Fasting with enough protein: how to keep your muscle during Orthodox Lent

The biggest trap during Orthodox fasting isn't the lack of meat, it's that your plate easily fills up with bread, potatoes and pasta while protein drops away. Over several weeks you feel it: less strength in training, more hunger and some muscle loss. The fix isn't complicated, it just takes a bit of planning.

How much protein you need during a fast

The same as outside of it. For someone who exercises recreationally that's roughly 1.2 to 1.6 g per kilo of body weight, and more for people who train seriously. For someone weighing 70 kg that's 85 to 110 grams a day. It's doable with plant foods, but it won't happen by accident.

Fasting-friendly foods with the most protein

• Lentils — about 9 g per 100 g cooked. Quick to make and no soaking needed.
• Beans — about 8–9 g per 100 g cooked.
• Chickpeas — about 9 g per 100 g cooked. Hummus counts.
• Tofu — 8 to 15 g per 100 g, depending on the type. Firm tofu has more.
• Quinoa — about 4–5 g per 100 g cooked, but with all the essential amino acids.
• Nuts and seeds — 15 to 25 g per 100 g, but high in calories, so think a handful, not a bag.
• Fish — 20 to 25 g per 100 g, on days when fish is allowed.

Mix them up and don't worry about amino acids

Individual plant proteins often don't have all the amino acids in the ideal ratio. You don't have to combine them in the same meal. It's enough to eat both legumes and grains over the course of the day. Beans and bread, lentils and rice, hummus and wholegrain bread: our grandmothers knew this without any charts.

A sample fasting day with around 85 g of protein

• Breakfast: porridge made with plant milk, seeds and walnuts — about 15 g
• Snack: hummus with vegetables and wholegrain bread — about 10 g
• Lunch: lentil soup and a quinoa salad with vegetables — about 25 g
• Snack: a handful of almonds and fruit — about 7 g
• Dinner: pan-fried tofu with vegetables and rice — about 25 g

For a 70 kg person who exercises recreationally, that's enough. If you need more, it's easy to add a fish meal when fish is allowed, or plant protein powder if you train.

What else to watch out for

• Oil. Without animal fats it's easy to overdo the oil, so fasting food can end up as calorie-heavy as regular food.
• Fasting-friendly sweets and snacks. Fasting-friendly doesn't mean healthy. A vegan biscuit is still a biscuit.
• Vitamin B12 and iron. Not an issue for a short fast, but if you fast for long periods or are vegan, talk to your doctor about getting checked.

Fasting without cooking

We prepare fasting meals as part of our packages too, on the same principle: five meals, clear calories and enough protein. Just write in the order note that you want fasting meals, and if you have questions about the rules you follow (with or without fish, oil-free days), get in touch through the Contact page. Packages and prices are on the pricing page.