' t has long been a spiritual

retreat for the rich and

famous -from V l ; t W
Putin to hince Charles
-but now Mount Ahos
-and its communityof Greek
I orthodox monks are king
hail@ as a medical miracle.
Their pared-down,rustic
Meditenanean diet,togethef-
with a reliance on home-grown
seasonal produce, has led to
an extraordmmly low rate
of cancers,heart disease and
Alzheimer's among .themonks.
So what can we learn from
an all-malebastion whose
lifestyle has barely evolved since
923AD?We went in search of
the secrets of the Mount Athos
regime, fkom coolung principles
to philosophies, to see what we
could bring back home.
Here,in the first of a two-part
series,we analyse the monks'
nutrition and lifestyle.In
tomorrow's Observer,Stephen
Moss samp1esthe monastic
routine plus five exclusive

-
Athos recipes.

Exclusive recipes from Mount

Athos,free with the Observer
 -
Secrets of
r 1.

the Mount
Athos diet
The monks' exceptionally healthy diet is governed
by a series of rules and principles,much of it
centred on a philosophy of strict moderation.
Helena Smith reports on a land without butter

t
or the Mount Athos monks, meals Mood and place is aiso very important. When
are sacred afFairs - an extension of we eat we are very calm, there is total silence
their communion with God. Fasting except for the elder who may read from the
scripturesor say a prayer." The cook's mood,
he says, is similarly important. "I love cooking
not because I want to please or be flattered but
because I love the people I am cooking for."

r n M -
More than 200 days of the year are designated
as "abstention days", including Mondays,
Wednesdaysand Fridays each week and
lengthier religiousholidays. On these days,
the monks eat only one meal, usually at
sunset. Dairyproducts,wine and olive oil
are forbidden. That leaves fruit, veg, bread,
and lots of 1entils.my in very special
circumstancescan fasts be flouted, for
examplewhen a monk is so ill that he has
been *blessednon his sickbed.
On non-fast (or feast) days - Tuesdays,
Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays - the
monks eat two meals with wine: one after I
 churchataroundgamandoneafkrvespets
at around 4.3opm. The pations are small
by western &mda& - themonks can have
topups from the containers on the table, but
they rarely do. Plus, eating time is limited to
mund 20 minutes, and once the atbit rings
a bell the monkshave to stop. In a community
that seesi n m u d d o n as the causeof
disease,thektrnuyof enjoyinga second plate
is pemitted rarely.
W t h the exception of one or two tubby
monks. thev show areat self-mtdnt."
o d h e r stephen Moss, who &ted
Mount Athos. "They know how much they
need to get by and they don't eat a sliver of
broccoli more."

I The monks believe that fastingbrings them

cl&r to God.Abstaining from rich, oily foods
for more than half of the year is r e g a d d as the

1
ultimate form of self-conkol.
"Too much food, like too much sleep, is
not only bad for the body but the mind," says
Brother Mobis, a leading spiritual 'gure on the
Mount. fasting days a monk prays more
because he is 6Ued with enthusiasmand has
a higher purpose. Monks don't fast because
they care about their physical health, or worry
about getting cancer, or want to live long and
good lives. The fmgality and simpliaty of the
food they eat, natudly, has a good effect on
their health and helps keep physical damage
at bay. But they do it because they reject
everythingthat is superfluousin life, and
in cutting out their own desires, they come
closer to God."

All the vegetables and fruit eaten on Mount

1 gardens, which means that not only is the
o himegrown in the monastery
~ t b o is
monks' diet organic(no pesticides are used)
it is also entirely seesonal.Vegetables are
cultivated in flat plots close to monasteries

I
and cells. Depending on the season of the
year, the gardens are brimming with beans,
auberghes, courgeut'es, cauli3owen, lettuces,
tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, beetroot and
r-

peninsula by fishermen-monksand eaten

stewed, fried or grilled.

Alcohol is readily availableon the Mount

because it is all home-brewed,and the
monksdonottumtheirnosesupatit.The
consumption of wine remains an important
part of the liturgy in church d c e s and
many view it as an essential
'
aid to digestion.
In earlier times, when " Jwas

widespread, storiesof drunk monks were

legeadary. However, thephilosophy of
moderation is obse~ed by most of the monks,
particukrly the younger generation, who ofken
akemateit with raki, & l d firewater. At
meals, monks rarely drink more thanone glass
of red wine.
Most days on Mount Athos will start with a
cup of mountain or sage tea, both made from
indigemus plants. Turkish-style cups of sweet,
gtainy coffee are also allowedand monks will
Frequentlysavour one in theafternoan, or
before goingto work. On fast days, however,
most try to abstain from tea and coffee. Sweets
are a much enjoyed part of the Athos diet, from 'Intoday's world people want A layman called Christos,an air tiai3c
the traditionalCreek sesame flour and honey contrdler in Themb&iwho has visited
confection, halva, to loukoumi - a kind of to eat and eat. They have made the Mmm, noted: "3ust two meals seems
stidrqrturM d-t. Most meals end with a a living of eating,whereas we towork,Tkyaretherightporti~l~~,soyou
don'tf&dovemdkd. The food is a bit cold,
cake, baklavaor oat-styleb i t of some kind
should only eat what we need' but actually I don't care too much about this. I
like thewhole atmospherewhen we're eating
-theorder, peoplecombginalltogether,the
For€he~tpart,fdiscookedinhuge prayer, listening to a monk giving a reahg."
cauldrons, pans Paas nays in wood-burning tmlrrLn$rPblJ %tt to live, don? Mve to eat," says grother
ovens.Onfapt&ys,whendiveoilis No ralldagis permitted during meals, even a Ephraim at the Skete d St Andrew. "In today's
forbidden, ingredientsare often stewed or whisperedre~uatforthesalt tobepassed. society, people want to eat and eat. They've
fried in ;tahiniinstead. "But butter is out," says Wtead, everyone Ustensto a monk reading made a living of eating, whereas we should
Brother Epifanios, "and so are matgarha, rich 1hTheLivesofrheSaints.Th9monks only eat what we need, which is h t a tenth
aeamand sauces likebechamel. In 35 years explain that the meal is an integral part of of what we eat anyway."
of cookingI've never once put them in any of WZlat Stephen Mcws didn't do on Athos was
my dish@s." experieme~~o~ccooldngona~tday."I
Spice8are used abundantly. Brother wasthereattheendofchristrnas-&re8
Epifaniosis~yfond~Nminwhose accm&gtotheJullancal~dar,~whlchtwo
nwritshefirstdiscEnreredatStGath~s weeksbehindthoseduswbadoptedrtte
momstayintbeSinai.%~wondersfor GregortaPlversionzicoupledcentwiesago.
the digestion," says the chef, who oa Feast Usually,they fast on Mondays, Wedn&ays
dayshas t o c a t e r f w u p t o 3 , o w ~ e aat and~days,andonthosedaysth@y~
favounlte oily dishes the.'TindudecumininIleorlyev~I fish, all dairy products, eggs,wfne &ad ollw
cooknowaadthemonkseeemtoubett;" oil - though,oddly, they are atlowed to
stew),or chickpea patties hdw,celery,dill, f-el, -tic, ~ ~ s h a u t d g o t o t h e o t h e r ~ e . " eat olives."
tomorrowSObserver). ~regan~andrnlnt~~~llgus e ~dott ~h e r ~ e b e i B g m a k f n s a @ ofood,
f
daysiscaughtdfthe seagonfoods. co=u4@m#~-.
iracle on the mountain
Mount Athos monks are
on earth. Helena Smith -
ts' extraordmary fin-
Sncethei96os,studieshaoe!~that
*IKedit~diete9nphyslcarztral
Foleinind pndlower~af
card.iovasdardisease.*C)nNIm~~
hcnre@monestepfutherbyf~meat
a n d o n l y ~ e a W M , ~ ~
theyhaveavery~~ofgahuatedfats
andahighint.akeof81aaga-3bttyadds-bath
o f w b i c h ~ p f t t r t h e r t o ~ ~ ~
of cardkievasculiirdisease," S B . EWsapidm.
~
Monks speakof %I inaedde feeling of
lightness and freedom".
Records show that hearx &ease, cardiac
arrestsandstrokesarevirtually~ent
lained of ditiicultiesurinating,a among the monks. The absenceof stress,
often assodatedwith v r m e comDetitivenessd anxiet~around socialand
decade later,11 had dkeloped ecoiomic inseanity has a& been linked to
cer - four timen h e r thanthe their mental wellbebg. Instead, monks derive
pleasure from the knowledge that they have
nothing and will have nothin$.
Thispartly accountsforthe astonishing
absenceof Alzheimer's disease also discovered
on the Mount. After subjecting more than
the result of the very special 2.000 monks to repeated W s over a five-
year period, Eur* neurologists were so
. startled to discovera "zero-incidence" of the
disease that they atended their study to
monwtedes and nunneries around Greece.
The resultswere equally mrprhbgonly two
nuns, both well into their Sos, showed signs
of vascular dementia, and no monk outside
thepeninsulaappearedaftlictedwiththe
disease at all.
"We had to ask why, and the answerM y
-
lay in the lack of worldly concerns their
spiritual life, d t y and diet," says Pro
S t a m Wyamiis, thepre-eminent Greek
newoh@ who led the study. "For A t h &
monks, in partieula, there is no such thing
as existential anxiety. These men& not
fear death. Instead, they face it with the
expectatitmof eternallife which is why, when
it does come, they ;uetotally euphoric."
 Moderation
i The Athos diet is e s s e n ~ 'M
y editerranean Ete':

he Mediterzanean diet, with its m&mdmhaW*M."We

reliance on o k oil, is not actually. x+mt&W€s a c a m a d hnr
t
rn
ipwrpae meala
alow-fatdiet-iVsaemoder;te ~ , , " ~ ~ S T s ~ t o l ; o ~ o r f b u r
fat" diet. But it is traditionally saajrllW~~@e&r~o%=o~two
assodatedwith a lower incidence ~ ~ . *
!3oiol~eanweleam~oneof

philosophy of moderation in all things. Worth

remembering when ordering that takeaway.

4 Ewater-based
e Z & oil-- coo- with

C
techniques (steaming1
boiling/bakingfoods) is an instant
wav to cut down on fat. The monks
redudng monksaauscer rates use a lot of olke oil, but they never use butter
islikelyt0be~highimt;lkeaf or cream, which are high in saturated fat,
Ip h t foods, parthhly the wide
P mmmn associatedwith raised cholesterollevels.
lliham!&s have about 20 minutes
./I k~~oeat~meals-affer watch your salt

,
B The monks do not consumeany
processed food - often a source of
"hiddenn salt in western diets. The
absence of ready-meals means the
monks know exactlywhat's in their food and

1 how much seasoninghas been added. They

also use spices for seasoning, or add herbs
such as parsley, dill, oregano and mint. This
is a good way to add flavour and means you
don't have to add much salt when cooking.
The recent WCRF report confirmsthat salt
~ ~ t o ~ O B S (and salt-preserved foods) are probably a cause
add tomato products. I of stomach cancer.
 rsnot just diet that makes ynme!Ifin the garden or allotment and you
wodtnaeicethesweatonyourbrav.
@e monks so healthy 4)Dadtmakea~ofit.Leadhganactive
lifedghreyoumoreenergyandraiseyour
- of -stress,
a - an outdoor
- spirits,but you're more likely to mainGh it if
Be and the support of 1 6% part of $nu routine rather than a chore.

a caring brotherhood
&play
I their part I =onics are laconicwhen it comes to

1
L'
talking about sex. "Some people have a
u d c uro~em.m e a m l e have m ~r0blemat
Jeremiah thinkslack of stress among ';aF ~ a t i eisid&,-a
r youagUS~bornmonk. .
on Athos is the crucial reason why the Women are not altowed to enter M.
,&gUence of cancer is low. And scientists agree There is a story, p o s s i i apocryphal, about a
himabout its importance. When they igth-century foundling child who had bed
zero incidence of Alzheimer's disease aLl his life on Athos, had seen IKI woman other
had to ask why," says Professor Stavros than the V i Mary, and was shoc%edlate in
,a pre-eminent Greek neurologist. life to discover that not all women had halos.
e answer clearly lay in the lack of "Physical separation helps us to
' PBpldly concerns. For Athonite monks there is concentrate," says F'ather Isidore. "Like a
p
-. gUCh thing as existentialanxiety." scientist who sits in his laboratory and doesnPt
not a lot of stress in our lives," go to bars or discos,or like a sportsmanwho
Jeremiah. "People in the world gaesofftoiso~~camps."
with making money, getting Father JemnW adds: "S<Pmeonewho has
and worryiug about what other dedded to became a monk has dedded he's
them. We have to do what we not really interested in being mardedor having
a family. There's nothing wrong with that.'
The healthben- of celibacy
want any weight on their bridge, thisis the Dr Luisa Dillner writes: The monks' health and
Without the strains of employment (or perfect life," Shah says of the monks. "There is I
longevityis interesthg froma relationship
UWmployment), nor anxiety about career virtuaUy no weight on their bridge. V i y all paint of view because it flies in the face of the
)&&as, the monks are free to work short their decisions are made for them." 4statistics.
-ktcreative - days. Most of the work is
-en between loam and 2pm. The abbot
But the monks have also fortified
themselves with an excellent support network
- L ammmteries
working in the fields, doing
W)9i(psi&the - and the ones
Figures from National Statisticsshow
that siagle men aged between 30 and 59 are
w which "obediences" the monks will in their brotherhood. And, of course, the fait amount more thantwice as likely to die as those who
mdertake, and they have a changeover at the
h g h i n g of each year, though some monks
. Will do the same job for a number of years. One
support of their faith.
Clearly, it's not easy to replicate the stress-
free monastic Lifestyle. But there are p ~ c i p l e s .
&
- a l m a
leaving monks with a two- or
bur IIFalEf to get into town.
are &ed. Studiesconsistentlyshow that
married men are less likely than single men
to have heart disease, get depressed, develop
- ;Wmk, a huge man with a jet-black beard called for dealingwith stress that the monks have cancer, catch pneumonia, or develop chronic
- 3W&a Ioannis, heroically manages to combine unconsciously adopted: 1 ' 6etfPsaataeIlabit bronchitis. The monks,however, are not living
C winemaking and beekeeping. 1) Simplifyyour life. lf you simplify it, you're I
I &tgwt Joarma Hall says the fact that* the "single life" in that they are not alone: they
less likely to buckle under the weight of it. Otue~do~pouadawayontreadmih get succour from a supportivebrotherhood.
:%Wethelurount Athos way 2) If you can't simplifyit, get some support: ; o a ~ ~ g y m m e m b e r s h i p i s p r o o f t h a t By conmst, stressful mmbgesraise blood
:ajeu Shah, director of the Stress Management send the kids off to the grandparmts; delegate ~ ~ ~ B t P a w l w a I k f h m a t r u z y a g e a n dpressme(men's in pdcuhr) and h e r some
.'b k t y , likes to use the analogy of a to a colleague; relieve the burden by talking to m y ~ o f M @ "So,. W e a d of pl&q to biochemical markers of immunity.
the weight of cars and trucks a professional; have a massage to give yourself iPaagff-a fitness regime, incorporate Does ceiibacy confer any health benefits?
over it. Keep increasing the some time out. geathi&mskem exercise into your daily life. Quite the opposite. A study in the British
,he says, and eventually the bridge will 3) Rev up your support mechanism: the monks a @ ~ b W t o s c h o o l a n d / o r w a ~ k p a r t o f Medical~ofovetloomenbetwgen
.
When we deal with stress there are derive huge succour from their friendships. yeru -w. 45 and 59 found that those who had €he most
WQoptions: we can either reduce the weight "Most people don't have a support mechanism 23bWcupstalpsinsteadoftaking them. orgasms Ctwo or more a week) had half the
@naur bridge, or we can fortify our bridge so in place so they try to manage too much by 31.J~ r t yback
c ~ into hoeing the garden: much death rate of those with the least (less than
%can take the strain. *For people who don't themselves," says Shah. oftbemonks' work is outdoor labour. Absorb one a month).
h