Survey: These Are the Fasting Habits of Austrians

In one week – on Ash Wednesday, which falls on March 5th this year – the Christian fasting period begins. For the sixth consecutive year, the Marienkron Health Resort, founded 55 years ago in Mönchhof, sheds light on the dietary and fasting habits of Austrians: The representative study "Marienkron Fasting Survey," in which 1,000 people across Austria were surveyed, provides insights into personal resolutions and motives as well as the health and economic aspects of conscious abstinence.

Fasting in Trend: Every Second Austrian Plans to Fast in 2025

Fasting remains a popular resolution in 2025: One third of Austrians fasted in 2024 – and nearly half of the respondents (49.2%) plan, according to the Marienkron Fasting Survey, to have fasting days or a fasting cure this year as well – whether through individual fasting days, intermittent fasting, during the traditional fasting period, or with professional guidance in a fasting center. Two factors are particularly important to Austrians for a successful fasting experience: tasty fasting meals (39.7%) and sufficient time for the fasting endeavor or conscious withdrawal from everyday life (38.9%).

Fasting Skeptics vs. Fasting Enthusiasts

Not everyone views fasting positively, as the Marienkron Fasting Survey shows – and the reasons for this are varied: One third (34.5%) simply have no interest in it, while one in five (23.1%) considers fasting "not very meaningful" for themselves – a standpoint more often held by men than women. Lack of motivation (20.1%) is more frequently mentioned by women. Additionally, a lack of engagement with the topic (16.7%) and low perseverance play a role in the decision to forgo fasting. Those who have already gained fasting experience in the previous year are motivated to fast: Nine out of ten people who fasted in 2024 want to fast again in 2025 (93.2%). In general, about two-thirds of Austrians (68%) have "already tried" fasting.

Weight Loss as a Fasting Motive

Closely linked with fasting among the respondents is the desire for weight loss. More than a third (37.5%) of those Austrians who fasted in 2024 cite weight loss as a motive for fasting. The reason is not surprising: almost half of all respondents (48.9%) state that weight reduction is an effect of fasting. "Of course, you lose weight during multi-day fasting, but the most important benefit of fasting lies in autophagy, the cleansing process in the cells triggered by strong calorie reduction and the sensitization of various metabolically active receptors," explains Dr. Ulrike Göschl, the medical director at the Marienkron health resort. Besides weight loss, half of the Austrians (46.2%) focus on the detoxifying effect, and for one in three, a positive effect on metabolism is the main focus of fasting.

Intermittent Fasting: A Perennial Favorite

Intermittent fasting, also known as the 16:8 method, remains according to the Marienkron fasting survey the by far most well-known (62.6%) and popular (36.2%) type of fasting – ahead of therapeutic fasting, soup fasting, and juice fasting. "Intermittent fasting is easy to integrate into daily life without much sacrifice and suits many people in their tendency to skip breakfast or eat early in the evening," says Dr. Göschl.

Among the most frequently mentioned resolutions of Austrians is a conscious and healthy diet. Similar to the previous year, a meat-heavy diet is simultaneously evident in Austria: "Mixed diet with a lot of meat" is the preferred form of nutrition for 40.3% of respondents, while 51.7% eat a "mixed diet with little meat" – with men still being stronger meat eaters than women. 6.6% of Austrians completely omit meat and currently follow a vegetarian or vegan diet according to the survey. The meat-free diet is particularly pronounced in Gen Z (13%) – those young people born between 1994 and 2010.

"Eat Half" Diet Most Popular

Particularly popular among Austrians who have already tried to lose weight with a diet are "Eat Half" (40%), "Low Carb" (30.4%), as well as the "Cabbage Soup Diet" (15.1%) and "Food Combining" (14.3%). Clear generational trends are also evident in diets: while Generation X (1965–1979) and Baby Boomers (1946–1964) are much more likely to try "Eat Half," "Cabbage Soup Diet," and "Food Combining," the "Low Carb Diet" is by far the most popular diet among Gen Z and Millennials (1980–1993). For many Austrians, however, there is also an unpopular companion according to the Marienkron fasting survey: the so-called yo-yo effect. 6 out of 10 Austrians who are already diet-experienced have experienced the yo-yo effect themselves (62.9%).

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This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.