Everyone knows that our ancestors adhered to traditions and considered every Lenten day a joy. This time was special. Historically, fasting is a restriction of a religious person in something for the purpose of repentance. Some Christians use the metaphor "spring of the soul". It characterizes the inner state of a person who has set a goal to sacrifice himself to God. The Lord showed believers an example when he stayed in the wilderness for 40 days and did not eat anything. Spring in nature means awakening, new life, just as fasting is a time for self-examination, self-improvement, and prayer. Some people can independently, without external help, look for flaws, shortcomings, correct them.
In Christianity, this is given a special time, called fasting days. During periods of fasting, active spiritual work is done, passions are eradicated, the soul is cleansed. To do this, you must definitely go to the temple often, pray in the morning and evening, do good deeds, give alms, visitweak, prisoners, learn humility.
Why do we need a fast day
In the practice of Christianity, there are 4 multi-day fasts (the Great Lent takes place in the spring, Assumption and Petrov - in the summer, Christmas - in the winter) and separate fast days - Wednesday and Friday. During long fasts, the first and last weeks are the main ones. At this time, a person needs to be extremely attentive to himself and his loved ones. Important for a fasting person is the internal state, deeds, actions, spoken words.
What should abstinence be about
Many mistakenly believe that you need to limit yourself only in food. Self-control is a very complex act that requires considerable effort. It is to track these changes that the Lord created the state in which a person lives. If a Christian fully observes external conditions, but visits entertainment establishments, watches entertainment programs, behaves unworthily, this can be called an ordinary diet. In this case, the Lord will see the deceit, and there will be no spiritual development. It happens the other way around, when a person consumes forbidden foods, but fasts in the shower. An example is a disease of the stomach or intestines, when a strict diet is needed. This desire and perseverance will be appreciated from above.
What to eat and what not to eat
So, now let's figure out what kind of food you can eat in fasting and what not. There is a simple rule about nutrition. It is allowed to eat food of plant origin and it is forbidden to eat animal products.
Forbidden
What is strictly forbidden to use:
- Meat, meat products, poultry.
- Fish (but on some fasting days it is allowed).
- Eggs, as well as the products in which they are included.
- Dairy products, butter, dairy products, sour cream, cheeses.
Allowed
These products can be eaten:
- Vegetables in various forms, pickles.
- Fruits, dried fruits, nuts.
- Porridge on the water.
- Beans, soy products.
- Mushrooms.
- Bread, lean pastries.
- Fish (on permitted days only).
During fasting, you need to diversify your diet to the maximum, as the body is used to proteins and fats. It is necessary to eat all plant foods, for example, juices, soy products, sweets, chocolate. In addition to basic ingredients such as vegetables and fruits, a variety of modern products should be introduced.
Be sure to try eggplant, celery, spinach, broccoli, arugula, chickpeas (from the legume family). Ordinary vegetables from the garden can be cooked in a special way, experiment, add various herbs and seasonings.
For any hostess, cooking a new dish is a special ritual during which a woman plunges into her element. To do this, you can create a personal diary and enter each recipe. Fasting days will brighten up communication with loved ones, as a joint meal brings together. Ways to cook dishes that really turned out great, tryrecommend to friends, share experience. It is important to remember that the body must be supported by those products that include protein and glucose, fats.
Lenten recipes for every day
The most common ingredients in lean cuisine are vegetables, they are suitable for both side dishes and gourmet dishes. There are a lot of recipes. For example, it is easy to make excellent meatballs from ordinary potatoes, as well as a salad or a casserole. From boiled vegetables - vinaigrette.
Recently it has become fashionable to make mashed soups. They are very nutritious, quickly and thoroughly digested. This method of cooking will appeal to young children, people of advanced age. The use of this product is not difficult. The recipe is very simple, because all the selected ingredients must first be boiled and then chopped with a blender. Next, the resulting mixture is added to the broth.
Depending on the components, the calorie content and nutritional value of the dish may vary. In some countries, this cooking method is the most common. Here is a recipe for such a soup.
Soup puree with potatoes and white bread
To make the dish rich in vitamins and minerals, take parsley, celery and carrots, onions. Rinse them under running water, peel, cut into small pieces so that the cooking process takes less time. Put on the stove and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat. Now we decant the broth into a separate container and set it aside.
So, it's the turn of the potatoes. We clean it, wash it, divide it into 4 partseach tuber and lower into the broth. We do the same with white bread. Yes, it needs to be cut and boiled together with potatoes.
Then take some wheat flour. Mix it with vegetable oil and place in a pan with potatoes and bread. Cook until cooked, then decant the broth. You can use a colander to separate the potatoes with bread from the broth.
The cooking process is coming to an end. Grind all the ingredients that were cooked earlier in a blender and send back to our broth. The highlight of the soup will be toasted croutons, which must be fried in advance in a frying pan with butter. If the dish turned out to be thick, it is necessary to dilute it with boiled water.
Dietary variety
What else can you eat in fasting besides vegetables and fruits? Of course, porridge boiled in water. Grains are very useful. In the first place is buckwheat, rich in vitamins and trace elements that can be absorbed by the body in the shortest possible time. It can be cooked with fried onions, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach. The list of cereals is huge, we list some of them:
- rice;
- barley;
- millet;
- wheat;
- barley;
- corn;
- semolina.
Also, cereals can be combined with each other, for example, rice and millet. To make the taste not so bland, add margarine or spread. In the morning with honey and juice, you can eat corn flakes or chocolate balls. Muesli during fasting days will be an excellent reinforcement duringworkdays. The same can be said about dried fruits, which serve as a snack. In supermarkets at any time of the year, a lot of frozen vegetable mixes, fruits, and berries are sold. These products will make an excellent filling for lean pies, pancakes, dumplings.
Diversify the diet will help homemade pickles and marinades, compotes and jams. Sauerkraut or lecho will be a great addition to pasta, potatoes or buckwheat. Today, you can find many products in stores, such as mayonnaise, cookies, waffles, which are labeled "lean".
Advice for fasting
In modern Orthodox practice, many priests recommend that parishioners consult with their doctor before starting fasting. Here are some medical tips that will be helpful. For digestion in the first couple of days it is better not to use chips, crackers, sweet nuts, carbonated drinks, strong coffee, tea. Also, in recent days, the Orthodox should not abruptly switch to permitted products. Do not pounce on eggs, Easter cakes and smoked meats. It must be remembered that there is such a sin as gluttony. Sometimes we do not notice how we get pleasure from eating food, we eat with greed even during fasting. It is worth controlling your feelings.
Fast days. Wednesday and Friday
It is known that fasting time falls on different dates in each calendar circle. The fast days of 2016 are a special time for the Orthodox. We also noted that Wednesday and Friday are no less important in this regard throughout the year. But there are also weeks without fasting, for example, beforeMaslenitsa, Maslenitsa itself, Trinity, Light, Christmas time. You can always look at the calendar of fasting days to get the information you need.
Wednesday became fast due to the memory that Judas betrayed Christ on the eve of the Jewish Passover. With their real sins, people betray the Savior who suffered for us. A fasting Christian remembers this event and laments. To realize the seriousness of the historical date, the fast day is observed almost every week. Friday is a fast day, when Christ died for the sins of the world, He was publicly crucified on the cross as a robber. So that believers do not forget about the great event, on Friday it is necessary to especially abstain mentally and bodily. Orthodox fast days are called upon to take care of the spirituality of believers.
Important goal
Skillfully and wisely arranged posts and fasting days. They alternate with idle time. Such a sequence calls us to renew our souls, to strive for repentance, compassion, and mercy. Then again it is allowed to have fun and rejoice. It was this way of life that helped our ancestors to remain in a good mood, to be he althy mentally and physically. Despite the restrictions and the rejection of the usual things, the result will not be long in coming. Harmony is always and in everything - the basis of the right way of life. To all Orthodox on fasting day - the best wishes, strength, patience, joy.
