' 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 community of 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 .the monks.

So what can we learn from an all-male bastion 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 samp1es the monastic routine plus five exclusive Athos recipes.

- Exclusive recipes from Mount Athos, free with the Observer

1 .

Secrets of - r

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 or the Mount Athos monks, meals are sacred afFairs - an extension of their communion with God. Fasting

Mood and place is aiso very important. When we eat we are very calm, there is total silence except for the elder who may read from the scriptures or 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, Wednesdays and Fridays each week and lengthier religious holidays. 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 circumstances can fasts be flouted, for example when a monk is so ill that he has been *blessedn on his sickbed.

On non-fast (or feast) days - Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays - the monks eat two meals with wine: one after

t I

churchataroundgamandoneafkrvespets at around 4.3opm. The pations are small by western &mda& - the monks 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 monks have to stop. In a community that sees i nmuddon as the cause of disease, the ktrnuy of enjoying a 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 fasting brings them cl&r to God. Abstaining from rich, oily foods for more than half of the year is regadd 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 enthusiasm and 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 everything that is superfluous in life, and in cutting out their own desires, they come closer to God."

All the vegetables and fruit eaten on Mount

1 ~tboo is himegrown in the monastery gardens, which means that not only is the monks' diet organic (no pesticides are used) it is also entirely seesonal. Vegetables are

I cultivated in flat plots close to monasteries 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-

favounlte oily dishes

stew), or chickpea patties tomorrowS Observer). daysiscaughtdfthe

peninsula by fishermen-monks and eaten stewed, fried or grilled.

Alcohol is readily available on 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, stories of drunk monks were legeadary. However, the philosophy of moderation is obse~ed by most of the monks, particukrly the younger generation, who ofken akemate it with raki, & l d firewater. At meals, monks rarely drink more than one 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 allowed and monks will Frequently savour one in the afternoan, or before going to work. On fast days, however, most try to abstain from tea and coffee. Sweets are a much enjoyed part of the Athos diet, from the traditional Creek sesame flour and honey confection, halva, to loukoumi - a kind of stidrqr turM d-t. Most meals end with a cake, baklava or oat-style b i t of some kind

For€he~tpart,fdiscookedinhuge cauldrons, pans Paas nays in wood-burning ovens.Onfapt&ys,whendiveoilis forbidden, ingredients are often stewed or fried in ;tahini instead. "But butter is out," says Brother Epifanios, "and so are matgarha, rich aeam and sauces like bechamel. In 35 years of cooking I've never once put them in any of my dish@s."

Spice8 are used abundantly. Brother E p i f a n i o s i s ~ y f o n d ~ N m i n w h o s e nwritshefirstdiscEnreredatStGath~s momstayintbeSinai.%~wondersfor the digestion," says the chef, who oa Feast dayshas t o c a t e r f w u p t o 3 , o w ~ e a t a the . 'TindudecumininI leorlyev~I cooknowaadthemonkseeemtoubett;" hdw, celery, dill, f-el, -tic,

~ r e g a n ~ a n d r n l n t ~ ~ ~ l l g u s e d t ~ seagonfoods.

'In today's world people want to eat and eat. They have made a living of eating, whereas we should only eat what we need'

tmlrrLn$rPblJ No ralldag is permitted during meals, even a whisperedre~uatforthesalt tobepassed. Wtead, everyone Ustens to a monk reading 1hTheLivesofrheSaints.Th9monks explain that the meal is an integral part of

~ ~ s h a u t d g o t o t h e o t h e r ~ e . " ~ o t h e r ~ e b e i B g m a k f n s a @ o f food, co=u4@m#~-.

A layman called Christos, an air tiai3c contrdler in Themb&i who has visited the Mmm, noted: "3ust two meals seems towork,Tkyaretherightporti~l~~,soyou don't f&d ovemdkd. The food is a bit cold, but actually I don't care too much about this. I like the whole atmosphere when we're eating -theorder, peoplecombginalltogether,the prayer, listening to a monk giving a reahg."

%tt to live, don? Mve to eat," says grother Ephraim at the Skete d St Andrew. "In today's society, people want to eat and eat. They've made a living of eating, whereas we should only eat what we need, which is h t a tenth of what we eat anyway."

WZlat Stephen Mcws didn't do on Athos was experieme~~o~ccooldngona~tday."I wasthereattheendofchristrnas-&re8 accm&gtotheJullancal~dar,~whlchtwo weeksbehindthoseduswbadoptedrtte GregortaPlversionzicoupledcentwiesago. Usually, they fast on Mondays, Wedn&ays and~days,andonthosedaysth@y~ fish, all dairy products, eggs, wfne &ad ollw oil - though, oddly, they are atlowed to eat olives."

iracle on the mountain Mount Athos monks are on earth. Helena Smith - ts' extraordmary fin-

lained of ditiiculties urinating, a often assodated with v r m e

Sncethei96os,studieshaoe!~that *IKedit~diete9nphyslcarztral F o l e i n i n d p n d l o w e r ~ a f c a r d . i o v a s d a r d i s e a s e . * C ) n N I m ~ ~ 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 cardkievasculiir disease," S B . ~ EWsapidm. Monks speak of %I inaedde feeling of lightness and freedom".

Records show that hearx &ease, cardiac arrestsandstrokesarevirtually~ent among the monks. The absence of stress, comDetitivenessd anxiet~ around social and

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$. This partly accounts forthe astonishing

absence of 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 discover a "zero-incidence" of the disease that they atended their study to monwtedes and nunneries around Greece. The results were equally mrprhbg only 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 answer M y lay in the lack of worldly concerns - their spiritual life, d t y and diet," says Pro Stam Wyamiis, the pre-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 expectatitm of eternal life which is why, when it does come, they ;ue totally euphoric."

Moderation

i The Athos diet is e s s e n ~ y 'Mediterranean 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 hnrtriinpw rpae meal a alow-fatdiet-iVsaemoder;te ~ , , " ~ ~ S T s ~ t o l ; o ~ o r f b u r fat" diet. But it is traditionally s a a j r l l W ~ ~ @ e & r ~ o % = o ~ t w o assodated with a lower incidence ~ ~ . *

! 3 o i o l ~ e a n w e l e a m ~ o n e o f

redudng monksa auscer rates islikelyt0be~highimt;lkeaf I p h t foods, parthhly the wide

~ ~ t o ~ O B S add tomato products.

philosophy of moderation in all things. Worth remembering when ordering that takeaway.

4 E e Z & oil-- coo- with

P mmmn . / I llih am!&s have about 20 minutes

k ~ ~ o e a t ~ m e a l s - a f f e r

,

1 I

C water-based techniques (steaming1 boiling/baking foods) is an instant wav to cut down on fat. The monks

use a lot of olke oil, but they never use butter or cream, which are high in saturated fat, associated with raised cholesterol levels.

B watch your salt The monks do not consume any processed food - often a source of "hiddenn salt in western diets. The absence of ready-meals means the

monks know exactly what's in their food and how much seasoning has 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 confirms that salt (and salt-preserved foods) are probably a cause of stomach cancer.

rs not just diet that makes @e monks so healthy - a of - stress, - an outdoor - Be and the support of a caring brotherhood &I play their part L'

u d c Jeremiah thinks lack of stress among on Athos is the crucial reason why the

, &gUence of cancer is low. And scientists agree him about its importance. When they zero incidence of Alzheimer's disease

had to ask why," says Professor Stavros , a pre-eminent Greek neurologist.

e answer clearly lay in the lack of ' PBpldly concerns. For Athonite monks there is -. p gUCh thing as existential anxiety."

not a lot of stress in our lives," Jeremiah. "People in the world with making money, getting and worryiug about what other them. We have to do what we

Without the strains of employment (or UWmployment), nor anxiety about career )&&as, the monks are free to work short -kt creative - days. Most of the work is -en between loam and 2pm. The abbot w which "obediences" the monks will 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 - ;Wmk, a huge man with a jet-black beard called - 3W&a Ioannis, heroically manages to combine C winemaking and beekeeping.

: %Wethe lurount Athos way :ajeu Shah, director of the Stress Management .' bkty , likes to use the analogy of a

the weight of cars and trucks over it. Keep increasing the

, he says, and eventually the bridge will . When we deal with stress there are

WQ options: we can either reduce the weight @n aur bridge, or we can fortify our bridge so %can take the strain. *For people who don't

want any weight on their bridge, this is the perfect life," Shah says of the monks. "There is virtuaUy no weight on their bridge. V i y all their decisions are made for them."

But the monks have also fortified themselves with an excellent support network in their brotherhood. And, of course, the support of their faith.

Clearly, it's not easy to replicate the stress- free monastic Lifestyle. But there are p~c ip les for dealing with stress that the monks have unconsciously adopted: 1) Simplify your life. lf you simplify it, you're less likely to buckle under the weight of it. 2) If you can't simplify it, get some support: send the kids off to the grandparmts; delegate to a colleague; relieve the burden by talking to a professional; have a massage to give yourself some time out. 3) Rev up your support mechanism: the monks derive huge succour from their friendships. "Most people don't have a support mechanism in place so they try to manage too much by themselves," says Shah.

ynme!Ifin the garden or allotment and you wodtnaeicethesweatonyourbrav. 4)Dadtmakea~ofit.Leadhganactive lifedghreyoumoreenergyandraiseyour spirits, but you're more likely to mainGh it if

1 6% part of $nu routine rather than a chore.

I =onics are laconic when it comes to talking about sex. "Some people have a 1 uro~em. m e a m l e have m ~r0blem at

I

- L a working in the fields, doing W)9i(psi&the mmmteries - and the ones

fait amount a l m a &- leaving monks with a two- or

. bur IIFalEf to get into town.

1 ' 6etfPsaataeIlabit I

I &tgwt Joarma Hall says the fact that* Otue~do~pouadawayontreadmih

; 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 ~ ~ ~ B t P a w l w a I k f h m a t r u z y a g e a n d m y ~ o f M @ " . So, Wead of pl&q to iPaagff a- fitness regime, incorporate geathi&mskem exercise into your daily life.

a @~bWtoschoo land/orwa~kparto f yeru -w. 23bWcupstalpsinsteadof taking them. 31 .J ~ r t y c ~ back into hoeing the garden: much oftbe monks' work is outdoor labour. Absorb

h

';aF ~ a t i e r isid&,-a youagUS~born monk. . Women are not altowed to enter M.

There is a story, p o s s i i apocryphal, about a igth-century foundling child who had bed aLl his life on Athos, had seen IKI woman other than the V i Mary, and was shoc%ed late in life to discover that not all women had halos.

"Physical separation helps us to concentrate," says F'ather Isidore. "Like a scientist who sits in his laboratory and doesnPt go to bars or discos, or like a sportsman who g a e s o f f t o i s o ~ ~ c a m p s . "

Father JemnW adds: "S<Pmeone who has dedded to became a monk has dedded he's not really interested in being marded or having a family. There's nothing wrong with that.'

The health ben- of celibacy Dr Luisa Dillner writes: The monks' health and longevity is interesthg from a relationship paint of view because it flies in the face of the 4 statistics.

Figures from National Statistics show that siagle men aged between 30 and 59 are more than twice as likely to die as those who are &ed. Studies consistently show that married men are less likely than single men to have heart disease, get depressed, develop cancer, catch pneumonia, or develop chronic bronchitis. The monks, however, are not living the "single life" in that they are not alone: they get succour from a supportive brotherhood.

By conmst, stressful mmbges raise blood pressme (men's in pdcuhr) and h e r some biochemical markers of immunity.

Does ceiibacy confer any health benefits? Quite the opposite. A study in the British Medical~ofovetloomenbetwgen 45 and 59 found that those who had €he most orgasms Ctwo or more a week) had half the death rate of those with the least (less than one a month).