Want to renew healthy eating habits? Greek monks have a spring playbook

TRIKORFO, Greece (AP) — Can a centuries-old ritual of spiritual renewal rekindle a New Year’s resolution to build healthy eating habits before it fades in the spring?

For six weeks every year, millions of Orthodox Christians around the world adopt a largely vegan diet, abstaining from meat, dairy products, eggs, and fish with backbones. Oil and wine also are prohibited on weekdays during the 40-day Lenten period before Orthodox Easter, which often falls later than its Catholic and Anglican counterpart.

The annual adherence to a plant-based, Mediterranean-style meal plan drives a communal rediscovery of vegetables and oil-free cooking methods in majority-Orthodox countries.

In Greece, even McDonald’s franchises get into the lean Lent spirit by adding seasonal menu items that meet most of the proscriptions of the Greek Orthodox Church. The menu includes shrimp wraps, shrimp salad, vegetable spring rolls and plant-based McVeggie burgers but is not oil-free.

Although following Eastern Orthodox dietary guidelines before Easter is often referred to as fasting, the focus is on going without certain foods, not refraining from eating altogether. The rules are not rigid but can be adapted to account for personal needs.

Here’s a look at the annual alimentary tradition, along with reasons to consider sticking with a similar diet and cautionary advice from nutritionists.

Different dates, different traditions

Christian traditions diverge between East and West ahead of Easter, and not just in their methods for determining the most important date on their calendars. Catholics are encouraged to give up one or more personal indulgences during Lent but get to decide whether to deny themselves dessert, alcohol, video games, swearing or something else. Members of the Orthodox Church forgo animal products except for shellfish.

Gone are Greeks' beloved dishes like mousaka and souvlakia — grilled meat wrapped with toppings. So are dairy products like milk and cheese. Vertebrate fish like anchovies, mullet and hake are no-nos too, although shrimp, oysters and calamari are permitted.

On a lush coastal hillside in central Greece, 40 monks closely follow these rules at the Monastery of St. Augustine and Seraphim. The monks, who wear black robes and full beards, grow and harvest most of their own produce in the monastery's gardens, including an abudance of zucchini and tomatoes.

Their meals during Lent are basic but not bland. The monks have mastered methods to replicate familiar tastes and textures. Oven-roasted potatoes are coated with tahini instead of oil to preserve the crunch factor. Vegetable stock prepared from scratch gives lentil dishes a hearty flavor.

The monks listen to prayers read aloud as they eat.

Mind over meals

Father Nektarios Moulatsiotis, the monastery's affable abbot, says the practice of fasting and following a restricted diet is essential for deep reflection and focus required for the spiritual preparation for Easter. He compares it to endurance training.

“In the same way someone goes to the gym to shape their body," Nektarios said, "the church is a gym for the soul.”

Occasional hunger pangs aren't something to resist; they are part of the plan. The idea is simple: less indulgence, more clarity.

“You cannot really pray, study, chant or do any spiritual exercise with a full stomach,” he said with a chuckle.

Nektarios argues that a nutritious yet disciplined diet can produce benefits that apply outside of a religious setting as much as inside of one, such as a sense of greater self-control and enhanced awareness.

The science of a 6-week reset

Orthodox monks observe several fasting periods that limit what, when and how much they eat for most of the year. Researchers have studied their health and food intake for decades to determine if their customs hold any clues to preventing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and strokes.

However, the advantages of eating a balanced diet that includes whole grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes are well-established. Reduce consumption of meat, saturated fats and processed foods long enough, and the body typically responds.

“Fasting certainly has benefits, provided it’s done correctly,” Eirini Babaroutsi, a sports nutritionist at the Hellenic Athletics Federation, said. For example, Orthodox Christians tend to eat more fiber during Lent, which helps the digestive system function better, she said.

“It also matters what we do eat, not simply what we avoid," Babaroutsi said. "With the right combinations, we can get all the nutrients we need.”

Meals that meet the guidelines aren’t confined to the ingredients found in Orthodox-majority countries in Southern and Eastern Europe. Babaroutsi suggests porridge with oat milk, vegetable wraps with olive paste, and high-quality peanut butter as helpful international additions.

Luckily, one size doesn’t fit all

There are a few considerations.

A six-week fasting cycle is not advisable for older adults and young children, Babaroutsi said. The Eastern Orthodox church also exempts people with serious health conditions, special dietary requirements, and pregnant or nursing women from strict obedience.

Engaging in a post-Lent binge as a reward also is best avoided because loading up after a period of abstinence can strain the body, Babaroutsi said.

For those wary of making a full commitment, know that you're not alone. Orthodox Lent started on Feb. 23, but many Greeks participate only during Holy Week, which starts on April 5, Palm Sunday, and goes until April 11, the day before Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter this year.

Supermarkets and bakeries in Greece make it easier to abide by stocking fast, family-friendly meals and an assortment of seasonal goods.

These include jars of pickles and olives, bags of chickpeas and other pulses, squid sliced into rings in freezer cases, the creamy pink fish roe known as taramosalata, and slabs of unleavened bread shaped like small surfboards.

In central Athens, at the slippery-floored central fish market, vendors call out over piles of Lent-compliant clams, octopus and mussels, shoveling seafood into paper cones.

Gerasimos Mantalvanos, the market’s general manager, said many customers tend to overindulge when Easter Sunday's traditional lamb dishes and sweets arrive. For most, a spirit of moderation eventually returns, he said.

“It is good for eating habits to change from time to time during the year,” Mantalvanos said. “So a period of fasting, a little fish and some abstinence from meat, I think these are good for the body. It is a kind of small detox, a little break.”

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AP photographer Thanassis Stavrakis and videojournalist Srdjan Nedeljkovic contributed.