Lent offers a place in the year to remind ourselves of our dependence on God. It can cultivate gratitude and make us long for him. It can also deepen our appreciation of the coming of Easter. During Lent, we fast, pray, and give alms. This post will talk about how to fast from food during Lent as a protestant in the midst of a busy life with kids.
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Hi, I’m Cayce Fletcher, and this is A More Beautiful Life Collective. I’m here to walk hand in hand with you as we grow in grace, build with purpose, and live beautifully.
The season of Lent is here in the Church Calendar – Lent begins on February 18th, 2026 – and today, we are going to focus on fasting from food during Lent.
Growing up, I never observed Lent. I grew up in a faith tradition that stayed far away from the Church calendar (unless you count the annual church picnic and VBS schedule). As an adult, I’ve seen the beauty in traditions – how they can help to teach ourselves and our families deep truths about God.
The Church calendar is a way of marking time meaningfully. It offers an opportunity to frame our lives not according to school, work, or sports. Instead, it orients our lives around God and the gospel.
Lent in particular is a special time of the year. It is a time of restraint, of discipline. It is a time to exercise muscles that often atrophy in this world of abundance.
As I wrote about in our post on why you should celebrate Lent even if you’re a protestant, “Lent can help us to get our hearts in the right place. By practicing self-denial and feeling the want – the longing – we physically remind ourselves of our spiritual reality: that without Christ we are dead. We are hollow. But, we are raised to life in Christ Jesus.”
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Why even consider a fast from food during Lent?
Lent is historically a time period that goes from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, stretching over the 40 days before Eastertide. It is a period that is meant to prepare our hearts to celebrate the glorious truth of our risen Savior.
During Lent, you fast from something. Then, using that time and money you gained from your fast, you pray and give alms (or a donation over and above your regular tithe).
This year, I began to consider what I wanted to give up for Lent. In this day and age, it’s often popular to give up social media – which can be a good thing! (I even wrote about quitting social media for a time in this post.) But I think we often decide to give up things that don’t truly get to the heart of the matter.
As I think about fasting, I don’t think I have ever truly fasted from food. Generally, I have chosen to fast from social media, sweets, and alcohol. But when I look at the historical example, Lent included actual food fasting.
We often shy away from that in our health-focused, body positivity culture. But, this type of food fasting isn’t about extremism or punishment. Honestly, it is a grace.
Before the industrialization of farming, this time was often the leanest of the year. The winter stores were running out, but the gardens and livestock weren’t producing yet. The Lenten fast wasn’t a hardship. It wasn’t a punishment. It was a grace. It offered a spiritual truth in the midst of the difficult reality of scarcity.
Today, we don’t experience the same scarcity, but we can still take part in this embodied spiritual discipline. If we are physical beings, it makes sense that some of our spiritual practices would also be physical.
Fasting from food offers a way to make clear our repentance and reorientation before the Easter season begins.
The Purpose of a Fast from Food During Lent
Fasting was always a part of religious practice throughout the Old and New Testaments. (And, at times, the people were fasting so much that God called them out on it.) But in the modern era, fasting is a forgotten spiritual discipline.
When we fast, we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who fasted regularly. What is the purpose of fasting?
Fasting during Lent is about repentance. We often fast when we feel broken about something – and one of the central things we should feel broken over is our sin.
Fasting during Lent is about remembering our dependence. Food is one of the central ways we remember that we are dependent on God for every good thing. It is no surprise that Jesus said that he is our daily bread. Just like we need food daily to survive, we need God daily as well.
When we fast, we remind ourselves of that need. Unlike the lies told by the modern age, we are not all-sufficient. We are not all-sustaining. We depend on God.
Fasting creates a clearing space, as we peel back the things that we normally take for granted. We become grateful for these things. We release our entitlement and begin to wait on the Lord.
In the space cleared by fasting, we replace it with prayer. When we notice our lack, we pray. When our stomach grumbles, we pray. In the time when we would normally reach for a snack, we pause and… pray.
Fasting is not a crash diet. It is not a way to garner points towards your salvation. It is not a badge of holiness. It is not a competition.
It is a signal – something that reminds us that now is the time to pray.
What did Christians historically do?
Lent has its basis in the Early Church, withthe Council of Nicea (325 A.D.). Beginning in 601 A.D., the dates were finalized. The Early Church often did a fast from food during Lent, throughout the 6 weeks before Easter.
This fast from food during Lent meant:
- One meal a day (taken at Sundown)
- Often no meat
- Simpler foods
Sundays were always an exception. These were designated feast days that weren’t meant to serve as a hope for Easter, the most important feast day of the year.
In Medieval times, this was expanded to include:
- One meal a day taken at Midday
- No meat unless it was fish
- No animal products, including all dairy products (called the lacticinia)
- Ash Wednesday and Good Friday were stricter fasting days. On these days, they would often fast from all food, but water.
(Easter Orthodox practices differ from Western practices.)
These traditions have ebbed and flowed and changed throughout the years. You do not need to observe a fast from food during Lent in the same way as the ancients did – or even the same way as the larger denominations do. Lent is about the faithfulness of habit moreso than the faithfulness to tradition.
Choosing a Faithful and Sustainable Pattern to fast from food during Lent
To fast from food during Lent, you can pick one of a few options based on your convictions. These will vary depending on your season of life, but will help you to get started (especially if this is your first time practicing the spiritual discipline of fasting).
Lenten Fast Option #1: The No Meat Fast
For this option, you are choosing to fast from meat and/or animal products. You can choose whether or not you will allow fish or dairy products. This option is rooted in the historical practice of Lent and can be just the right amount of friction to remind you to pray.
Lenten Fast Option #2: A Structured Meal Fast
For this option, you are honoring the tradition of the ancients. You have 1-2 light meals throughout the day and one full meal. You also limit snacking.
Lenten Fast Option #3: Friday Fast
In the traditional church calendar, Friday was often the day to abstain from meat. (Some people choose to do this on Monday instead.) You could practice this by abstaining from meat and dairy products and opting for light meals.
Lenten Fast Option #4: A Category Fast
This is probably the most mainstream option in the protestant tradition. This is choosing to fast from one type of food or drink.
That could include:
- Sweets
- Processed Sugar
- Alcohol
- Soft Drinks and Sweet Tea
- No seconds
- No eating between meals
This isn’t a crash diet. Instead, it should be something that fosters prayer.
How to Fast When Your Hands Are Full: Fasting in the midst of Motherhood and Busyness
Fasting during Lent is not about martyrdom. You are not trying to make your home miserable. When it comes to feeding your family, you can keep your regular schedule, maybe making meals simpler and limiting some sweets.
You can explain why we do a fast from food during Lent to your children through some of the activities we discussed on why you should celebrate Lent (even if you’re a Protestant).
If you fast with steadiness, strength, and self-control, your children will see this spiritual discipline modeled healthily and rightly. You do not want to model irritation and a martyrdom complex during this time.
If you want more ideas for celebrating the Church calendar and Lent in particular, download the free Guide, “The Faithful Year.” You’ll find ideas for each season there.
Fasting Reveals the Heart
When we fast from food during Lent, we are signaling our dependence on God rather than on the comforts of this world. It exposes issues of control, anxiety, emotional reliance, and irritability.
We are seeing where we turn when we are frustrated, tired, and depressed. Fasting teaches us to turn to God in this moment rather than a drink or a bowl of ice cream.
If you are feeling down or more irritable, you don’t need to feel like a failure. This is formational ground.
It is at our weakest moments that we realize that we are not perfect. That we are flawed. We recognize our need for Christ.
In these moments, you can remember that you are being molded and shaped. You are being sanctified into the image of Christ.
Some Wise Reminders for Healthy Living
Fasting has been practiced throughout time in Church history. It is a spiritual discipline that the Bible assumes that we are doing.
But, still, there are times, even in ancient history, when certain people were absolved from traditional fasting requirements.
You should not fast from food if:
- You are pregnant or nursing.
- You suffer from a history of disordered eating.
- You have medical conditions.
- You are advised against it by a physician.
You can still practice fasting in an alternate form through:
- Cooking simpler meals (and just eating at home)
- Removing luxuries and sweets
- Practicing structured prayer (through praying the hours)
When to Break the Fast
Remember, Lent is not a crash diet. You don’t need to focus on ‘sticking to it’ and ‘being good.’ Lent is a spiritual discipline that points us to our need and dependence on God while imitating Christ.
As such, Sundays are always feast days. On Sundays, break the fast and remember that even in the wilderness – Sunday is coming. Fasting without feasting distorts the rhythm. We need both!
As you approach the end of Lent, plan your Easter meal intentionally. This is a celebration – the biggest celebration of the Church year!
How are you practicing fasting this year?
A fast from food during Lent isn’t about becoming thinner. It is about revealing, peeling back the layers of ourselves that are often obscured, mired in the quagmire of this world.
We become clearer about our hunger for God’s word.
We become clearer about our dependence on God for our daily lives.
We become clearer of our need for Christ and his sacrifice.
Fasting is a valuable practice, one that I am doing this year. I encourage you to fast from something. Pray before you choose your course and use wisdom and discernment.
You can start small, remembering it’s not perfect, but daily faithfulness that you are trying to achieve.
If you want to explore more ways to celebrate the Church calendar, you can get the guide from the shop.
Until next time, keep creating a life you love and cultivating your heart for God.
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