Lent in 2021 and what you can eat by day

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Lent is the longest of the four multi-day fasts in the Orthodox Church. It is very easy to compose a lenten menu in Great Lent 2021, when you are sure of what you can eat every day, and what foods it is better to abstain from. We will tell you about what and how you can eat during the fast in the article.

What you can eat by day in Lent 2021

This is the strictest post in existence. In 2021, it will start on Monday March 15th and end on Saturday May 1st. For seven weeks, the Orthodox Church recommends believers to abstain from food that contains eggs, fish, meat and dairy products.

Women during pregnancy, young children, and people with health problems can refuse to fast.

Preparing for Lent in 2021, Orthodox believers should know what they can eat every day and what foods are allowed to be included in the diet. To stay healthy throughout the fast, you need to eat right. This is the only way to ensure the intake of all the necessary vitamins and nutrients into the body along with food.

The main products during the period of the strictest fast: dishes made from fruits, vegetables such as carrots, onions, beets, cabbage, legumes, various varieties of nuts, apples, citrus fruits, dried fruits.

Sweet, salty, smoked, fried can be tasted after Easter. All products should preferably be eaten raw or steamed. Oven baking and boiling are also suitable.

The lean menu may include:

1. Cereals and cereals. It is only allowed to cook in water. Dairy dishes are prohibited. Ready-made porridge should not be seasoned with butter. It is better to boil porridge until a stretching consistency is obtained.
2. Fruits and vegetables. They can be eaten raw, boiled, baked in the oven, steamed or stewed until tender;
3. Bread. You can only eat black. On request, you can purchase dry crispbreads, which are sold in the diet food departments.
4. Legumes, eggplants, peanuts and mushrooms need to be eaten to replenish the lack of protein in the body. Lentils, chickpeas, peas, soybeans, beans, beans are the main sources of protein for fasting people. Dishes made from legumes are a good substitute for meat dishes. If you can't stop eating dairy products, try replacing them with milk, cheese, and yogurt, which are made from soy, during the fast.
5. Sunflower oil. It will be an excellent source of fat-soluble vitamins and fats. Can be added to side dishes and vegetable salads as a dressing. Sunflower oil is allowed to be consumed only on non-strict fasting days.
6. Fish can only be eaten on Palm Sunday and the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. Frying fish in oil is not recommended. Better to boil, steam, stew or bake in the oven.
7. Honey. It will be a great substitute for desserts. Also, the bee product can be added during the preparation of other dishes: cereals, fruit jelly, baked goods and compotes.
8. Bakery and confectionery products. During Lent, it is allowed to eat only those products in the preparation of which dairy products and eggs were not used.

On some fasting days, pasta is allowed, but it should not contain eggs.

The first week of fasting is the strictest, so you need to follow all the rules. On the first day, you need to stop eating any food. After, from Tuesday to Friday, it is allowed to eat bread, raw vegetables and fruits, salt, honey, nuts and drink water. On Saturday and Sunday, you can already cook food in vegetable oil.

From the second to the sixth week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, it is important to stick to dry food, on Tuesday and Thursday it is allowed to cook hot food without adding oil. On weekends - hot dishes with vegetable oil.

It is also very important to adhere to the strictest fast during the entire Holy Week. In the last week before Easter, only dry eating is allowed. On Good Friday, you must refuse to eat until the moment when the shroud is taken out of the church.

On the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Palm Sunday, fish and seafood can be included in the menu. On Lazarev Saturday you can eat some fish caviar.

Cooked meals should be served in small portions. It is advisable to eat slowly, chewing food thoroughly, only in this way the feeling of satiety will come before the end of the meal.

According to the monastery charter, all of the listed rules must be observed during Great Lent in 2021. Therefore, people who plan to fast need to know what to eat every day.

What you can't eat

According to the church charter, it is forbidden to eat food of animal origin during Great Lent: dairy products, fish, meat, eggs. What foods are prohibited during fasting:

• animal fats;
• meat and meat products: smoked meats, ham, sausages;
• eggs and products with the addition of which they are cooked;
• intensely flavored dishes: spices, very sweet or salty foods;
• dairy products: kefir, milk, fermented baked milk, yogurt, butter, cheeses, sour cream;
• fast food, chocolate, baked goods;
• alcohol. On lax days of fasting, you can drink one glass of red wine;
• sunflower oil (can be added to dishes only on days of non-strict fasting).

Considering the prohibitions and restrictions on what you can eat every day during Lent in 2021, you need to remember that only church ministers should strictly adhere to it. Ordinary laymen can fast with indulgences, taking into account life circumstances, their state of health and physical labor. For example, refusal to consume sunflower oil is usually not practiced, as is dry eating.

By limiting themselves to sweets, heavy food, alcoholic beverages and delicacies, distracted from the daily hustle and bustle and amusements, believers can focus on repentance, prayer and struggle with their many sins and sinful thoughts.

Sample menu for Lent 2021

Fasting before Easter is the most appropriate period to include healthy plant foods in the diet and fill the body with fiber, vitamins and minerals. We propose to consider an approximate menu for Lent in 2021 and what you can eat every day.

Monday

• Breakfast: oatmeal boiled in water with the addition of fresh berries, nuts, dried fruits. You can add a spoonful of honey to taste.
• Lunch: mushroom or cauliflower soup with black bread croutons.
• Dinner: lean pilaf with mushrooms and carrots, a slice of black bread.

Tuesday

• Breakfast: thin pancakes cooked in water with honey or any jam.
• Lunch: salad of chickpeas and boiled cauliflower.
• Dinner: potato zrazy with mushrooms.

Wednesday

• Breakfast: lean banana and oatmeal pancakes.
• Lunch: boiled bulgur with baked vegetables.
• Dinner: vegetable vinaigrette seasoned with sunflower oil.

Thursday

• Breakfast: avocado hummus, a slice of bread or pita bread.
• Lunch: lean spaghetti with tofu and vegetables.
• Dinner: vegetable salad with tofu cheese.

Friday

• Breakfast: apples baked in the oven with nuts and dried apricots.
• Lunch: lean cabbage soup.
• Dinner: stewed vegetables, a slice of bread.

Saturday

• Breakfast: a fruit smoothie made with plant milk or water.
• Lunch: lean risotto with vegetables.
• Dinner: potato pancakes with mushrooms.

Sunday

• Breakfast: red cabbage salad with pickled mushrooms.
• Lunch: carrot and ginger puree soup.
• Dinner: noodles with tomato sauce, capers and olives.

While adhering to the fast, you must remember that you need to get out of it correctly, so as not to harm your health. At the end, do not immediately lean on heavy food. It is important to try to gradually incorporate familiar foods into your daily diet.

For Easter, you can eat a few boiled eggs, cheese, and lean meats. And from the next day you can start eating foods that were prohibited during the fast.

Summarize

1. While adhering to the fast, you need to give up the use of animal products.
2. The lean menu should include fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts of various varieties, legumes, dried fruits.
3. Sunflower oil can be added to dishes only on permitted days.
4. Fish can be included in the diet only on Palm Sunday and the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos.