Nutrition calendar for Lent by day: what is possible, what is not. What can you eat in the last week of fasting

great post 2019 is very close and it’s worth it now to figure out what you can eat by day. Great Lent is considered the strictest of all Orthodox calendar. In order to keep it properly, one should not only impose restrictions on food, but also give up fun and comfort. It is held in honor of the fact that Jesus fasted in the desert for forty days, in memory of the life of Christ, his crucifixion and resurrection.

Few thought, but in fact Great Lent does not consist of 40 days, but it is customary to fast 48. In 2019, it begins on March 11 and will continue until April 27.

The days of Great Lent have their own name and meaning:

1. Lent - this is how all the first 40 days are called.
2. Lazarus Saturday - this is the name of the Saturday that comes before Palm Sunday.
3. The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is the day that comes a week before Easter and is also called Palm Sunday.
4. Holy Week - the last six days of fasting, which always take place before Easter.
Many people who are only going to fast for the first time believe that Great Lent is a kind of Orthodox diet, but in fact it is considered the main goal of cleansing the soul.

• Who is forbidden to fast
• Lenten menu

Who is forbidden to fast

1. There is a category of people who are allowed not to fast, these are those who have chronic diseases Gastrointestinal tract, oncology and others. Therefore, before fasting, you should consult a doctor. A direct contraindication is pregnancy, anemia and underweight.
2. If children in your family also fast, then you should not observe a complete rejection of dairy products. On the contrary, it is desirable that the child does not eat sweets, from restrictions in meat dishes there is nothing wrong either.
3. If you are a traveler or work in heavy industries, then you do not need to fast in all its canons, relaxation in eating milk and even broths on meat is allowed. But for a blessing, you should turn to the clergyman.

Rules of Conduct for Great Lent

In addition to the rules for abstinence from food, easter post you need to behave properly. The recommendations sound like this:

1. Before you start fasting, you should visit the church and take communion, as well as receive a blessing from the priest.
2. For the entire period while Great Lent is going on, a person should not use foul language and one should definitely refrain from loud conversations.
3. Do not refuse to help people, even strangers before.
4. Refuse to visit mass events and in no case arrange festivities that are accompanied by noise.
5. Smoking and drinking drinks that contain alcohol, as well as carnal pleasures are prohibited.
6. Set aside time to attend the liturgy.

Before you begin to adhere to the food restrictions that Great Lent implies, you should definitely consult with your doctor, as well as after receiving permission from him and the priest to fast. Start physically and mentally preparing your body in advance so that it does not get a lot of stress while you are fasting.

Meal Rules for Great Lent

If we talk about strict monastic observance of Great Lent in 2019, that is, not much can be done during the day, and food should be taken only once a day, after bedtime in the evening. The exception is only on weekends, in addition to the evening meal, it is also allowed to eat after waking up in the morning.

Some restrictions, in addition to when to eat, are also imposed on eating hot food. Only on Tuesday and Thursday you can eat non-cold food. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday the opposite is true. For the laity, the rules and recommendations are slightly different, they are allowed to eat in small portions several times a day.

Only two weeks of the entire Great Lent are considered the most stringent, these are the first and last 7 days.

Allowed foods in Lent

In order for the nutrition during Lent to be balanced and not to constantly feel hungry, you should draw up a meal plan in advance and stick to it. So you can cook a variety of food and eat with pleasure.

Bread, you can eat both black and cereal;
all types of cereals;
vegetables in any form, they can be fresh, pickled, salted and salted;
jam from berries and fruits;
mushrooms;
legumes;
dried fruits, honey and nuts;
fruit;
fish is allowed only twice during the entire period of fasting, these days are the feast of the Annunciation and Palm Sunday.

Meal plan for dry days

Basically, the days of Great Lent are a dry diet. During this period, you should eat food that has not been cooked on fire. It is allowed to eat on such days:

Lean bread;
honey;
water;
fresh vegetables and fruits;
dried fruits;
greenery;
nuts;
it is allowed to use cereals that are cooked in a cold way, that is, cereals are infused with water.

Menu for raw food days:

1. Vegetable or fruit salads with nuts, honey or lemon juice without oil (sunflower oil is allowed to be eaten on certain days).
2. Cold porridge.
3. Bars of ground nuts, dried fruits, honey and bran.
4. Gazpacho or okroshka without eggs, meat and sour cream.
5. Kissel from ground mixture flax seeds and sesame, which are not cooked on fire, but are poured with boiling water or cold water.
6. Tea and instant coffee.

Meal plan for the first and last week of Lent

As already described above, the first and last weeks are considered the most stringent in Great Lent. These days in terms of nutrition are subject to adjustments with the Church Charter with special care.

1 week post:

Monday, you should completely refrain from eating. It is allowed to drink water;
Tuesday, in addition to water, the use of bread is not forbidden;
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday - days of dry eating;
Sunday is the lightest day during Lent. It is allowed to eat hot lean food and add vegetable oil to it. It is also allowed to drink some real red wine that does not contain alcohol.

Holy Week:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - dry food;
Friday - complete abstinence from food, only water;
Saturday - dry food after the 1st star.

Lenten menu

Options meatless dishes a large number on the Internet, so the question of what you can eat on the days of Great Lent 2019 should not arise. The easiest way to make salads is to mix the vegetables you like with lemon juice or soy sauce.

It is also possible to cook porridge, it is enough to pour the cereal with boiling water or cold water and let it brew. Diversify these dishes with fruits.

From soups, give preference to those that are quickly prepared and not subjected to heat treatment, such as tomato soups and vegetable okroshka.

Be sure to drink plenty of water, you can add tea to your diet, only which does not require boiling.

After a drunken morning of a cheerful, joyful Shrove Tuesday, an ascetic, strict Great Lent begins, which does not provide for physical, earthly joys. Believers observe Great Lent as a tribute to the memory of the fast of Jesus Christ, who fasted for forty days, and after performing His rite of baptism went into the wilderness.

Since Great Lent is just around the corner, it will be useful to talk about forbidden and permitted foods for our table, and especially to discuss nutrition in the last week of Great Lent before Easter.

How to fast in Great Lent?

For Orthodox Christians, Catholics, and some other denominations, this is the most main post, which is a period of preparation for the celebration of the bright holiday of Easter.

It includes the forty-day (Fourteen) as well as the fast of Holy Week. Since it has strict limits, it is better to prepare for it in advance, then it will be much easier to withstand it. This is especially true for those people who are going to fast for the first time.

It should be noted that the Church does not consider fasting to be an unchanging dogma, where one must blindly obey strict rules. Not at all. For example, for those who are preparing to limit themselves in food for the first time, various indulgences are provided. So, for example, a person can decide for himself how much food and drink he needs per day.

At this time, it is much more important to observe certain church norms and rituals than to very strictly limit oneself in food.

But if you feel the strength, feel the need to comply with all the rules of Great Lent, including food restrictions, let's talk about what is allowed and what is not allowed to eat at this time.

What can you eat and what can't you?

As the Church prescribes, during Great Lent it is forbidden to consume animal products: meat, eggs, milk, fish, and all food in the preparation of which they were used. Vegetable oil is also not allowed, alcohol is strictly prohibited. It seems that these products are very easy to determine at a glance whether they are in cooked food or not. But this is far from true.

For example, ordinary chewing gum and many varieties of sweets contain animal gelatin, so they are banned. The same goes for chocolate and many other types of food.

During this period, homemade preparations will be very useful to you. For nutrition, salted, pickled vegetables, fruits, berry compotes, juices and jams will be good. Timely prepared frozen or dried mushrooms, berries, vegetables.

Be sure to eat fresh, dried, salty garden greens - parsley, dill, celery, and other spicy, healthy herbs. Add them to any dishes, lean vegetable, mushroom soups and the table will not seem too bland to you. Special attention give the first courses, try to eat them hot, "piping hot". Do not forget that during this period you need to refrain from sexual activity until the end of the post.

How to eat in the last week of fasting?

The last week before Easter is called Holy Week. At this time, the believer sincerely grieve from the imminent imminent death Christ, therefore this period is bound by the most severe restrictions.

But even in such strict post there are some pretty good moments. This period is perhaps the most best opportunity prepare for the bright Easter holiday for a true believer.

This week (for example, in 2013 from April 18 to April 24), the Orthodox devote much attention to preparing their homes and their family members for the coming Easter. They decorate their home, think over how they will spend this day, select recipes for a festive cake, make up holiday menu and, of course, strictly observe church traditions, rules, rituals.

For example, on Saturday of the sixth week of Great Lent, the church celebrates Christ's last miracle - the resurrection of Lazarus. The Savior performed this miracle before embarking on a difficult path. Holy Week. Therefore, Lazarus Saturday is the only day of the whole year when Sunday worship is performed on Saturday.

Sunday of the sixth week - celebrate Palm Sunday. On this day, the Savior, riding a white donkey, descended from the Mount of Olives to head for the walls of Jerusalem. He was greeted by residents with palm branches in their hands. We have replaced them with willow branches.

What is allowed to eat during this period?

In Holy Week, the strictest fast, the second degree, should be observed. It suggests dryness. This means that food should not be brewed, boiled, in any case not fried. The ban applies to all products that we talked about above. Eat fruits, vegetables, drink clean fresh water.

During the entire period of restrictions, you can kiss your husband or wife (this is only allowed for spouses), but only in dark time days.

But then the bright Easter holiday will come and all restrictions will end. After asceticism, strict self-restraint in everything, there comes a period of celebration. It will be possible to drink wine, have fun and finally have a hearty tasty meal. Rejoice in life, praise our Savior in prayers and be happy!

The first week of Great Lent - how to spend it, what you can eat, what should be the menu? All this should be scheduled by day so that abstinence from food does not turn into a regular hunger strike or diet.

On March 11, 2019, Great Lent begins, which lasts 7 weeks, until April 27. One of the conditions for abstinence at this time is a strict restriction in food of animal origin.

You can go this way if you know the rules of food restrictions. You need to start with preparation, learning how to fast in the first week of fasting.

What is the meaning of Lent

The main purpose of fasting is spiritual growth, during which Orthodox people they try to get as close as possible to the Creator, to be filled with His power of love.

During Great Lent, pacifying and purifying their flesh, believers spend time in remembrance of the great sacrifice of Christ, who gave His earthly life to cleanse mankind from sins and diseases.

This is a blessed time when the Orthodox can focus spiritually on the great mission of Christ, bestowed on mankind by the grace of salvation through faith in Jesus.

The Savior said that those who believe in Him are the temple of the Living God (1 Cor. 3:17). The cleansing of our body is a preparation for the celebration of Easter, when a miracle of miracles took place. Christ resurrected after physical death, giving us hope for Eternal Life.

Important. During the entire abstinence for 48 days, it is not recommended to eat animal products. The use of vegetable oils is limited.

Fish and seafood products are allowed on certain days:

• crayfish;
• lobsters;
• squids;
• shrimps;
• mussels and others.

The nutrition of the first week consists of dry eating, the list of products is as limited as possible, but with a properly composed menu, you can adequately live in abstinence for 7 days.

1st week of abstinence - basic rules

The nutrition of the first week of Great Lent is limited to minimalism. Only the Orthodox who have passed this path more than once can fulfill the strict rules.

According to the strict canons of the Church, this week it is recommended to eat only in the evenings, once a day, twice on weekends. Such a mode of abstinence can be endured by particularly steadfast Christians.

Orthodox who have decided to perform the feat of abstinence for the first time should draw up a menu in order to determine for themselves how to fast these days.

Products for the first and second days of Lent are selected taking into account the fact that this is the time of dry eating. That is, eating without heat treatment.

For fasting, you should prepare fresh, dried and pickled vegetables, fruits, honey, crackers, mushrooms, berries.

Monday

Food intake on the first day of fasting is limited to a minimum. If the strength of faith and health allows, then no food is prepared during the day, dry eating is established on this day.

Preparing for fasting, Orthodox Christians dry crackers and fruits in advance, prepare juices and infusions.

To withstand strict abstinence of the first day will help fractional nutrition, every 3-4 hours, so that there is no feeling of hunger.

Avocado sandwich

At this fertile time, a person should concentrate on spiritual food, and not on the stomach.

• You can start the day with a cracker with honey and a cup of fruit drink.
• For a second breakfast, a cabbage salad with carrots, onions and a small one sprinkled with sesame seeds is suitable.
• A snack before dinner with nuts and a few pieces of prunes and dried apricots will give strength to get through this day.
• At lunch, you can satisfy your hunger mixed with avocado slices, seasoned with soy sauce and ground flax.
• Before dinner, you can eat, which will give a feeling of satiety.
• The daily diet is completed by taking juice, infusion with a few crackers or bread with honey.

Tuesday

The second day of the Great Fast in the first week of abstinence before Easter is also under a great ban.

Regularly fasting Orthodox continue to consume bread or water only in the evenings.

For those who are not confident in their abilities, but are very eager to go through the path of purification, a menu is being compiled for Tuesday.

The church allows people who are starting to fast to make tea and coffee, which can be used to start Tuesday. A piece of bread with honey is added to drinks.

• Nuts with apples will be a great second breakfast.
• Nuts, dried fruits satisfy hunger quickly and for a long time.
• During your lunch break you can cook nutritious apple, carrots with the addition of cranberries.
• A small sandwich with cucumber and tomato sprinkled with sesame seeds is a great pre-dinner snack.
• - ground dried fruits in the form of dried apricots, prunes, raisins, filled with any unsweetened juice, will be a wonderful addition to an evening drink.

Important! After finishing your daily meal, do not forget:

• before going to bed, thank the Savior for the food given;
• ask for forgiveness for sins, obvious and implicit, committed during the day;
• pray for blessings for the coming dream.

Wednesday

Many believers are concerned about the question: how many times a day can you eat in the 1st week of fasting.

For steadfast Orthodox, monks and clergy, the first week is one of the "hungry" weeks, when food is taken once in the evening in the form of bread and water.

The rest of the people should not immediately load their body with such restrictions. The menu below will help you live Wednesday in worship of God and dry eating.

• For breakfast on the third day of the first week of Great Lent, we recommend preparing a drink in the form of an infusion or with bread flavored with honey.
• Carrots, shredded and mixed with raisins, will help you get through the day until lunchtime.
• with fresh cranberries, champignon bread sandwiches will fill you up for lunch.
• A handful of nuts mixed with orange slices is a hearty afternoon snack during fast food abstention.
• Bread, spread with ground banana with honey and poppy seeds, will help in abstinence on the third day of fasting.

Thursday

Greens in the form of green onions and green onions are introduced into the diet of the first week of fasting to maintain the immune system. fresh herbs. They can be pre-ordered or bought in the store.

Dry eating continues on the fourth day of Lent. Food these days is not amenable to heat treatment: it is not boiled. not fried, baked or steamed.

candied dates

Vegetables, fruits and bread products without the addition of butter and eggs remain the main food during fast food.

• After reading morning prayers, the fourth day of abstinence before Easter can be started with seasoned with orange juice, with the addition of ground flax. As a drink, you can use water or juice.
• A few walnuts crushed with honey can be recommended for a second breakfast.
• Juicy turnips, carrots grated on a coarse grater, pieces of sour apples with the addition of pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds are quite suitable for lunch. It can be diversified with a piece of bread sprinkled with flax.
• A few pieces of herbs candied with a cup of infusion will help not to starve until the evening meal.
• A banana, mashed to a pulp, wrapped in a pita leaf, turns into spicy rolls. If you cut it into pieces, you get Lenten supper. It fully meets the requirements of dry eating.

Friday

The fifth day of the first week of Lent refers to a strict restriction of all foods.

Friday is the day of the crucifixion of Christ.

On this day, food intake should be limited to a minimum. In case of acute hunger, snack on bread with cabbage salad or other vegetables, refusing fruits and berries.

Important! Lay people with chronic diseases, children under the age of 12, pregnant women and people old age exempt from the rigor of the first week.

This question should be discussed with your confessor.

Saturday

Having passed the first stage of fasting with dignity in strict abstinence, on Saturday morning you can make smoothies from berries. Berries can be taken.

• To prepare a vitamin cocktail, it is enough to mix 250 g of any berries and 2 tbsp in a blender. water. Fruit smoothies will give a good charge for the whole day.
• The second breakfast will complement the vitamin supply of the morning dish with pear salad with orange, seasoned with honey and nuts.
• Bright with ingredients will decorate the dining table.

Berry smoothie

For cooking, you should prepare the following vegetables chopped to the state of Korean straw: carrots, turnips, pumpkins in a weight ratio of 1:3:2. Salt, black pepper, lemon juice, a lot of greens are added for taste. After thoroughly kneading the prepared mixture, you can start dinner with a piece of bread or cracker.

It will be a worthy reward for a week spent in fasting.

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 Likewise, fasting is a time for self-examination, self-improvement, and prayer. Some people can on their own, without foreign aid, look for flaws, shortcomings, correct them.

In Christianity, this is given a special time called fast days. During periods of fasting, active spiritual work is done, passions are eradicated, the soul is cleansed. To do this, it is necessary to go to the temple often, pray in the morning and evening, do good deeds, give alms, visit the weak, prisoners, learn humility.

What is a fast day for?

In the practice of Christianity, there are 4 multi-day fasts (the Great Lent takes place in the spring, Uspensky 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?

Many mistakenly believe that you need to limit yourself only in food. Self control is very complex action requiring a lot of 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, looks entertainment programs, behaves unworthily, it can be called an ordinary diet. In this case, the Lord will see the deceit, and spiritual development will not be. 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

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

• food, poultry.
• Fish (but on some days of fasting it is allowed).
• Eggs, as well as the products in which they are included.
• Dairy products, butter, dairy products, sour cream, cheeses.

Allowed

You can eat these foods:

• Vegetables in different form, pickles.
• Fruits, dried fruits, nuts.
• Kashi on the water.
• Legumes, soy products.
• Mushrooms.
• Bread, pastries.
• Fish (only on permitted days).

During fasting, you need to diversify your diet to the maximum, as the body is used to proteins and fats. You need to eat everything, for example, juices, soy products, sweets, chocolate. In addition to basic ingredients such as vegetables and fruits, it is necessary to introduce a variety of modern products.

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, experimented, add various herbs and seasonings.

For any housewife, preparing 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 of cooking that really turned out great, try to recommend to friends, share experiences. It is important to remember that the body must be supported by those products, which include protein and glucose, fats.

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- the vinaigrette.

AT recent times it became fashionable to make soups-puree. They are very nutritious, quickly and thoroughly digested. This method of cooking will appeal to young children, people of advanced age. Use this product causes no difficulty. 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 the recipe for this soup.

Soup puree with potatoes and white bread

To make the dish rich in vitamins and minerals, take parsley, celery and carrots, head onion. 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 time for the potatoes. We clean it, wash it, divide each tuber into 4 parts and lower it into the broth. We do the same with white bread. Yes, it needs to be cut and boiled together with potatoes.

Then we take a little 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.

Diet 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 as soon as possible. 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 or chocolate balls. Muesli during fasting days will be an excellent reinforcement during working days. 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.

Homemade pickles and marinades, compotes and jams will help diversify the diet. Sauerkraut or lecho will be a great addition to pasta, potatoes or buckwheat. Today in stores you can find many products, for example, mayonnaise, cookies, waffles, which are labeled "lean".

In modern Orthodox practice, many priests recommend that parishioners consult with their doctor beforehand. 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. You have to control your feelings.

Fast days. Wednesday and Friday

It is known that in each calendar circle, the fasting time falls on different dates. 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, before Maslenitsa, Maslenitsa itself, Trinity, Svetlaya, Svyatki. You can always look at the calendar of fasting days to get the information you need.

Wednesday became fast in connection with the memory that Judas betrayed Christ on the eve of His 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 built 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 healthy 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 Lenten Day - the most good wishes, strength, patience, joy.

What can you eat in the last week of Lent? This week, which is called Holy Week (in 2019 - from April 22 to April 27), got its name in memory of last days earthly life, death and burial of Jesus Christ.

It is also called Clean or White Week, taking into account the observance of spiritual and bodily cleanliness by believers.

These days in church calendar symbolize the greatness and importance of the events that took place about two thousand years ago. Believers spend this time in the strictest abstinence from food and fervent prayer.

Throughout the fast, which is observed in 2019 from March 11 to April 27, it is forbidden to consume animal products. These are meat, fish, eggs, milk and all products based on it.

Pay attention to ingredients on food labels to avoid ingredients of animal origin that can be found in chocolate, baked goods, food fast food and etc.

What can you eat in the last week of Lent?

Along with the first week of Great Lent, the last is considered the strictest. During this period, believers are instructed to significantly limit their diet. For sick people, travelers, children, pregnant and lactating women, an exception is made.

We will tell you more about the menu of the last week of Great Lent. During Holy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (April 22, 33 and 44, 2019 respectively), you must refrain from cooked food, that is, limit yourself to raw vegetables and fruits.

Talking about what you can eat in the last week of Lent, we must also mention Good Friday, which falls on April 26 in 2019. On this day, you can not eat until the removal of the shroud during the church service.

Holy Saturday (April 27, 2019) until the appearance of the first star is also considered a time of strict fasting. Then dry eating is recommended.

Sunday is the end of the fast. You can include in the diet all products in any form. According to the established tradition, the Easter table was always distinguished by splendor and was plentiful. A special place here is occupied by Easter cakes and Easter, along with colored eggs, which have become symbols of this holiday.

The clergy observe a stricter fast, and, accordingly, their menu for the last week of Great Lent differs from the secular one.