How to Fast Properly? A Dietitian Explains How to Plan Your Diet During Fasting 0 8

How to properly choose dishes and products during fasting to avoid constant hunger and not worsen your well-being? This question was answered by Natalia Denisova, a candidate of medical sciences and a dietitian.

First of all, it is important to understand that such a change in diet is not suitable for everyone. People with chronic diseases, those engaged in heavy physical labor, pregnant women, and children are not recommended to fast. Those who do not fall into this category should properly plan their diet to avoid starvation and receive all necessary nutrients.

Planning the Diet

It is recommended to organize meals into five intakes — three main meals and two snacks. Here is a sample menu for fasting.

Breakfast. Ideally, this should be porridge; any grain will do. You can diversify it with nuts and dried fruits.

First snack. Fruits or vegetables, a little nuts and dried fruits.

Lunch. There must be a hot dish. For example, vegetable soup, and for the second course — legumes, whole wheat pasta, vegetables, or grains. Cooking should be done by steaming, stewing, boiling, or baking.

Second snack. You can eat something sweet to satisfy your carbohydrate needs. Many people gain weight during fasting because they eat sweets, pasta, etc., in the evening. It is better to eat this during the second snack, for example, before leaving work.

Dinner. The optimal dish for the evening meal is protein and fiber. During fasting, protein can be obtained from plant products: whole grain cereals, legumes, nuts and seeds, mushrooms. Fiber can be obtained from vegetables: cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, pumpkin, etc.

During fasting, there are two days when fish is allowed — on Annunciation (April 7) and on Palm Sunday, which is celebrated 7 days before Easter. It is better not to fry fish to avoid harming the intestines, as fat creates a significant load. It is optimal to cook fish by steaming, baking, or stewing without oil with spices.

How to Diversify the Menu?

If you want shawarma, you can make a vegetable or mushroom one. To diversify the taste, use rice pancakes instead of regular lavash. They can be bought in the store or made at home. The recipe is simple: rice flour, water, and salt. Rice is an additional source of protein and carbohydrates.

Another option is grape leaves. Like rice paper, they can be used to wrap a filling of grains, mushrooms, and vegetables. This will result in an unusual, tasty, and satisfying dish.

What to Substitute for Meat and Milk?

There are many fasting products available in stores, as indicated on the labels. There are soy products and milk alternatives available.

Milk substitution. If you love coffee with milk, try plant-based alternatives. There is a huge variety to choose from — oat, rice, hemp, buckwheat, coconut, almond, etc. Cow's milk substitutes can also be used in preparing sauces for pasta and vegetable soups. For example, soy milk is an adequate substitute for cow's milk during fasting — both in terms of essential amino acids and calcium and vitamin content. Additionally, fermented plant milk drinks and soy cottage cheese (tofu) are available.

Meat substitution. Soy isolate, soy concentrate, and textured soy protein are suitable for healthy eating. Whole soybeans and soy flour are considered hard to digest foods. However, most soy analogs of sausage products, just like regular sausage, do not relate to healthy eating. They contain the same ingredients — phosphates, flavor enhancers. Furthermore, “fasting” sausages may contain other, more “harmful” ingredients, such as hydrogenated fats. Therefore, it is undesirable to consume them regularly. It is better to choose “soy meat” (textured soy protein) in its natural form.
What else should you remember?

If you are engaged in physical labor — working in production or agriculture — you can increase your carbohydrate intake, but not at the expense of sugar, honey, and other sweets. Again, it is advisable not to do this in the evening.

If you are afraid of gaining weight from carbohydrates, reduce the size of your plate. The diameter of a standard plate is 25 cm. If it is 5 cm smaller, you can trick your body into feeling full with a smaller amount of food. Maintaining a feeling of fullness for a long time is aided by a sufficient amount of dietary fiber. Sources of fiber include whole grain bread, unrefined cereals, vegetables, and fruits.