You’d be like what type of title is this, but then let’s be sincere to ourselves. I’ve seen and met a lot of people who behave as though they were created in this world to just eat, some even eat 7 times a day. Now, don’t get this twisted, there a huge difference between loving food and excessive eating. The excessive eating part is what I’m against.

Introduction

Today I wish to write about the guidance of the prophet(PBUH) concerning food and drink. Which includes observing diets, refraining from excessive eating. The religion Islam has one of the most comprehensive eating and dietary habits and one even wonders as to why all the strict rulings. One of my favorite hadith regarding food is the Hadith I call: “Just One Third (1/3)”

“The son of Adam never fills a vessel worse than his stomach. The son of Adam only needs a few bites that would sustain him but if he insists 1/3 should be reserved for his food, 1/3  for his drink and 1/3 for his breathing.”   (Al-Musnad by Imam Ahmad.)

Why Moderate your Food Intake

I know some would find this Hadith strict, but when you come to think of it it’s actually for your own Good.  This is true because the stomach is one of those bodily organs that is largely unstable in electrical terms and when there is over-eating or there is junk food ingested, this over-stresses the stomach and the organs concerned with digestion become chemically and electrically at fault. The resulting faults in the surrounding energy would not only cause alimentary and digestive disorders, but also mental disorders. Such a person would have weak and low charge energy surrounding him making him more vulnerable to unsteady fields of energy.

Physical elements attack and harm the body and alter its normal functions because of an excess amount of a substance. Majority of disease occurs, Because of overeating or consuming more than what the body needs is that which brings about little benefit or is not digested easily or due to complex meals. when you habitually fill your stomach with these types of food you will end up with various type of illness, some of which take a long time to remedy. On the other hand, when one consumes a moderate amount of food and eat sensibly, the body will get that maximum benefit from this diet, as opposed to when one overeats.

“And eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allâh) likes not Al-Musrifûn (those who waste by extravagance)”

[al-A‘raaf 7:31]

 

Necessity, Sufficiency, or Excessiveness?

Now ask yourself: Is the food you eat out of necessity, sufficiency or excessiveness.  The prophet told us that one only needs a few bites to sustain him so that his strength does not fail him #Necessity. Then, when one wishes to exceed what is barely enough he should reserve a third of his stomach for his food and a third for drink and the last third for breathing #Sufficiency. This is the best method of eating both for the body and the heart. Then when you choose to Overeat, You’re on your own #Excessiveness.

I’ve met people who would prepare like 5 different meals, forcing themselves to Overeat in order to have a taste of each meal and then throw away the rest. While some will go to restaurants, eat just a few bites and leave the rest to waste, That’s not being classy. Come on that’s Extravagant! Let me tell you the fact, Eating excessively and Extravagantly doesn’t show you’re rich or classy, in fact, it doesn’t prove a thing. Rather when your stomach is full of food, There will not be enough space for drinking. When one consumes something to drink on a full stomach, then breathing will be difficult, thus bringing about laziness and fatigue. You begin to feel heavy as if you were carrying a load.  One will be lazy fulfilling his obligations and will seek all the desires now that his stomach is full.

Don’t Get It Twisted

Eating until one is full harms the body and the Heart When it becomes a habit. There is no harm if one occasionally eat until he is full. The body will be strong when it gets the nourishment it needs and can you utilize not from the quantity of food you eat.

In fitness, we sort of hype about Clean Eating. This is clean eating in its pure form. Overeating only harms you.

Dangers of OverEating

1.  It leads to unhealthy weight gain which steals away your energy leaving you sluggish and Fatigued.
2.  It causes the stomach to expand beyond its normal size to adjust to a large amount of food. I’d like parents who force kids to finish up a large amount of food to note this, it’ll be a huge problem for you in the future. The expanded stomach pushes against other organs, making you uncomfortable. This discomfort can take the form of feeling tired, sluggish or drowsy. Your clothes also may feel tight, too.
3. Eating too much food requires your organs to work harder. They secrete extra hormones and enzymes to break the food down.
4. To break down food, the stomach produces hydrochloric acid. If you overeat, this acid may back up into the esophagus resulting in heartburn. Consuming too much food that is high in fat, like pizza and cheeseburgers, may make you more susceptible to heartburn.
5. Chronic overeating can impact mental health.
6. Overeating, particularly when you overeat high-fat, high-calorie foods, can increase your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. When obesity is the result of overeating, you’re also at an increased risk for certain types of cancer, gallbladder disease, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea. You might also develop high blood pressure, which can contribute to an elevated risk of having a stroke.

The list is really long, But I will have to stop here. Please let’s learn to Eat sensibly and also teach our younger ones. Hope this benefits someone out there.