Is Lent good for the figure and soul or harmful to health? The doctor, the priest and the gymnast answer

According to the church calendar, during the year there are from 178 to 212 fasting days, depending on the day of Easter and, accordingly, the duration of Peter's Fast (this is the only multi-day fast, the duration of which may vary). It turns out that for at least half of the calendar year, an Orthodox Christian is called to exclude food of animal origin from his diet.

Correctly observed fasting promotes spiritual renewal of a person

From a spiritual point of view, the main purpose of fasting is spiritual cleansing, and not food restriction as such. On the contrary, compiling a diet only from plant products facilitates spiritual deeds, in which lies the whole main meaning of any fast. However, carnal human nature often takes over, and it is impossible not to pay attention to your body while fasting. This article is dedicated to nutrition and the effect that plant foods have on our body.

What do scientists think about therapeutic fasting?

First, let's define an important point: abstaining from certain foods and fasting are two completely opposite things. Accordingly, the effect they have on our body is also different.

Some types of fasting involve complete abstinence from food for a certain period of time, and some involve abstaining from certain foods.

In the 19th century, people only guessed about the healing properties of fasting; assumptions regarding the benefits of fasting were based on personal experience and their inner voice.

The mechanism of the effect of hunger on the human body was described by the Russian scientist V.V. Pashutin. Thanks to clinical studies, it has been found that during hunger, an empty stomach sends signals to the brain, which causes nervous excitement.

You can fight this excitement or deceive it, but after a while it will come again. This is due to the fact that the supply of useful and nutritious substances in the blood is depleted, since during hunger the body “locks” nutrient reserves in the muscles, liver, subcutaneous tissues and other organs.

This is interesting!

Studies have shown that the food center is most stressed in the early days of your fast, but over time, this excitement disappears. If nutrients stop entering our body, internal reserves are drawn from the above organs, and endogenous nutrition eventually occurs. Unfortunately, human organs use up their reserves unevenly; the most persistent are the tissues of the heart and nerve centers.

During endogenous nutrition, in order to maintain its vital functions, the body draws accumulated fats and other reserves, as well as metabolic wastes, from internal reserves.

Metabolic wastes are extremely toxic products that accumulate in cases of metabolic disorders, long-term use of certain medications, consumption of alcoholic beverages and other negative factors.

This is where the most important mechanism of the effect of therapeutic fasting on the human body arises - the entire body is cleansed and healed. In some cases, doctors resort to therapeutic fasting when patients have the following diseases:

• gout;
• diabetes;
• asthma;
• allergy;
• hypertension;
• some types of skin diseases.

But, at the same time, therapeutic fasting has an extremely strong effect on our body, on the functioning of life-support systems and the functioning of some organs. First of all, fasting affects the digestive, central nervous system, cardiovascular and excretory systems. Since there are no identical people, the forced transfer of our body to life at the expense of internal reserves can proceed differently for everyone.

Fast with body and soul

– Fasting means food restrictions, but that’s not all, is it?

– Fasting should not be understood only as a refusal of fast foods. “Physical fasting means nothing without the spiritual fasting of the inner man, which consists in protecting oneself from passions. This fast of the inner man is pleasing to God,” says St. Barsanuphius the Great. So in the divine services of Great Lent we hear: “we fast, brothers, physically, we fast also spiritually.” Let us take the words of St. as a kind of “hint”. Tikhon of Zadonsk: “Let your mind fast from vain thoughts; let your will fast from evil desire; let your eyes fast from evil vision; Let your ears be kept from vile songs and slanderous whispers; let your tongue fast from slander, condemnation, lies, flattery and foul language; Let your hands fast from beating and theft, and let your feet fast from doing evil.”

Such fasting, as one of the means of cleansing the entire “vessel” - a person, both internal and external (see: Matt. 23 , 25-26), contributes to his salvation. Prayer should be an obligatory accompaniment of fasting. Let us remember the words of the Lord spoken about the expulsion of evil spirits: This generation can only be driven out by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21 ). He did not say: either by fasting or by prayer, since both are necessary.

Side effects of indiscriminate fasting

This is where the individual characteristics of the body come into the equation. When fasting, some complications are possible, which can manifest themselves in the form of nausea, fainting or loss of consciousness. In addition, you may develop stomach or duodenal ulcers; in rare cases, these ulcers progress to peritonitis.

During fasting, the concentration of sugar in the blood decreases, which leads to the development of hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia ultimately leads to a deficiency of sugar in the brain, which is necessary for its normal and complete functioning. In addition, microelement and vitamin metabolism in the body may change, which also negatively affects overall health.

Therefore, all activities and health procedures that are associated with fasting must be carried out after consultation with doctors and under the supervision of specialists.

But the topic of our article is not a complete refusal of food, our task is to find out what fasting is. Let's figure out why lean nutrition is beneficial, in what cases it is used, and also determine the principles of lean nutrition.

Note!

Lenten nutrition means eating only foods of plant origin: cereals, fruits, berries, herbs, mushrooms, nuts, legumes. From your diet you should completely exclude foods of animal origin: eggs, fish, poultry and all dairy products.

Fasting, vitamins and sports: how to maintain health in early spring

With the arrival of spring, I want to move more, walk more often and, of course, get sick less. However, experts note that after the autumn-winter period the human body is weakened and needs support. How to help the body recover after cold weather, whether it is worth taking vitamins or fasting, whether spring affects the quality of sleep and how to properly switch to a new wardrobe - read the answers to these and other questions in the text of the online publication m24.ru.

Photo: YAY/TASS

How to fast correctly

Fasting has long been discussed not only as a religious ritual, but also as a way to maintain health. It is believed that the diet and the time of the beginning of fasting were justified precisely by concern for the well-being of people. Avoiding animal products helps get rid of harmful substances in the body, improve the functioning of the digestive and excretory systems, lower blood sugar levels and strengthen the functioning of the immune system.

According to allergist-immunologist Sharofat Bogacheva, fasting helps the body take a break from the heavy foods that people eat during the cold, damp autumn-winter period. At this time, the consumption of meat and dairy products, flour - bakery products, pasta and sweets increases. In addition, a large number of holidays contribute to unhealthy eating. At the same time, the amount of plant food, the amount of physical activity and skin respiration are reduced - you have to wear a lot of clothes and sit in heated rooms.

Photo: TASS/Valery Matytsin

As a result, toxins, stagnation and disturbances in organ function accumulate over the winter. “The transitional winter-spring period with weather changes and accumulated fatigue, of course, negatively affects the body, and health is weakened,” the expert added. Therefore, cleansing diets are recommended at this time, which will allow the body to become stronger again after winter and autumn.

According to Sharofat Bogacheva, most diseases, including allergic ones, are associated with overeating and poor absorption of animal proteins. Meat acidifies the body, creating a favorable environment for the activation of opportunistic microflora. Cleansing and restorative diets help get rid of protein toxins, which themselves are often allergens. In addition, the growth of pathogenic microorganisms is reduced, which also reduces allergic and autoimmune conditions. Avoiding foods of animal origin restores the acid-base balance, which also helps the immune system protect the body.

Thus, in many cases, fasting and other cleansing diets help relieve many allergy symptoms, such as skin rashes or nasal discharge. This is especially true for reactions that occur to food.

Fasting benefits the body only if the diet during the restrictions is chosen correctly. As the doctor explained, people often make the mistake of giving preference to those foods that they like: lean bread and pasta, favorite fruits and vegetables, do not give up sweets, prefer potatoes to cereals, and so on.

As a result, the diet is enriched with easily digestible carbohydrates. The body does not regain strength, but weakens, and immunity decreases. As a result, people conclude that fasting is harmful for them and return to their usual diet.

One of the foundations of fasting should not be pasta or potatoes, but cereal grains. They are a source of slowly digestible carbohydrates that replenish glucose needs and provide energy to the body. Minimally processed grains also contain fiber, vitamins (B and others) and microelements. They contain protein and fats.

In addition to cereals, you need to eat vegetables and root vegetables, legumes, and dried fruits. According to Sharofat Bogacheva, this set is enough to maintain strength and at the same time allow the body to cleanse itself. And to make lean dishes tasty, you can use various spices.

What and in what quantities to eat during fasting

Photo: YAY/TASS/Elena Eliseeva
Approximately 50–60 percent of the diet should be cereals and grains: brown rice, wheat grains, oats, millet, barley, rye, corn, buckwheat and related plants. Occasionally you can eat pasta, noodles or vegetarian baked goods.

Another 5–10 percent are soups. It is advisable to eat them daily. The soup can be prepared from vegetables, adding tree mushrooms, or from legumes with cereals.

A significant part of the diet should be vegetables - 25-30 percent. It is recommended to eat them fresh only for those who do not have digestive problems. They are best consumed after cooking. In this case, you should avoid eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes, and give preference to radishes, turnips, carrots, onions, zucchini, cucumbers, cabbage and broccoli.

Up to 10 percent of the daily diet can come from beans or other legumes. The best types to eat are those that contain less fat - chickpeas. mung bean or lentils. Legume-derived products, such as tofu, are also suitable.

You can add some sea vegetables - seaweed or seaweed - to your lean diet. You should eat them little, but regularly.

During fasting, you can enjoy lightly roasted seeds or nuts, as well as fruits, preferably grown in the middle zone: pears, apples, plums and apricots, grapes are allowed.

During the restrictions, you should also give up coffee, alcohol, stimulating tea drinks and herbs. It is best to drink 2.5 liters of warm plain water. You can make rice or barley tea; a cup of ginger drink is allowed per day.

How to take vitamins correctly

We have known since childhood that vitamins are good for health. But at the same time, debate continues about how best to get them: with food or in the form of tablets. Some experts are convinced that beneficial substances must enter the body naturally, otherwise they are not absorbed. Experts argue with them, who are sure that an acute deficiency of vitamins cannot be compensated for by a simple change in diet.

Doctor Sharofat Bogacheva recommends that patients change their lifestyle instead of taking vitamins in the form of medications. According to her, the pills should be prescribed only as a last resort if the patient is unable to maintain a healthy diet and at the same time he has serious health problems. The effect of taking it is monitored using tests, and the dose is calculated individually, and not according to the standard instructions for the drug.

Other experts agree with this opinion. Synthetic vitamins, as a rule, are not needed by healthy people, and a slight malaise is not necessarily associated with a lack of nutrients in the body. Doctors assure that serious hypovitaminosis is extremely rare in the modern world, and minor vitamin deficiencies can be compensated for naturally.

At the same time, some experts argue that the modern human diet, designed for a maximum of 2.5 thousand kilocalories, does not allow for the inclusion of a sufficient amount of useful substances in the diet. Therefore, you should buy additional supplements to avoid vitamin deficiencies and at the same time not exceed your daily food intake.

The debate about the dangers and benefits of artificially created vitamins remains open. And the parties agree on one thing: there is no need to prescribe vitamin complexes for yourself. Before you start taking any supplements, you should get tested and consult with your doctor.

How to eat if you still have a cold

Photo: TASS/Alexander Alpatkin

Several years ago, nutritionists compiled a list of foods that prolong a cold. If you cannot avoid the disease, you can try to shorten its duration.

To do this you will have to give up nuts. For a sick body, this product is too high in calories and fat. The top layer of nuts often irritates and dries out the throat, so they are not recommended for upper respiratory tract diseases.

You need to temporarily exclude raw vegetables and fruits from your diet. They can be eaten at the very beginning of the disease and at the end. At elevated temperatures for a long time, the intestines will not be able to digest fiber. At this time, it is better to steam, bake or stew vegetables.

Oranges and tangerines should be avoided so as not to irritate the throat and not create an acidic environment favorable for the development of bacteria.

Stop drinking alcohol and coffee. A glass of alcohol will only help at the very beginning of the disease when fighting bacteria. Alcohol is useless against viruses, and it also weakens the immune system. Coffee dehydrates the body, which is simply unacceptable when you have a cold.

According to nutritionists, milk with honey is not a cure for colds. All dairy products have a mucus-forming effect. They slow down the treatment of a runny nose and the removal of sputum from the lungs. You can only eat low-fat yoghurts and kefir, but you should add turmeric to them. It will remove the mucus-forming effect.

Any sweets suppress the immune system and form a film on the walls of the throat, which becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. The only exception is honey, it has an antibacterial effect, contains a lot of useful substances and stimulates the immune system.

It is also prohibited to eat fried meat, jellied meat or fast food during illness. Heavy food will not help the body recover.

Nutritionists recommend excluding potatoes from your diet. It contains starch, which can also thicken mucus, making it difficult to treat a runny nose and cough.

Ordinary chicken broth with vegetables was recognized as the healthiest dish for sick people. In addition, it is recommended to drink alkaline mineral water, herbal tea, including ginger, as well as freshly squeezed carrot juice - vitamin A from it promotes the formation of antibodies.

Sleep patterns in spring

Photo: TASS/YAY

Mostly with the onset of warm weather, you need to follow the usual recommendations of doctors on sleep hygiene: keep the bedroom darkened, do not use gadgets at least an hour before the start of rest, do not overeat at night, and so on.

But in addition, there are several recommendations that will help improve your sleep in the spring. So, it is imperative to replenish the supply of vitamin D, which is produced in the human body under the influence of the sun. After winter, a deficiency of this substance occurs in the body, which affects the quality of sleep, Vladimir Dorokhov, head of the laboratory of neurobiology of sleep and wakefulness at the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told m24.ru.

“We need to take advantage of every opportunity to go out for a walk on a sunny day,” he said. In addition, walks in the fresh air are included in the section of sleep hygiene; they have a beneficial effect on the quality of rest.

The expert also noted the benefits of spring fasting. We are talking, according to him, not only about the beneficial effects of the diet, but also about the ritual part, which recommends maintaining peace of mind during this period and staying away from conflicts. This behavior reduces stress and stress on the nervous system, and therefore also benefits rest.

When to start “pumping up for summer”

Photo: TASS/Zurab Javakhadze

Another pressing issue of the spring season is getting the body in shape after winter. This can be prompted by both the extra pounds accumulated over the winter period and the desire to gain a more toned and athletic figure by summer.

As for weight loss, according to sports medicine doctor Ilya Melekhin, the period from March to June may be quite enough to achieve visible results in weight loss. “It’s difficult to give exact figures on the number of kilograms that can be lost during this period - it all depends on the person himself. But with serious regular exercise, the effect will definitely be noticeable,” the expert said.

But with gaining muscle mass the situation is different. In a couple of months, you can only gain three to five kilograms of muscle, and this is subject to strict adherence to the training regimen and proper nutrition. It will not be possible to achieve a truly pumped up body by summer in such a short period of time.

If sport is regarded as a way to maintain health, it is worth choosing cyclic sports, for example, swimming, aerobics or running, Melekhin said. This load will be quite enough to maintain health in the body.

In general, sports should be approached carefully. You shouldn’t put too much strain on yourself right away if you previously avoided physical activity. The load must be increased gradually.

The sports doctor also does not recommend combining active sports with fasting. If you decide to give up meat and dairy products, then limit the amount of training and load. To maintain health during fasting, it is better to exercise once a week. Regularly going to the gym or doing serious sports without meat will be too hard on the body.

How to switch to a spring wardrobe correctly

Photo: m24.ru/Igor Ivanko

As soon as the warming begins after winter, the temptation arises to quickly give up fur coats, winter shoes, scarves and hats. The result is often hypothermia, a cold, or even more serious illness.

Therefore, you need to undress gradually, starting not with outerwear, but with your main wardrobe. You don't need to wear sweaters and jumpers under jackets and raincoats. Turtlenecks, sweatshirts, and long-sleeved T-shirts are suitable instead.

With new warming, they can be changed to short sleeves. Taking off outer clothing and replacing it with sweatshirts and sweatshirts is only permissible at air temperatures above +15 degrees.

It is also important to ensure that your clothing is waterproof. In spring, air humidity is quite high not only due to ongoing precipitation, but also due to the evaporation of melted snow. Jackets and raincoats should be thick, preferably made of water-repellent material.

The thickness of the clothing also plays an important role. At an air temperature of up to six degrees, it should be up to 20 mm, and at a temperature of 8–15 degrees, a thickness of 12–14 mm is sufficient.

Spring clothing should be airtight so that as little air can penetrate under it as possible.

Few people know that you need to cover your face with a scarf not in winter frost, but in early spring. This is especially recommended for those who often suffer from bronchitis, rhinitis, laryngitis and similar diseases. The scarf will protect your face from the wind and excess moisture.

It is recommended to take off your hat in early spring only on days when strong winds are not forecast, otherwise your ears may get cold.

Fasting for weight loss

It’s no longer a secret that fasting is extremely beneficial for the body. This fact is an axiom and does not require further proof.

This is useful!

Lenten nutrition is approved not only by church ministers, but also by experienced nutritionists who advise switching to such a regime for medicinal purposes.

Dietitians are active advocates of the Lenten diet, as they regularly suggest that their clients undergo such a diet in order to cleanse their bodies of toxins and other toxins that have no place in our bodies.

Scientists have long proven the root causes of the most common diseases. Among the most common factors are:

• poisoning of the body with poisons and toxins;
• binge eating;
• nervous exhaustion.

According to scientists, if all these negative factors did not exist in our lives, then people on Earth would live 100–150 years.

About the “royal path”

– How to combine the severity of the fast regulations and our weakness?

– St. speaks about the royal path. Dimitri Rostovsky: “The royal path is moderate exploits, a moderate life and a clear conscience.” This presupposes a reasonable assessment of one’s strengths and, in accordance with this, the choice of a fasting regime. No one requires us to bring ourselves to the point of exhaustion. You must always remember that it is not the body that should be killed, but the passions.

Fasting according to the Typicon (Charter) is an ideal; we must know about it in order to be aware of our weakness and not consider it as the norm. And despite the fact that for most of us this ideal is not achievable, we should always strive to fulfill its requirements to the best of our ability. But we need to try to determine this measure objectively, so that it doesn’t follow the principle: “just like fasting, you have a stomach ache.” It often happens that we remember about weakness only when it comes to church obediences: services, prayer, fasting, etc. If you look at how much strength, effort and perseverance we put into fulfilling worldly “deeds” every day, you can’t help but wonder: What kind of weakness are we talking about?

How to fast correctly

To improve our body health, let's decide on the basic conditions that will help us achieve our goal:

Moderate nutrition!

When observing any fast, you must eat in moderation. To prepare yourself for this, you must be mentally prepared to have your desires infringed.

The point of fasting is not to deprive yourself of the most delicious foods forever. It is worth understanding that this is a temporary measure to improve your health.

Use the time during the fasting period to your advantage, rethink your values, analyze your diet, the quantity and quality of the food you eat.

Fasting will help you reduce your portions in the future as your stomach will shrink in size. Believe me, your body will thank you very much in the end for not loading it with heavy food.

Calmness is the key to success!

Fasting is a kind of repentance, as well as a conscious refusal of all kinds of food stimulants. Perhaps it would be unnecessary to preach about the fact that all our illnesses come from nerves; we are constantly told about this. This can be understood, since we live in difficult times, and constant nervous shocks are part of the daily norm.

Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to protect yourself from all daily stressors. No matter how you set yourself up, you will be nervous in any case and no matter what you do. And every emotional instability, fear and worry only worsens our already unimportant situation.

To eliminate excess nervous shock, many people begin to look for a way out in excessive consumption of alcohol, coffee, energy drinks and other nasty things. Women often begin to actively eat sweets, trying to “eat away” all their problems and nervous experiences.

But many people do the above things every day. Unlimited coffee with a chocolate or cake, and in the evening a beer with a cigarette to relax after a hard day at work. As you can see, there is no time left for proper nutrition.

And the result is a sad picture: young people look like people of pre-retirement age with dark circles under their eyes. This lifestyle greatly damages our nervous system, has a detrimental effect on health and significantly reduces our supply of vital energy.

“Live to eat”?

- “Live to eat, or eat to live?” What did the philosopher want to say with these words?

– Since our ancestors in paradise decided for themselves the question “is or is not” in favor of “is”, this problem has haunted humanity to this day.

Once the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates was asked about the reason for his good health at a very advanced age, while young people have many diseases. Socrates replied: “The fact is that I eat in order to live, and they live in order to eat.” It seems to me that with this answer the philosopher briefly defined the purpose of food as a sufficient resource for human life and development (to be a resource, but not the meaning and purpose of life).

The philosopher Socrates lived in the 5th century. BC His words have reached us from time immemorial. Biblical in spirit, they call us to think about the meaning of human life and determine priorities.

Eating well for better health

As mentioned above, our body is filled with toxins and poisonous substances. Their accumulation is provoked not only by smoking and drinking alcohol. Our nutrition plays a huge role.

But the majority of people cannot boast that they have a healthy diet; it is still not at all balanced. And this can lead to significant health problems:

1. Monotonous food is poor in minerals and vitamins, and excessive consumption of fast food, processed foods, salty snacks for beer and carbonated drinks leads to the fact that we begin to eat much more than necessary, since it is necessary to compensate for the lack of useful nutrients. And again, what do we eat? All the same unhealthy and unhealthy food.
2. Such foods are low in fiber, vitamins, and complex carbohydrates, and, as a result, we don’t feel full for long. But at the same time, the above foods are very rich in unhealthy fats and calories, which lead to overeating and obesity. In some countries this is a global problem.
3. As a result, it is extremely difficult for the body to deal with such disgrace, and in order to somehow continue to work, it begins to actively accumulate everything that is more or less useful as fat deposits. Some things are never digested, and as a result are deposited in the form of toxins and wastes that disrupt the functioning of many systems and organs. From here all kinds of diseases begin to develop.
4. And as a icing on the cake, the already difficult situation is complemented by daily intoxication and harmful environmental conditions: pesticides and nitrates from food, exhaust gases, light background radiation that we do not feel, heavy metals and frequent use of all kinds of medications.

How will fasting help you in these circumstances?

This is a unique opportunity to cleanse yourself of the accumulated nastiness in your body, which poisons you every day. For fasting to be productive, nutritionists recommend composing your diet so that your body receives the most essential nutrients from food. In addition, your food should be light and easy to prepare, this will not overload your digestive system.

As a rule, food consumed during fasting comes in the form of fruits, vegetables, cereals and nuts. Meat and dairy products are also needed, but in this case they will be heavy on the stomach.

Plant foods contain a large amount of fiber, minerals, vitamins and other useful substances, without which normal existence is impossible in principle. It’s not for nothing that they say that if “you want to be healthy, eat a variety of foods.”

Particular attention should be paid to whole grain porridges. Together with vegetables and herbs, our body receives a shock dose of coarse fiber, which is a “broom” for the digestive system. Coarse fiber performs two functions: first, it absorbs toxins, and then, like a “scraper,” it cleanses everything unnecessary from the intestinal walls.

Don't be a cannibal

– It also happens that we “don’t eat meat, but eat our brother”...

– These words belong to St. Basil the Great. He wrote: “True fasting is elimination of evil deeds. Forgive your neighbor's insults, forgive him your debts. You do not eat meat, but you eat your brother. You abstain from wine, but do not refrain from offending...” St. John of Kronstadt speaks about it this way: “Many Christians... who consider it a sin to eat, even due to bodily weakness, something modest on a fast day, without a twinge of conscience, despise and condemn their neighbor, offend or they deceive, weigh, measure.” There are many ways of “eating”, everyone can define their own - just remember the commandments of the Law of God (after all, most of them are related to the attitude towards others).

Fasting temptations often cause complications in relationships between people. In this regard, I would like to say a few words about the attitude of a fasting person towards loved ones in the family. – Happy is the person whose family has unanimity and like-mindedness in matters of faith. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. If a family has different attitudes towards fasting or faith in general, this should not become the cause of intra-family conflicts and divisions. It often happens that, having come to understand the need for fasting, a person begins to see unchurched loved ones as an obstacle to fulfilling the feat of fasting, and this leads to misunderstandings. In this case, the believer must remember the words of Christ: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another (John 13:34 ). The entire Gospel is permeated with the spirit of love, not selfish, but sacrificial, when the one who loves lays down his soul for his loved ones, in the image of Christ, who accepted suffering and death for us. If, while fasting, a person becomes bitter against his neighbors, then he will not receive any benefit from fasting. You don’t need to expect any special attitude towards yourself from your unchurched loved ones, you don’t need to grumble about the lack of Lenten cuisine, and especially, you don’t need to demand that you imitate yourself. We fast for our own benefit. And, as St. Abba Thalassius, “avoiding gluttony, beware of man-pleasing, trying to show the yellowness of your face.” If, while fasting, we do not become arrogant and demanding, but become meek and merciful, then perhaps our non-fasting loved ones will think about something. And let’s think about why situations arise during fasting and holidays when we especially want to defend our supposedly “only correct” point of view? Let us think - and we will not please the one who, according to the fathers, cares about our destruction more than we care about our salvation.

Cleansing the body with therapeutic fasting

If you are on a fasting diet, it is recommended to give yourself a fasting day and completely give up food. During this time, no food or other drinks will enter your body, with the exception of purified water.

If it’s hard for you to spend one day on the water, you can replace it with freshly squeezed juices, herbal tea, or some very light foods. Such abstinence from food will be extremely beneficial for your body, as it can treat some of the diseases that were mentioned at the beginning of the article.

Why is meat, fish, eggs and dairy products excluded from the diet during fasting?

The point of fasting is to cleanse the body, and we can achieve this only if we make it easier and do not feed heavy foods. And plant foods are easily digestible.

Dairy products and foods of animal origin are much more difficult to digest, take a long time to digest, and in order to process them, the body is forced to spend much more energy. In our case, it is not necessary to spend a large amount of energy, since this will greatly slow down the cleaning and unloading process.

In addition, there is an opinion among nutritionists that plant foods are a purifier because they alkalize cells. Food of animal origin, on the contrary, creates an oxidizing environment and pollutes the gastrointestinal tract.

Note!

You shouldn’t go to extremes; giving up meat and dairy products for a long time or completely is also not advisable. As mentioned above, fasting is a temporary phenomenon, during which we give the body a break.

"Not by bread alone"

– Who and when made the first guard “decrees”?

– Fasting is an ancient institution; the beginning of its history coincides with the beginning of human history. Having created man and placed him in paradise, God gave him the moral law of life: the first (and at that time the only) commandment - obedience, which is also the commandment of fasting, abstinence: And the Lord God commanded man, saying: from every tree in the garden you will eat, but do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil... (Gen. 2, 16–17).

Starting with Adam and Eve, fasting goes through the entire history of mankind. The biblical narrative shows us wonderful examples: the prophet Moses fasted at Sinai; the prophet Elijah fasted for 40 days on the way to Horeb; the whole life of John the Baptist was continuous fasting; The Lord Jesus Christ fasted for 40 days in the desert; The apostles fasted. The Blessed Virgin Mary fasted every day until the evening... All Orthodox Russia fasted before the revolution: butcher shops, drinking establishments and entertainment establishments were closed during fasting. This is not the case these days: advertising obsessively measures the life of each person by kilograms and liters of what is eaten and drunk, everything consumed and accumulated... However, the Word of God is not subject to time and is not measured against it. It testifies, as it did two thousand years ago, that man does not live by bread alone (see: Matt. 4 :4). Following the Word of God and church decrees, you and I, modern Orthodox Christians, also fast.

Who is recommended to periodically arrange fasting meals?

People suffering from overweight and obesity

If you have the above problem, then fasting will help you partially solve the problem of excess weight. Of course, you can’t do without additional physical activity, but the diet will help you make that very start that you can’t do without. In addition, a lean diet will allow you to return to your usual weight, and you will maintain it for a long time, since you do not expose your body to stress.

People with weak immune systems

If you have a weakened immune system, often get sick and constantly get colds, then a lean diet is just for you.

People suffering from lack of weight

If you are painfully thin, then you have a unique opportunity to improve your metabolism and give your body a temporary break.

People with gastrointestinal diseases

In case of any problems with the gastrointestinal tract, you can always switch to a lean diet, since light and healthy food will help restore the functioning of the intestines and stomach.

"Weapon" given by God

– Is fasting obligatory for us (except in special cases), or can everyone make their own choice?

– Once, a very long time ago, our forefathers Adam and Eve acted of their own free will, following the “advice” of the wrong adviser (see: Gen. 3 , 1-6)... What followed this, we know: instead of the bliss of paradise, the entire human race received as an inheritance from his ancestors sinful damage, death and decay. Let us not listen to the “ancient serpent,” but let us turn to the Word of God, to the experience of the Church, its Sacred Tradition. St. Isaac the Syrian says: “Fasting is a weapon prepared by God... If the Lawmaker Himself fasted, then how could anyone who kept the law not fast?”

What foods should you take protein from during your diet?

Many uninformed people may take the post with hostility, citing the fact that it is impossible to live without protein. But protein is found not only in meat and dairy products. Let us hasten to reassure them, since the diet is a temporary phenomenon, and we will not be left without protein.

It is important!

Remember, a properly composed diet is the key to your success. You can replace the protein from meat with the protein found in nuts and seeds, greens and legumes. Some legumes contain much more protein than the same fish or meat.

Cereals also contain protein, and in large quantities. Let's take, for example, buckwheat, 100 grams of which contain 12.6 grams of protein.

In addition, if you do not engage in active sports, then you simply do not need a large amount of protein.

Warnings

During fasting, a person must consume sufficient calories for health to avoid malnutrition. Remember, if you fast incorrectly, doctors warn that fasting can be dangerous to your health. Some people experience headaches or joint pain during the first few days. Other side effects of fasting may include fatigue, dizziness and weakness. If you feel tired or weak while fasting, you need to drink juice. When drinking juice, the body receives a sufficient amount of nutrients. Fruit and vegetable juices are also easy to digest.

What are the benefits of fasting?

1. The body is cleansed of toxins and waste.
2. Lenten food helps the body solve the problem of excess weight and helps reduce blood sugar levels.
3. Increases immunity.
4. Allows the digestive system to restore its functioning as a result of abandoning animal proteins and fats.
5. A large amount of coarse fiber helps improve intestinal function.
6. Cholesterol levels are reduced.
7. Plant foods have a positive effect on the musculoskeletal system and the cardiovascular system.
8. The microflora of the gastrointestinal tract is normalized and the general condition of the skin improves.

How to leave a post

In order not to harm your health, you must not only adhere to the fast, but also exit it correctly at the end.

When fasting comes to an end, it is not recommended to pounce on meat products or sausages that you have not eaten during this entire period. If you break this immutable rule, you will bring all your attempts to naught.

In addition, if you suddenly leave the fast, you risk doing a disservice to your gastrointestinal tract, since you may develop:

• indigestion;
• poisoning;
• diarrhea;
• constipation

Agree, it’s not very pleasant. Therefore, to avoid harm, add meat and dairy products to your diet gradually. And in the future, switch to a balanced and proper diet.

We will be treated

– Fasting is called a cure for sin...

– The Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian said: Do not love the world, nor the things in the world... For everything that is in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but from this world (1 John 2 , 15–16). And now the world, living without abstinence, practically plunges into an animal state: “eat, drink, enjoy.”

And so, in order not to drown in this world that lies in evil, not to lose guidelines on the path of salvation, the Church invites us, its children, for some time, as it were, to strictly isolate ourselves, to break away from this world. This time of fasting is a time when, if possible, distancing yourself from the external, you can understand yourself, understand how you are in relation to yourself, your neighbors, the world around you, and God. The feat of fasting and prayer helps a person to see himself in the true light, to know, with the help of God, his weaknesses and infirmities. These days we go to church more often, we repent and receive communion more often, we strive to improve; The Lord, in response to our hard work, gives us His grace, which really changes our inner life for the better. And if St. Fathers call the Church a spiritual hospital, and fasting a cure for sin, then Lent can be compared to a course of intensive therapy that strengthens the health of soul and body.