Orthodoxy food. In the Christian tradition, food has always been perceived as a gift from God. church diet. Spiritual Aspect

What is Orthodox food? First of all, it is a balanced and correct diet in the spiritual and physiological sense, taking into account the traditions of the Orthodox Church, its Fasts and Holidays.

The Orthodox food system promotes spiritual and physical healing through strict observance of fasts and restraint in eating on ordinary days. How exactly to observe fasting, and what are the Orthodox allowed to eat on holidays and weekdays?

Features of Orthodox nutrition for every day

Over its long history, Orthodoxy has managed to acquire a serious and admirable nutrition system that contributes to purification of spirit and body , general improvement of the body and even the treatment of many chronic diseases, thanks to dietary restrictions and a plant-based menu during fasts and holidays.

On such days, the menu is categorically strict, excluding meat and its derivatives (and sometimes fish), dairy products and milk itself, cheeses and eggs, sweets and, of course, food abundance in general.

However, overeating should be avoided outside of fasts and holidays.

What foods can be used by the Orthodox on weekdays and holidays?

Concerning food outside fasts and holidays , on ordinary days - there are no special food frames here, but overeating is also not welcome.

On Wednesdays exclude meat products, on Fridays even fish is excluded (only plant foods are allowed).

How to keep an Orthodox fast - Orthodox food calendar for 2015, 2016

Orthodox food calendar for 2015

• (February 23 - April 11)
  In the 1st and Passion Week - a strict fast. On a clean Monday, you can’t eat anything. For the rest of the time: dry eating on Mon, Wed, Fri; on Tuesdays and Thursdays - hot food without oil; according to the sun - food with vegetable oil
• Good Friday (April 3)
• Lazarus Saturday (April 4)– fish caviar is allowed
• Palm Sunday (April 5)- fish allowed
• - fish allowed
• Petrov post (June 8 - July 11). According to Wed, Fri - dry eating. On Mon - hot food without oil. For the rest of the time - cereals with vegetable oil, as well as mushrooms with fish
• Dormition Fast (August 14 - August 27). Dry eating - on Mon, Wed and Fri. On Thu and Tue - hot food without butter. On Sat and Sun - food with vegetable oil
• - fish allowed
• Dormition– fish allowed (provided that the holiday is on Wed or Fri)
• . Meals are similar to the fast of Petrov until the Day of St. Nicholas (December 19)
• – fish allowed (if the holiday is on Wed or Fri)
• Between the day of memory of St. Nicholas and the Feast of the Nativity fish allowed (on Sat and Sun)
• Christmas Eve. You can not eat up to the 1st star. After her appearance - sochivo
• On Wed and Fri- weekly fast days (except continuous weeks). According to the SR, meat and dairy products are not allowed, and during the week of All Saints until the Nativity of Christ, fish with vegetable oil cannot be eaten. Vegetable oil is allowed only on the Days of Saints celebrated, which fell on Wed and Fri, and fish on great holidays
• In 1 day posts you can (except Wed and Fri) food with vegetable oil, you can’t fish: January 18 (Epiphany Christmas Eve), September 11 (Beheading of John the Baptist) and September 27 (Exaltation of the Holy Cross). These days - a strict fast
• No post if Christmas and Epiphany dropped out on Wed or Fri
• Allowed food with vegetable oil on holidays- The Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, the Beheading of John the Baptist, as well as Christmas and Epiphany Eve
• Fish allowed Wed and Fri between Easter and Trinity, as well as on Wed and Fri on holidays - Candlemas, Assumption, Transfiguration of the Lord, Christmas, Intercession Holy Mother of God, Her Entry into the Temple, Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, John the Theologian

Diet Calendar for Orthodox Great Lent 2015

Orthodox food calendar for 2016

• Great Lent (March 14 - April 30). For the 1st and Passion Week - a strict fast. Complete abstinence - on a clean Monday. For the rest of the time: dry eating on Mon, Wed and Fri; hot food without oil - on Tue and Thu; food with vegetable oil - on Sat and Sun
• Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (April 7)- fish allowed
• Good Friday (April 22)- you can’t eat until the removal of the shroud
• Lazarus Saturday (April 23)– fish caviar is allowed
• Palm Sunday (April 24)- fish allowed
• Petrov post (June 27 - July 11). According to Wed and Fri - dry eating. On Mon - hot food without oil, and for the rest of the time - cereals with vegetable oil, as well as mushrooms with fish.
• Dormition Fast (August 14 - August 27). Exclusively dry food - on Mon, Wed and Fri; hot food without oil - on Thu and Tue. Food with vegetable oil - on Sat and Sun
• Dormition– fish allowed if the day falls on Wed or Fri
• Day of the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 19)- fish allowed
• Advent (November 28 - January 6). Meal plan until the day of St. Nicholas (December 19) according to Peter's post
• Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary– fish allowed if the day fell on Wed or Fri
• Between memorial day Saint Nicholas and the Feast of the Nativity and fish is allowed on Sat and Sun
• prefeast. On Sat and Sun food with butter is allowed. Fish is prohibited
• Christmas Eve. Until the 1st star you can not eat. After her ascent - sochivo
• On Wed and Fri- posts (exception - continuous weeks). Banned meat and dairy products
• Week of All Saints before Christmas. Prohibited - vegetable oil and fish. Oil can only be used on Saints' Days that fall on Wed and Fri
• Strict 1 day fasts(exception - Wed, Fri). Food with vegetable oil is allowed, fish is prohibited: September 27 (Exaltation of the Holy Cross), January 18 (Epiphany Eve), September 11 (Beheading of John the Baptist)
• Epiphany and Christmas– there is no post if the holidays are on Wed and Fri
• Christmas and Epiphany Eve, Beheading of John the Baptist, Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord - food with vegetable oil is allowed
• fish allowed between Easter and Trinity(on Wed and Fri), as well as on the holidays that fell on Wed/Fri - the Candlemas, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Assumption, Christmas, the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, Her Entry into the Temple, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, John the Theologian

Orthodox fasting menu for every day - features of daily nutrition in Orthodox fasting

How and what to eat Orthodox post?

We offer you an approximate menu(not according to the monastic charter), excluding the use of animal products:

Menu for Monday:

Great Lent... In the minds of many of our compatriots, it is nothing more than a pan-Orthodox diet. And even church-going people cannot always clearly answer the question: what changes during Lent, except for the daily menu?

How should a modern, eternally busy person spend these 40 days? What to read - akathists, works of holy fathers or labels on food packages? How to help your neighbor - give alms in the subway or go to the Far East to restore monasteries?

And most importantly - why do we need all these changes?

With these questions, our correspondent went to Priest Maxim Pervozvansky.

Baptism Renewal

— Father Maxim, how is the period of Great Lent fundamentally different from the rest of the year? Should something change in our life, besides the diet?

- Definitely, and in this respect great post the most revealing of all the posts. Other fasts usually come down to some kind of restrictions for people - in food, in entertainment, i.e. have a negative message: don't do this, don't eat that. And Great Lent, in addition, has an exceptionally powerful positive meaning, which can be easily felt and experienced for yourself.

This is due to the fact that these 40-50 days occupy a very special place in the annual cycle of a Christian's life: this is preparation for the main Orthodox holiday - Easter. What is Easter? The exultant joy of the unity of man with God, the victory of life over death, of the spirit over the flesh. On the day of Easter we kind of renew our baptism.

- Like this?

Baptism is the celebration of our new life with Christ. And our ordinary, everyday life is such that this triumph is forgotten, dims, as we relax, our connection with God weakens. Through Great Lent every year, every Christian is called to remember that in his time he dedicated himself to God through baptism, and that it is in Christ that the center and meaning of his life is.

In the first centuries of Christianity, the connection of Easter with baptism was more obvious than today: they baptized only once a year - on Holy Saturday, on the eve of Easter, and Great Lent was a preparation for this step.

Today, we even begin to prepare for the Great Lent itself in a few weeks. It is preceded by weeks about the publican and the Pharisee, about the prodigal son and the week about the Last Judgment, the memory of Adam's expulsion from paradise.

Why is this needed? For a person on the eve of Great Lent to feel like he was expelled from paradise, cut off from God, like Adam, like the prodigal son, who from his father’s house “went to a far country”, and like a Pharisee who is formally righteous, but in reality is worse than a publican. This is the consciousness with which we should approach Great Lent – ​​with longing for God, with repentance.

By candlelight and on my knees...

- Father, how can modern man, immersed in everyday worries, suddenly feel the need for repentance?

- This is facilitated, on the one hand, by bodily fasting, restriction in food, and, on the other hand, by the prayerful and liturgical components of fasting: during this period we pray in a special way.

After all, the services of Great Lent are unique. They are built in such a way that all weekdays are accompanied by the bright sadness of a person’s break with God. During the first week of Lent, in the evenings, the Great Penitential Canon of Andrew of Crete is read - and this is nothing but the crying of the soul of a person who has lost God. On Wednesdays and Fridays, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is performed - the Liturgy is incomplete, devoid of triumph, of experiencing the presence of Christ among us.

In order to experience and feel this, it is very important to visit the church during Great Lent, not only on Sundays. At a minimum, it is recommended to attend the reading of the canon of St. Andrew of Crete during the first week and attend the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at least once.

There are many other special moments in the life of the Church during Great Lent: reading the life of Mary of Egypt, and Holy Week, and Lazarus Saturday, and Akathist Saturday, and the Lord's entry into Jerusalem, and, of course, Holy Week.

Bows to the ground, unusual prayers that accompany these services (for example, the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian, the Great Canon) - all this renews our prayer life in a very special way.

“But not everyone will be able to go to church during the working week and take a vacation during Holy Week. How to be?

– Of course, in isolation from the divine services, Great Lent becomes extremely impoverished, depersonalized, and loses its special meaning. This does not mean that if you cannot visit the temple, then you do not need to fast. In this case, you should at least try to take communion more often than usual. This will allow you to take a serious step forward in the fight against your weaknesses, and therefore towards God. Traditionally, it is customary to start the Chalice once a week at this time, but, of course, it is better to coordinate this issue with the confessor.

The fact that just abstaining from food during Great Lent is not enough is absolutely certain.

About the Fasting Syndrome

— Remember, to the question of the students: “Why can’t we cast out the demon?” Christ answered that this kind is expelled only by fasting and prayer... This is exactly what is realized: fasting and prayer. If we fast only bodily, but do not fast spiritually, i.e. on the one hand, we do not limit our entertainment, addictions, and on the other hand, we do not fill our lives with prayer, Lenten services, this may even turn out to be harmful ...

- How?

“The fact is that fasting affects the spirit, soul and body of a person. They say that a well-fed belly is even deaf to the teachings - so much the more it is deaf to spiritual experiences. On the contrary, by abstaining from food, we sharpen our spiritual perception, as if making room for the spirit. But if we do not let God in there, do not fill this place with prayer, then it is filled with passions: a holy place is never empty. A person who does not force himself to pray, repent, read spiritual literature, attend divine services, only runs the risk of exacerbating his passions: irritability, resentment, envy - anything you want can come out.

- But irritability, one way or another, will “come out”: a person in fasting deprives himself of pleasure - that outlet that usually helps him cope with daily stress. So, the “fasting syndrome” is inevitable?

“Irritability is really hard to avoid. But if you make spiritual efforts, then it can, in the end, be defeated and find peace. And then, this is the meaning of the post: to see your true face, all your unsightly sides and join the fight against them.

Only alone, without the help of God, it is practically useless to fight. Therefore, it is very important that we not only observe abstinence in food, but also pray. If a person does not read the morning and evening rule, you need to start reading it. We must try - no matter what! - break out to everyday worship. On the Holy Week We are generally ordered to go to church every day. It was prescribed not by some uncle or the "heavenly office" - this is necessary for us, so that fasting is not an ordinary diet, but a really serious spiritual experience and crowned with spiritual growth.

It is impossible to keep only on prohibitions, on denial: DO NOT do this, DO NOT do that. Something else must be done.

Set a goal

- Father Maxim, what, for example, can be done?

— Firstly, before the beginning of the fast, it would be good to set some kind of positive goal aimed at yourself. Take on some additional work: for example, read some books from the Old Testament - at least Genesis and Proverbs of Solomon, which, according to the church charter, are read during the period of fasting.

Secondly, it is advisable to set yourself the task of correcting something specific in yourself, for example, to overcome some of your passion or habit: laziness, anger, gluttony - everyone has their own weak point.

Even a confession in the context of this struggle should not be detailed, on 3 pages. Let it be sincere and clear: I have such and such a problem and I am going to fight it with all my might. Every day, when I wake up in the morning, I will remind myself that I am struggling with, say, irritability. And in the evening I will remember under what circumstances and how many times I lost my temper today. For each fact of irritation, let's say, I am supposed to do 10 bows - for memory. Only all this should be reasonable, such a penance can be imposed on oneself in agreement with the confessor.

“These are self-directed things. Perhaps there should be something aimed at others?

- This is the next moment. If there is such an opportunity, you need to do some good deeds. It is desirable that this is not limited to almsgiving at the temple. We must try, if possible, say, to go somewhere with a charity group - to the elderly, to the homeless, to orphans, to the sick, to bring them some kind of joy. There are such charity groups in almost every church. Quite often it happens that you need a car to take the collected things, for example, to some remote Orphanage. You can try to adjust your schedule and set aside one day for such a case.

And, finally, if there is a catastrophic lack of energy and time for such activities, there will always be an opportunity to bring joy to someone. Remember: you probably have relatives who turned out to be forgotten by you. You can do something good for them - at least call, ask how you are doing.

This is also very important. I have to somehow force myself to donate my time, to figure out where I can be useful.

Without abstinence in food there is no fasting

So, then, we can say that after all, the main thing in fasting is not food?

- You need to put the question in a different way: it is not important whether it is important or not. It is important that this is not an end, but a means. A means to renew one's spiritual life, to discover in oneself new sources of prayer, love for God and the experience of the Resurrection of Christ. If a person has not fasted bodily, it will be difficult for him to deeply experience Holy Week and Passover, he will not receive the same amazing spiritual fruits as the fasting one. Therefore, abstinence in food - at least minimal - is necessary. No post without this.

- Why? After all, fasting is not the same as dieting. What is the meaning of food restriction, why is it so significant?

“The fact is that it is very important during Lent to feel that we are dependent on food. This is our nature: we need to reinforce our strength, we experience hunger from time to time and, of course, we like to eat tastier. But our spirit, our longing for God must be higher than our natural longing to eat. And whether this is really so can be checked only when a person is fasting. Especially if this post lasts almost 2 months.

So there is both a moment of obedience and a moment of verification, showing what is really the most important thing for you.

For Adam or for Christ?

— Father, where did this tradition of fasting come from?

Adam and Eve were the first people who were prescribed abstinence in food. For us, the most significant in the entire history of mankind are two posts that are the standard - one with a minus sign, the other with a plus sign.

Adam in paradise was ordered not to eat fruit from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil; Christ, the second Adam, did not eat for 40 days in the wilderness. The tempter came to both the one and the other and said: “Eat! You want it!" Adam could not stand the temptation, could not stand the fast, and was expelled from paradise; Christ said: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God"(Matthew 4:4). It is clear which of them Christians seek to imitate.

So, in Great Lent, it is desirable to build a diet so that by the end of this field we really want to eat, really get hungry. Of course, at the same time, our hands and legs should not shake from weakness and our head should not think badly, i.e. fasting should not worsen either the intellectual or physical health of a person. But we need to actually feel that we are addicted to food. And then, following Christ, we can say: "Man shall not live by bread alone" and overcome this addiction.

- And if a person, for objective reasons, cannot refuse meat or kefir - let's say he has anemia or a stomach ulcer. Does the meaning of Great Lent disappear for him?

– If we cannot fast, in particular, due to illness, we must try to compensate for this, say, by giving up something that we love, by deeds of mercy.

It is interesting that people who already have the experience of fasting, losing the opportunity to cut themselves off in food, experience as if something very valuable was taken away from them. Sometimes they even repent of this, although, it would seem, what to repent of? A person, say, has gastritis, he cannot do without kefir, he is not to blame! But some still repent, arguing like this: I have no good deeds - I don’t restore monasteries, I don’t accept strangers, I don’t help the poor, I don’t know how to pray, but at least I could fast. And now I can’t fast because of my sins!

But, perhaps, the impossibility of fasting, on the contrary, will serve such a person for the good: earlier he was limited only to abstinence in food, and now his absence will be compensated by helping his neighbor.

Mistake one: ignorance of the measure

— What typical mistakes do people make during Lent? And why not repeat them?

- First typical mistake- ignorance of measure. This is especially true for those who hold the post for the first, second or third time.

We must remember that we will have to fast more than once in our lives: if this is not a whim for us, not an experiment on ourselves, if we take this seriously, then we will observe fasting for the rest of our lives. According to church calendar, this is about 200 days a year, i.e. For more than half of our lives, one way or another, we will abstain from food. Therefore, we must approach this wisely: I repeat, fasting should not worsen either bodily health or intellectual abilities.

A sense of proportion comes only with experience, but first you need to follow the traditions that have developed in the Church.

– But the Church has not developed a charter for the laity – there is only a monastic one. Not everyone can follow its instructions, especially in the conditions of our ecology and rhythm of life...

It is no coincidence that the Church does not have a charter for the laity. The light and indicator for monks are angels, and the light for the laity is monks, so we are guided by the monastic charter. We focus, but we execute it as much as we can. Therefore, in every Orthodox people a certain practice of fasting for the laity has been developed, and I believe that it is precisely this practice that we should adhere to.

For example, the charter prescribes the use of vegetable oil during Great Lent only on Saturday and Sunday. But in practice it is eaten on all days except the first and last week. Someone can not eat it even on Wednesdays and Fridays. But even one who consumes vegetable oil every day, in principle, does not break the fast.

The charter also prescribes on Wednesday and Friday to eat only after sunset and on other days - only once a day. Do we have to follow this rule? No, not necessarily - you need to know when to stop.

– And what is mandatory and not subject to change – both for monks and for laity?

- In general, dairy products and meat cannot be eaten during Lent. But even here you should not be hypocritical and zealous to such an extent that you scrupulously study the labels, it is quite possible to eat "conditionally lenten" foods: in practice, they eat cookies containing margarine, and white bread, which always contains whey, etc. .

- And how do they solve the problem with fish - in practice?

- Those who are engaged in intellectual work - schoolchildren, students, scientists, etc. – fish is allowed. It is not recommended directly, but it is allowed: if you feel that your intellectual abilities, attention, memory are noticeably affected, you can allow yourself to fast fish.

AT recent times a new practice for us has been established: on weekends there are “reptiles”, i.e. seafood. It came from Greece, where seafood is almost equal to mushrooms. And the Greeks are much stricter about vegetable oil than they are about “reptiles” - vegetable oil is not eaten during Lent, but “reptiles” are eaten!

It's better to under-fast than to over-fast

- However, you need to approach everything reasonably, because you can overeat both lean and "conditionally lean" products. This is the other side of ignorance of the measure - when a person, on the contrary, makes himself too much indulgence.

It is necessary to determine your norm, and, as a rule, it is found empirically, on the advice of a priest, over time. And, besides, there is spiritual prudence for this - it also does not fall from the sky, but you need to strive for it.

- Father Maxim, what is worse in terms of consequences - going too far in fasting or, on the contrary, not fasting?

“It is better to under-fast than to over-fast. I know many cases when people fasted very hard during the whole Great Lent - for example, they used 5 prosphora a day and nothing more. After a few years of such feats, a person generally gave up fasting.

So the feat must be feasible, reasonable. AT this case this is precisely a “movement”, and not a jump across the abyss. He should not surpass the feat of other people, otherwise one can easily imagine himself as amazing fasters, sort of heroes of the spirit.

Mistake #2: Don't Pray

- The second mistake is when a person does not pray during fasting, does not try to improve his spiritual life. And it is important to establish it: visit the temple, pray at home. Otherwise, if you are neither cold nor hot, if you do not strive for anything in the spiritual life, but simply go with the flow, then you will not achieve anything.

On the other hand, again, you can go too far - "pray": make a fool pray to God, he will hurt his forehead. In everything you need to know the measure.

– In order not to go to extremes, is it necessary to consult with a priest about the smallest details of fasting?

- A priest is not an authority that can allow or forbid fasting one way or another. He is an adviser. Advice is necessary, but only you can feel how you really feel. The priest, on the other hand, is able to look and “diagnose” from the outside, let’s say that his child has overfasted – he is blown away.

Therefore, it is desirable for every Orthodox person to have his own confessor who could help, suggest, orient. This should not be just a priest, with whom we regularly confess, but a person with whom we consult, discuss problems, and take blessings for important matters.

By the way, we must remember that during the fast itself, the confessor will have an increased workload, and therefore it is necessary to discuss such things with him in advance in detail. Maybe on a weekday come and talk, because Lent in Sundays there are always a lot of people in the temple.

Mistake three: condemnation

“It is very important not to judge others. It is no coincidence that before Great Lent, the Epistle to the Romans is read, where the Apostle Paul says: “He who eats, do not humiliate the one who does not eat; and who does not eat, do not condemn the one who eats "(Rom. 14:3). Let us remember that fasting is not a direct commandment of God, as, for example, "thou shalt not kill", "don't steal", "honor your father and mother", and not even like "remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy". Fasting is a church recommendation, a church prescription for the improvement of spiritual life. Therefore, in no case should we condemn those who do not fast or fast incorrectly, in our understanding.

The Apostle Paul writes: Who are you, condemning someone else's slave? Before his Lord he stands, or he falls» (Rom. 14:4) . These words are 100% applicable to the post: each its measure, so you don't have to watch someone else fast. It is no coincidence that the life of Mary of Egypt describes how the monks of the monastery of St. John the Baptist went into the desert during Great Lent one by one, so that no one would see how fasting and what feats the other performs.

Fasting can cause both condemnation and pride: they say, we are so wonderful, perfect, not like other people. Such thoughts must be driven away from oneself.

Fasting is, on the contrary, a time of humility. The time when we have to prove in practice that we are ready to cut off our will and our comfort for the sake of God, for the sake of obedience to Him.

Interviewed by Valeria Posashko

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! Thanks a lot 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 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. As sad as it is, now a large number of large families. When we come to our packing shops or other distribution centers and see who gets meals, it is, unfortunately, often the families that find themselves in a difficult situation. life situation with a lot of children. Many, of course, and older people.

Metropolitan Hilarion: For example, I grew up in a communal apartment. Mom and I lived in a room of 14 square meters. They ate for a ruble a day. Of course, in Soviet time a ruble is good money, but still it is a modest amount for two to live on. 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. Seemingly, 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 they need. 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.

“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?

First of all, 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 must be chewed well.

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

Thirdly, 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. While eating, 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 consecrated by prayer benefits the 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.

Many Christians strive to be as close to the Lord as possible. This is expressed in a way of life, the main component of which is food. The question that most believers ask is: how to determine the most suitable food for a Christian and the diet for eating it?

Today, there are several theories regarding the nutrition of a Christian, but most of them come more from man than from God. On this occasion, there are two main opinions: the first is that a person by nature, and therefore by the command of the Lord, must adhere to a system of vegetarianism based on the principles of a raw food diet; and the second opinion is that all living things, given to us by God, must be eaten, because animals feed on their own kind, and why should a person abstain.

What the Bible Says About Christian Diet

If you follow the biblical guidelines, then the Bible supports in some way both opinions, but at the same time they do not contradict each other. Namely, in the Old Testament it is indicated that all deeds, as well as what a person eats or does not eat, is carried out for the Lord.

Initially, even when creating all living things and in particular man, God intended separate products for each species: seeds, cereals, trees and their fruits, grass and other fruits of the earth to man, as well as grass and trees to animals and birds (indicated in Genesis 1:29 -thirty). As you can see, at first, a person really ate only food. plant origin and apparently raw.

Later, after the flood, the climate changed dramatically and in such harsh conditions, a person could not survive if he did not eat meat and other animal products. The Bible says that God himself allowed a change in the way of eating, eating everything that grows and moves as food (Genesis 9:3).

Therefore, most Christians are of the opinion that everything created by God is closely connected, necessary and intended for use in life. Therefore, there is nothing sinful either in the way of eating exclusively plant food, or in the omnivorous way, the main thing is that what is used is not harmful to health.

Basic dietary rules for a Christian

Special strict dietary rules for a Christian apply during periods of fasting and on major church holidays. General rules there are few believers, only three, although at first glance they are simple, but very important. If followed and maintained, they will become the key to a healthy diet.

1. 1 Avoid obesity. This is not only an external defect, but also a disease that gradually harms health more and reduces life expectancy.
2. 2 Avoid overeating, because gluttony is sinful. Food was given to us by the Lord in order to maintain the normal functioning of the body, and not for pleasure and abuse. According to Christian principles, you need to eat exactly as much as the body requires.
3. 3 With a large assortment of products, you need to choose those that really benefit the body, and do not lead to obesity and other diseases.

All of these rules are interrelated and complementary, and failure to uphold one will result in breaking the others. Ignoring these rules the Bible calls sin.

Common misconceptions

With any diet or lifestyle in general, the Bible does not allow extremes. Every Christian knows that the ancient apostles, prophets and clergymen often refused food or good nutrition. Today, many servants of God, missionaries or just believers, also strive to go through this, hoping for the help of the Lord. This is wrong, all examples of sufferers and saints support some heavenly purpose, pursue the idea that God helped to cope with difficulties and sacrifices. Doing it just like that or from your own discretion is not only not necessary, but it is also not recommended, because this is only an unreasonable harm to health.

The wrong opinion is that Jesus took human diseases to the cross, so you can not maintain a healthy lifestyle and eat somehow. Firstly, Christ took away our sins, and secondly, it is important not only not to get sick, but also to take care of your health.

Food during fasting

There are many fasting periods throughout the year, but the most important for every Christian is Great Lent. The period of Great Lent is the longest and most significant. The main goal of fasting is to strengthen love for God and everything around him, as well as to atone for sins, to cleanse oneself spiritually. Every Christian during fasting must confess and take communion, and also refrain from solemn holidays like a birthday or a wedding.

An important place in the period of any post is food. There are several basic rules for eating during fasting:

1. 1 The first and last day of fasting is preferably without food, if health permits, age group (children and the elderly are not allowed to starve) and other special circumstances (pregnancy, breastfeeding, hard work, etc.). Abstinence during the day in no way hurt adult, but on the contrary, it will contribute to health, because this is the so-called