A Northwestern University study released last week found that young people who attend regular religious activities are 50 percent more likely to be obese by middle age than those who aren't churchgoers.
"It's possible that getting together once a week and associating good works and happiness with eating unhealthy foods could lead to the development of habits that are associated with greater body weight and obesity," said Matthew Feinstein, the lead researcher and a fourth-year student at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The study followed 2,433 men and women for 18 years. Researchers defined regular churchgoers as those who attended services at least once a week.
And while the findings aren't necessarily the reason to skip your annual Easter vigil so you can participate in a bunny-hop 5k, we really shouldn't be surprised since so much of church and fellowship involves food - church picnics and church dinners. Even communion is the celebration of Jesus' Last Supper.
On my last church visit, I found myself slipping out of a side door afterward so I could bypass a bake sale in the church vestibule. It sounds mean since the kids were raising money for their school trip, but it had been a while since I'd eaten and I wasn't strong enough to resist the temptation of all those brownies and cupcakes.
"Eating at church, sharing a meal together, breaking bread together is part of church culture," pointed out the Rev. Alyn E. Waller, of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, when I got him on the phone yesterday. "It's true that church and eating go together.
"The sad reality is that many of these meals haven't been the healthiest with the fried chicken and everything else," he continued. "It's not surprising, but I would hope that [the research] would not be used as a way of turning people away from religion in general, the church in particular."
Enon, which has 14,000 members, is again participating in a Lenten 40-day Daniel fast, a biblically based eating style that's even more restrictive than a traditional vegan diet. Participants abstain from all processed foods, drink only water and eschew caffeine. Yesterday, 700 members called in for a daily conference call that helps them stay motivated. The church also has a regular healthy-eating ministry that educates congregants about the importance of raw foods and other healthy choices.
"Gone are the days when it's OK to have fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and greens with a big piece of pork in them. That can't be every Sunday," Waller said. "We in the church culture know we eat way too much. It produces fellowship. It produces family. We could probably do that with an apple as well as we could with a chicken leg."
Can I hear an an "Amen"?
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