BY KEN CHITWOOD

“You’d think we’d lose weight during Ramadan,” said Amina, a registered dietician who observes the Islamic month of fasting each year in Arizona, “but you’d be wrong.”

Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar calendar, is a month of fasting for Muslims across the globe. Throughout the month, which starts around March 11, observers do not eat or drink from dawn to sunset.

“It sounds like a recipe for weight loss,” Amina said, “but you’d be wrong. I’ve found it’s much more common for clients — of all genders and ages — to gain weight during the season.”

The combined result of consuming fat-rich foods at night when breaking the fast (iftar), numerous celebratory gatherings with family and friends, decreased physical activity and interrupted sleep patterns means many fasters are surprised by numbers on the scale when the festival at the end of the month (Eid-ul-Fitr) comes around.

Christians observing the traditional fasting period of Lent (February 14 - March 30, 2024) can also experience weight gain as they abstain from things like red meat or sweets. Despite popular “Lent diets” and conversations around getting “shredded” during the fasting season, many struggle with their weight during the penitential 40-days prior to Easter, the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.

The convergence of fasting seasons for two of the world’s largest religions meet this month, and people worrying about weight gain during them, got me thinking about the wider relevance of food to faith traditions — specifically how taking a deeper look at foodways might help us better understand this thing we call “religion” more broadly.

Diners, drive-ins and the divine.

From the way we procure food to the way we prepare a meal; from the way we set the table to who sits with us; from what we consume to how we eat it -- food customs and practices provide a veritable feast, as it were, about what people value and celebrate.

Or, as Sue McLaughlin, executive producer of PBS series The Meaning of Food,  put it: "Our attitudes, practices, and rituals around food are a window into our most basic beliefs about our world and ourselves."

https://www.patheos.com/articles/foods-role-in-religion-feasting-fasting-and-faith