Opinion: Lent season brings healthy eating alternatives and habits
Hailey Crawford
Issue date: 3/26/09 Section: Lagniappe
Lenten season has begun, and many of us have grown up with this tradition of fasting.
Lent, a 40-day liturgical season, begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Traditionally, the 40 days of Lent are marked by fasting, festivities and other acts of penance.
The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigor during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self) and almsgiving (justice towards neighbor). Similarly, today, some people give up a personal vice, add something that will bring them closer to God or spend their time and money to help charitable purposes and organizations.
One of the main staples during Lenten season is the fasting process. Fasting prohibits people from consuming all animal products. During this time, some religions permit fish, some permit fish and fowl, others prohibit fruit and eggs and some eat only bread.
In the past, believers is some places abstained from food for an entire day. Others took in only one meal each day, while some abstained from all food until 3 o'clock p.m. In most places, however, the practice was to abstain from eating until the evening, when a small meal without meat or alcohol was eaten.
In today's busy society, lunch may consist of a double fish sandwich from McDonalds, Burger King or Wendy's. Although, there are better options available. College students, for example, are offered a variety of options in the cafeteria. Every Friday, students can enjoy a fish dish as an entrée. Even for those who are not fish fans, try the pasta and sauce or the vegetarian dish offered each day.
If the thought of seafood is not satisfying, try products that contain whey protein or soy protein in them to get the protein that would normally come from fish products. Smoothie King also offers a multitude of blended smoothies. With these products, a little goes a long way. However, ordering a 40-ounce smoothie could be a bad idea for healthy eaters because they can total up to 1,000 calories.
Lent, a 40-day liturgical season, begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Traditionally, the 40 days of Lent are marked by fasting, festivities and other acts of penance.
The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigor during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self) and almsgiving (justice towards neighbor). Similarly, today, some people give up a personal vice, add something that will bring them closer to God or spend their time and money to help charitable purposes and organizations.
One of the main staples during Lenten season is the fasting process. Fasting prohibits people from consuming all animal products. During this time, some religions permit fish, some permit fish and fowl, others prohibit fruit and eggs and some eat only bread.
In the past, believers is some places abstained from food for an entire day. Others took in only one meal each day, while some abstained from all food until 3 o'clock p.m. In most places, however, the practice was to abstain from eating until the evening, when a small meal without meat or alcohol was eaten.
In today's busy society, lunch may consist of a double fish sandwich from McDonalds, Burger King or Wendy's. Although, there are better options available. College students, for example, are offered a variety of options in the cafeteria. Every Friday, students can enjoy a fish dish as an entrée. Even for those who are not fish fans, try the pasta and sauce or the vegetarian dish offered each day.
If the thought of seafood is not satisfying, try products that contain whey protein or soy protein in them to get the protein that would normally come from fish products. Smoothie King also offers a multitude of blended smoothies. With these products, a little goes a long way. However, ordering a 40-ounce smoothie could be a bad idea for healthy eaters because they can total up to 1,000 calories.
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