red wine (no more than 1 glass) and eat fish and seafood.

Pregnant women, nursing mothers, the sick and children under five years of age may not fast. Children over five can be gradually introduced to fasting, but without too strict restrictions. For example, they may abstain from animal food not throughout the entire fast, but only for a few days.

February 19 - 25

The 1st week is called Feodorova. At this time, it is customary to remember all the defenders of the Orthodox faith. The Church remembers the final victory of Orthodox doctrine over heresy.

Clean Monday. The name Clean Monday comes from the desire to spend the first day of Lent clean. On Clean Monday a very strict fast is observed. Whenever possible, believers try to abstain from food, pray more diligently, and fight sinful passions.

According to the Church Charter, hot food without oil is allowed.

The monastic charter stipulates that one should eat hot food without oil.

Food with vegetable oil is allowed. On this day Orthodox Christians honor Holy Martyr Theodore Tiron, who, in response to the Roman emperor's coercion to sacrifice to idols, continued to profess the Christian faith.

For disobedience to the emperor, Theodore was put in prison and given over to torture.

However, he did not renounce the Christian faith and was burned.

The monastic charter allows food with vegetable oil.

The 2nd week of Lent is dedicated to remembrance Gregory Palamas. Saint Palamas, who lived in the 14th century, renounced his court position and retired to the Athos monastery to devote himself to serving the faith and preaching about the power of fasting and prayer.

The church charter prescribes dry eating. You can eat bread, vegetables, fruits.

The church allows hot food, boiled and baked dishes, but without vegetable oil.

You can eat hot food, but without vegetable oil.

Cook in a double boiler, bake, cook soups.

The charter prescribes dry eating. You will have to limit yourself to fresh vegetables, bread, and fruits.

Parents' Saturday is the day of remembrance of the dead. On this day, the Church calls on everyone to unite in funeral prayer. The fact is that, according to the rules, during Lent it is not necessary to organize memorial services, magpies and funeral services. But so that the deceased are not left without prayer, the Church has set aside special days for commemoration. On Parents' Saturday, you need to visit the temple and, together with everyone else, ask for repose for your deceased relatives.

Hot food with vegetable oil is allowed, you can drink a little grape wine.

Memorial Day of Gregory Palamas. You can eat hot food with vegetable oil, drink wine.

March 5 - 11

The 3rd week of Lent is called the Worship of the Cross. On the third Sunday of Lent, in all churches, a cross decorated with flowers is taken out from the altar. The Holy Cross reminds us of suffering Jesus Christ and strengthens believers to continue fasting.

Hot food without vegetable oil is allowed. Prepare soups, bake and stew vegetables.

Xerophagy. The church allows you to eat fresh vegetables, fruits, and bread. You can eat pickles, pickled berries, fruits and vegetables, and sauerkraut.

You can eat hot food without vegetable oil.

Hot food is allowed, you can flavor it with vegetable oil. According to tradition, on this day relatives went to visit each other and treated themselves to jelly - berry or oatmeal.

Parents' Saturday. As on the second Saturday of Great Lent, one is supposed to go to church and pray for the repose of deceased relatives. On Parents' Saturday, hot food with vegetable oil is allowed, and you can drink a little grape wine. Wine can only be dry, without added sugar, no more than 200 g.

On this day, they visit churches to venerate the Cross, consecrate prosphyra, and read traditions about the lives of saints. Hot food with vegetable oil and wine are allowed.

March 12 - 18

The 4th week of Lent is called the Week Venerable John Climacus. John put his thoughts on spirituality into a book, which Christians consider a reliable staircase to the gates of Heaven. The book is called “The Ladder”.

According to the regulations, you can eat hot food without oil: soups, stewed vegetables, compotes and jelly.

The church charter prescribes dry eating. Only bread, vegetables and fruits are allowed.

The monastic charter allows hot food without vegetable oil.

Xerophagy

Parents' Saturday- Day of Remembrance of the Dead. Despite the name Parental, Saturday commemorations should not only refer to the deceased father and mother. On this day we remember all those who have passed away.

Hot food with vegetable oil is allowed, you can drink a little grape wine. Wine can only be dry, without added sugar, no more than 1 glass (200 ml). It is better to dilute the wine with water.

Memorial Day of St. John Climacus. You can eat hot food with butter.

March 19 - 25

The 5th week of Lent is dedicated to Venerable Mary of Egypt, this week is also called Praise, since on Saturday a special prayer is read in the Church - the Praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On Wednesday of Praiseworthy Week an all-night vigil with the canon is celebrated Andrey Kritsky- Christian preacher. In the old days, girls considered it obligatory to endure this service, believing that for their zeal, Andrei Kritsky would help them get suitors.

The Church prescribes dry eating. Fresh and soaked vegetables and fruits are allowed. You can eat pickles, bread and dried fruits.

But you will have to abstain from hot food.

According to the church charter, you can eat hot food, but without vegetable oil. Prepare soups, compotes, jelly, stew and bake vegetables.

According to the regulations, you can eat hot food without vegetable oil.

Xerophagy. You should not eat anything other than bread, vegetables, and fruits.

Praise to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This holiday appeared in the 9th century in honor of the deliverance of Constantinople from invaders. When crowds of pagan Persians moved towards the Christian city, the Mother of God defended the city. In gratitude, all the churches of Constantinople sang an all-night hymn of praise in honor of the Mother of God.

On this day, the church charter allows hot food seasoned with vegetable oil. You can drink some dry grape wine.

On this day the Church remembers the Venerable Mary of Egypt. Mary was a great sinner and then repented. On this day you can eat hot food with butter and drink wine.

March 26 - April 1

The 6th week of Great Lent is dedicated to the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. People call it Palm Week. On this day, Jesus entered Jerusalem and revealed himself as the Messiah, and the believers greeted him with branches.

Xerophagy. Bread, vegetables, fruits

Church regulations allow eating hot food without oil. Boil, stew vegetables, prepare jelly and compotes.

The Church prescribes dry eating. You can only eat fresh vegetables and fruits and bread. Don't neglect nuts, dried fruits, and pickles.

The Church allows hot food to be eaten without oil.

The charter prescribes dry eating. You can eat vegetables and fruits that have not undergone heat treatment.

Lazarev Saturday. A few days after the death of Saint Lazarus, Jesus resurrected him. The news of the miracle spread throughout Judea, and it was after this that the Pharisees (at that time representatives of the most influential religious movement) decided to kill Jesus Christ. It is allowed to eat hot food with butter, fish caviar and a little wine. In the old days, bread was baked for Lazarus, and a penny was placed in one of them. Whoever gets it - be happy.

Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. In churches on this day, the rite of blessing the willow is performed.

It is allowed to eat hot food, fish dishes and some wine.

April 2 - 8

The 7th week of Lent is called Passion Week in memory of the suffering that Jesus endured in the last days of his earthly life. All days this week are called Great. At this time, the whole life of Christ and all His teaching pass before believers. This is the strictest week of fasting.

The church charter prescribes dry eating - fresh vegetables, fruits, pickles, and bread are allowed.

The day when the Orthodox remember various parables of Jesus, His denunciation of the Pharisees, who cared more about the purity of their bodies than about their souls. Dry eating is recommended.

On this day, Judas decided to betray Jesus Christ to the Jewish elders and received 30 pieces of silver for this. The monastic charter prescribes dry eating.

People call Maundy Thursday Clean Thursday. On this day you are supposed to clean your home, paint eggs and bake Easter cakes. The Church recommends dry eating.

On this day, Jesus was put on trial, torn to pieces, crucified and killed on the cross. Church charter prescribes complete abstinence from food.

Annunciation. On this day to Virgin Mary appeared Archangel Gabriel with the good news that Mary is to give birth to a son - Jesus Christ.

Usually it is allowed to eat fish on the Annunciation, but this year this day falls on Holy Saturday, so you will have to give up fish. But some red wine is allowed.

Easter holiday. The end of Lent, you are allowed to eat any food.

Main products

Since Lent falls at the end of winter and spring, it is worth taking care that the body does not lack vitamins.

Vitamin C is especially important during this period. Pay attention to sauerkraut. In terms of ascorbic acid content, it is second only to rose hips. To compensate for the lack of vitamin C, cabbage should be eaten every other day throughout the fast.

Don’t forget about pickled apples, cucumbers and tomatoes - all pickled products contain a large amount of probiotics, which are food for beneficial microflora.

During Lent, legumes and nuts must be present on your table. They will help fill the protein deficiency that occurs when giving up meat and milk.

You should not ignore fresh vegetables - they will supply not only vitamins, but also valuable microelements, and at the same time cleanse the intestines of accumulated “garbage”.

The body cannot do without unsaturated fatty acids. Some of them can be found in flaxseed oil (it is enough to take 1 teaspoon per day). And the other part is found in fish and seafood. If you do not eat fish during fasting, take dietary supplements containing omega-3 acids.

But you shouldn’t chase multivitamin complexes during fasting. The fact is that acidification of the body interferes with the absorption of vitamins, so it is better to take them after the body has been cleansed.

During fasting, you can eat cereals, bread, vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts, honey, sugar. On some days of Lent, it is allowed to add vegetable oil and spices to food and prepare fish dishes.
But meat, eggs, milk and dairy products are in no way suitable for the Lenten table.
Strong alcohol should also be avoided for the entire period of fasting. The only thing you can afford is a little red wine, but only on certain days.