Today is a landmark day for the Orthodox. Lent began. Believers for 40 days exclude from their diet a number of products, primarily - meat and milk. Relaxation religion allows for pregnant women, nursing mothers and those who are engaged in particularly hard physical work. As for children, there are no special instructions. "Parents, at their discretion, can restrict children in food," says Archpriest Alexander Sorokin. - At school they can eat what they are offered in the dining room, and continue the house at home, I do not see anything terrible in it.
Photo: GettyImagesMain rule: fasting should not harm health. Of course, with children it is not necessary to demand the fulfillment of all the fasting regulations intended for adults. In this case, many parents believe: for a month and a half without meat nothing will happen. But how useful will it be for a child, if from its diet, even for such a short time, exclude important for growth microelements? That's what official medicine thinks about this. Nikola Komov, a pediatrician, a teacher of the propaedeutics department of childhood diseases with a childcare course:
Children cannot be limited in food.After all, they are constantly, every day, growing and developing. On the whole, the Orthodox fast is not as tough as in other religions. And its adherents say that plant-based sources of protein, such as buckwheat and beans, can extinguish the body's need. But they miss the point that this protein will be defective, so this is still undesirable for children. Let us explain what this is about. For full development, the body needs animal protein with essential amino acids that our body cannot synthesize on its own. It is found in meat, eggs, milk. That is, those foods that during Lent for 40 days should be completely excluded from the diet. And this is the biggest disadvantage of such a "diet", because vegetable protein does not contain the entire spectrum of amino acids necessary for building the body.You can, of course, look for a balance, pick upproducts, adjust the diet. Some amino acids are contained one by one in separate products, for example, in film or in corn flour. Yes, it will be difficult, but it is possible to collect the full spectrum. Vegetarians, for example, do this. But whether it will eat a child not accustomed to such food - another question. The teacher explains: in modern children and so the body lacks protein. Indeed, children are much better at eating foods rich in carbohydrates: pasta, potatoes. Meat is worse, but also eaten. But to cram into yourself 400 grams of buckwheat per day to get a relatively equivalent replacement, is unlikely to agree.
Photo: GettyImagesIf all the same parents want a childheld a post, then I advise you to leave at least one of the products with animal protein: either meat, eggs or milk. But the restriction on sweets and fatty foods medicine is ready to support at least for life. We will specify: our expert speaks about children of the senior preschool age. Up to three years, while the body is still actively developing, in general, no restrictions on food are unacceptable. For those who still hesitate, let us recall: the restriction in food is an important, but not the most important component of fasting. Pure thoughts and good deeds - that's what should be a priority component in the next 40 days. And if you want to restrict the child in some way, it's better to remove sweets and cartoons from his life for this time. For this the doctors will definitely thank you. Also interesting:
