Fasting is a time when we give up our usual food and limit ourselves in food. This is a spiritual practice that helps us cleanse ourselves and prepare for the holiday. But how to break fast correctly so as not to harm your health?
It is important to understand that leaving fasting should be gradual. Our stomach is accustomed to a moderate diet of lean food, and immediately overloading it with heavy lean food can lead to trouble. It will take several days to break the fast.
It is better to start the first day after fasting with fermented milk products, which are easily absorbed by the body. Yogurt and kefir are excellent choices. Then you can add cottage cheese and cheeses to your diet. On the second day, you can make yourself an omelet, but it is better to refrain from boiled eggs; at a minimum, do not eat more than one egg a day.
If you really miss meat, you can eat chicken or turkey. But pork and lamb should be prohibited until the end of the first week of fasting. If during fasting you used mushrooms as a meat substitute, it’s time to exclude them from your diet, replacing them with, say, boiled beef.
The main rule of breaking fast is moderation. Eat little by little, but more often, once every 2-3 hours. Try to combine lean food that is familiar to your stomach with fast food. Limit the consumption of alcoholic beverages, if possible, replacing them with juices, mineral water and teas.
Do not forget that nutrition is not only and not so much about satisfying hunger, but about taking care of your health. Therefore, try to monitor the quality of food, choose fresh vegetables and fruits, limit the consumption of fatty and fried foods.
And finally, every time you want to break all the rules and eat to your heart’s content, remember the wise words of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk: “If, Christian, you want fasting to be useful to you, then fast physically, fast mentally, and fast always.” . Fasting is not only abstinence from food, but also a spiritual practice that helps us become better people and closer to God.