What the Church teaches

• Everyone 14 years of age or over is bound to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent.
• All from the age of 18 years up to the beginning of their 60th year are bound to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday:
• On these two days of fast and abstinence, only one full meatless meal is allowed.
• Two other meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to each ones needs, but together they should not equal another full meal.
• Eating between meals is not permitted on these two days, but liquids, including milk and fruit juices are allowed. 
• When health or ability to work would be seriously affected, the law does not oblige.
• To disregard completely the law of fast and abstinence is seriously sinful.
• Lent is the principal season of penance in the Church year. All of the faithful are strongly urged to develop and follow a program of voluntary self-denial (in addition to following the Lenten regulations), serious prayer, and a performance of works of charity and mercy.
• Those who are sick, pregnant, or nursing, or whose health would adversely be affected by fasting or abstinence, should not consider themselves bound by these norms.

Fasting is Good for Christian Stewards
Many who are serious about using the season of Lent for spiritual preparation find that the discipline of fasting helps them in a number of ways. A few reasons to fast during Lent come quickly to mind:
 
Fasting increases our sense of gratitude.
We celebrate the blessing of food as coming from the Lord. Our denial of food for a time serves to keep us all the more aware of this essential gift. Moreover, how can we not be grateful when we end our fast? Tasting food again serves to celebrate our discipline, persistence and commitment to prayer during a fast.
 
Fasting speeds up our journey to self-discovery.
We are creatures of habit, and eating is a habit. When we fast, it jostles our daily routine. It messes up our schedule. This becomes a perfect time to reflect on our routines and how we want our lives to move forward in a positive manner. Take time ordinarily spent on eating to write a reflection, meditate or engage in some other form of reflection.