The rules of fasting for healthy adults are clearly defined by the church canon. At that time, believing parents may have doubts about the diet of children in this period. Indeed, the diet for the child during this period has its own characteristics.
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Instruction manual
1
Exclude various goodies and sweets from the child’s menu at the time of fasting, even if they do not contain animal components. Fasting is not a vegetarian diet, but an experience of self-restraint for spiritual improvement. At this time, various excesses are not welcome, including in food.
2
Think about whether your child is able to give up meat and fish products for a long time. They can be excluded if we are talking about short one-day sweats on Wednesday and Friday, which are observed in religious families. In the case of Lent, which lasts forty days, such abstinence can harm the developing organism. For children of preschool and primary school age, you can periodically add meat to food, but it should be as simple as possible cooked. For example, chicken can simply be boiled without additional spices, and not fried in breading. The same goes for fish.
3
Keep dairy products in your diet, but again, in the simplest form. That is, milk, kefir and cottage cheese without flavors can be stored in the diet as a source of calcium, but you should not buy a child a variety of sweet yogurts and curd cheese, which can be attributed to treats.
4
Think about which vegetables your child loves the most and use them when cooking. For example, many children like carrots because of their sweet taste. A useful and tasty dish will be carrots fried with vegetable oil and a small amount of tomato paste. If a child likes mushrooms, they can also be added to the diet as an additional source of protein. Do not cook too complicated dishes - fasting should become an opportunity for spiritual improvement for you at the expense of the freed time.
5
Remember that changing your diet is only part of the fast. During this period, the child should be protected from the TV and computer, and free time should be spent communicating within the family, including on religious topics.