The effort that transforms: Why fasting begins with the simple things
Lately, one idea is heard more and more often: that the main point of fasting is “not to eat each other alive,” and that what’s on your plate doesn’t matter. People repeat that food neither brings you closer to God nor pushes you away from Him, that you should fast “however it works out,” and that all of this is secondary.
But if we turn to the living tradition of the Church – to the experience of the holy fathers – we see a different picture. Their fasting was serious. Christ Himself fasted – forty days without food. And that is not an accident.
If the bodily side is unimportant, then why was that fast necessary?
Because fasting is far deeper than a menu.
It is the art of governing yourself.
Of gathering inner strength.
Of taming desire through what is most understandable to a human being – the body.
Restricting food is perhaps the smallest step we can actually take.
It is a zone of our responsibility.
Not judging, not snapping in irritation, cleansing our thoughts – that is extraordinarily hard. Pride rises quickly here, along with resentment and self-love. Without God’s help, it is almost impossible.
But the choices we make in food are in our hands.
And that is an honest beginning of the work on oneself.
By nature a person gravitates toward comfort: to eat, to sleep, to avoid strain. If we cannot say “enough” to ourselves in basic things, how will we learn to control anger, envy, judgment?
Fasting is a school of discipline.
A training of the will.
The forming of an inner backbone.
And there is one more important aspect. As someone who works with health and the body, I will say this: well-structured Lenten eating can become a season of recovery. It is a time when the body is given a break, inflammation decreases, and processes begin to settle into order.
But fasting must be adequate – it must be sensible.
If there are digestive problems, it is not worth eliminating fats completely. Plant sources – nuts, seeds, oils (when permitted) – help prevent weakness, pain, and breakdowns. A balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates remains important even during the fast.
Fasting is not starvation and not self-torment.
It is conscious restraint.
And often it is easier to begin precisely with the bodily. Through simple steps we prepare for what is harder – for inner work, for prayer, for a change of heart.
When someone says “food doesn’t matter,” but at the same time refuses to limit themselves in anything, that is more about convenience than about spirituality.
True fasting always requires effort.
And it is exactly this effort that gradually changes a person.
