The Easter fasting period began on Monday, February 23, and will last until April 11, bringing major changes in diet for many Romanians. However, nutritionist Anca Hâncu warns that one of the most common mistakes is completely eliminating animal protein without proper replacement, which can lead to imbalances.
„It’s very difficult to replace protein”
Appearing on Medika TV on Tuesday evening, Anca Hâncu explained that many people end up compensating for the lack of protein by consuming increased carbohydrates.
"The major mistake that many people continue to make is that (...) they no longer eat anything of animal origin, but it's very difficult to replace protein. And protein brings satiety (...) So they exclude animal-origin foods, exclude good-quality proteins, and instead bring in, most of the time, carbohydrates because they don't know how to bring in proteins," the doctor stated.
According to her, there are plant-based proteins, but they need to be carefully combined to ensure adequate intake.
"There are plant-based proteins, we find them in legumes, we find them in soy, in chia seeds, hemp seeds, we also find them in cereals, but in smaller quantities, they need to be combined with nuts, cereals, and legumes. It's much harder, we eat tofu, even though some people don't like it, so they might prefer to eat tofu bread and sweets, as there are plenty of fasting sweets," Anca Hâncu added.
"Fasting sweets" do not automatically mean healthy
The doctor warns that sweet products, even if they comply with fasting rules, can lead to weight gain and metabolic issues.
"It's sweet and in excess, because ultimately even a bread with jam is fasting, but if you only eat bread with jam, firstly you don't get enough protein, you don't feel full, and you create metabolic imbalances," she explained.
The trap of ultra-processed products
Another issue highlighted by the specialist is the increased consumption of ultra-processed products promoted as "for fasting."
"There are many ultra-processed products, specifically designed for fasting. You look and see a lot of additives there. Those should be avoided. Exactly what I was saying, those pastes that are said to resemble pate but are not pate, it's something vegetable-based, but it's full of extracts from derivatives, from various food powders, in such a way as to give the illusion of a food. We should be careful to get our protein from plant sources. On the other hand, we also need iron," Anca Hâncu further stated.
Orthodox believers entered the Easter fasting period on February 23, a period that ends on April 11. It is the longest and most severe fasting period of the year.