Ash Wednesday: What Catholics Can and Can't Eat

Explaining the rules around meat, fish, and fasting on this holy day

Published on Feb. 20, 2026

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Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period for Christians to focus on reflection, prayer and penance. The Roman Catholic Church has strict rules about eating on Ash Wednesday, requiring followers to abstain from meat and fast.

Why it matters

Ash Wednesday is an important day in the Catholic faith, and understanding the dietary restrictions is crucial for practicing Catholics to properly observe the holy day.

The details

The Roman Catholic Church requires all Catholics age 14 and older to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday. This includes flesh meat like beef, pork, chicken and turkey. However, Catholics are allowed to eat fish and other cold-blooded animals like cod, salmon, tuna, halibut, frogs, clams, turtles, shrimp, crab and oysters. Catholics can also consume non-flesh animal products like milk, cheese, butter and eggs. Additionally, Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 must fast on Ash Wednesday, which means eating only one full meal and two smaller meals that together do not equal a full meal.

  • Ash Wednesday falls on February 18 this year.

The players

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

The national assembly of the Catholic bishops of the United States.

Archdiocese of Saint Paul & Minneapolis

The Catholic archdiocese serving the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

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The takeaway

Understanding the dietary restrictions for Ash Wednesday is crucial for practicing Catholics to properly observe this important holy day in the Catholic faith.