What Does Religion Have To Do With Healthy Eating?

Without debating the issues of religious differences, let’s examine a common traditional regimen as it applies to maintaining a healthy body. My doctor is Islamic, I was raised a Roman Catholic, and many of my friends are Jewish, and we all have a tradition of "fasting." What is the value to the human anatomy in exercising a religious doctrine? Why is it that Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert?
As a young man I adhered to the practice of fasting during the forty days of Lent. That was what we were required to do in the practice of our religion. We could eat one complete meal, but the two other meals were not to exceed the one full meal. The night before receiving the "Holy Eucharist" we were not to eat any solid food until after we received communion the next day - Sunday. Some young girls, and even men would occasionally faint or feel dizzy, but they were very few in number and very rare in occurrence. Of course, those were the days before fast (fat) food chains became popular; and when families practiced prayer before meals and every member of the family sat down at the table.
Later in life I learned that other religions also practiced some form of "fasting" and that they were not that different from many of the requirements of my religion. The more I learned, the more I accepted them as good people with a little different view of God. I always assumed we had one God and the same God and that good people were everywhere - even in the jungles of Africa - and even if they never met a priest or a rabbi. Now that gives you some background for what I am about to say.
I thought about the reason for fasting and even for the requirement of eating no meat on Friday. Some say it was purely economical and a necessity of the times and conditions related to people in the old world and especially in the area where food was not always abundant. However, with technology and the development of refrigerated foods that could be transported quickly from one part of the globe to another - we were in a position to eat almost anything we wanted - any time of the year. Gout was once known as the "rich man’s disease" based on the affluence that allowed the wealthy to pay the high prices required for the purchase of imported food. Fat was considered healthy and wealthy and a protective layer to hold us over in bad times. "Feast or famine" seemed to cause the body to develop or evolve into a special ability to store fat for those hard times. Kings were often pictured as very obese people who never stopped eating and carried a large pouch in the front of their body frame.
Was fasting a way of allowing the body to rest the digestive system? Could it involve a cleansing of the intestines and the liver? What effect did fasting have on producing a healthier and leaner body? Were the organs refreshed and ready to function better after being given a holiday? Was it all about purity of mind, body and spirit and symbolic as was the "Holy Eucharist"?
Could going without red meat for one day be a good thing? Some people go without red meat for years and identify themselves as vegetarians. Maybe we should have, at least, three meatless days a week instead of one.
Some people retain fecal matter in their bodies for 3 - 6 months and even a year. Could overeating overtax these organs, cause diverticulosis (small pouches commonly formed in the large intestine)? Your large intestine is a long cylinder ringed by a layer of circular muscles and three long muscles that run the length of the large intestine. Very often these small pouches, (referred to as diverticula) cause no problems. But, in a small percentage of people, they can become inflamed or infected, resulting in a condition called diverticulitis. In most instances, diverticulitis is treatable, but sometimes the condition can become life threatening. Without getting into all the details, the question still remains, is fasting helpful to prevention of overtaxing the digestive system? It is well-known that much of the problem is related to a lack of sufficient dietary fiber. The lack of fiber contributes to small, hard stools that are more difficult to pass, increasing colon pressure. The highest pressure occurs in the sigmoid, where most diverticula are found. The resulting condition can cause such things as mild abdominal cramps, bloating, gas, diarrhea or constipation. However, the inflammation or infection can bring on abrupt signs and symptoms, including: severe cramping, pain in the lower left abdomen, abdominal tenderness, fever, nausea, bleeding, and more.
It’s thought that diverticulits occurs when a small portion of stool lodges in a pouch, causing pressure, interrupting blood flow to that tissue and creating microscopic holes. These holes allow bacteria to pass through the pouch wall to adjacent tissue and cause infection. An abscess may form. Rarely, a pouch ruptures, allowing intestinal waste to leak into the abdominal area. The result is peritonitis — a life-threatening surgical emergency requiring immediate attention.
Eating smaller amounts regularly with sufficient fluids and using my nutrition-based-regimen can, I believe, put less strain on the digestive system. Fasting can allow the intestinal tract to clear itself on a regular basis, allowing a cleansing effect and a rest for the organs used to process the food.
Whether you look at Jesus or Ghandi, you see a lean body, a sharp mind and a healthy respect for the vessel we travel through life in. Maybe that is why it was considered sinful to be gluttonous in your lifestyle - eating or otherwise.
In any case, I find it interesting that as one practices the idea of grazing and eating smaller portions - the stool becomes longer and smaller in diameter and much more natural to pass without exertion - another reason for giving thought to making a lifestyle change in your eating habits.