Forbidden Meat: Fasting and Abstinence During Advent (Rebroadcast)
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In this episode of Food for Thought, I explore the long, often-forgotten history of abstaining from meat during Advent and other Christian fasting periods, and how that tradition actually aligns beautifully with a modern vegan lifestyle.
Drawing from my own Catholic upbringing, I look at how rites and rituals like Lent and Advent once emphasized simplicity, self-restraint, and giving up animal products, and how language, church rules, and holiday foods still carry traces of that history.
I also invite listeners—religious or not—to consider their own version of conscious “fasting,” and I touch on traditional Advent/Christmas foods like Stollen that grew out of these practices.
Here’s the video version of the introduction to the re-broadcast:
In this episode, you’ll learn:
* Historically, Christians spent more days not eating meat (and often other animal products) than eating it, especially around Lent and Advent.
* The idea that being vegan is “incompatible” with culture or religion is new; religious abstinence from animal products is centuries old.
* Words like “Carnival” (from carne levare – “remove meat”) and traditions like Meatfare/Cheesefare Sundays reflect this meatless history.
* Advent used to be a serious season of fasting and abstinence, not just a time of treats, shopping, and countdown calendars.
* Different Christian traditions (especially Eastern and Ethiopian Orthodox) still practice very strict, essentially vegan fasts for many days of the year.
* Over time, church rules relaxed, and meat-eating became normalized and constant, while fasting became optional or symbolic.
* You don’t have to be religious to embrace the spirit of fasting: you can choose to simplify your diet, give something up (like alcohol, sugar, eating out, or processed foods), and let the feast feel more meaningful at the end.
* Many beloved holiday foods—like Stollen, fruitcake, and other Advent breads and sweets—arose from these traditions of fasting, scarcity, and then feasting.
* Part 2 will dive into Christmas feasting and traditional foods tied to the 12 Days of Christmas and Twelfth Night.
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Additional Resources
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