I can safely admit that I eat too much of the wrong food at the wrong time. This stems from a deeper habitual desire to gain excessive pleasure from food, which is the vice of gluttony. Contrary to modern usages, gluttony does not necessarily reflect how much people are eating. Rather, it reflects how much pleasure has taken over one’s thought process regarding food. I will briefly explain gluttony, implement an action plan, and describe how the plan will combat the vice. Gluttony is the habitual desire for excessive pleasure in food and drink in which appreciation for food’s very nature is diminished. Actions such as eating dessert are not necessarily symptoms of gluttony. The food itself is not a problem, for it is a gift from God that is …show more content…
One category regards pleasure from what we eat. Eating too “daintly” and “sumptuously” fall under this category. Eating too daintly includes the determination to gain pleasure from food. If the food will not satisfy the desire, it will be rejected. Eating too sumptuously regards a person’s desire for richness and fulfillment. In other words, it regards maximal satisfaction as the objective when choosing foods.
The other category regards gaining pleasure from how we eat, which includes eating too hastily, greedily, or too much. While we may think eating hastily means eating too fast, it also includes excessive snacking. Those who want food first and dread an empty food dish are said to be too greedy with regards to food. Lastly, those who eat past their point of “fullness” just for the sake of additional pleasure are said to eat too much.
According to Augustine, eating should be appropriate with one’s health, community, and vocation. Violating these guidelines leads down the path of gluttony. Eating habits need to be appropriate to one’s health. However, there is no firm rule regarding food intake because each person has different requirements. Additionally, eating habits should keep others in mind. That is, one’s desire for pleasure should not result in the deprivation of pleasure for others. Finally, eating habits ought to reflect one’s purpose. For example, teachers may eat healthy food in the classroom so that their students
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First, I will significantly reduce the amount of unhealthy food I consume, mainly focusing on sugar. Currently, I estimate that I average two sodas and at least one large sugary treat per day. Since I do not have any special requires for sugar intake, I will use the American Heart Association’s guidelines for sugar intake. With that said, I will reduce my sugar intake to roughly 150 calories (37.5g) or less per day, as recommended by the American Heart Association. A can of soda contains around 130 calories (32.5g) and a candy bar may have roughly 144 calories (36g) of sugar , so I will make them mutually exclusive options. That is, I am going to limit myself to either one candy bar (or equivalent sugary treat) or one soda per day. In order to ensure this happens, I will try to limit my exposure to sugary foods and drinks to avoid
In the essay “Her Chee-to Heart”, by Jill McCorkle, she discusses about the various difficulties she has encountered of being a junk-food junkie and the struggles of overcoming the guilty pleasures of junk food. Firstly, one of the many difficulties she encounters are her feelings, which ultimately overwhelm her into continuing to eat various types of junk foods. Her feelings of nostalgic memories when consuming such goods as a child, the enjoyment and the savory tastes it grants her, are constantly mentioned throughout the essay, directly contributing a major factor into her desires of junk food. Furthermore, while she is quite aware of the consequences regarding the health side effects of consuming such foods and what the food is ultimately
In the article by Wendell Berry titled “The Pleasures of Eating” he tries to persuade the readers of the necessity and importance of critical thinking and approach to choosing meals and owning responsibility for the quality of the food cooked. He states that people who are not conscious enough while consuming products, and those who do not connect the concept of food with agricultural products, as people whose denial or avoidance prevents them from eating healthy and natural food. Berry tries to make people think about what they eat, and how this food they eat is produced. He points to the aspects, some which may not be recognized by people, of ethical, financial and
Eating the pizza instead of the salad seemed like a good idea at the time, but now one is stuck in this sloth like state hours later. It seems letting cravings control what and how to eat is not the best strategy to healthy living. Mary Maxfield, in her article “Food For Thought: Resisting the Moralization of Food” discusses her views on how people should eat. She believes people crave what their bodies need, therefore, people should eat what they crave. Maxfield claims that diet, health, and weight are not correlated with each other, and because of this, people view obesity as unhealthy, thus forcing them to distinguish “right, healthy” foods from the “wrong, unhealthy” choices.
The Hungry Soul: Eating and the Perfecting of Human Nature, by Leon Kass takes a unique view of examining the body and soul by focusing on the eating habits of human beings. He uses this in order to distinguish humans from animals and the divine element (God). In this book, Kass touches on the point of sanctified eating. In Kass' final chapter, he looks at the "created order", the dietary laws in the chapter of Leviticus in the Holy Bible and the problem of eating. Not only do these sub-chapters actually give a good sense of what humans are in the design of divinity, but it also shows how far human beings have to go in order to be close to the divine power of God.
In The Hungry Soul we find an interesting blend of subjects, methods, and traditions. This book is a fascinating exploration of the cultural and natural act of eating. Kass intensely reveals how the various aspects of this phenomenon, restrictions, customs, and rituals surrounding it, relate to collective and philosophical truths about the human being and its deepest pleasures. Kass argues throughout the book that eating (dining) is something that can either cultivate us or moralize us. My question is, does Kass succeed in arguing for the fact that eating is something that can moralize us as human beings? Although I agree with some of the things that Kass discussed in the book, in this paper I will argue mainly against some of his claims.
Throughout time, food has always played a large role in every day life. One aspect of life that food really plays a large role in is religious life. It is important to recognize that the first commandment that God gave to us was a restriction on eating. Many religions have dietary laws or restrictions that explain to the people of their religion what they can and cannot eat. The first commandments that God gave to us were related to eating. In the Bible, we see the Mosaic dietary laws. These laws were set and regulated by Moses, as explained by God’s law. The Old Testament is full of restrictions regarding food consumption and what types of foods should not be consumed. I will be further examining the Mosaic dietary laws and the role they continue to play in the modern-day and in many people lives.
In the history of humanity, humans have consumed plenty of things, from plants to human flesh. It is all about survival. However as societies became more complex and states began to form, several changes in the diet were created, mostly by religious principles. However there are underlying causes for these dietary restrictions besides the religious aspect. Both Marvin Harris and Mary Douglas propose some of the underlying causes for the dietary restrictions in the old texts. Harris proposes several reasons for the dietary restrictions in the Leviticus, including moral, ethical and functional, while Douglas presents the cost benefit and a historical reasons for dietary restrictions in several religious text.
A common saying goes, “we are what we eat;” but what exactly that makes us eat in the first place? What are the factors that influence our eating behaviors? If the food that we eat defines our personality and being as a whole, it should then be vital to identify the factors that push us to eat certain kinds of food. I think that social psychology has the answer. As broad as this field may seem, yet this science of explaining human behavior takes it reference on the influence of the environment, people, the media, and almost about anything that can contribute to how people think, feel, and act. In this paper, we will explore the factors that influence our eating
There are three main types of food addictions, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and compulsive overeating. Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by extreme fear of gaining weight and ...
One harmful eating disorder is binge eating. Binge eating disorder is a disorder in which a person eats a large amount of food in a short period of time and they feel a large amount of guilt along with a loss of self-control that causes them to not be able to stop. Many people eat large amounts of food on special occasions such as holidays or celebrations but this is not an eating disorder unless the overeating becomes an everyday occurrence. This...
“Sugar addiction is a rapidly growing epidemic (Teitelbaum, 2010).” According to researchers, on average an individual consumes one-hundred pounds of sugar each year. Americans spend billions of dollars a year on gym memberships, healthy foods and beverages, and exercise equipment. Despite the economic strain, Americans continue to make room in their budgets for weight loss products.
Obesity and overweight remain the two major social problems in the United States. Apart from the fact that obesity and overweight are dangerous by themselves, they also cause a variety of negative health consequences. Our lives our overloaded with tasks and obligations, and we often choose to eat something fast. “Fast”, however, does not necessarily imply “useful”, and more and more people face the risks of becoming obese even at young age. Because obesity has already become a national i...
Many people in America, from toddlers to the elderly, have shown numerous signs of bad health. People have the desire to keep on eating due to more, new things being merchandised as “new and improved items” from the producers. For example, nowadays, people are eating pure junk that they find satisfying on the grocery food shelf. As, stated by Michael Pollan, in his article, “Eat Food: Food Defined” he affirmed that “real food is the type of things that our
Food addiction can lead to serious and difficult health concerns. Nevertheless, obesity has other health issues that comes with it as well. In the United States between 2007 and 2009 there has been a 1.1% increase of obesity (Pedram). There has been an assumption that if it continues by 2050 it would be close to 100% of Americans who would be obese (Pedram). This information explains that the increase in overconsumption of food can slowly make most Americans suffer from obesity. Another issue of obesity is that it is “the fifth leading cause of global death” (Pedram). Becoming a food addict can cause an individual into becoming obese that they may eventually face death. Food addiction has become quite a controversial that it is difficult to overcome as fast food restaurants are encouragement in individuals to choose the path of obesity. Nevertheless, obesity is still a health issue that is harmful and dangerous to an
Compulsive eaters consume food to comfort and soothe wounded feelings that they are dealing with. Many magazine models influence a woman’s minds into believing that you have to look a certain way. The exact definition is an irresistible impulse to act, regardless of the rationality of the motivation. The category has adapted a new name over the years: binge eating. The victim tends to eat even when they are not at all hungry. The person may eat impulsively or maybe even continuously. Although the compulsive eater will realize that their behavior is abnormal, but they seem powerless to stop it. The compulsive eater is different from a bulimic person, because they do not try to purge themselves by vomiting or using a laxative (Moe 14).