In its significance for believers, the holiday of the Nativity of Christ is no less important than Easter.
This means that preparation for it must be done accordingly. It is necessary to cleanse both spiritually (this will be facilitated by giving up sinful thoughts, destructive passions and habits) and physically, adhering to certain restrictions in food.
What can and cannot be eaten during Lent
The Nativity Fast is divided into 3 main stages. Each of these periods imposes certain restrictions on food, while some products are prohibited for consumption throughout the entire fast.
These include, first of all, meat products, as well as dairy products – cheese, sour cream, milk, cream, yogurt, butter, etc.
If we talk about stages, then at the first one you can serve fish and drink wine on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
On Monday, hot dishes prepared without oil are allowed, and on Wednesday and Friday, you should stick to a dry diet.
The second stage involves eating plant foods (again, without oil) on Mondays.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the ban on eating oil is lifted. Wednesdays and Fridays are dry days, and on weekends, it is allowed to cook fish dishes and use oil in the cooking process.
The last, third stage is considered the strictest of all. It implies the absence of vegetable oil in hot dishes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, allowing its use only on Saturday and Sunday.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday require a dry diet. For a while, you will have to forget about eggs. The list of permitted products includes such products as fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, cereals, honey, nuts and legumes.
