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jason3477
Guest
So I’ve dealing with this issue os of gluttony, so is it sin/gluttony to eat out-fast food 1-2 x’s a week?
What do you all think?
What do you all think?
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LilyM
Guest
For a healthy person eating one or two fast food meals a week is fine. Eating becomes gluttony when it is disordered in some way.
If your quantity of food eaten in these meals were way bigger than in a normal meal - to the point where you feel ill afterwards - or if your doctor has ordered a low-fat low-salt diet for you and you made a point of eating the fattiest saltiest foods on the menu - something like that might indicate a disordered and therefore gluttonous attitude to food.
On the other hand, many people who overeat have emotional problems or even a simple addiction to fats or sugars, which in large quantities change the brain’s chemistry and so act like a drug. Addiction lessens one’s moral responsibility for a sin.
If your quantity of food eaten in these meals were way bigger than in a normal meal - to the point where you feel ill afterwards - or if your doctor has ordered a low-fat low-salt diet for you and you made a point of eating the fattiest saltiest foods on the menu - something like that might indicate a disordered and therefore gluttonous attitude to food.
On the other hand, many people who overeat have emotional problems or even a simple addiction to fats or sugars, which in large quantities change the brain’s chemistry and so act like a drug. Addiction lessens one’s moral responsibility for a sin.
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NewsTheMan
Guest
Try go 2 weeks without eating the take out.
If it bothers you, or makes you unhappy, or you suffer because you haven’t been able to eat your take-out then you probably have a disordered desire for the take-out. Perhaps not necessarily gluttonous or sinful, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Try go 2 weeks without it as a way of detaching from the world, and as a way to learn to appreciate the fact that you are able to eat take out. Thank God for his infinite goodness, and thank God for the pleasure of good food. Use the money you would have spent on take-out and give it to the Church.
Just my 2cents
If it bothers you, or makes you unhappy, or you suffer because you haven’t been able to eat your take-out then you probably have a disordered desire for the take-out. Perhaps not necessarily gluttonous or sinful, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Try go 2 weeks without it as a way of detaching from the world, and as a way to learn to appreciate the fact that you are able to eat take out. Thank God for his infinite goodness, and thank God for the pleasure of good food. Use the money you would have spent on take-out and give it to the Church.
Just my 2cents
M
Monica4316
Guest
I like thatTry go 2 weeks without eating the take out.
If it bothers you, or makes you unhappy, or you suffer because you haven’t been able to eat your take-out then you probably have a disordered desire for the take-out. Perhaps not necessarily gluttonous or sinful, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Try go 2 weeks without it as a way of detaching from the world, and as a way to learn to appreciate the fact that you are able to eat take out. Thank God for his infinite goodness, and thank God for the pleasure of good food. Use the money you would have spent on take-out and give it to the Church.
Just my 2cents
T
ThyKingdomCome
Guest
I’ve got that issue too. My opinion is that fast food twice a week is not healthy, but I wouldn’t call it gluttonous just because it’s fast food. Now, binge-eating at McDonalds might be gluttonous. Pigging out on something, or eating extraordinarily unhealthy food, all the while thinking “I don’t care about my body - I just WANT IT!” - well that’s not good. But I don’t think that eating fast food necessarily ends up in either of those camps. My in-laws eat at fast food at least a couple of times a week. They go out on a date once a week (and they are very frugal, so they typically eat at Arby’s), and then they have other times when they are out and about, and fast food is the inexpensive way to get the meal they require. They are definitely not gluttonous about it. Me, OTOH, I tend towards gluttony, although fast food is not my major vice. Once in confession, my priest suggested that I consider moderate eating as something to do for the glory of God. That does help me make better decisions, when I’m checking my impulses with an opportunity to glorify God by denying myself and by doing something good for my body. I would encourage you to decrease the frequency of fast food, simply because you can probably eat more healthfully if you eat elsewhere - maybe even sacrifice that desire and replace it with a more healthful option for the glory of God. But I wouldn’t put it in the category of gluttony just because it’s fast food.
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Cat
Guest
I don’t have the time right now to respond to this in depth, but I will try to get back to it.
I’ve lost 85 pounds over the last two and half years, so I know all about overeating. I’ve lost the weight through eating less and exercising more.
And I (and my husband) eat fast food on the average of once a day. It has nothing to do with gluttony. It has to do with the fact that we are not home to cook anything because of various activities that we are involved with, and fast food is cheaper and faster than sit-down restaurants.
So how could I lose so much weight while continuing to eat fast food?
By making wise choices. E.g., the regular hamburger at McD.s is only 300 calories. Lots of salt, yes. But only 300 calories.
I get the small nachoes from Taco Johns instead of the large, and I ask for it without sour cream–this is around 400 calories.
I order a small salad (Culvers), or mandarin oranges (Wendy’s), or brocolli (one of our local fast food chains) or apples (McDs) instead of fries. If I do order fries, I order the smallest order possible.
I drink diet soda. (I would rather be fat than give up soda, BTW.)
You get the idea.
I actually think that many fast food restaurants have better choices than the sit-down restaurants, because many of the sit-downs give so MUCH food, while fast food places generally serve small portions (if you order small portions).
I am concerned that the OP is associating eating at fast food places as “sin.” I think that we have to be careful not to label all excessive eating, cravings, habits, etc. as “sin,” and instead, we need to come to a place in our lives where we recognize that we are making unhealthy choices, and even more important, get to the place where we can begin to make healthy choices.
But eating out is not necessarily a choice, depending on the lifestyle. If a person travels a lot, or is constantly away from home, they will more than likely spend a lot of time eating out and eating at fast food places. Yes, you can make food to go at home, but this takes so much planning and shopping and prep time, and all too often, this falls apart and the busy person ends up with no food, so they have to eat out. It’s not a sin, it’s a necessity.
Rather than battering yourself for ending up at fast food places, it is BETTER to learn HOW to eat sensibly at fast food places, and to continue to lobby your fast food chains to please offer more healthy choices on the menu. There is a lot of pressure for these place to reduce the sodium content of their offerings, and I’m glad for this. Hopefully we will see even more healthy choices.
I’ve lost 85 pounds over the last two and half years, so I know all about overeating. I’ve lost the weight through eating less and exercising more.
And I (and my husband) eat fast food on the average of once a day. It has nothing to do with gluttony. It has to do with the fact that we are not home to cook anything because of various activities that we are involved with, and fast food is cheaper and faster than sit-down restaurants.
So how could I lose so much weight while continuing to eat fast food?
By making wise choices. E.g., the regular hamburger at McD.s is only 300 calories. Lots of salt, yes. But only 300 calories.
I get the small nachoes from Taco Johns instead of the large, and I ask for it without sour cream–this is around 400 calories.
I order a small salad (Culvers), or mandarin oranges (Wendy’s), or brocolli (one of our local fast food chains) or apples (McDs) instead of fries. If I do order fries, I order the smallest order possible.
I drink diet soda. (I would rather be fat than give up soda, BTW.)
You get the idea.
I actually think that many fast food restaurants have better choices than the sit-down restaurants, because many of the sit-downs give so MUCH food, while fast food places generally serve small portions (if you order small portions).
I am concerned that the OP is associating eating at fast food places as “sin.” I think that we have to be careful not to label all excessive eating, cravings, habits, etc. as “sin,” and instead, we need to come to a place in our lives where we recognize that we are making unhealthy choices, and even more important, get to the place where we can begin to make healthy choices.
But eating out is not necessarily a choice, depending on the lifestyle. If a person travels a lot, or is constantly away from home, they will more than likely spend a lot of time eating out and eating at fast food places. Yes, you can make food to go at home, but this takes so much planning and shopping and prep time, and all too often, this falls apart and the busy person ends up with no food, so they have to eat out. It’s not a sin, it’s a necessity.
Rather than battering yourself for ending up at fast food places, it is BETTER to learn HOW to eat sensibly at fast food places, and to continue to lobby your fast food chains to please offer more healthy choices on the menu. There is a lot of pressure for these place to reduce the sodium content of their offerings, and I’m glad for this. Hopefully we will see even more healthy choices.
T
TheRealJuliane
Guest
I think it’s hard to feel full and satisfied when eating fast food. Unless one consumes many calories, that kind of food just doesn’t seem to flip the switch that says, “I’m full.” I could happily eat 2 Whoppers and fries and not be stuffed, for example. The food is so easy to eat it’s almost pre-chewed…to say nothing of all the salt and HFCS it contains. It tastes SO GOOD too…The companies have had several decades to perfect these foods so they entice us and almost create an addiction. Ketchup in particular has so much corn syrup in it.
I think eating fast food can lead to gluttony, at least for some of us. It is something I am struggling with at the moment. I don’t have the margin to eat that food yet I do crave it.
If the OP finds himself craving more of the fast food, I would urge him to cut back his consumption.
I think eating fast food can lead to gluttony, at least for some of us. It is something I am struggling with at the moment. I don’t have the margin to eat that food yet I do crave it.
If the OP finds himself craving more of the fast food, I would urge him to cut back his consumption.
C
Cupofkindness
Guest
**Something to consider rather than gluttony, is the sin of sloth for not preparing a healthy, satisfying meal and resorting to fast food, which becomes a pattern. If you eat about 20 meals a week, then 2x fast food is 10%. That adds up to a lot of meals per year (like 100) and a lot of time and money spent as well. **
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goldangel
Guest
Cat’s post is good and too long for me to quote. What is called “fast food” varies tremendously. Today I got a sandwich from cosi’s with mozzarella cheese, whole-grain bread, tomato and basil. While not low calorie it was not super high calorie and it was probably not any higher in calories than what I would have eaten at home. I did not eat chips with it.
I think what you eat is more important than where you eat it. Whole grain bread, fruits and vegetables, some meat but as part of a meal instead of a huge portion, and avoid white bread and sugar. And also avoid huge meals. I don’t always succeed in all that but it’s what I aim for. I also try to avoid food that’s high in calories like tortilla chips and dip but isn’t all that satisfying. This is what my doctor has recommended and I’m not saying everyone has to do it.
That could all be considered fast food. OTOH many people think of fast food as burgers and fried food. Having that twice a week may not be a problem depending on your overall health. If you can eat until you are satisfied and then stop, that avoids gluttony (to me at least).
One thing to remember is that many people in the US and elsewhere are diabetic or pre-diabetic (high blood sugar but not high enough for diagnosis and some other symptoms). The Western diet is a major part of this. Twice a week of fast food should not be a problem but a diet of unhealthy foods either as take-out or at home is impacting many people’s health.
I agree with Cat that there are fast food places all over the place and the food varies widely and what you choose has a huge impact on health.
Also for me I feel more full when I drink water instead of diet soda so that helps with moderate food intake also.
I think what you eat is more important than where you eat it. Whole grain bread, fruits and vegetables, some meat but as part of a meal instead of a huge portion, and avoid white bread and sugar. And also avoid huge meals. I don’t always succeed in all that but it’s what I aim for. I also try to avoid food that’s high in calories like tortilla chips and dip but isn’t all that satisfying. This is what my doctor has recommended and I’m not saying everyone has to do it.
That could all be considered fast food. OTOH many people think of fast food as burgers and fried food. Having that twice a week may not be a problem depending on your overall health. If you can eat until you are satisfied and then stop, that avoids gluttony (to me at least).
One thing to remember is that many people in the US and elsewhere are diabetic or pre-diabetic (high blood sugar but not high enough for diagnosis and some other symptoms). The Western diet is a major part of this. Twice a week of fast food should not be a problem but a diet of unhealthy foods either as take-out or at home is impacting many people’s health.
I agree with Cat that there are fast food places all over the place and the food varies widely and what you choose has a huge impact on health.
Also for me I feel more full when I drink water instead of diet soda so that helps with moderate food intake also.
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