Everything You Want to Know About the Vegan Mediterranean Diet

From peta.org

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve likely heard physicians, healthcare organizations, and nutritionists urging everyone to follow the plant-focused Mediterranean Diet. (And if you have been living in a cave, then you likely know that the actual “caveman diet” was also primarily vegan.) We’ll let you in on a secret: They’re practically quoting what PETA has been saying for decades. The Mediterranean Diet is almost entirely vegan. And making one swap to make it vegan has a wealth of benefits.

© iStock.com/Nikola Stojadinovic

What do you eat on the vegan Mediterranean Diet?

Unsurprisingly, this nutrient-packed plan focuses on the foods we’ve long known to have significant health benefits: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, and healthy fats like those found in avocados, tofu, edamame, coconuts, olives, nut butters, and seeds. High in fibre, antioxidants, and key vitamins and minerals, these foods work together to promote whole-body health. Experts recommend building a meal plan around as many of these health heroes as possible every week:

While some people mistakenly associate the Mediterranean Diet with consuming large amounts of “seafood,” the actual guidelines don’t require eating fish. And there are a multitude of reasons not to. For starters, much of the fat in fish bodies is saturated—one of the main harmful substances the Mediterranean Diet seeks to avoid. Add to that high levels of cholesterol, mercury, antibiotics, chemical pollutants, and microplastics. That dead scaly body may even come with a side of parasitic worms or flesh-eating bacteria.

And fish are just as clever, sensitive, and family-oriented as animals who make their homes on land. They can count, use tools, and demonstrate observational learning. Some caress one another, causing their stress levels to decrease. They form rich social networks and strive to maintain a good reputation. Salmon find their way back to the exact stream where they were born in order to mate after years in the ocean. Rainbowfish’s long-term memories are comparable to a human recalling a lesson learned 40 years prior. Some catfish fathers go without food for a month, protecting their developing eggs in their mouths. And, just like all animals, fish feel pain.

What about omega-3s?

The Environmental Working Group found that people who commonly ate fish were ingesting dangerous amounts of mercury while getting relatively small amounts of omega-3s. Better sources of omega-3 fatty acids include walnuts, flaxseed, chia seeds, hemp seeds, edamame, seaweed, and algae. Other green leafy vegetables and beans also contain small amounts. Algal oil, a great source of DHA and EPA omega-3s, is often an ingredient in 

© iStock.com/zi3000

So, what can a vegan Mediterranean Diet do for you?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, following these plant-powered nutrition guidelines has numerous benefits, including:

• lowering the risk of heart disease;
• supporting a healthy body weight;
• lowering blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol;
• decreasing the risk of metabolic syndrome;
• supporting a healthy gut;
• reducing the risk of certain types of cancer;
• slowing the decline of brain function due to aging;
• and increasing life expectancy.

Many people also report increased energy levels, improved sleep quality, achievement of health and fitness goals, and better mental health due to ending their association with foods linked to animal suffering.

What if I want a cheeseburger?

Eat one! Just enjoy a cheeseburger made from plants. With vegan upgrades of all types of meat, dairy, and eggs, there’s no reason to harm our health or animals.

Where do I start?

PETA offers dozens of Mediterranean Diet-friendly recipes like Vegetable and Tofu Kebabs, Rice, Bean and Kale Bowl, and Creamy Red Lentil Salad, plus hundreds of other free, healthy recipes. You can also order a free vegan starter magazine for even more helpful health info, product tips, and recipes.   

https://www.peta.org/lifestyle/food/vegan-mediterranean-diet/ 

Yummy snack boosts muscle power in older adults — you only need 3 tablespoons a day

From nypost.com

Go nuts over this news.

Diet plays a large role in longevity and healthy aging, not to mention adding necessary fuel for larger muscle growth.

While meat is often the first line of attack at staving off age-related muscle loss, new research shows a pantry staple could boost muscle power.

Older adults who ate three tablespoons of peanut butter every day saw improved lower body muscle power.  Chanakon – stock.adobe.com

Muscle loss in older adults, a condition known as sarcopenia, is a common issue, with 10% to 16% of the world’s elderly population being affected.

But a clinical trial published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle found that a daily serving of peanut butter improved muscle strength in older adults.

The researchers split a group of 120 adults between the ages of 66 and 89 who were at risk for falls, having half consume three tablespoons of the nut butter.

After six months of eating peanut butter, the groups completed sit-to-stand tests, which can determine lower-body muscle power.

The group that ate the nutty spread was able to complete the tests faster than the group that didn’t.

It’s necessary to maintain muscles as we age to prevent physical performance from being impaired for everyday motions.

“Muscle power enables older people to perform activities of daily living, such as stair climbing and rising from a chair,” study lead and nutrition researcher Sze-Yen Tan said.   Africa Studio – stock.adobe.com

“Muscle power enables older people to perform activities of daily living, such as stair climbing and rising from a chair,” study lead and nutrition researcher Sze-Yen Tan said in a press release.

“Increased muscle power also reduces the risk of falls, which is a common reason for loss of independence, compromised quality of life and even premature death,” he added.

And while peanut butter contains roughly 14% of the recommended daily value of protein, it’s also high in calories.

However, the group eating the affordable snack didn’t experience weight gain.

Protein is certainly having a moment, but beyond trendy diets, it’s a vital nutrient for the growth, repair and maintenance of bones and muscles.

Not only do peanuts contain the most protein of any nuts, but they’ve also previously been shown to boost blood flow in the brain, sharpening memory and improving heart health.

But older adults shouldn’t just rely on eating peanut butter every day to keep muscle strength.

Instead, the nutritious snack should be paired with regular strength and resistance training to both enhance muscles and improve nutrition at the same time.

https://nypost.com/2026/02/26/health/3-spoons-of-this-snack-boosts-muscle-power-in-older-adults/ 

This Fermented Vegan Mozzarella Melts Like The Real Thing

From plantbasednews.org

This fermented vegan mozzarella pours like sauce and firms when baked 

If you have ever been disappointed by vegan cheese that turns into a puddle instead of melting, Miyoko Schinner might have exactly what you are looking for. The vegan cheese pioneer recently shared a new method for making fermented vegan mozzarella that pours like a sauce, then firms up when baked. It is designed for pizza, lasagne, mac and cheese, and any recipe where you want structure, stretch, and that unmistakable baked-cheese bite.

Miyoko Schinner, known for her YouTube channel The Vegan Good Life with Miyoko, explains how this fermented liquid mozzarella comes together quickly but relies on careful technique. The process, she says, only takes minutes of active time, but the fermentation step makes cleanliness and precision essential.

This versatile liquid mozzarella is designed for dishes such as pizza, pasta, and lasagne - Media Credit: YouTube / The Vegan Good Life with Miyoko

A vegan cheese pioneer in her element

Schinner is widely regarded as one of the architects of modern vegan cheese. Her work helped move plant-based cheese away from starch-heavy shortcuts and toward cultured, flavour-driven methods that mirror traditional cheesemaking. In the video, she opens by explaining why she is making such large quantities, saying, “I’m making gallons and gallons of it because I’m going to take it to a pizza party at one of my favourite restaurants in the world, Millennium.”

She adds that the recipe comes directly from The Vegan Creamery and describes it as “a super easy cheese to make,” while stressing that fermentation changes the stakes. “It is fermented,” she says, “so there are a few pointers that I have to give you.”

Fermentation equals sanitation

Because this fermented vegan mozzarella relies on live cultures, Schinner repeatedly emphasizes sterilization. “When you’re fermenting something, you want to make sure that you have the most sanitary conditions you possibly can have,” she explains, adding that the goal is to encourage “only the good bacteria that grows, not the bad.”

She begins with cashews that are already pasteurized, but still boils them briefly in hot water. This step serves two purposes: softening them for blending and reducing microbial risk. “If you’re getting your cashews from the bulk bin,” she says, “you have no idea whether or not there’s other hands that have been in there.”

She applies the same thinking to tools and containers, noting that jars and blender parts are washed with soap and water and then treated with boiling water to ensure they are “super super clean.”

Any plant milk works

While Schinner uses cashews to make a rich cashew milk base, she is clear that the recipe is flexible. “This mozzarella can be made with any plant milk,” she says. Oat milk, sunflower seed milk, or other milks from her book all work, depending on what you have available.

After blending the cashews with water into a creamy milk, she adds oil for richness. Avocado oil is her choice, but she explains that sunflower seed oil or even a mild olive oil will also work. The oil, she says, helps replicate the richness people associate with dairy cheese.

To create the characteristic melt and pull, Schinner adds tapioca flour, explaining that it is responsible for the cheese’s elasticity. She blends this with salt and oil before introducing the culture. The culture she uses is thermophilic, meaning it thrives in warmth. “It loves heat,” she says, which allows the mixture to ferment in environments like a turned-off oven, a proofing box, or even wrapped in blankets to hold warmth.

The goal of fermentation is flavour, not sharpness. “With a mozzarella, you want it to be mild,” she explains. Letting it go too long can push it past that sweet spot. She also dismisses shortcuts like vinegar or lemon juice, saying, “I just don’t think it tastes right.”

When and why psyllium husk matters

One of the most precise steps comes after fermentation. Psyllium husk powder is added only once the cheese has developed a mild tang. “You don’t want to add it too soon,” Schinner says, warning that it can become “too gummy and too thick.”

The amount depends on timing. If the cheese will be used immediately, she says you can add up to a tablespoon. If it will sit for several days, she recommends starting with a teaspoon. “The longer the psyllium husk sits, the thicker it gets,” she explains.

This ingredient gives the mozzarella body and control. “Sometimes vegan cheeses are just sort of like sauce on your pizza,” she says. The psyllium husk helps create “that bite of cheese” and a bit of chew once baked.

From pizza to pasta bakes

YouTube / The Vegan Good Life with MiyokoThe fermented mozzarella is stirred into hot pasta to create a glossy mac and cheese

Schinner demonstrates the finished cheese at Millennium’s pizza night, then shows how versatile it can be back in her kitchen. She pours it over pasta for a quick mac and cheese. “It’s not just for pizza,” she says. “You can use it on a lasagna, a pasta bake, a quesadilla, all sorts of uses.”

She starts with cooked pasta and transfers it to a pot, noting that she reserves some of the cooking water. As she pours in the fermented mozzarella, the sauce quickly clings to the pasta. To fine-tune the texture, she adds small splashes of pasta water until it becomes glossy and pourable.

For extra depth, Schinner suggests optional additions rather than altering the base cheese itself. “If you want a little more cheddar flavor, you can add a teaspoon or so of nutritional yeast,” she says, stirring it in as the sauce emulsifies around the pasta.

To finish, Schinner adds a small amount of truffle oil for a richer version, seasoning with black pepper.

Just like the pizza application, the mac and cheese can move from the stovetop to the oven. Schinner explains that you can pour the pasta and sauce into a baking dish with a bit of added liquid and bake it, where it “will bake up into absolute cheesy perfection.” The result, she shows, is a dish that firms on top while staying creamy underneath, proof that her pourable mozzarella is not just a novelty, but a functional base for classic comfort food.

The moment she tastes it, Schinner smiles and sums it up simply: “Magic mozzarella.”

For more of Miyoko Schinner’s magical plant-based recipes, visit her YouTube channel.

https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/food/fermented-vegan-mozzarella-melts-like-real/

"6 things I wish someone told me before going vegan that would have saved me so much stress"

From vegoutmag.com

By Avery White

The transition to veganism doesn't have to be as overwhelming as we make it, but there are a few truths I learned the hard way

When I went vegan at 35, I approached it the way I approached everything in my finance career: with spreadsheets, meal plans, and an almost obsessive need to get it perfect from day one. I'd spent weeks reading about factory farming, and the urgency I felt translated into pressure. I wanted to do this right, immediately, flawlessly.

Looking back five years later, I can see how much unnecessary stress I created for myself. The transition itself was one of the best decisions I've ever made, but the path there? It was rockier than it needed to be. Here are the things I wish someone had told me before I started.

1. You don't have to be perfect on day one

I remember standing in my kitchen the first week, nearly in tears because I'd accidentally bought bread with honey in it. I felt like a fraud. Like I'd already failed at something I'd barely started.

Here's what I know now: veganism is a practice, not a performance. The goal is reducing harm, not achieving some impossible standard of purity. When you're learning to read labels, navigate restaurants, and rethink recipes you've made for decades, mistakes happen. They don't erase your intention or your impact.

What if you gave yourself the same grace you'd give a friend who was trying something new and hard?

2. Your protein anxiety is probably overblown

I spent my first month obsessively tracking protein, convinced I'd somehow wither away without chicken breast. My former analyst brain loved the numbers, but the anxiety was exhausting.

The reality? Most people eating a varied vegan diet get plenty of protein without much effort.

Research published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics confirms that well-planned vegan diets are nutritionally adequate for all stages of life. Beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, nuts, seeds, and whole grains add up faster than you'd think.

The nutrient worth paying attention to? B12. That one you actually do need to supplement. But protein? Take a breath. You're probably fine.

3. Some relationships will get temporarily weird

Nobody warned me about the dinner party tension. The way my mother would sigh when planning holiday meals. The co-worker who suddenly felt the need to defend his bacon habit every time we ate lunch together.

I've learned that people sometimes react to our choices as if they're judgments of theirs, even when they're not. It's uncomfortable, but it usually passes. Most of my relationships settled back into ease once everyone realized I wasn't going to lecture them or refuse to sit at a table where meat was served.

The ones that stayed weird? Those revealed something about the relationship that was already there. Have you noticed how our choices sometimes become mirrors for others?

4. Simple meals are your secret weapon

In the beginning, I thought every dinner needed to be an elaborate vegan recreation of something I used to eat. Cashew cheese that required soaking and blending. Seitan from scratch. It was unsustainable, especially for someone already dealing with burnout.

The meals that actually saved me were boring by Instagram standards: rice and beans with avocado, pasta with marinara and white beans, big salads with chickpeas and tahini dressing. These became my foundation, and the fancier recipes became occasional weekend projects rather than daily obligations.

What would it look like to let dinner be easy sometimes?

5. Your taste buds genuinely change

I didn't believe this one until I experienced it. About three months in, I bit into a ripe mango and it tasted almost unbearably sweet, in the best way. Vegetables I'd tolerated before became foods I actually craved.

There's science behind this. Studies on taste perception suggest our palates adapt to dietary changes over time. The foods that seem bland or unsatisfying in week two often taste completely different by month three. Your preferences aren't fixed. They're more flexible than you think.

Give it time. The cravings that feel urgent now often fade into distant memories.

6. Finding your "why" matters more than finding the perfect recipe

When things got hard, what kept me going wasn't a great vegan cheese or a restaurant with good options. It was remembering why I started. For me, it was the animals. For others, it might be environmental impact, health, or something else entirely.

That core reason becomes an anchor when you're tired, when you're traveling, when someone at Thanksgiving asks for the fifth time if you're "still doing that vegan thing."

Without it, veganism can feel like a diet you're white-knuckling through. With it, the challenges feel like small prices to pay for living in alignment with your values.

What's the reason that resonates most deeply for you?

Final thoughts

Five years in, veganism feels less like a set of restrictions and more like a quiet alignment between my values and my daily choices. But I won't pretend the transition was seamless. It asked me to be patient with myself, to let go of perfectionism, and to trust that the discomfort was temporary.

If you're at the beginning of this journey, know that it gets easier. Not because the world becomes more accommodating, but because you become more confident. You learn what works for your body, your budget, your life.

And somewhere along the way, it stops feeling like effort and starts feeling like home.

https://vegoutmag.com/lifestyle/s-st-6-things-i-wish-someone-told-me-before-going-vegan/

Why Hospitals are Rethinking Patient Menus

From vegconomist.com

Hospitals are increasingly being recognised not only as places of treatment, but as environments that actively shape health outcomes. As pressure mounts on healthcare systems to address diet-related disease, manage costs, and reduce environmental impact, hospital catering is coming under renewed scrutiny. One response is gaining traction – making plant-based meals the default option.

A new analysis from ProVeg International explores why hospitals in multiple regions are rethinking traditional menus, and what this shift could mean for public health and the wider food industry.

                                                                                                                                Image supplied by ProVeg International

Aligning food with health outcomes

Diet-related illnesses place a substantial burden on global healthcare systems, and hospitals serve millions of meals each year to patients whose conditions are often directly linked to nutrition. Plant-based menus can support clinical dietary guidelines by emphasising fibre-rich, lower-fat foods, while reducing reliance on processed and red meats that are increasingly associated with negative health outcomes.

Beyond patient nutrition, hospital catering choices also intersect with broader public health concerns, including antimicrobial resistance linked to livestock production and the role of food systems in pandemic risk. As a result, food is being reframed as a preventative tool rather than a neutral service.

From policy to practice

The move towards plant-based defaults is no longer theoretical. In the United States, public hospitals in New York City have demonstrated how small changes in menu design can drive significant behavioural shifts. By presenting plant-based meals as the standard option, while still allowing patients to opt out in favour of animal-based meals, hospitals dramatically increased uptake (from 1% to 50%), while also reducing food-related emissions and operational costs.

Elsewhere, institutions such as Hayek Hospital have taken more comprehensive approaches, transitioning entirely to plant-based menus as part of a preventative health strategy. Across Europe, pilot programmes are combining staff training, menu redevelopment and procurement support to enable similar transitions at scale.

                                                                                                              Image supplied by ProVeg International / Unsplash

Implications for the plant-based sector

For food producers and ingredient suppliers, hospitals represent a stable, high-volume foodservice channel with growing relevance. As plant-based meals move from niche offerings to institutional defaults, demand is likely to increase for products that meet clinical, cost and operational requirements, from pulses and whole-food ingredients to functional plant proteins.

However, implementation remains complex. Cultural expectations, patient choice, catering contracts, nutritional standards, and supply-chain readiness all influence how quickly hospitals can move. 

The shift towards plant-based hospital menus signals a broader re-evaluation of how food fits into health systems. Whether this approach becomes the norm will depend on policy alignment, operational support and continued collaboration between healthcare providers and the food industry.

Read the full analysis on ProVeg’s website to explore the evidence, case studies, and commercial implications in more depth. For more support, get in touch with ProVeg’s experts at corporate@proveg.org. 

https://vegconomist.com/gastronomy-food-service/why-hospitals-are-rethinking-patient-menus/ 

Veganism in Greece: What’s it really like during ‘nistia’?

From ekathimerini.com

By Duncan Howitt-Marshall

As Lent approaches, we explore Greece’s surprisingly rich plant-based cuisine – and what it’s really like going animal-product free for 40 days 

Mention “vegan food” and “Greece” in the same sentence, and you’ll often get a raised eyebrow. For many people abroad, Greek cuisine begins and ends with souvlaki, grilled lamb, and cheese in heroic quantities. When I first moved to Athens in 2010 as a card-carrying vegetarian, friends back home were genuinely concerned. “What are you going to eat?” they fretted, as if I were heading into some culinary wilderness where meat skewers roamed free and vegetables were rare sightings.

The reality, of course, is very different. I quickly discovered that Greece is one of the easiest places in Europe to eat well without meat. Even before you get to the myriad salads and vegetable meze, there are beans stewed in tomato sauce, lentil soups that feel like a bear hug in winter, trays of oven-roasted vegetables swimming in olive oil, “horta” (wild greens) braised and dressed with lemon, and a whole host of other meatless delights. Throw in the cheeses and the rich, creamy yogurts and, for a vegetarian at least, life is good. Really good.

But what about going fully animal product-free? What’s it really like to be vegan in Greece – not just as a visitor passing through a handful of hip neighbourhoods, but as someone trying to live, eat, and order off menus in restaurants and tavernas?

As Lent approaches and the fasting period known in Greek as “nistia” kicks in, it’s a good moment to look again at how veganism fits into Greek food culture. Because here’s the twist: for 40 days every year, Greece quietly turns into one of the most vegan-friendly places on the planet – without ever calling it that.

The secret vegan season: ‘Nistia’

If you’ve ever visited Greece in the run-up to Orthodox Easter, you may have noticed a curious thing on menus: dishes marked “nistisimo.” This label means they’re suitable for fasting. During the six-week period from Clean Monday to Easter, many Greeks avoid meat, dairy, and eggs. On Wednesdays and Fridays, even olive oil is off the table. What’s left is a naturally vegan cuisine rooted in beans, vegetables, and grains – dishes that have been part of everyday life for centuries.

In practice, this means that tavernas, bakeries, and home kitchens already know how to cook food that happens to be vegan. No one is reinventing the wheel. “Fasolada” (white bean soup) doesn’t suddenly become fashionable because someone put a leaf icon next to it on a menu. It’s just what people have always eaten when fasting. The same goes for “fakes” (lentil soup), “gigantes” (giant baked beans), “dolmadakia” (stuffed vine leaves) without meat, “briam” (vegetable casserole), and “fava” (a creamy purée of yellow split peas).

For anyone curious about trying a vegan diet, “nistia” is like a built-in safety net. You can walk into a perfectly ordinary neighbourhood taverna, ask what’s fasting-friendly – with the magic phrase “nistisimo einai?” – and be met with a list of dishes that are already tried, tested, and satisfying, including a whole category of naturally plant-based food called “ladera” (vegetables cooked in olive oil). These hearty dishes sit quietly on the menu, overshadowed by fancy grills and roasts, but once you start looking for them, they’re everywhere. No awkward substitutions, no eye-rolling from the kitchen. You’re just eating food that happens to fit the rules of the season.

Besides, eating this way changes how you order. Instead of a main and a couple of sides, you end up sharing a “pikilia” (assortment) of small dishes, dipping bread into sauces, discovering flavours you might otherwise skip in favour of something meaty. It’s a slower, more social, more Greek way of eating.

To learn more about the delicious vegan food options served throughout the year at just about every taverna in Greece, click here.

                          A vegan twist on a Greek classic: meat-free souvlaki, using jackfruit. [Shutterstock]

                   

Not just a fad: Greece and the global vegan boom

This isn’t just anecdotal. According to recent findings by the UK-based Vegan Society, Greece ranks among the world’s top countries for vegan dining options per capita – 218.12 vegan dining options per million people, placing it tenth worldwide. That’s a pretty impressive statistic, especially when you consider that only two percent of Greeks identify as vegan and four percent as vegetarian – figures comparable to Germany, the UK, and the US.

You could argue that part of this is down to tourism. Visitors increasingly expect plant-based options, and restaurants have adapted. Another part of it is down to urban food culture, with vegan cafés and bakeries opening in Athens, Thessaloniki, and other cities. Drawing on 2025 data from restaurant platform HappyCow, Greece records 2,260 vegan dining listings, according to the Veganism Around the World 2025 report – on par with Sweden.

But the main reason comes from the fact that Greek cuisine already had a deep repertoire of animal product-free dishes long before anyone started using the word “vegan” – a term that was first coined in 1944 by animal-rights advocates Donald and Dorothy Watson, co-founders of The Vegan Society.

In other words, the country didn’t need to invent a new way of eating to accommodate the trend. It just had to dust off what was already there, and in some cases, repackage it for a new, more ethically conscious audience.

‘We’ll make you lamb’: Old assumptions die hard

Still, cultural habits die hard. There’s a wonderful line in the 2002 rom com “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” that captures the generational mindset perfectly. When the deliciously theatrical Greek Aunt Voula hears that the non-Greek fiancé Ian Miller “don’t eat meat” – cue shocked looks from the extended family – she beams: “That’s okay. I make lamb.”

If you’ve spent any time around older Greeks, you’ll recognize this logic. The idea of not eating meat can feel a bit … counterintuitive. Food is love here, and love is often expressed through generous portions of whatever the cook considers “proper” food. For many people of the Golden Generation – those who experienced extreme hardship and famine during World War II and its immediate aftermath – that still means meat on the table.

And yet, there’s a funny moment that often follows these conversations. You explain that you don’t eat animal products. Someone frowns, shakes their head, and says it must be impossible in Greece. Then, a few minutes later, they start listing what you can eat. “Fasolakia” (green beans). “Arakas” (green pea stew). “Spanakorizo” (spinach and rice). Okra in tomato sauce. Fried zucchini. “Imam Bayildi” (baked eggplants with tomato and olive oil. “Gemista” (stuffed vegetables – usually tomatoes and/or peppers) – without mince. At some point, it dawns on everyone in the room that they’ve been cooking vegan food their whole lives – they just never thought of it that way.

Not a new idea: Plant-based eating in ancient Greece

The idea that avoiding animal products is some modern import doesn’t hold up well when you scratch away at Greece’s ancient history. Long before the birth of Christianity, certain philosophical and religious groups promoted forms of veganism based on the grounds of social justice and ethics. The followers of the Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras (c. 570-495 BC), for example, believed that eating animals was morally problematic, tied to ideas about the soul and reincarnation. The Pythagoreans also shunned the sacrifice of animals and the ritual offering of meat to the gods, believing it was unnecessary to inflict pain and suffering on another sentient being.

A similar group, the Orphics, who based their beliefs around the myth of Dionysus, also practiced dietary restrictions as part of a wider spiritual worldview. An ascetic sect based on the mythical poet Orpheus, whose views mirrored elements of Pythagoreanism, adhered to a strict vegetarian diet that even excluded broad beans, believing they contained the souls of the dead.

Of course, this doesn’t mean ancient Greeks were vegans in the modern sense. However, it does mean that debates about what humans should or shouldn’t eat are hardly new here. The tension between indulgence and restraint, between feasting and fasting, runs through Greek culture from antiquity to Orthodox Christianity and into the present day.

Seen in that light, today’s interest in veganism feels less like a radical break and more like another turn of a very old conversation.

Plant-based alternatives to meat, cheese, yogurt and milk are becoming increasingly available at Greek supermarkets. [Shutterstock]

Supermarkets have changed (a lot)

One area where things really have shifted in the last decade is the supermarket aisle. When I first arrived in Greece, finding anything labeled “vegan” felt like a small victory. Things like tahini, humus, pasta, and legumes in all their glorious forms were easy, of course, but anything resembling a plant-based alternative to cheese, yogurt, or milk was rare.

That’s no longer the case. Oat milk, almond milk, soy yogurt, vegan spreads, and items like tofu and soya burgers have become part of the mainstream grocery shop, especially in cities. Some of these products feel a bit imported in spirit – think meatless deli slices and substitute bacon (aka “facon”) – borrowing more from northern European food trends than Greek ones. Others are simply modern takes on ingredients that Greeks already love, like chickpeas, lentils, mushrooms, and sesame.

What’s interesting is how these newer products sit alongside the traditional fasting foods. A packet of vegan “feta” might catch your eye, but right next to it are a whole host of legumes that your yiayia would recognize instantly. One feels like a trend. The other feels like continuity.

Click here to find out more about the various ranges of vegan products in Greece.

Fresh fruits and vegetables galore. If you want to try veganism in Greece, even just for 40 days, you’re spoilt for choice. [Shutterstock]

So, is Greece a good place to be vegan?

The honest answer is yes – albeit with a small caveat. Greece isn’t uniformly vegan-friendly in the way that some northern European capitals now are. You won’t always find a dedicated plant-based menu in a mountain village, and you may still get the occasional confused look if you explain that you don’t eat cheese. But you will almost always find something good to eat, especially if you’re willing to meet the cuisine where it already is.

There’s something quietly refreshing about eating vegan food in a culture that doesn’t feel the need to label everything. During “nistia,” plant-based dishes aren’t marketed as lifestyle choices or moral statements. They’re just part of the rhythm of the year, deeply rooted in Greece’s Orthodox Christian heritage. You eat this way for a while, then you don’t. The food remains.

Maybe that’s the real lesson here. Veganism in Greece doesn’t have to be a conspicuous display of identity. It can simply be a way of eating that fits, comfortably, into traditions that are older than the word itself.

So, whether you’re vegan for life, for Lent, or just curious about trying something different at the taverna, Greece is a surprisingly easy place to do it well.

Kali Sarakosti.

https://www.ekathimerini.com/leisure/gastronomy/1296259/veganism-in-greece-whats-it-really-like-during-nistia/