Enough Already! Spiritual Advice on Not Overeating

By Sandra Garson

Since the boondocks of history, we humans have struggled to get a grip on our propensity to pig out. When we like something, especially something really tasty, there’s no stopping us. Then trouble starts. Excess food leads not just to excess weight. By clogging our pipelines, too much adds so much extra digestive stress, the body inevitably malfunctions. There’s hardly a belief system or religion that hasn’t tried to tackle overeating. The ancients sent us clear and concise advice millennia before diet doctors.

Sandra Garson is the author of Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking and How to Fix a Leek and Other Food From Your Farmers’ Market. As a longtime student of Tibetan Buddhism and well-known cook for Dharma centers from Maine to Mongolia, she became the first food historian to explore the Buddha’s influence on how the world now eats. This led to exploration of more religious beliefs about food.

The Qur’an

The Prophet Mohammed is said to have declared one’s worst weakness is one’s belly. So echoing Ayurveda, Islam advises: fill one-third of your stomach with food, one-third with water and leave one-third for air (i.e. leave it empty). The Prophet’s reason for moderation is said to be: “The stomach is the tank of the body and the veins go down to it. When the stomach is healthy the veins come back in a healthy condition, but when it is in a bad condition, they return diseased.” He thus urges his followers to stop eating when they want just a little more. The Qu’ran says: “… eat and drink, but waste not in extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not those who waste in extravagance.” It also says: “Remember the hungry when you eat.”