“The fasting pattern that the monks follow is the core principle of the Mount Athos Diet. When following the diet you ‘fast’ on three alternate days a week, you eat ‘moderately’ on three other days, and on one day of the week you can ‘feast’, eating and drinking what you like. The Fast Days are low-fat vegan – so you don’t eat meat, fish, chicken or dairy products and keep oil to an absolute minimum. No alcohol can be drunk on Fast Days and you need to keep your portions small. Overall the diet promotes lots of fruit and vegetables, eating more beans, lentils, nuts and seeds, and keeping the empty calories in fatty, sugary foods to a minimum.”

“Monastery meals are an extension of the daily religious observance, occurring twice a day – morning and evening. Meals are consumed in silence, as the monks listen to the daily readings from the scriptures (with occasional interruptions from the Abbot). Most meals last around 20 minutes and end when the Abbot rings a bell. Although the monks regard eating as ‘refuelling’ their food is tasty and varied with soups, greens, beans and pulses, home-produced salads, bread and fruit dominating the menu."

"Their pattern of eating remains constant: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are regarded as Fast Days when the diet is essentially vegan – no dairy or animal protein, no wine or olive oil. Fast Day cooking is done with water, rather than oil. Despite some restrictions, a typical Fast Day ‘menu’ will include plenty of food”"

“Fasting doesn’t always mean no food. It often means simpler food. In the Greek Orthodox Church this means abstaining from meat, fish or dairy products (cheese, milk, yogurt), and no oil or alcohol. You are eating only what your body needs to function properly and no more.”

“All the food eaten in the monasteries is fresh, organic and seasonal. The monks eat no meat or processed foods, and alternate oil-based meals with water-based meals, giving the stomach a chance to rest three times a week."

"The monks of Mount Athos have been eating this way for well over 1,000 years and eating forms part of their religious observance. The Mount Athos Diet has barely changed over the centuries and is here to stay.”

FAST DAYS (three days a week, for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday):

• No animal protein, i.e. dairy, eggs, red meat, fish or chicken.
• No alcohol.
• Oil and cooking fats kept to a minimum.
• Can eat: unlimited vegetables and fruit, also beans, lentils, pulses, tofu, nuts and seeds.
• Limited portions of pasta, wholegrain bread, potatoes and rice.”