On October 15, 2016, Metropolitan Hilarion, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, became the guest of the program “Church and the World”, which was hosted by the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, V.N. Krisko.

Metropolitan Hilarion: Hello dear brothers and sisters! You are watching the program "Church and Peace".

The Gospel describes a case when, with the help of five loaves and two fish, Christ fed about five thousand people, and then ordered to collect the remaining pieces so that nothing was lost. God, being the Creator, showed an example of careful attitude to food created to sustain human life.

Today in our program we will talk about caring for the creation of God and about charity. My guest is Viktoria Nikolaevna Krisko, Director of the Rus Food Fund charitable foundation. Hello Victoria!

V. Krisko: Hello, lord! Thank you very much for inviting me to this show.

Our foundation has indeed been helping a large number of people for more than five years. During this time, we distributed 15 million kilograms of food. We work a lot with the Russian Orthodox Church. Historically, it so happened that people in need come to the temple for help. We work with 15 dioceses through which we distribute our products. We have a big project "People's Dinner". We collect groceries from stores. All this is done for people who are now in a difficult situation. I am grateful to God that I now have such a wonderful job, such a ministry.

Metropolitan Hilarion: My program usually involves people who, doing their job, are rooting for him. I think it is very important that we always have the opportunity to share our experience.

The Church is often thought of primarily as a kind of funeral parlor. I can judge this even by the questions of viewers who enter my program. Basically, these are questions of a ritual nature: what cross to wear? What you can eat in the post, and what you can not, and so on.

But the Church has a much broader mandate, which she received from the Lord Himself. The Church is not indifferent to what happens to people in their real life, at home. His Holiness the Patriarch speaks about this very often. For example, once, while visiting the Moscow City Duma, he spoke about how waste should be disposed of, how garbage should be handled. It would seem, why should His Holiness the Patriarch talk about this? Yes, because the Church is not indifferent to it.

The topic you are dealing with is also not indifferent to the Church, because we are all responsible for God's world and for God's creation. We are all responsible for ensuring that our people are well-fed and fed. The Church, of course, is not only concerned with daily bread, but she cares, among other things, that people have food, and that the food products that are produced do not go to waste. You, like no one else, know that it seems that about a third of our food is wasted. So what you do is very important.

V. Krisko: This is true, you are well aware. A third of the production is destroyed. But we are trying to make sure that products with a limited shelf life still reach the family, which will be very happy about this, because they really need these products.

One of our tasks now is a careful attitude to food. And we try to bring it to life. We work with families, with our parishes, to which we transfer our products. A careful attitude to food is very important, especially now, in such a difficult time, when, on the one hand, we really want to help, and, on the other hand, we understand that this is partly because there is no careful attitude to products. It seems to me that people who come to the temple really understand how carefully and carefully you need to treat food, food.

Metropolitan Hilarion: On the one hand, we have poor people who really do not have enough money for a living, for food. There are families that eat very modestly, they lack high-calorie food and vitamins. On the other hand, of course, we all know that we waste a lot of food. This applies to both individual families and food production.

I remember when I was a child my grandmothers taught me that you shouldn't leave food: you should put as much as you can eat on a plate, and then wipe it with bread so that nothing remains. Now people have lost the habit of caring for food: how much they ate, so much they ate, and the rest is thrown away. Sometimes people miss a lot. On the other hand, there are many who do not have enough food. How to make sure that this imbalance does not exist? So that poor families have enough food, and those who have a lot of food, as they say, do not transfer food, do not throw it away?

V. Krisko: I absolutely agree with you. Right now we have an idea of ​​how to address this topic to the family, because we have already turned to manufacturers, shops, and retailers. We have several programs to get manufacturers to give us products that they might later dispose of, but in this case we give them to people who need them now.

The second theme: we are working with retail chains to help us collect food that families need. By the way, church volunteers help us a lot. In Moscow, we have started an action, it takes place in Moscow retail chains. We invite volunteers from churches, and they collect food for their own parishioners, that is, we have an agreement with the trading network, and, accordingly, we are invited there, creating an opportunity for food collection for us. And those products that the family wants to buy for themselves, they buy both for themselves and for people in need. Through your program, I would like to once again invite volunteers from churches to visit us.

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Christian tradition has always had a special relationship with food. Food is perceived not only as something with which we satisfy hunger, saturating our physical needs. Food in the Christian tradition has always been perceived as a gift from God. After all, it is no coincidence that we say that you cannot sit down at the table without praying, you cannot leave the table without thanking God for the food.

In monasteries there is even a special rite of blessing the remnants. For example, on Athos, the meal ends with the abbot of the monastery blessing the excesses, that is, the remnants of this meal, so that nothing is lost. Then everything that is not eaten is eaten at the next meal, that is, special efforts are made to ensure that the food does not go to waste.

One of the petitions of the prayer "Our Father", which we read every day, is "give us our daily bread today." This request means a lot. On the one hand, we ask God to give us daily food so that we do not go hungry. And, of course, we ask not only for ourselves, but also for our loved ones, for our families. On the other hand, the Church says that there is also that Bread that comes down from heaven—Christ Himself, Who gives Himself in the Mystery of the Eucharist. All this is interconnected. The sacrament of the Eucharist is thanksgiving for the fact that God gives Himself to man, but at the same time it is also thanksgiving for the food that God sends to people. Every time we sit down at the table, we thank God for the food, because if not for God's favor, this would not have happened.

I think our viewers will be interested to know how the distribution of the products that you find - those surpluses that remain in production. I know, for example, that the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent in Moscow on Bolshaya Ordynka is helping you with this.

V. Krisko: Yes. The Marfo-Mariinsky Convent and Mother Elizabeth support us very much. Our project "People's Dinner" is being implemented on the territory of the monastery. In fact, we feed about 300 families in Moscow every month. We provide people with cereals, now stewed meat and butter are being added. But the “People's Lunch” project is not just about providing food to people who find themselves in a difficult life situation. The project has a great social significance, because volunteers come and package these meals. On Wednesdays, people in need of food assistance can come to the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent to receive this lunch. We have 20 such packing shops throughout Russia. All of them are located either at temples or at monasteries.

Food aid is limited. We single out, of course, those categories of citizens who are really in an extremely difficult situation. Sadly, now it is a large number of large families. When we come to our packing shops or other centers where food is distributed, and see who gets lunch, it is, unfortunately, often families that find themselves in a difficult life situation with a large number of children. Many, of course, and older people.

Metropolitan Hilarion: For example, I grew up in a communal apartment. My mother and I lived in a room of 14 square meters. They ate for a ruble a day. Of course, in Soviet times, the ruble is good money, but still it is a modest amount for the subsistence of two. But I wouldn't want another childhood for myself.

We must take care of everything. We must give life to our children, and then take care of how to feed them. In many of our parishes, mutual aid funds have been set up, where families with many children are largely fed from the parish. I know that this happens in other religious communities, in particular, among Muslims. And initiatives like yours also help to solve this problem.

V. Krisko: Absolutely right. For us, this is one of the main tasks. For me, this is the work of my whole life, because, having worked for many years in large corporations, I realized that I really want to do something good, useful. Our foundation helps not just one family, but a large number of people. For our part, we really try to make food aid and support healthy, that is, it also includes milk nutrition. This is our task. Let mom spend money not on dairy products, but on something else, and at the same time she will have a food supply.

Metropolitan Hilarion: It is important that the scale of this business be expanded. 300 families…

V. Krisko: This is only in the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent, and we have 20 such workshops.

Metropolitan Hilarion: I think that people's need for such assistance across the country is much greater. And therefore, it is necessary that there be more such initiatives, and the number of people themselves who are concerned about this problem should grow. I would like our program to leave a response in the hearts of our viewers who have wealthy families. That is why I touched on this topic.

I started today's broadcast with an amazing story about how the Lord fed five thousand people with five loaves. It would seem that, we are talking about a miracle, but when this miracle was performed and there was a lot of excess food left, the Lord said: gather everything that is left so that nothing is lost. Why did He say so? Rarely does anyone pay attention to this. I confess that I wrote a whole book about the miracles of Jesus Christ, but I did not pay attention to this point before, until I began to prepare for our broadcast. Indeed, the Lord took care not only to feed the people, but also to ensure that nothing was lost.

V. Krisko: One of the next initiatives that we want to implement is a careful attitude to food in the family. So that families with surplus food can pass it on to those who need it now. This action or initiative must be large-scale. On the eve of winter, I especially want families that find themselves in difficult living conditions to be fed and well-fed.

Metropolitan Hilarion: There are, of course, different products. There are perishable products and there are long-term products. Let's say you bought a watermelon. You cut it up, ate half of it, the whole family is already fed, and it is so big that it still remains, and you still won’t eat it entirely. Then take the remaining half to a neighbor, let the neighboring children rejoice, eat a watermelon.

On the other hand, there are a lot of products intended for long-term storage: these are cereals, canned food - something that people buy in large quantities, and then at some point, making another revision of their kitchen cabinet or refrigerator, they find that they have bought much more than necessary. And in such cases, people should be able to transfer their supplies to those who can distribute them to those in need.

V. Krisko: Absolutely right. I repeat that we are now just thinking about how to technically organize this, because there are people who are ready to help.

Metropolitan Hilarion: I thank you for your work, thank you for participating in our program. I hope that our viewers will respond to the message that we have tried to convey to them, and that careful attitude to food will really help, including those people who need help now.

Church fasting, which includes severe food restriction, is a voluntary, spiritual act. A religious person does not set himself therapeutic or mercantile goals. His diet is not associated with forced poverty or inevitable old age. The main principle of fasting is abstinence in everything. This applies to thoughts, the sexual sphere and food.

We will understand all aspects of the church diet in order to determine its benefits, appropriateness of use and possible damage to health.

The tradition of eating certain foods in certain time periods did not develop immediately in Christianity. It took centuries. The spiritual essence of fasting is entirely taken from the Jewish understanding of restrictions, but supplemented and complicated in church prescriptions by numerous new introductions.

In Orthodoxy, a whole system of so-called small and large abstinences has developed:

• ubiquitous (multi-day post);
• one-day;
• small (fast days on Wednesday and Friday).

In addition to the above posts, there is also a tradition of general church abstinence and in private, by vow, in obedience, or in the name of a specific goal.

Fasting or fasting means a ban on fast food (meat and dairy products). On some days fish is allowed, but the principle of distribution is unclear.

Strict fasting is a ban on any meat, hot food and even vegetable oil. Bread, fruits, vegetables, compotes, water are allowed.

Small on Wednesdays and Fridays. An ideological base has been established under the food system these days - the betrayal of the Lord and his crucifixion these days.

Church diet according to severity:

• fish products are allowed;
• food cooked in vegetable oil is allowed;
• hot food (ban on oil);
• dry food;
• complete food ban.

Three components of church fasting

We are talking about a strictly established time, quantity and quality of food consumed.

Time

The tradition is based on the Old Testament. Fasting begins at sunrise and ends at sunset. But your own version is also possible due to certain reasons, for example, for health reasons, or based on the work schedule.

Quantitative indicator

There are no specific quantitative parameters of the food eaten, but everything is subject to the rule - strict moderation. Food is a factor in maintaining strength, not pleasure and satiety. It is permissible to eat as much as is necessary to give strength during work.

food quality

There are strict canons for zealous adherents of Orthodoxy. As for the rest of the laity, there is no unanimity. Disagreements relate to the choice of fish, milk consumption, dry eating. Many believers resolve this issue with their confessors or according to the books of church authorities.

church diet. Spiritual Aspect

It is necessary to understand that the church diet has its own specifics, and it does not fit into the usual framework of dietology. A person of faith draws strength from spiritual practice, and bodily limitations are a secondary matter. The church itself is well aware of the danger church post for unprepared neophytes. First, prayer, repentance must be cultivated, a clear argument and motivation must be formulated, then limitation should be practiced.

If the usual diet is already an end in itself, then the situation with church fasting is much more complicated. In Orthodoxy, fasting is not seen as a diet, but as part of the implementation of some kind of spiritual improvement plan.

Explains rehabilitation specialist V.V. Lutsk (Medical Center of Doctor of Medical Sciences Professor S. M. Bubnovsky)

Great Lent is considered by church ministers as a period of transformation of mental and bodily problems into a positive aspect. Medicine uses such a vision for its own mercenary purposes, drawing our attention to the need to keep the body within a reasonable energy expenditure and restore health.

In this regard, it is interesting to get acquainted with the opinion of the rehabilitator and specialist in therapeutic training devices Valentin Viktorovich Lutsky, who works at the Kiev Center for Doctor of Medical Sciences Professor S. M. Bubnovsky.

As a person who has accumulated vast experience in the rehabilitation of athletes of power sports and practicing healthy lifestyle life, a Christian by conviction, Valentin Viktorovich, has a clear idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe connection between diet and spiritual cleansing.

He emphasizes that a person's well-being directly depends on the worldview and life activity. For those interested, he developed a special nutrition program that can be adjusted individually. Lutskoy draws attention to excessive indulgence of the body, overeating, drunkenness and long intervals between meals, advises to eat often and drink plenty of spring water (up to three liters a day)

In addition, you need:

A feature of therapeutic measures from Valentin Viktorovich is the practical implementation of centuries-old developments from church posts, which he promotes everywhere.

Reasons for such a power system:

• rest of the digestive system from heavy types of food;
• recuperation;
• body cleansing.

The rehabilitator claims that lean foods prolong life, help get rid of negative emotions that systematically destroy the human nervous system and his body. Let's add on our own - subject to powerful motivation and a 100% result-oriented attitude.

In order to have physical strength for such a test, it is first necessary to accumulate spiritual strength.

Before the revolution in Russia, church fasts were observed very strictly, which, according to Lutsky, was reflected in the health of the nation. Even foreigners envied the growth, strength and endurance of Russian men and women.

Nutrition must comply with the principles of rationality.

The body needs a building material - protein.

Take care of the presence of vegetable proteins in the house:

• beans, lentils, peas, nuts, etc.
• cedar, linseed, pumpkin oil;
• cereal crops:
• seafood;
• sauerkraut, cucumbers;
• honey products.

Vegetarianism or a raw food diet is a voluntary choice of a few people. This is more of a difficult spiritual path than a diet. It is stupid and harmful to reconfigure the body without a solid worldview base.

Make a decision to refuse to eat after 18:00 - you will protect your gastrointestinal tract from putrefactive processes. Of the alcoholic beverages, only good red wines will be harmless to you. But not more than 50 grams. It is this dose that stimulates the functionality of the stomach.

Fasting from one to three days helps to get rid of taste addiction. But first, you should cleanse the intestinal system with a laxative.

Correct end of post

Here the key is the same moderation. Fast food after fasting is a serious blow to the body. To "start" enzymes during the transition period, add to your table:

• horseradish;
• mustard;
• pepper;
• garlic and onion.

Add meat, milk and other foods gradually and in small portions to your diet.

Modern Science of Orthodox Lent

There is no consensus among nutritionists about church fasting. Some of them emphasize the positive aspects of its usefulness and safety, advising fasting as a successful alternative to modern diets. The basis is a proven practice for centuries.

Temporary transitions from meat consumption to purely vegetable components help the body get rid of cholesterol, toxic and carcinogenic substances.

In lean foods, a number of antioxidants “set up” the cardiovascular system and the musculoskeletal system for “unloading”, at the same time putting the psyche in order.

In this regard, the seasonal nature of diets also contributes. In the spring, the body tries to switch to the summer mode of the digestive tract, and in the fall - to the winter one. It is important for him at this time to provide all possible assistance.

Fasting is an opportunity to minimize the load on the stomach and renew its mucous membrane.

Recently, Western scientists have identified a toxin in meat and milk, the accumulation of which provokes the occurrence of oncological formations. Starvation or a strict diet is an accessible way for everyone to get rid of this danger.

Reference. Research by scientists from the University of Milan (Italy)
Vegetable proteins lower cholesterol levels. With regard to animal proteins, scientists in recent years have been able to find a direct relationship between malignant neoplasms of the colon, uterus and mammary glands and increased consumption of meat and milk.

The reason for this is the appearance of toxins as a result of the digestion of food, since the human digestive system is not adapted for a large amount of animal protein. In humans, the intestines are long, so meat and dairy foods that are in the digestive tract for too long form toxins when they stay for a long time. The human body is not able to productively remove the breakdown products of animal proteins.

Consequence: deposition of toxins in the body, the development of malignant pathologies, gout, arthritis, impaired kidney function.

The Church's annual calendar has 200 days of restricted eating. This is a fairly long period without meat and dairy products, a serious opportunity to reduce the risk of developing serious diseases.

Features of the food pyramid

Giving up a whole range of foods during long religious fasts looks intimidating only at first glance. Foods that a fasting believer refuses are not basic and essential.

Products necessary for the body:

• water;
• most fruits and vegetables;
• whole grains;
• different types of nuts;
• plant oil;
• legume crops.

The unusualness of everyday eating of such food is due to the factors of tradition, culture and modern technologies, but not to the peculiarities of physiology.

What does dietology say about church fasting?

If the essence of spiritual strengthening during a church fast does not raise questions, then we should clarify the problems of physiology and the state of the body.

About Great Lent, nutritionist Kovalkov, for example, in his article “Diet and fasting - together or apart?” speaks as a positive factor of rest from stress on the gastrointestinal tract. At the same time, he insists on consultations not only with confessors, but also with doctors in order to avoid irreversible changes in the body.

• lactating and pregnant women;
• children;
• people with a large list of diseases, including mental illness.

But, everything needs a reasonable approach.

For example, many patients resolve issues of fasting only with the clergy, which is fundamentally wrong. About any diet, you must first contact the healer of the body. If it is difficult to get an indulgence in limited nutrition from a confessor, then doctors will even insist on them.

An important factor is also taking into account the need to perform household and work duties during fasting.

Fasting before the Bright Resurrection of Christ

Preparing for this holiday can hardly be called easy. This is the central and most significant abstinence for the whole year. Add to this spring vitamin deficiency and draw conclusions.

The fast lasts for seven weeks in March and April. Of course, it can be very useful if followed correctly. But this is what most believers have a problem with.

The exclusion from the diet of animal fats and meat allows the body to prepare well for the predominance of plant foods in the summer and autumn. He needs a certain attitude to the digestion and assimilation of vitamins from natural plant foods.

Science points to an established fact -

reducing the caloric value to 40% increases life motivation and prolongs the functionality of all human organs and systems.

Church charter and culinary features

The restrictions are quite severe.

It is a series of prescriptions and prohibitions:

• One meal per day on weekdays.
• Refusal of the so-called fast foods, on some days - from all types of vegetable oil, fish and wine products.
• Saturday and Sunday - permission for two meals, with vegetable oil and a small amount of wine (permission is canceled on Holy Week).
• Two fish days (on holidays - the Annunciation and Palm Sunday) and the day of fish caviar on Lazarus Saturday.

The peak of the severity of the church diet falls on the beginning and end of fasting.

Fasting is prescribed on the first and second days of the first week and the last week. Holy Week- Drying time.

Fast. Strict rules are not for everyone!

Not everyone is mentally, mentally and physically ready to master such a difficult post. The Church insists that these rules are written only for the most steadfast believers who take on the heavy burden of trials for spiritual growth. In fact, this is a guideline, and not an obligatory milestone for comprehending God. It is unreasonable and dangerous for the body to take on everyone without a long preparation for fulfilling all the strictest dietary standards. Monks are accustomed to such abstinence, but not ordinary people accustomed to the benefits of civilization.

Doctors will confirm the facts of a huge influx of patients after the Easter holidays - people do not know how to competently complete a diet.

For children and sick people, a lighter form of fasting is prescribed, with an emphasis on prayer and streamlining thoughts. The Church Fathers insist on determining their strengths and the degree of possible diligence, so that abstinence is not a burden, but brings joy and helps to look at the world with the surprised eyes of a child.

Menu and post. Learning to cook lean food

The main problem in compiling a menu on fasting days is to avoid monotony, to create an impression of abundance from a small list of products.

We remind you that all derivatives of milk, meat, eggs, animal fats and fish remain banned (except for a few days). But even from allowed products, a skilled housewife can easily prepare a nutritious and tasty dinner.

The lean diet includes:

• various pickles;
• stewed and boiled vegetables;
• cereals;
• salads;
• fruits, berries, vegetables;
• nuts, seeds, mushrooms, etc.

During this period, it makes sense to practice cooking a wide variety of soups and green borscht, with mushrooms, vegetables, but without meat.

For salads that have become an important part of the table, dressing with corn, olive, linseed oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or just a pinch of salt is suitable.

Everyone knows the versatility of regular potatoes, which can be the basis for a whole list of meatless dishes. Add your favorite vegetables to boiled or stewed potatoes in fresh, stewed, pickled, salted, baked form. Fry the mushrooms, decorate the salad with green leaves. Make fasting a holiday of harmony and universal joy.

Don't forget peas, beans and lentils. Together with them, your body will receive in abundance a full-fledged type of vegetable protein, designed to temporarily replace a similar one from animal food.

Every other day, cook dishes from flour, but without eggs. During fasting, you can learn how to make real Italian spaghetti or pasta.

Determine the usefulness of the post for yourself

Each person is the main actor in his life. No one knows your requirements and shortcomings better than you.

Food systems can be confusing, but they still have not solved the problem of obesity in the world. Moreover, thousands of women and men in the world, in the race for harmony and beauty, are losing the rest of their health.

Why does this happen?

In order to determine the degree of usefulness of any dietary scheme or religious nutrition, it is enough to know the main signs that indicate dangerous symptoms.

Watch out for hunger

Feeling intense hunger?

This is a sure signal that you are not on the right track. But even here there are subtleties. It turns out that there are different types of hunger. For example, a healthy feeling of hunger, anticipation of a good dinner. Or unbearable hunger, knocking down, accompanied by severe irritation and headache. The human body warns that it is highly undesirable to continue in this spirit. Stop the diet.

A sign of a natural harmless diet is a limited appetite. I want to eat, but not much.

How to achieve this?

Only frequent meals, which do not exclude the possibility of quickly getting hungry.

Be afraid of prohibitions

The technique is simple - take a list of prohibited foods and see the amount of forbidden food. Now diets with a complete ban on fruits and vegetables, carbohydrates, and meat products are fashionable.

This means enormous stress for your body. To withstand such a diet is not for everyone. And is it necessary? Consult your doctor. A list of creative mono-diets on the one hand give the final result, but at what cost?

Raise questions and time limits. If you work until midnight, and you are offered abstinence from food after six o'clock in the evening, will it benefit you? Isn't it better to focus on two, three hours before bedtime.

All this speaks of the extreme importance of an individual approach and reasonable choice in focusing on the needs of the organism and their moderate compensation.

Avoid Radicalism in Diet

Let's look at this from a scientific point of view. The body will undergo hunger to which it is not accustomed. This is a powerful stress for him and negative consequences that will have to be eliminated. After a quick weight loss, do not throw away clothes of large sizes. You will need it again very soon.

According to the well-known nutritionist M. Ginzburg, fasting leads to gastritis, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer, gallstone and urolithiasis, a significant decrease in immunity and an increased risk of infection.

Fashionable food systems. Gather all available information

Think about it, this is a real risk for you!

Find out - is there any basic data on the effect of your chosen diet on metabolism, on the organs and systems of the body, including the psychological aspect?

Posts and diets. Be prudent

The absurdity of some dietary patterns is beyond description. Beware of beautiful names designed to turn on your emotionality and turn off your mental abilities. The infantilism of the followers of candy, chocolate, rum, flower diets cannot but make a specialist smile.

Disease history. Practitioner says . The patient is a young woman. She practiced the raw food diet for seven years. Unfortunately, I have to admit that vitamin B12 deficiency has been confirmed as a result of a comprehensive study. At the same time, I draw your attention to the fact that for six years she felt great and advertised this way of eating to everyone. Six years later, she was diagnosed with megablast anemia, a severe form. Condition - leaves much to be desired. Anemia in this form and with such indicators is a serious diagnosis.

The body experienced an acute shortage of:

• gland;
• vit. AT 12;
• and B9 (folic acid).

Reference. Folic acid cannot be fully absorbed by the body without the presence of the required amount of vitamin B12.

The patient's symptoms:

• Destruction of the mucous membranes with the appearance of ulcers in the mouth, crimson-red tongue ("scalded").
• Enlarged lymph nodes.
• Ulcers in the larynx and intestines.
• Gastric ulcer.

Complaints: the whole body and all organs hurt, every day a stool mixed with blood, severe weakness, head lobes, pressure surges, loss of consciousness.

Recovery is slow, the body is in dire need of a normal level of iron and vitamins, but the appointment of large doses is dangerous, since a high dosage is toxic.

Why did it happen? Vegetarian and raw food diets are not for everyone, and be aware that women lose blood every month during menstruation. Those who decide to be a vegetarian, firstly, need to undergo a serious comprehensive study, and secondly, even in the case of the health of the body as a whole, regularly take laboratory tests. With a lack of vitamins and microelements, in case of continuation of a vegetarian or raw food diet (if the doctor allows), start taking vitamin-mineral complexes (again, as directed by a specialist).

Reasons for stopping the diet

Let's name three main ones:

• Feeling unwell - weakness, later dryness of the skin, violation of the structure of the nails, hair falling out. Symptoms indicate the onset of beriberi and a lack of certain minerals.
• Violation of mental activity. Deterioration of mood, bouts of depression, irritability, aggressive reaction to people and the surrounding reality, sleep disturbance. Symptoms of starvation of the brain.
• A sudden desire to consume a certain product that was not previously characteristic of you. Symptoms of a lack of certain vitamins and minerals.

The above cases are a serious reason for the immediate termination of the diet or fasting and a visit to the doctor to find out the cause of the manifestation of specific symptoms and determine measures to eliminate the direct threat to health.

Dear visitors of the site Farmamir. This article is not medical advice and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a physician.

“As a result of excesses in food and sweet food (a glass of sweet tea with dry pretzels on the ship“ Dear ”) and sleep on the ship, I was conveniently tempted to be irritated with Vera Ivanovna, who was traveling with me ...”.

Therefore, the danger of this passion for the soul cannot be underestimated. In this article, we will touch on food.

We are all the time fussing, in a hurry somewhere. Therefore, we often eat very quickly: after swallowing, for example, a plate of porridge in 3 minutes in the morning and drinking tea, we ran on. But on the other hand, in the evening, after coming home from work, we can afford to sit at the table longer ...

I will give a statement teacher of biochemistry at medical school about proper digestion:

“In order for any digestion to occur, food must be thoroughly chewed about 32 times. Fluid intake should occur no earlier than 30 minutes after eating.

Now let's remember how many times we chew each piece of food? I will honestly answer for myself: basically, no more than 3-5 times, especially when in a hurry. And for some reason, I think so many.

Why is it necessary to chew food for a long time?

Firstly, the process of digestion begins already in the mouth: the food is processed by the necessary enzymes. In view of this, even mashed potatoes and soups need to be chewed well.

Secondly, food must be finely ground before entering the stomach.

Third, when we chew thoroughly, the satiety signal reaches the brain before we overeat. It often happens that a person hastily swallows a large amount of food, but still continues to feel hungry, then gets up from the table and feels heaviness in the stomach - overeat. It's just that information about saturation did not have time to reach the place of processing. This is how we overeat and overeat.

More about the tradition of drinking tea after breakfast/lunch/dinner. Not only have we greedily swallowed food and already feel heaviness, but after all, the tradition is to drink tea. As a result, we stretch our long-suffering stomach even more by pouring liquid into it. Next time we will need more food ... In addition, we pretty much dilute the gastric juice necessary for the digestion of food, thereby disrupting digestion. And so day after day!

I must say that in violation of digestion in the intestine, fermentation processes begin, causing uncomfortable conditions (for example, flatulence). Such a long "attack" on the gastrointestinal tract contributes to the development of many diseases of the latter.

How to get out of this vicious circle - 5 rules:

1. Think in advance how much food you need in order to fill you up, and stick to this norm. Experts say that a person needs as much food for 1 meal as can fit in two of his folded palms. But do not try to immediately cut down on the amount of food if you are not used to it. Gradually reduce the portion size, very soon the stomach will take its normal size and will not require more.
2. Putting a spoon with food in your mouth, we begin to chew and count: 1, 2, 3 ... 32(according to the number of teeth in the mouth). From my own experience, I can say that you get used to it very quickly.
3. During the process of eating mentally analyze - am I not satisfied yet? If you already have the feeling that you have satisfied your hunger, but have not overeaten yet, get up from the table. Just take it and stand up.
4. Drink clean water no later than 30 minutes before meals and 30 minutes after meals. During meals, you can drink, but a little (100 ml is about half a glass), so as not to greatly dilute the acidic environment of the stomach and not stretch it. In the first days of following this paragraph, you may feel a slight heartburn, because. my stomach is not used to it. This will help to cope with the observance between meals.
5. Try not to talk or get distracted at the table, self-control will be lost.

What will it give:

1. You will stop overeating;
2. The feeling of "drowsiness" and inability to do anything after eating will disappear;
3. You will feel cheerfulness and lightness in the body;
4. Improve digestion;
5. Following these rules will steadily contribute to weight loss.

How many times a day should you eat

Very often in our time people have diseases in which rare meals are contraindicated. For example, eating food 2 times a day contributes to the stagnation of bile in those people who are prone to this. This can cause serious disorders - cholestasis, cholecystitis, gallstones.

In most cases, it is enough for a person to eat 3-4 times a day. But there are diseases in which, for example, a 6-fold intake in small portions is needed. The most important thing is to eat food with humility, because there are many cases of the spiritual fall of fasting people who became proud of their abstinence. Therefore, there is no single rule about this. Here you need to turn to conscience, your own feelings and confessor.

Prayer before meals

Despite the instructions of doctors that food should be varied, of high quality and healthy, you and I know from the teachings of the Holy Fathers that only the grace of God makes food useful. You can eat the best and most expensive food, and it will not be in favor. Therefore, it is very important to ask God for the blessing of food before eating it and to give thanks at the end.

Only food sanctified by prayer benefits body and soul.

In the fight against gluttony, we cannot rely only on our own will, on our own strength. Experienced people in spiritual life suggest that without prayer, without turning to God for help, we cannot observe even the simplest rules of nutrition. But if we sincerely repent of our gluttony and ask for deliverance, realizing the danger of this sin, this struggle will be within our power.

Religions that guided the whole life of believers had a considerable influence on the traditions of peoples, including food. Ancient chronicles brought to us the admonitions of the holy ascetics and elders, addressed to the monks, to observe moderation in food. "Gluttony with drunkenness" was declared "the greatest sin." Gradually, the culture of the people was formed, a harmonious system of rational nutrition was developed. Unwittingly or unwittingly, many modern health-improving, dietary methods developed and implemented by official and alternative medicine use the practical experience of church traditions verified over the centuries.
The Church introduced fasts - strict prohibitions and restrictions on certain types of food on certain days and weeks. But “it is not food that is evil, but gluttony,” as St. Maxim the Confessor. At the end of the fast, previously forbidden food: meat, butter, sour cream, cheese and all sorts of other pickles - brings more joy than consumed daily and without restrictions.
About the post
The Church of Christ commands Christians to constantly lead a moderate lifestyle, highlighting the days and periods of obligatory abstinence - fasts. Weekly fast days (with the exception of "solid" weeks) are Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday, fasting was established in remembrance of the betrayal of Christ by Judas, and on Friday - for the sake of suffering on the cross and the death of the Savior. On these days of the week, the Holy Church unconditionally forbids the use of meat and dairy foods, and the period from the week of All Saints (following the "Trinity") until the Nativity of Christ should also abstain from fish and vegetable oil. Only when the days of the celebrated saints (that is, those who are served a festive service) fall on Wednesday or Friday, is it allowed vegetable oil, and on the biggest holidays - fish.
There are four multi-day fasts in a year.
The most important and strict is Great Lent, which you continue * for 7 weeks before Easter. It is installed in imitation of the Lord Himself) Jesus Christ, who fasted in the wilderness for 40 days.
During Great Lent, the church charter commands the use of vegetable oil only on Saturdays and Sundays, and fish is allowed only on the feasts of the Annunciation (March 25/April 7) and the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday). On the days of memory of the most revered saints, it is also allowed to eat vegetable oil. The first and last days of fasting should be carried out especially strictly, if possible without food. Great Lent should be a time of special repentance, intense prayer. Great Lent, according to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, is the spiritual “tithe” of the year, a sacrifice to God, a path that brings a person back to paradise by repentance. Everyday church service is accompanied exclusively by prostrations. During Great Lent, Christians must go to confession, fulfill the due penances, in order to celebrate Easter in spiritual correction. Meat is excluded from consumption in the last week before Lent - Shrovetide, or otherwise - cheese. Its name is due to the fact that it is "a continuous week, on all days of which it is allowed to eat dairy food."
Close in terms of the severity of observance to the Great is the Dormition Fast from August 1/14 to August 14/27. With this fast, the Holy Church venerates the Most Holy Theotokos.
During Dormition Lent, you should eat the same way you eat during Great Lent. Fish is allowed to be eaten only on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord - August 6/19. If the feast of the Assumption coincides with Wednesday or Friday, only fish is allowed to eat on this day, and the fasting (the beginning of eating meat food) is transferred to the next day.
The Advent fast lasts 40 days before Christmas, it starts on November 15/28 and ends on December 24/January 6.
During this fast on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, fish and vegetable oil should not be consumed. After the feast of St. Nicholas - December 6/19 - fish is allowed only on Saturday and Sunday.
The last days of fasting - from December 20 / January 2 - should be observed in the same way as Great Lent.
A particularly strict fast is imposed on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, when once, in the evening, when the first star rises, announcing the hour of the Nativity of Christ, it is allowed to taste “sochi”, that is, dry fruits moistened with water, which is why the day itself is called “Christmas Eve”.
The Nativity Fast is also called “Philippov”, as it begins on the feast day of the Apostle Philip.
The fourth post is the Holy Apostles (Petrov post). It begins a week after the day of the Holy Trinity and continues until the feast day of the holy chief apostles Peter and Paul on June 29/July 12. The charter about food in this fast is the same as in Christmas. If the day of the end of the fast falls on Wednesday or Friday, then the breaking of the fast, as in the Dormition fast, is transferred to the next day, and on this day only fish is eaten.
In addition to these fasts, the Holy Church established a strict fast on the eve of Theophany (Baptism of the Lord) on January 5/18, fasting holidays - the Beheading of St. John the Baptist - August 29 / September 11 and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 14/27, in which only vegetable oil is allowed.
The church charter concerns food, primarily because it largely determines the spiritual state and thoughts of a person. Therefore, fasting should be not only bodily, but also spiritual. “The one who thinks that fasting is only abstaining from food is mistaken. True fasting, - teaches St. John Chrysostom, - is the removal from evil, the curbing of the tongue, the laying off of anger, the taming of lusts, the cessation of slander, lies and perjury.
You cannot fast by forcing yourself. It must be a need of the soul, otherwise there will be no purification of either the body or the soul.

About prayer
And one more fundamental principle of religiously minded people seems to us worthy of respect and at least partial application in the whirlwind of our restless everyday life. This is prayer, the dispensation of spiritual harmony. It is believed that food prepared with prayer always succeeds, and prayers “for God's help in every good deed”, “before eating food”, thanksgiving for daily bread will bring health, success, peace, joy of being. „
We offer the reader the most common prayers in everyday life.
The conditions for correct prayer according to the precepts of St. Theophan the Recluse are as follows: “It is not only necessary to pray with a word, but also with the mind. And not only with the mind, but also with the heart, so that the mind clearly sees and understands what is pronounced by the word, and let the heart feel that the mind is thinking at the same time ... Insert into your heart a living faith that God sees and hears you, that He does not turn away from those who pray , but favorably looks at them and at you in the hour of prayer, and are filled with hope that He is ready to fulfill and will indeed fulfill your petition, if it is useful to your soul.

Prayer before eating
Our Father, Who art in heaven! May your name be hallowed; let your kingdom come; let thy guidance be, as in heaven, and on earth; give us our daily bread today; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever.
Amen. Lord have mercy (twice). God bless (bow).

Or:
The eyes of all on Thee, O Lord, trust, and You give them writing and in good time, You open Your generous hand and fulfill every animal goodwill.
Prayer after eating
We thank Thee, Christ our God, for Thou hast satisfied us with Thy earthly blessings; do not deprive us of your heavenly
Kingdom, but as if among Your disciples, Thou hast come, Savior, give them peace, come to us and save us.

Monastery cuisine recipes
A thousand years of monastic experience with strict observance of fasts and glorious meals has been preserved to this day.

Cold dishes for snacks

To prepare mushroom caviar, take two cups of dry mushrooms, soak in water for 12 hours. Boil in a small amount of water, pass through a meat grinder. Fry chopped onion in vegetable oil until light brown. Mix mushrooms with onions, add salt, vinegar, granulated sugar, mushroom broth to taste.
Dandelion leaf salad: 75 g of dandelion leaves, 10 g of green onions, 5 g of vegetable oil, 5 g of 3% vinegar, 8 g of parsley or dill, salt.
Prepared dandelion leaves are soaked in salt water (20 g of salt per 1 liter of water) for 30 minutes, then they are thrown into a colander, and the water is allowed to drain. Chop, add finely chopped green onions and parsley, mix, season with vegetable oil, salt, vinegar, sprinkle with chopped dill.
Plantain salad with onions: 50 g of young plantain leaves, 30 g of onions, 20 g of grated horseradish, 20 g of nettle, 15 g of sour cream, 3 g of 3% vinegar, salt.
Prepared plantain and nettle leaves are placed in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, thrown into a colander, drained, chopped, chopped onion, grated horseradish, salt are added. In fast days, sprinkle with chopped boiled egg, pour over sour cream.

Soups and stews

Sort the sorrel, let it go, adding a little water. Leave the spinach separately.
Rub the sorrel and spinach through a sieve, cool the puree, dilute with kvass, add sugar, lemon zest, put in the cold. Pour the botvinia on plates, add slices of boiled or smoked fish, chopped green onions, dill, fresh cucumbers, grated horseradish, and other seasonings to taste.

In the spring, when there are no garden greens and vegetables yet, you can cook soup g (bent grass) from wild plants: nettle, white edible quinoa (mari), goutweed, hogweed, sorrel, sorrel, plantain, willow-herb, clover. Sorrel and sorrel, with their sour taste, should make up no more than a third of the collection. Use only young plants, sorrel and nettle leaves can be scalded with boiling water 1 time, quinoa - 2 times.
Cleanly wash 300 - 400 g of greens, finely chop, pour boiling water or mushroom broth. Separately, lightly fry the roots and onions, put in the selection of greens, add 2 - 3 potato tubers, diced, and cook until tender. For 5-10 min. before the end of cooking, put bay leaves, pepper, salt, in sour soup - a teaspoon of granulated sugar. Serve soup topped with sour cream or fresh curdled milk.
To prepare potato soup with mushrooms, rub through a sieve 6 - 8 large crumbly potatoes boiled in salt water. Dilute the puree with milk and knead until smooth. Then dilute this puree with water to make a soup of the desired density. Separately stew pre-boiled and chopped dried mushrooms in oil with salt, pepper and onion. Put it all in the soup, boil and serve with croutons fried in oil.
Pour young leaves or fresh nettle shoots with boiling water, chop, add sorrel, carrots, parsley, onions, green onions in an approximate ratio - 150, 50, 5, 5.20, 15g.
Stew nettles, sauté vegetables. Put all the ingredients in boiling water, cook for another 20 - 25 minutes. For 10 min. until cooked, add bay leaf, pepper, cloves, mashed potatoes. Serve “village” cabbage soup on the table, pouring sour cream, putting a slice of hard-boiled egg to taste.
Boil the beets, peel, cut into strips. Soaked for 3 - 4 hours. boil the mushrooms, strain the broth. Mushrooms cut into slices, fry in vegetable oil. Finely chop the carrots, lightly fry the onion in vegetable oil (without color change), add the tomato or peeled tomatoes, heat for 5-10 minutes.
Boil the soaked prunes, remove the stones, cut into slices. Put chopped fresh cabbage into boiling mushroom broth, cook for 10-15 minutes, add fried mushrooms, carrots, roots, prunes and bring to readiness, adding vinegar, salt, sugar to taste. It turns out lean borscht.
[Cabbage, onion, bay leaf, parsley, peppercorns stew in a small amount of water to prepare Valaam cabbage soup.
Cook finely chopped fresh mushrooms separately. Remove the mushrooms from the broth, lightly fry.
When the cabbage has evaporated, it has become soft, but with a crunch, add flour fried to a light brown color. Add all the ingredients, fresh herbs, sour cream to the mushroom broth. Shchi for a long time and slowly warm over low heat, without bringing to a boil, so that they are saturated with mushroom and cabbage spirit.
For 1 kg of cabbage: 2 small onions, 1 large bay leaf, root plant or 3 - 4 leaf parsley plants, 8-10 black peppercorns, 400 - 500 g mushrooms, 1 tablespoon flour, fresh herbs to taste, 2 tablespoons sour cream.

Take a mixture of cereals (for example: wheat and barley, corn or rice and wheat,
corn and barley) for making porridge mash. The main thing is that one of the cereals is whole, and the other (or others) are crushed. Grate vegetables on a coarse grater, at least two types. On a glass of a mixture of cereals - a glass of vegetables.
Place a third of the vegetables on the bottom of the dish, put a layer of cereal on them, then again a layer of vegetables, and so on, to get 3 layers (vegetables on top). Pour everything with hot salted water, so that the top layer of vegetables is covered with it. Put in the oven for 6 - 8 minutes. Serve with sour cream.
Stuffed turnips are prepared as follows: boil peeled turnips for 15 - 20 minutes.
Then, with a teaspoon, remove the core, leaving the bottom and walls whole. Separately, cook thick porridge from semolina. Chop or finely chop the turnip core, simmer until cooked, mix with porridge, salt (you can add granulated sugar, an apple), lay the mixture in the turnip. Put stuffed turnips in a frying pan, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, grease with oil (vegetable or butter) and bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Turnips can be filled with minced vegetables from carrots, onions, parsley, celery, tomatoes.
Stuffed swede is prepared in the same way.
To prepare rice pancakes, boil 400 g of rice in milk, wipe through
sieve, put 400 g of wheat flour, dilute with milk not very liquid, as usual, make dough for pancakes, add 50 g of yeast, put in a warm place so that the dough rises. Take 100 g of butter, grind with 4 yolks. Beat four chilled egg whites into foam. When the dough has risen, put the yolks and whites into it, salt, let it rise again and bake in small pans.

Drinks, kissels

To prepare bread kvass, use stainless steel, enameled or wooden utensils (wooden utensils must be evaporated). Cut rye bread (2 kg), dry in the oven or oven until brown and put in the prepared dishes. Boil ten liters of water, cool to 90 ° C and, filling it with crackers, leave for 10 - 12 hours, then strain through cheesecloth (do not squeeze the remaining thick). Take 100 g of yeast, 3 tablespoons of wheat flour, stir in a small amount of the remaining bread grounds and put in a warm place so that the yeast rises. Separately pour mint with boiling water and boil for several minutes, strain and add sugar. Pour the risen yeast and strained mint tea into the bread liquid, mix well, cover with a napkin and leave in a warm place until a thick foam appears, which must be carefully removed (if the foam remains, the spilled kvass will ferment strongly). Then carefully drain the kvass, without shaking the sediment, through a sieve covered with a towel or gauze, and pour into bottles. Close the bottles tightly and place horizontally in the cellar or refrigerator. Kvass can be consumed after 12 hours. Instead of mint, you can take 3 tablespoons of grated horseradish and, in this case, instead of sugar, honey. Mint can be replaced with blackcurrant leaves.
Thirty grams of rhubarb, 200 ml of water, 20 g of sugar, 1 g of yeast. The washed rhubarb is finely chopped, poured with water and brought to a boil, insisted for 2-3 hours, filtered, yeast and sugar diluted with warm water are added and set for fermentation. Fermented kvass is filtered, cooled.
Eighty grams of rowan juice, 12 g of sugar, 2 g of yeast, 120 ml of water. Sugar is put into boiling water, brought to a boil, rowan juice is poured in, cooled to room temperature. Then yeast diluted with warm boiled water is introduced and set for fermentation. It turns out rowan kvass.
Pour oatmeal with warm boiled water, leave for a day. Strain, squeeze.
Cook with salt to taste until the mixture thickens. Pour into small vessels, refrigerate. Cut the frozen oatmeal jelly into portions, pour over the onion sauce (fry the onion in vegetable oil, also cool.

On February 27, the Great Orthodox Lent begins. For the candidate of medical sciences, neurologist, osteopath Alexander Ivanov, this was a good reason to discuss a very delicate but interesting question on the BUSINESS Online website: can religious fasting be considered as a diet and how does it affect health?

CLEANSING SOUL AND BODY

It is known that almost all religions of the world offer their followers more or less regularly to fast, within the framework of which certain restrictions are introduced in nutrition, in behavior, even in thoughts and emotions. Fasting can be considered as a method of cleansing the body, because if you decipher the abbreviation "FAST", then it sounds like "complete cleansing of one's own bodies." Therefore, it is important to understand that purification means, first of all, the spiritual work of a person on himself. Many religions emphasize that during the period of fasting, a person must cleanse his heart of sins, while bodily abstinence and cleansing of the physical body are secondary.

However, many people use fasting not for the purpose we described above, but as a newfangled diet. They set themselves the goal not so much of purification of the soul and spiritual self-development as of weight loss and body shaping. This attitude is not encouraged by any religion, moreover, it is considered offensive. For example, the Orthodox Church clearly states that fasting is primarily a means for spiritual growth and improvement, it is necessary to soften our evil thoughts, to increase love for God and people. Another important point that distinguishes fasting from a diet: it is advisable to enter it in the right frame of mind and with blessings, and not on your own whim.

So, let's look at the medical value of these practices on the example of Christian and Muslim fasts.

HEALTH AND REJUVENATION

It is no secret that the basis for the prevention of most diseases is a proper balanced diet. That is why during the consultation we always analyze the person's diet. What dietary restrictions do fasting impose and what benefits do they bring to the body?

Lent is very strict for Christians. It lasts more than two months, during this period you can not eat dairy products, meat, fish and eggs. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, you can eat only cold food without vegetable oil. On Tuesday and Thursday, hot food is allowed, but without vegetable oil. Vegetable oil is allowed only on weekends - Saturday and Sunday, then grape wine is also allowed. Fish dishes are allowed only on holidays - the Annunciation and Palm Sunday, and on Lazarus Saturday you can eat fish caviar.

Thus, Christian fasting implies vegetarianism. From the point of view of dietetics and nutrition, a temporary refusal to consume animal products (meat, poultry, milk, fish, eggs) and alcohol is good for health. Numerous scientific studies, as well as empirically proven that a vegetarian diet contributes to the normalization of metabolism. The state of health improves, working capacity increases, some biochemical blood parameters return to normal, for example, cholesterol levels. In patients suffering from arterial hypertension, blood pressure decreases. In addition, a diet rich in fiber has a beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora and contributes to the normalization of regular stools, the prevention of flatulence and constipation. Outwardly, a person looks healthier, fresher, several years younger.

When it comes to weight loss, things are not so clear-cut. In our practice, we have met patients who managed to gain several kilograms during fasting. The fact is that the basis of nutrition on fast fasting days, as a rule, is carbohydrates in the form of cereals and cereals, which are very high in calories. The abuse of high-calorie foods such as seeds, nuts and vegetable oil can also lead to weight gain. Therefore, as a diet for weight loss, Christian fasting is not suitable for everyone.

During the Muslim fast, Urazu, believers do not drink water and do not eat from sunrise to sunset for a month. However, even at night, none of the fasting people attack food, since reasonable people have absolutely no desire to overeat at night. Thus, Muslim believers are also on a limited diet for a long time, in fact, on a semi-dry hunger. They get the same healing effect as with a vegetarian diet - improving physical well-being and increasing vitality.

CALCULATE YOUR STRENGTH!

So, from a medical point of view, fasting can be beneficial not only for the soul, but also for the human body. Fasting can be a good prevention and treatment of many diseases of modern civilization - obesity, atherosclerosis, hypertension and diabetes. If in ordinary life we ​​ate as moderately as in fasting, this would significantly reduce the incidence and mortality from cardiovascular diseases and oncology.

In my practice, I have not met a single person who would be harmed by fasting. That is why at the reception I always tell the person: “Let's start with the most important thing - with your nutrition!” Many modern doctors are aware of this, therefore they willingly recommend fast food to their patients. However, in the presence of serious chronic diseases, such as diabetes, oncology, kidney or heart failure, the fasting diet should be discussed with your doctor.

Often patients are interested in whether it is possible to fast during pregnancy and lactation, as well as during heavy physical exertion. In each case it is necessary to decide individually. For example, representatives Orthodox Church allow relief in fasting for such categories of people as pregnant, lactating, seriously ill, the elderly, as well as children under three years of age. Fish, milk and chicken eggs can be introduced into their diet.

The stage of preparing for fasting and leaving it is very important, since a sharp transition from a regular diet to a lean diet is perceived by our body as stress, and a failure can occur in the form of an illness. Excessive eating after fasting can lead to an exacerbation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

The main food groups in fasting: vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, berries, herbs, legumes, cereals and cereals, bakery products, seeds, nuts, honey. It is also important to include in the diet products that replace animal protein - legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas). Soybeans and corn are better not to use in nutrition - they are GMOs. We recommend that our patients include in the diet additional sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the form of omega-3 preparations, as well as multivitamin and multimineral supplements for a balanced diet.

It so happened that, while undergoing a body detoxification program, many patients immediately “go out” to fasting, since nutrition during fasting almost completely reflects the dietary concept of “detox”. However, there may be some differences between our dietary recommendations and the fasting approach. As mentioned in the previous one about nutrition myths, we recommend limiting yeast in any form (bakery, beer, wine), gluten-containing cereals (wheat, rye, oatmeal and barley - these are best consumed only 2-3 times a week), and also fast carbohydrates (sugar, confectionery) and cow's milk. If you can't give up gluten grains and refined flours, opt for sprouted wheat, rye, and whole grain products (peeled flour). Buckwheat, flax, amaranth, and quinoa are ideal as gluten-free cereals.

For a sweet dessert, you can use honey, dried fruits, candied fruit, marshmallow or marmalade on apple pectin or agar. If you have a predisposition to diabetes, keep your intake of sugary foods under control: 1 tablespoon of honey or 50 grams of marshmallow per day is more than enough.

As an alternative to cow's milk, try nut milk (such as almond or coconut milk). To increase immunity, use bee products: propolis, royal jelly, bee bread, unless, of course, you are very allergic.

In fasting, we recommend reducing the amount of pickles and marinades, as well as generally limiting salt intake to 3 grams per day (half a teaspoon). This is especially important for those who have heart problems and high blood pressure: an excess of salt (sodium chloride) in the diet burdens the cardiovascular system, leads to water retention and an increase in blood pressure.

Orthodox mushrooms are allowed to eat during fasting, but we must remember that this is a difficult product for digestion and in diseases of the pancreas, and it is not recommended to use it.

Drink plenty of fluids during fasting, especially pure water. You can partially replenish the water balance in the form of a bound liquid: healthy berry fruit drinks from lingonberries, cranberries and sea buckthorn, dried fruit compotes (dried apricots, prunes, raisins), as well as herbal decoctions (mint, lemon balm, thyme, chamomile).

Of the cooking methods, give preference to light steaming or baking in the oven. Use raw vegetables with caution, especially for chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Eliminate food fried in oil, as it can negate the entire healing effect, since it is known that vegetable fats are destroyed when heated, forming carcinogens.

Try not to overeat while fasting. Remember to eat in moderation. Observe the multiplicity and fragmentation of meals, do not skip the main meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. For a Muslim fast, evening time should not be an occasion for gluttony. Recall our biological: night is the time for the activity of the liver and gallbladder, which means the time for detoxifying the body and cleansing at the cellular level. A light dinner in the form of vegetables and herbs, steamed lean fish fillet or boiled turkey is quite acceptable.

The mental attitude during the meal is also important. In no case should you sit down at the table in a bad mood. Watching TV, using gadgets and reading while eating is not recommended. Maximum positive attitude, gratitude to God and the desire to cleanse the soul and body!

Be healthy!

Alexander Ivanov