Catholic Diet?

Question

what foods are Catholics allowed and not allowed to eat? also, what Holy Days must they fast?
thanks

Answer 1

The Catholic Church follows the Biblical practice of Jesus Christ and the Jews in setting aside days where the entire Church fasts and prays as one in a attitude of constant renewal.

The Days of Penance are described in the Code of Canon Law (1249-1253):

Divine law binds all the Christian faithful to do penance each in his or her own way.

In order for all to be united among themselves by some common observance of penance, however, penitential days are prescribed on which the Christian faithful devote themselves in a special way to prayer, perform works of piety and charity, and deny themselves by fulfilling their own obligations more faithfully and especially by observing fast and abstinence.

The penitential times are every Friday and the season of Lent.

Abstinence from meat is to be observed on all Fridays.

Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

In the United States of America, the bishops, with the permission of the Pope, allow Catholics to substitute a penitential Practice or even a charitable practice of their own choosing on the Fridays outside of Lent.

Many U.S. Catholics just continue to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year.

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P4O.HTM
http://www.usccb.org/lent/2007/Penance_and_Abstinence.pdf

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

That means we can eat one full meal and all other food for the day cannot total one meal's worth.

On Fridays we do not eat meat. During Lent, this is required...but the rest of the year, we may substitute another sacrifice or act of charity for abstaining from meat .

Also, we do not eat outside of meals during Lent.

Answer 3

Um, my husband happens to be Catholic and avoids all meat except fish on fridays during Lent.I just try to go along with it. Sorry that's all I really know about restrictions regarding their diet.

Answer 4

Catholics, as a group, are required to fast on only two days of the year - Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. On these days, fasting means something very specific and limited. It means that one eats only one full meal in a day, with no food in-between meals. It is understood that two other meals, if one eats three meals a day, should not total one full meal. One might fast in a more complete way, i.e., eating only a portion of a single meal. Of course, anyone is free to fast at any time that it is helpful for their prayer and reflection. It is not recommended that anyone with impaired health should fast in any way. It is also important to note that everyone who fasts should drink enough fluids on a fast day.

What does it mean to "abstain"? To abstain is to not eat meat. Its purpose is to be an act of penance - an act of sacrifice, that helps us grow in freedom to make much bigger sacrifices. Of course, it would not make sense to make the sacrifice of not eating meat, and then eat a wonderful meal I might enjoy even more. Many people eat a vegetarian diet, for a variety of reasons, and eating meat is not even an issue. It might be possible to abstain from a non-meal that I really like, on all the Fridays of Lent. It should be noted that many people in this world cannot afford to eat meat or do not have access to it. Part of our abstaining from meat can place us in solidarity with so many of our sisters and brothers around the world.

When do I abstain? Catholics, as a group, abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and on all the Fridays of Lent. What about "giving up something" for Lent? When many of us were children, we might remember our giving up candy for Lent. And, it seemed like a real sacrifice. As we grew up, it was often more difficult to decide what special thing to do, to make Lent a special season - to get our attention and to prepare ourselves for deeper sacrifices.

What would help me grow in freedom? That's the question to ask. For some of us, it could be, committing ourselves to give up judging others, every single day of Lent. For others, it could be giving up a bad habit we've developed. For still others, it is obvious what seems to be the important choice for me during Lent. For many of us, the choice may not be to give something up, but to add something to our daily lives during Lent. We may commit ourselves to extra prayer time. We may decide to do some service to the poor, once a week during Lent. We may choose to increase our almsgiving to the poor - perhaps related to something we choose not to do, e.g., some might choose not to go out to eat one night a week, and to give that total amount to the poor.

Whether it is fasting, abstaining or other acts of penance, the whole desire we should have is to use these means to help us grow closer to our Lord and prepare ourselves "to celebrate the paschal mystery with minds and hearts renewed."

Answer 5

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