Originally Posted by
Victor
You don't have to cook food more time in case of Lent, lots of the days are without oil even, so it's literally veggies, nuts, seeds, etc. If your food becomes more expensive/complicated/makes you spend more time on cooking it's already not fasting. Depending on the year of fasting practice, the measure of fasting differs, but it's a personal matter discussed with the priest, but again, Lent and whole year fasting are not "optional" for an Orthodox Christian. Spiritual fasting is not a substitute for the food fasting, but normally come together.
Great Lent is a good time to give a up smoking at all or to at least reduce smoking in case if this passion heavily took over a person. There are no "good" or "bad" passions, all of them harm people in different measure. If someone drinks 4-5+ coffees a day and feels bad if he has no coffee, can't spend a day or a week without it, it's already a passion. As there are very few people who can smoke a cig or two and easily don't smoke for day/days/week without feeling uncomfortable, it considers a passion and dependance in 99% of cases.
This is in general terms. And so, the first rule of the "Orthodox club" is not to discuss with anyone how you fast personally and the measure of your fast, except with your confessor.
As for Vegetarianism, it's God-defying, since it is based on the false goal of not eating animal food, not for the sake of God and abstinence, victory over passions fueled by exact foods, but for the sake of the imaginary earthly benefits of animals, given to us by God, including for food. Veganism is a secular cult.
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