A vegan fast means no animal products at all. No meat, no dairy, no eggs, no fish. You’re eating plants, vegetables, fruits, grains, beans, nuts, olive oil.
This is the standard Orthodox fast. When someone says “we’re fasting,” they usually mean this strict form. It’s what we do during Great Lent, on most Wednesdays and Fridays, and during several other periods throughout the year. The Church has always fasted this way, going back to the earliest centuries.
Now, if you’re coming from a Protestant background here in Southeast Texas, this probably sounds extreme. Most Baptist or non-denominational churches don’t fast at all, or if they do, it’s giving up chocolate for a week or skipping lunch to pray. That’s not what we’re talking about. Orthodox fasting is a whole different thing.
Why So Strict?
The point isn’t punishment. We don’t fast to earn God’s favor or pay for sins. God forgives freely. We fast because we’re trying to retrain our bodies and our wills.
Think about it this way. We live in a culture where we can have anything we want, anytime we want it. Whataburger at 2 a.m.? Sure. Brisket and kolaches for breakfast? Why not. Our appetites run the show. Fasting flips that script. It puts the spirit back in charge of the body, where it belongs.
The early Church understood that what we eat affects how we pray. A belly full of steak and cheese makes you sluggish. You want to nap, not pray. But a simple meal of lentils and vegetables? You stay alert. Your mind stays clear. St. John Chrysostom wrote about this constantly.
There’s also something deeper going on. Before the Fall, Adam and Eve ate plants. They didn’t kill animals for food. When we fast, we’re reaching back toward that original harmony, that right relationship with creation. We’re practicing for the Kingdom, where the lion lies down with the lamb and nobody’s eating anybody.
What You Can Actually Eat
Let’s get practical. During a vegan fast, you can eat:
- Any vegetable or fruit
- Rice, pasta, bread (check the ingredients, no eggs or milk)
- Beans, lentils, chickpeas
- Nuts and seeds
- Olive oil, vegetable oils
- Peanut butter, hummus, tahini
- Coffee and tea (black, no cream)
What you can’t eat:
- Meat of any kind
- Fish (except on certain feast days when the Church allows it)
- Dairy, no milk, cheese, butter, yogurt
- Eggs
- Anything made with these ingredients
If you work offshore on a rig or you’re pulling twelve-hour shifts at the plant, talk to Fr. Michael. The Church has always made allowances for people whose work is physically demanding. That’s called economia, pastoral flexibility. We’re not legalists. But don’t give yourself a dispensation. Ask your priest.
When We Fast This Way
Great Lent is the big one. Forty days before Pascha, we’re all fasting together. It’s intense, but you’re not alone. The whole parish is doing it.
We also fast every Wednesday and Friday throughout the year (except during certain feast periods). Wednesday commemorates Judas’s betrayal. Friday remembers the Crucifixion. These aren’t optional, they’re part of being Orthodox.
Then there’s the Nativity Fast before Christmas, the Dormition Fast in August, and a few other periods. Your first year, it feels like we’re always fasting. By your second year, it becomes rhythm.
The Real Challenge
Here’s what nobody tells you at first. The hard part isn’t giving up cheeseburgers. The hard part is what happens when you’re hungry and irritable and you snap at your kids or your spouse. That’s when you realize fasting isn’t really about food. It’s about control. It’s about recognizing how weak you are, how much you depend on comfort and pleasure to get through the day.
That’s the point. We fast so we’ll fail, so we’ll see ourselves clearly, so we’ll cry out to God for help. And in that crying out, something shifts. You become a little more patient. A little more grateful. A little more human.
St. Basil the Great said that fasting gives birth to prophets and strengthens the powerful. He wasn’t exaggerating. When you fast with prayer, when you combine it with almsgiving and reading Scripture, it changes you. Not overnight. But over time, you notice you’re different.
If you’re thinking about becoming Orthodox, start small. Try fasting on Fridays. See what happens. Come to a Wednesday evening Presanctified Liturgy during Lent and you’ll see what we mean. There’s something about gathering with other people who are all hungry together, all struggling together, all reaching for something beyond themselves. You can’t explain it. You have to experience it.
