Before fasting, you need to think very seriously about your diet. Nutrition during this period should be balanced and varied, this will avoid possible negative consequences for the body.
Vegetables and fruits
First of all, you can eat any fruits and vegetables during the fast. They contain a huge amount of minerals, vitamins and trace elements necessary for the health of the body. Vegetables can be eaten raw or cooked. In winter, fresh vegetable salads can be replaced with pickles - sauerkraut, pickles and tomatoes. Of course, you can eat stewed, boiled or grilled vegetables at any time of the year during the fast. To preserve the maximum amount of vitamins in them, do not resort to prolonged heat treatment. Grilled or steamed vegetables retain more nutrients. Do not limit yourself to only cabbage, beets and potatoes during the fast, do not forget about pumpkins, zucchini, cauliflower, different types of peppers, and so on. The more varied your diet, the easier it will be to survive the fast without breaking.
One of the most important components of the lean table is, of course, porridge. Of course, at first glance, porridge cooked in water without adding butter does not seem very tasty. However, if you add foods allowed during the fast to them, you can significantly improve their taste. Nuts, raisins, dried fruits perfectly complement the taste of semolina, rice or buckwheat. In addition, almost any cereal (except, perhaps, semolina) goes well with mushrooms and vegetables. Fasting is a great time for culinary experimentation.
How to replace animal protein?
During fasting it is very important to compensate for the lack of animal protein in the diet. This can be done with foods that contain significant amounts of vegetable protein. First of all, we are talking about all types of soybeans, other legumes, mushrooms and eggplants. There are a huge number of soy substitutes for meat, fish and chicken. When cooked properly, they are a great substitute for real meat. Many nutritionists claim that soy protein is very close to animal in its composition, and besides, it is very easily absorbed by the body.
On mild fasting days, you can eat baked goods, vegetable oil, and fish of any kind. It should be borne in mind that you should not overeat during fasting, even if you eat exclusively lean foods.
Fasting eliminates the abuse of spicy, salty, sweet, sour, or fried foods. You should not use a lot of spices and sauces at this time. Fasting meals should be varied, but as simple as possible.
