A proper fast for a few weeks can boost health, researchers and nutritionists say.
Across Greece and in Orthodox communities worldwide, a centuries-old Lenten fast offers a modern lesson in diet and discipline.
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For six weeks each spring, or even just during Holy Week, millions of people adopt a largely vegetarian, tradition-based diet, emphasising vegetables, legumes and simple cooking, with no meat or dairy products.
On a lush coastal hillside in central Greece, 40 monks at the Monastery of St. Augustine and Seraphim follow these Lenten rules closely.
Meals during Lent are simple, but not bland; the monks have invented ways to add taste.
Oven-baked potatoes are coated in tahini instead of oil to provide the crunch, and rich vegetable stock prepared from scratch makes the lentils delicious.
Meals are eaten as monks — with long, uncut beards and dressed in black from head to toe — listen to prayers read aloud.
"Olive oil is not eaten except on weekends. So whatever you prepare, be it legumes, boiled cabbage or anything else, will not contain oil. And we don't eat meat, fish, dairy products, eggs and oil," said Father Nektarios, abbot of the Holy Monastery of Augustine and Seraphim, in Trikorfo, Fokida.
"So you understand that we are limited to legumes. We limit ourselves to vegetables."
Nutritionists point out that the practice can boost health, from improving cholesterol to better blood sugar control.
"These few days of fasting, about 50 days, are not enough to cause a deficiency in nutrients, but they can indeed lead to an improvement in a person's health, if they do it correctly,” said Eirini Babaroutsi, the nutritionist of the nation's track and field team.
She said avoiding animal foods that contain saturated fats helps reduce cholesterol. A loss of weight can help manage blood sugar and lower blood pressure.
"When we fast for a long period of time, certainly because we avoid the intake of animal foods that contain unhealthy fats, the so-called saturated fats, we will see a difference in cholesterol.
"There may also possibly be a change in weight, which will help manage blood sugar and reduce blood pressure. Now, however, the longer the fast is, the greater the risk of certain nutrient deficiencies, such as vitamin B12 and iron, which are found only in animal foods," she said.
Father Nektarios, abbot of the Augustine and Seraphim Monastery, said that the practice of fasting and observing dietary restrictions is essential for deeper contemplation and concentration and compares it to endurance training for the body.
"The church is the trainer and the church building is the gym, where the praying believer, who wants to shape his spiritual body, his soul, his mind, and make them beautiful before God, uses fasting as one of the tools,” he said.
During Lent, Athens' central fish market fills with fasting seafood, such as clams, octopus and mussels, with fasting faithful rushing to buy them.
Research supports aspects of this lifestyle; remove meat and dairy for long enough, and the body responds.
Studies of Orthodox monks — whose diets include several fasting periods throughout the year — show stable weight, improved cholesterol levels and strong blood sugar control.
Nektarios argues that such discipline translates into everyday life outside a religious setting — fewer impulses, greater awareness and better control over habits.
Christian traditions diverge ahead of Easter, and not just in using different methods to determine the date.
Catholics traditionally give up a single personal indulgence during Lent, whereas members of the Orthodox Church abstain from certain foods.
Gone are the Greeks' beloved dishes like mousaka and souvlakia — grilled meat wrapped with toppings.
Dairy and fish with backbones are also prohibited, while seafood such as shrimp and calamari is permitted. No oil is allowed on weekdays.
But for those wary of a full commitment, the Easter fast can be flexible.
Many Greeks join only during Holy Week, encouraged by fast-friendly family meals or seasonal goods stocked by supermarkets and bakeries.
