The Last Supper vs. Modern Easter Dinner, Expert Comparison

The comparison between Jesus' Last Supper and a typical modern Easter meal reveals significant changes in human nutrition over the last two millennia. The WellnessPulse report shows that we now consume at least 2x more calories, especially those from fat and protein.

The Last Supper is the last meal Jesus shared with his disciples before being crucified, according to the New Testament. It holds special significance to Christians and is commemorated during Easter.

Widely depicted in art and literature, the Last Supper may also offer a glimpse into what life and nutrition may have looked like more than 2,000 years ago.

The WellnessPulse team examined scientific studies, analyzing changes in portion sizes depicted in religious paintings of the Last Supper, along with research on the nutritional status of ancient Mediterranean populations and scholarly analyses of Biblical-era diets in that region. The analysis provides a speculative view of what foods may have been served for the Last Supper.

Read the full methodology here.

The Last Supper vs. modern Easter dinner

According to the analysis, a single serving at the Last Supper may have consisted of:

The nutritional value of the Last Supper was compared to a serving of a modern Easter dinner, which traditionally includes:

The analysis of the Last Supper and a modern Easter meal reveals that the modern meal contains 2.4 times more calories, is 3.5 times higher in protein, 6.1 times higher in fat, and has slightly more carbohydrates (1.2x). Only fiber content was marginally higher in the Last Supper meal, by 0.5 g.

Comparison

The calorie content of a typical modern Easter meal is roughly two times higher than that of the Last Supper meal, 1,087 kcal versus 449 kcal, respectively.

The difference in calorie intake may be partly explained by portion sizes, which, according to research, were significantly smaller in the ancient biblical period compared to modern times. For example, the portion of bread is now 23% larger, while the main course of the meal has increased by around 69%.

While food overconsumption is widespread nowadays, it wasn't the case two millennia ago.

Scholars argue that the skeletal remains of ancient people in the Mediterranean basin indicate potential nutritional deficiencies due to inadequate food intake.

As people relied on seasonality and preservation methods for some foods had yet to be developed, food inadequacy fluctuated across seasons. Famine was likely to occur during winter and spring, potentially explaining the modest portion sizes of the Last Supper, which is thought to have taken place in April.

The present-day Easter meal provides 35.3 g of protein, which is around three times higher than the Last Supper meal, which may have contained around 10.2 g of protein.

Protein plays a major role in building and repairing cells and tissues. The recommended daily intake of protein is 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men, according to current guidelines.

In the Last Supper, protein was provided by lamb and cooked broad beans, which were commonly found protein sources in the Mediterranean region.

Given the assumption that people in the Mediterranean basin were highly physically active, the body's protein requirements back then might have been even higher than they are nowadays for most people. This means that the protein intake from one of the main daily meals might have been inadequate to meet their body needs.

Conversely, today's Easter meal can meaningfully contribute to the protein recommendations. For an average woman, eating such a meal would help to nearly meet the daily protein intake.

The modern meal contains around 53.3 g of fat, an amount around six times larger than the Last Supper meal, estimated to provide 8.7 g of fat.

Olives and lamb are the primary fat sources in the Last Supper meal. However, there is no information regarding which parts of the lamb were used for the meal or how the lamb was actually prepared. These factors can tremendously influence the overall fat content of a dish.

Some archeological and historical findings suggest that even when the non-elite part of the population had access to meat, they could only afford lower-quality meat, as per the standard meat utility index (SMUI).

The modern meal contains slightly more carbohydrates than the Last Supper, 102.8 g and 83.3 g, respectively.

Historical analysis papers mention grains to be the major source of energy for the entire Mediterranean basin in biblical times.

Most ancient Romans, especially the classes of laborers, are thought to have consumed around 550 g to 1 kg (1.2–2.2 lbs) of bread and around 1–2.5 kg (2.2–5.5 lbs) of porridge to meet their daily energy needs. This means that the lower-class ancient Mediterranean people may have consumed much more carbohydrates than suggested in the Last Supper analysis.

Carbohydrates remain one of the major sources of energy for the body to this day. Modern dietary guidelines suggest that people should get around 45–65% of their daily calories from carbohydrates. In a standard 2,000 kcal diet, this would equate to 225–325 g.

The present-day meal contains 8.5 g of fiber, slightly less than the 9 g of fiber in the Last Supper meal.

In the Last Supper, fiber may have come from barley bread, broad beans, olives, and dates. For example, a handful of medium, pitted dates provides around almost 5 g of fiber.

Modern research also highlights the importance of dietary fiber intake for overall health support, which is why the dietary guidelines recommend around 14 g per 1,000 kcal per day for most people.

Methodology

WellnessPulse researchers assessed literature analyzing diets in the ancient Mediterranean region, the Roman Empire, and Christianity.

They examined scientific studies analyzing changes in portion sizes depicted in religious paintings of the Last Supper, particularly in comparison to modern norms, to determine what foods and in what amounts were consumed during Jesus' last meal.

The researchers then used present-day data from scientific sources to calculate the nutritional value of foods that may have been served for the Last Supper.

The composition of the modern Easter meal is based on media reports and online discussions. While the specific ingredients may vary from family to family, foods mentioned in the report are commonly eaten in the United States.

The Last Supper and modern Eastern meals were compared in terms of total calories and fat, protein, carbohydrates, and fiber content.

Limitations of the analysis

The analysis has multiple limitations, which may affect the accuracy of the findings regarding the Last Supper meal:

• One major limitation of this report is the reliance on studies analyzing religious paintings to compare serving sizes, which may not accurately reflect the actual portion sizes during the Last Supper.
• Additionally, the speculative nature of archaeological findings and historical data makes it challenging to draw definitive conclusions about ancient diets.
• The interpretation of skeletal remains is limited by the availability and preservation of evidence and the difficulty in distinguishing dietary factors from other health influences such as disease or environmental conditions.