The Forgotten Sin of Gluttony
A few weeks back a Newspaper in Tennessee ran a story called, The Forgotten Sin of Gluttony. It struck a nerve. My guess is that more Christians struggle with this than almost any other sin (with the likely exception of greed). Adultery vs Gluttony. More struggle with gluttony. Homosexuality vs Gluttony. Gluttony wins. Alcohol, Rage, Sloth vs Gluttony. Gluttony probably outnumbers all the others combined.
So why does it get so little attention?
Well for one thing - most of our pastors and leaders indulge. For another, weight is just a sensitive subject. It is much more taboo than any other subject I know of. (And yes, I know that gluttony doesn't always mean over-weight, but there is a relationship!)
Christians are taught that our bodies are sacred objects given to us by God for His glory. We are "temples of the Holy Spirit" as Scripture says. It stands to reason that we should take care of them. And what we put in our bodies is the most important side of the equation.
So here are a few things I've learned recently. I am no expert at this. I am not a dietician. I count myself among the guilty who is improving.
How'd I do it? Little by little.
How about you?
So why does it get so little attention?
Well for one thing - most of our pastors and leaders indulge. For another, weight is just a sensitive subject. It is much more taboo than any other subject I know of. (And yes, I know that gluttony doesn't always mean over-weight, but there is a relationship!)
Christians are taught that our bodies are sacred objects given to us by God for His glory. We are "temples of the Holy Spirit" as Scripture says. It stands to reason that we should take care of them. And what we put in our bodies is the most important side of the equation.
So here are a few things I've learned recently. I am no expert at this. I am not a dietician. I count myself among the guilty who is improving.
- In the last two years I have cut back tremendously on the amount of Coca Cola I drink. My cutback alone might account for disappointing sales! Seriously.
- I have cutback on the amount of McDonald's (and other fast food) I eat.
- I have eaten a ton more vegetables and fruit. And a lot less meat.
How'd I do it? Little by little.
- I read The China Study
and it convinced me that I should eat a LOT LESS meat. I'm no vegetarian. But I think the evidence is indisputable that most people living above international poverty lines eat way too much meat and processed foods.
- I started eating Lentils and Spinach for breakfast two days a week. (Thanks to Tim Ferriss for this. I am ashamed to admit that I read and applied some things from his book the The 4-Hour Body
.) I also learned from Tim that most people fail to eat enough food when they switch to foods with lower caloric density. I fell into that trap. So I fixed it.
- I limited my consumption of Coca Cola to one 12 ounce can a day. Often it has been less. But rarely more than that.
- I have started eating a lot less. Less volume at all meals. But especially less at dinner. Dinner was my pigout meal before. Now it is very small. I actually find that I sleep better because of that.
- Twice a week, I eat a salad for lunch.
How about you?
