The Excessive Body and The Sickly Soul: Christian Nutritionists and Contemporary Gluttony

Beginning with a brief anecdote relaying why this topic is both important to me on a personal level as well as why it matters on a grander scale, this paper explores the Christian Seven Deadly Sin of gluttony in contemporary contexts. This paper delves into the history behind the Seven Sins, ultimately focusing more precisely on gluttony and how it has historically been understood by many Christians. With a brief aside to the Christian practice and importance of fasting, this paper also looks at the psychological rationale for gluttony and the worry that this psychological understanding may lead gluttony to be seen as acceptable within society. Next, the paper discusses two case studies within Christian nutrition, Chelsea Blackbird and First Place 4 Health, as a means to better situate gluttony and obesity in a contemporary context for modern day Protestant Christians. The essay then goes into how weight and gluttony affect women within the tradition, and finally goes into possible counter-arguments for this paper and its findings. The paper concludes with an overview of the information presented as well as the implications gluttony has on society at large