What to eat during fasting so as not to lose muscle mass: 10 easy recipes

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Vegetable soup, a variety of main courses, pancakes and even sausages made from high-protein plant-based ingredients will help preserve muscle during the fast.

During Lent, from February 19 to April 7, it is forbidden to eat meat, eggs and dairy products, that is, all complete and accessible sources of animal protein. Vegetable oil is allowed only on weekends, and caviar and fish are allowed once for the entire fast: March 31 and April 1.

Fortunately, there are plant-based sources of protein that can help you hold out until the end of the fast and not lose muscle mass.

Life hacker offers a dozen of fairly simple dishes that a person with any level of culinary ability can cook. In fact, there are many more lean recipes, so you can delight yourself with delicious dishes every day.

The main thing is to remember protein-rich foods. During fasting, your best friends are legumes (beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas), soy tofu, cereals (rice, oatmeal, buckwheat), sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanut butter, bananas.

1. Hummus

Boiled chickpeas contain about 8.5 g of protein per 100 g of product, and sesame seeds contain 19.4 g of protein and a lot of calcium, which is especially important when you avoid dairy products.

Ingredients:

• 300 g dry chickpeas;
• 50 g sesame seeds;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 5 tablespoons of lemon juice;
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Preparation

1. Soak the chickpeas the night before cooking to soften and cook faster.
2. Boil the chickpeas for two hours without adding salt. Do not pour the broth.
3. Fry the sesame seeds until golden brown and grind in a coffee grinder, combine with garlic and olive oil and blend everything in a blender until smooth.
4. Add the chickpeas and 300 ml broth while continuing to mix.
5. Add lemon juice and salt to the finished dish to taste.

2. Oatmeal with banana and pumpkin seeds

Oatmeal contains 3 g of protein per 100 g of product, there is vitamin B6, which is necessary for the assimilation of protein, as well as zinc, which increases the secretion of testosterone. Banana is known among fruits for its high protein and potassium content. But the champion in the amount of protein in this dish is pumpkin seeds. They contain from 19 to 24 g of protein, a lot of vitamin E and a bunch of other useful substances.

Ingredients:

• 100 g dry oatmeal;
• 1 banana;
• 30 g pumpkin seeds;
• dry cherry (optional).

Preparation

Boil oatmeal in water, add banana, mashed with a fork, pumpkin seeds and dried cherries. Let it brew for 5-10 minutes and you can eat.

3. Lentil soup with vegetables

Lentils, like all legumes, are an excellent plant-based source of protein. Boiled lentils contain about 7, 8 g of protein per 100 g of product.

Ingredients:

• 1 carrot;
• 2 stalks of celery;
• 1 onion;
• 1 cup red lentils
• Bay leaf.

Preparation

1. Soak lentils for at least eight hours.
2. Chop carrots, onions and celery, fry in olive oil for five minutes, season with salt.
3. Pour the lentils with water, add the toasted vegetables, cook for 25-30 minutes.

4. Bean pate

Boiled beans contain 7, 8 g of protein per 100 g of product, vitamins B6, E, C. There are a huge number of beans dishes, from soups to main courses. Here's a recipe for a pate that can be used as part of a meal, as well as for nutritious sandwiches with bread or loafs.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry white beans
• 2-3 medium onions;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• salt, black pepper.

Preparation

1. Soak the beans for 8-12 hours.
2. Boil the beans until soft, drain the bulk of the water, leaving about 100 g of broth.
3. Chop and sauté the onion until golden brown.
4. In a blender, combine the beans, onion and chopped garlic, half a teaspoon of salt and black pepper until smooth.
5. Refrigerate plows and spread on bread.

5. Beans stewed with vegetables

Good for lunch or dinner: nutritious, high in protein, and cheap. It will take three hours to cook (the beans take a long time to cook), so it is better to transfer them over the weekend or cook in advance so as not to starve to death after work and not eat half-baked beans.

Ingredients:

• 500 g beans;
• 2 onions;
• 2 carrots;
• 50 g tomato paste;
• parsley and dill;
• salt, black pepper, sugar;
• Bay leaf.

Preparation

1. Soak the beans in cold water overnight.
2. Cook the beans for 2–2.5 hours until tender.
3. Divide the onions into rings, cut them into quarters, and fry until golden brown.
4. Grate the carrots, fry with the onions.
5. Cover vegetables with water and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
6. Add beans to vegetables and simmer for another 20-30 minutes.
7. Add tomato paste, sugar, ground black pepper, bay leaves and herbs.

6. Chickpea cutlets with carrots

For those who miss cutlets while fasting, there is a healthy and delicious option made from chickpeas and carrots. It is very simple and quick to prepare - well suited for an express dinner. Of course, if you have not forgotten to soak the chickpeas beforehand.

Ingredients:

• 100 g chickpeas;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 onion;
• salt, black pepper.

Preparation

1. Soak the chickpeas in cold water overnight.
2. Mince the chickpeas or grind them in a blender.
3. Mix with chopped onions, garlic and carrots, salt and pepper.
4. Blind cutlets and sauté in olive oil.

7. Indian pancakes

Boiled peas contain 6 g of protein per 100 g of product, basmati rice contains about 2-3 g of protein, and turmeric is good for joints and cardiovascular system.

Ingredients:

• 50 g peas;
• 150 g basmati rice;
• salt, black pepper, turmeric.

Preparation

1. Pour boiling water over the rice and peas (in different containers) and leave covered for eight hours.
2. Grind rice and peas in a blender, add spices and leave the resulting mass in a warm place for a day.
3. Pour in the vegetable oil, heat the skillet well and bake the pancakes, frying on both sides.

8. Pea sausage or sausages

Sausage lovers can try the high-protein, spiced sausage tinted with beets.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pea flakes
• 1 beet;
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg;
• ½ teaspoon of paprika;
• 100 ml of vegetable oil;
• 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper;
• 3 cloves of garlic.

Preparation

1. Cook the pea flakes in boiling water (seven minutes).
2. Pour in vegetable oil, boil for one minute.
3. Add garlic, spices and a tablespoon of beetroot juice to the mass, mix in a blender until smooth.
4. Wrap the resulting mass in cling film, form a sausage and put in the refrigerator until it solidifies.

9. Tofu with vegetables

Tofu soy cheese is an excellent source of vegetable protein (8 g protein per 100 g product). Lean desserts with cocoa and fruits and exotic dishes are made from it, one composition of which is terrifying. We have chosen a simple and affordable recipe for tofu with vegetables, which will take you 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 4 mushrooms;
• 1 onion;
• 1 tomato;
• 2 small cauliflower inflorescences;
• 400 g tofu;
• 30 g green peas;
• olive oil;
• turmeric, ground black pepper;
• soy sauce;
• cilantro.

Preparation

1. Dice the mushrooms, onion, tomato and cauliflower.
2. Fry the onions in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, then add the rest of the vegetables.
3. Crush tofu with your hands, sprinkle with turmeric.
4. Add tofu to vegetables, fry until the liquid evaporates completely.
5. Add a tablespoon of soy sauce and black pepper to taste.
6. Add the green peas two minutes before the vegetables are ready.
7. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro before serving.

10. Dessert with tofu and peanut butter

Delicious high-protein dessert made from healthy ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 250 g tofu;
• 3 bananas;
• 50 g peanut butter;
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1½ tablespoon sugar
• vanilla to taste;
• nuts for topping.

Preparation

1. Pour the sugar into the pan so that it covers the bottom in a thin layer. When it begins to melt, place the sliced banana on top and fry on both sides.
2. Grind the nuts in a blender.
3. In a blender, combine two bananas, tofu, peanut butter, sugar, salt and vanilla.
4. Put the resulting mass in a cup, put the caramelized banana on top and sprinkle with nuts, make two such layers.
5. Cool in the refrigerator for an hour.

Also consider buying a plant-based protein to help you maintain your protein intake without breaking your fast and maintain muscle mass until the end of your fast.