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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Father Seraphim carries a sack of feed for sheep at the Monastery of St. Augustine and Seraphim of Sarov in the village of Trikorfo, about 236 kilometers (147 miles) northwest of Athens, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

A monk tends to plants at the Monastery of St. Augustine and Seraphim of Sarov in the village of Trikorfo, about 236 kilometers (147 miles) northwest of Athens, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Monks prepare the meals at the Monastery of St. Augustine and Seraphim of Sarov in the village of Trikorfo, about 236 kilometers (147 miles) northwest of Athens, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

A monk prepares meals at the Monastery of St. Augustine and Seraphim of Sarov ahead of Easter as part of annual Lenten dietary restrictions in the village of Trikorfo, about 236 kilometers (147 miles) northwest of Athens, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Father Isaac serves lentils for the midday meal at the Monastery of St. Augustine and Seraphim of Sarov in the village of Trikorfo, about 236 kilometers (147 miles) northwest of Athens, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

AMSTERDAM (AP) — The Dutch capital marked the 25th anniversary of the world's first gay marriages with three same-sex couples tying the knot at City Hall early Wednesday.

The celebration, conducted by Mayor Femke Halsema just after midnight, came a quarter of a century after one of her predecessors, Job Cohen, married four couples in a landmark ceremony for LGBTQ+ rights that paved the way for similar legislation in nearly 40 countries around the world.

Same-sex weddings are commonplace now in the Netherlands. Since 2001, more than 36,000 same-sex couples have married, according to the country's official statistics office.

Prime Minister Rob Jetten, the country's first openly gay leader, is planning to soon marry his partner Nicolás Keenan, an Argentine field hockey star who won a bronze medal with his country’s team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“As a prime minister, I’m very proud that we celebrate 25 years of universal marriage here in the Netherlands,'' Jetten told The Associated Press at the overnight ceremony.

‘’Also for me personally, I can still remember when I was 14 years old watching TV, seeing the first couples getting married here in Amsterdam. That was also very inspiring and emancipating for me, personally, as it has been for so many others,'' he said.

The U.S. Supreme Court recognized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015, after many states had already done so. One study last year estimated that there are more than 800,000 same-sex married couples in the U.S.

Amy Quinn and her wife, Heather Jensen, were among the first to be married in New Jersey when it became recognized there in 2013.

Quinn said it was important because they were considering having a child and their lawyer told them it would help if they were married because that would mean both women could have their names on the birth certificate, sign school records and have hospital visitation rights.

“It’s shocking to me in terms of really how recently we got it,” said Quinn, the deputy mayor of Asbury Park, New Jersey.

The U.S.-based LGBTQ+ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign has identified legislation in at least nine U.S. states for current or recent sessions seeking to undo legal recognition of same-sex marriages. Most would call on the U.S. Supreme Court to undo its 2015 decision recognizing the unions. The measures have not advanced, and even if they did, they couldn’t force the court to change course.

“I don’t think it’s a time for people to be afraid,” said Kelley Robinson, president of the U.S.-based LGBTQ+ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign. “It’s a time to be aware, to protect our families, to protect our kids and to protect our lives."

Large parts of the world — particularly in Asia and Africa — have not legalized same-sex marriage and some countries are becoming more repressive.

Senegal’s president signed a law Monday that toughens punishment for homosexuality in the latest African country to impose harsh penalties against the LGBTQ+ community.

Conservatives in the U.S. have also challenged laws banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ children. The Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with the objectors, saying that a ban in Colorado raises free-speech concerns and should be weighed by a lower court.

Philip Tijsma, spokesperson for the main Dutch LGBTQ+ advocacy group COC, said that while the silver anniversary was a moment to reflect and celebrate, the Netherlands has slipped behind other nations in its support for the LGBTQ+ community.

“We have become a little bit lazy,” he said, adding that other European nations now have stronger transgender legislation. He said that in the Netherlands LGBTQ people are still bullied in schools and harassed on the street for holding hands.

There’s been a strong backlash in the U.S. in recent years against rights of transgender people especially. Most states have banned transgender women and girls from at least some women’s and girls’ sports competitions and barred some gender-affirming health care for children and youth. Restrictions on puberty-blocking drugs, hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries have also expanded elsewhere.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration have pushed for restrictions on transgender people.

Despite challenges, the mood at Amsterdam's ceremony was giddy.

Gert Kasteel and Dolf Pasker were among those taking part. They married that landmark day of April 1, 2001.

‘’We’re very happy!″ Kasteel said.

‘’It’s unbelievable, 25 years,'' Pasker said. ‘’It’s so beautiful that there’s so much attention for it.''

Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands, and Mulvihill from Haddonfield, New Jersey.

FILE -Gert Kasteel, left, and Dolf Pasker, who were among four couples to get married under the world's first law allowing same-sex marriages with equal rights, kiss after exchanging vows at Amsterdam's City Hall early April 1, 2001. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

FILE -From left, Peter Wittebrood-Lemke, Frank Wittebrood, Ton Jansen, Louis Rogmans, Helene Faasen and Anne-Marie Thus, the pairs who were among four couples to get married under the world's first law allowing same-sex marriages with equal rights. cut the wedding cake after exchanging vows at Amsterdam's City Hall early April 1, 2001. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)