Are you concerned about what you can eat if you’re avoiding meat, dairy, fish, alcohol, and (olive) oil? Below is a partial list of whole food ingredients which can be combined during a fast.For example, you might combine water, hazelnuts, vanilla, and dates to make hazelnut milk. Water and fresh fruit make agua fresca. Oatmeal, nuts, and fruit make breakfast. Beans, spices, veggies, and rice make dinner. The possibilities are nearly endless!
Nuts: Almonds, beechnuts, brazil nuts, breadnuts, butternuts, cashews, chestnuts, gingko nuts, hazelnuts/filberts, hickory nuts, kluwak nuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, water chestnuts.
Nuts might be whole, sliced, diced, ground into flour, or pureed into a nut butter. They might be served raw, toasted, boiled, broiled, or grilled.
Seeds: Agushi seeds, amaranth seeds, apricot seeds, cantaloupe seeds, chia seeds, dried avocado seeds, ehuru seeds, flaxseeds/linseed, hemp seed, jackfruit seed, large white watermelon seeds, lotus seeds, lupine seeds, moringa seeds, ogbono seeds, okra seeds, onion seeds, papaya seeds, pomegranate seeds, psyllium seeds, pumpkin seeds, squash seeds, sunflower seeds, uda seeds.
Seeds might be whole, sliced, diced, ground, or pureed into a seed butter such as tahini. They might be served raw, toasted, boiled, broiled, or grilled.
Pulses: Azuki/adzuki bean, black gram/urad, broad bean, chickpea/garbanzo bean/bengal gram, cowpea/black-eyed pea, earth pea/groundnut, field bean, haricot bean, horse bean, hyacinth bean, jack bean, kidney bean, lentils, lima/butter bean, lupins, moth bean, mung bean/golden gram/green gram, navy bean, pigeon pea/Congo bean/cajan pea, pinto bean, protein pea, ricebean, scarlet runner bean, tepary bean, velvet bean, vetch, winged bean, yam bean.
Cereals: Amaranth, arrowroot, barley, basmati rice, brown rice, buckwheat, bulgur, cockscomb, emmer wheat, fonio, kamut, kañiwa, lupin, maize, millet, montina, oatmeal, quinoa, rye, semolina, sorghum/jowar, spelt, teff, triticale, wheat, wheat berries, wheat flour, white cornflour, white rice, wild rice, yellow corn flour.
Cereals might be whole, hulled, or ground into flour.
Shellfish and Insects: Clam, crab, cuttlefish, lobster, locust, mussels, octopus, oyster, scallops, shrimp, snail, squid.
Fruits and Veggies: Beets, blood oranges, cherries, cranberries, pink/red grapefruit, pomegranates, radicchio, radishes, raspberries, red apples, red grapes, red onions, red pears, red peppers, red potatoes, rhubarb, strawberries, tomatoes, and watermelon.
Apricots, butternut squash, cantaloupe, cape gooseberries, carrots, golden kiwifruit, grapefruit, lemons, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, papayas, peaches, persimmons, pineapples, pumpkin, rutabagas, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, tangerines, ugli fruit, yams, yellow apples, yellow beets, yellow figs, yellow pears, yellow peppers, yellow potatoes, yellow summer squash, yellow tomatoes, yellow watermelon, yellow winter squash.
Bananas, brown pears, cassava and tapioca, cauliflower, dates, fennel, garlic, ginger, guava, Jerusalem artichoke, jerusalem artichokes, jicama, kohlrabi, leeks, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, plantains, potatoes (white fleshed), quince, shallots, taro, turnips, white corn, white nectarines, white peaches.
Artichoke, arugula, asparagus, avocado, broccoflower, broccoli, broccoli rabe, brussels sprouts, celery, chayote, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, endive, grape leaves, green apple, green beans, green cabbage, green grapes, green olives, green onions, green peas, green pepper, honeydew, kiwi fruit, leafy greens, leeks, lettuce, lime, okra, snow peas, spinach, squash, sugar snap peas, tomatillo, watercress, zucchini/courgette.
Black currant, black olive, black salsify, blackberry, blueberry, concord grapes, eggplant/aubergine, elderberry, plum, potatoes (purple fleshed), purple asparagus, purple Belgian endive, purple cabbage, purple carrot, purple fig, purple grape, purple pepper.
Fruits and veggies might be fresh, dried, frozen, or canned. They might be prepared whole, chunked, sliced, diced, pureed, in concentrate, pickled, or juiced.
Baking Supplies and Fats: Baking powder, baking soda, tapioca, yeast.
Canola, corn, avocado, almond, peanut, annatto, chili, coconut, palm/dende, grapeseed, garlic, safflower, sesame, soy, sunflower, walnut, hazelnut, mustard, rice bran, and cottonseed oils.
In some traditions, all oils are restricted during a strict fast. In other traditions, only olive oil is restricted among the oils. Oil might come in a jar, tub, stick, or spray.
Sweeteners: Agave syrup, barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, confectioner’s sugar, dark chocolate, dehydrated cane juice, honey, maple syrup, molasses, palm sugar, rice syrup.
Herbs and Spices: Acacia seeds, aidan fruit, ajwain, alligator pepper, allspice, amchoor, anardana, anise seed, aniseed toadstool, annatto seed, aromatic ginger, arrowroot, asafoetida, ashanti pepper, bay/laurel leaves, black caraway/russian cumin, black cardamom, black cumin, black mustard, black peppercorns, black salt, vegetable bouillon, brown mustard, calabash nutmeg, caper, capsicums, caraway seed, cardamom, carob, cassia, cassia/cinnamon, celery seed, chervil, chilli/chili, chives, cilantro/coriander leaf, cinnamon, citrus peel, cloves, cocoa bean, coffee beans, coriander seed, cubeb pepper, cumin seed/cummin, dawadawa, dill seed, dill weed, elcampane, English/Roman camomile, Ethiopian cardamom, fennel seed, fenugreek seed, fingerroot, galangal, garlic, German/Hungarian camomile, ginger, grains of paradise, green cardamom, green peppercorns, horseradish, juniper, juniper berries, kaffir, kokam, laurel berries, lavender, lemon balm, licorice, lime leaves, long pepper, lovage seeds, mace, mahlab, marjoram leaves, mastic, monk’s pepper, mustard seeds, nigella seeds, njangsa, nutmeg, ogbono, onion powder, oregano leaves, paprika, parsley, pepper dulse, peppermint leaves, pink peppercorns, poppy seeds, red peppercorns, rose petals, rosemary leaves, rue berries, saffron, sage leaves, sassafras, savory leaves, sea salt, senegal pepper, sesame seeds, sichuan pepper, spearmint leaves, spikenard, star anise, sumac, sweet basil leaves, sweet cicely seeds, table salt, tamarind seed, tarragon leaves, tasmanian pepper berries, thyme leaves, tonka bean, turmeric, uzazi, vanilla, wasabi, white mustard, white peppercorns, wolfberry, zedoary root.
Herbs and spices might be whole, grated, chopped, diced, ground/powdered, dried, fresh, or put into a paste.