The Great Lent. I'm fasting

The Great Lent starts today. Since the recent weeks I was mostly at home and spent a lot of time sitting at a computer, a small weight loss will be only good. And thus, the Lent is a good occasion. Although I must admit - I'm doing it not because of religious beliefs (I'm not very religious), but to clean my organism. I have friends that had been fasting this period for some years and they were feeling really good after that, with a refreshed organism.

Armenian Apostolic Church declares the beginning of the Great Lent on February 23. It will last 48 days, until Easter on April 12. Fasting by Armenian religious traditions include abstaining from any kind of food not of vegetable origin. While during Catholic Lent eggs and dairy products are allowed, on ours (similar to Orthodox traditions), on the contrary, the meat, dairy products and eggs, seafood are forbidden.

This will be a tough job for me since meat is a frequent ingredient for dinners at our home (like in most Armenian families). And I'm not saying about cheese and other dairy products ! I cannot yet imagine my life without cheese :((

So I need to prepare my food myself which can include:

• Rice
• Potatoes
• Corn
• Lentil
• Haricot, pea and other beans
• Mushrooms
• All sorts of vegetables (hello, spring!)
  
• Spinach and other greens
• Oatmeal
• Noodles (soya or rice)
• Yeast baking 
• Honey (luckily it's allowed)
• Cereals
• From the sweets - dried fruits

And from the following things i should abstain:

• Milk, sour cream, butter
• Cheese
  
• Meat, chicken, fish
• Eggs 
• Cakes, pastry, donuts
  
• Sandwiches, pizzas, most pastas...
  
• Olive oil
• Wine (! :( )

Arrivederci my dear pizza...

I concluded that i can make my beloved pizza with yeast dough, cover it with vegetables and tomato pasta (?), but somehow resist to put cheese. This could work :) And also I can make a wide range of salads with vegetables.


I cannot guarantee that I will resist and abstain from all the forbidden food, and so maybe I will sometimes become catholic :D (eating dairy products) but I will try my best to fast for the first time. In fact, I've never been on any kind of diets before.

Now, that I have written about my commitment in my blog, it became kind of an obligation, so I will keep it updated on the process.