Smash Lent With These Vice Swap Tips

This year, Lent begins on Valentine’s Day, so depending on what you’re choosing to abstain from for the next 40 days and nights, things could get off to a rather tough start…

Even if you’re not especially religious, Lent provides the opportunity for a bit of a detox and the chance to challenge your willpower, surrounded by the support of others doing the same.

Chocolate is a common vice to give up during Lent, a challenge made slightly sweeter by the fact that Lent comes to an end just before the long Easter weekend, otherwise known as four days off work dedicated to chocolate eating.

But if you’re planning to abstain from alcohol for Lent yet have a few nights out coming up, or you’re a bit of a caffeine addict and will be trying to go without for the next 40 days and nights, it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel – Lent can rock the faith of even the most religious folk.

To help you through your personal challenge, we’ve put together a few ideas for swaps for the foods and drinks people often give up during Lent. Good luck, and we hope they help!

If you’re intending to give up all caffeine for Lent, we applaud you, you’re made of stronger stuff than us. But if you currently consume rather a lot in a day, those withdrawal headaches might be tough to handle. Instead of filling yourself with paracetamol to try to cope, we propose you just cut out coffee instead. That way, you can still have tea…

Chai tea is a pretty good substitute for coffee. However, it contains around five times less caffeine than your usual strong cups of coffee, so it’s much better for you. Chai tea has a unique spicy flavour combined with a touch of creaminess, so it makes a lovely indulgent-tasting alternative to coffee. But you should hopefully feel a little less wired afterwards and you might find yourself sleeping better too.

Once Lent is over, try to stick to a few more teas than coffees where you can and you should find yourself feeling a lot healthier in the long run.

Deciding to give up packaged convenience foods during Lent is another challenge that you should reap some health benefits from in the long run. Making things from scratch instead will mean that you’re using more fresh ingredients and picking up some new skills. And, the sense of achievement/smugness you’ll feel after making a dish yourself is pretty much unbeatable. Forget getting married/having a child; cooking your own chips is the best thing you can do.

Giving up packaged convenience foods doesn’t have to mean more inconvenience though. Plug time: the Tefal ActiFry is here to help you make your own low-fat chips, and you can make your own waffles, donuts and even turnovers with a Tefal Snack Collection. Of course, you’re in control of exactly how much fat and sugar goes in your homemade recipes, so you’ll end up consuming a lot less than if you were still relying on those freezer packets.

A few years ago, we thought of sugar as sugar, and that was it. We knew there was white sugar, brown sugar, icing sugar – but that was pretty much it. Fast forward a couple of years, and everyone and their dog is giving up refined sugar, and we imagine some of you will be doing the same during Lent.

Refined sugar is basically any sugar that has been through a chemical process to remove its nutrients, so it’s the sugar in your shop-bought cakes, chocolate bars, cereal bars and fizzy drinks.

You’re looking confused. What was that about nutrients in sugar? Well, our bodies need some sugar, and natural sugars are the best option if you want the best nutritional value.

So, while you might have to give up chocolate and cakes throughout Lent, you can still get your sweet fix from berries, citrus fruits and bananas, as well as clever alternatives like cacao nibs. This is the purest form of chocolate you can consume and you can cleverly work it into dessert recipes, like this ‘chocolate’ avocado mousse from The Kitchn, which is a surprisingly good substitute for the real deal.

While you should never cut out carbs completely, wanting to consume less is fine, and might even help you to lose a little weight, if that’s what you’re after. Maybe just choose one type of carbs to give up instead.

Like pasta. There are loads of alternatives to pasta these days, like courgetti, carrot spaghetti and butternut squash lasagne sheets, for example. Or swap your potatoes for extra salad or different kinds of mash, like carrot and swede, to cut down on your carbs.

Alcohol isn’t what makes a night out fun, it’s the company you’re with. And if you need booze to get through a night out, you might need to take a look at your friends. Just sayin’!

Giving up alcohol for Lent doesn’t mean you have to miss out on cocktail night. Instead, you just need to embrace the mocktail. Anything tastes good when it’s served in a martini glass with a wedge of lime on the rim and a little umbrella, fact. Get experimental with your fruit juices and mixers and see what you can come up with.

If you’re in the habit of ordering a takeaway – or two, or three… – every weekend, neither your waistline nor your bank balance will be thanking you. Cooking your own food is so much cheaper, more satisfying and healthier, so you’re not doing yourself any favours by having your local Indian on speed dial.

Each weekend during Lent, set yourself the challenge of making a fakeaway instead to replace your usual takeout. Usually go for sweet and sour chicken balls? Try The English Kitchen’s recipe, and serve with stir-fried veggies and egg fried rice. Big fan of Indian? Cook up this fiery chicken madras from Penne For Your Thoughts. Has to be a pepperoni pizza? Make your own, using this mouthwatering recipe from Jenny Can Cook. Nothing is off limits with a fakeaway!

Remember, whatever you’ve chosen to give up during Lent, it’s much easier to get through the 40-day challenge if you’ve got a direct swap in mind for your usual vice. You can do it, we’re behind you every step of the way.