Allowed, but not encouraged: why you can’t eat lots of sweets during Lent

In 2023, Lent began on February 27 and will end on April 15. On April 16, the Orthodox will celebrate Easter and, for the first time in many weeks of restrictions, will enjoy the festive table.

Standard fasting rules include excluding all animal products from the diet, as well as adhering to special instructions: for example, observing dry eating days.

Read also: Lent: what you can eat on dry days

For many fasting people, sweets become the main joy of these weeks. Yes, you cannot eat milk chocolate or a piece of cream cake in Lent. But there is dark chocolate, honey, jam, marmalade, gingerbread and many other products marked “possible on an empty stomach”.

It is extremely difficult to do without sweets during the fast, because due to the scarcity of food, it is difficult to feel full and satisfied.

Trying to eat less sugar while fasting is also necessary in terms of health. During this period, carbohydrates predominate in our diet, while proteins and healthy fats become catastrophically small. In excess, fast carbohydrates become a catalyst for the development of serious diseases, such as diabetes or anemia. Especially if you are lacking in other nutrients!

Of course, such a result of Great Lent seems alarming and even somewhat far-fetched: after all, some people fast and eat sweets year after year, and nothing happens to them. Next, let’s recall a much more likely unpleasant “side effect” of an unbalanced diet during fasting weeks – the appearance of extra pounds and noticeable flaccidity of the body. Regular consumption of sugar against the background of a deficiency of fats and proteins is a sure way to the appearance of problems with the figure. At least remember that!