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Q&A Home > F > Fasting Is it wrong to eat at a buffet during a fast if I am only eating fasting food? Whether eating at a buffet during a fast is right or wrong depends on what your definition of "buffet" is? Some customers define it as having a wider selection from which to choose for one base price, while others define it as "all you can eat." In reality, when comparing the "all you can eat" definition, you will find that you actually just need the same amount as if you ordered from a regular menu. However, the approach is very different. You cannot stretch your stomach beyond capacity, but some people try their hardest to do that. Thus, what actually transpires is people load their plates several times and eat for the sake of eating and getting their money's worth without realizing that they are already full. Sometimes, they just pile as much food as they can on their plates, then decide what they like or dislike, and throw out the rest. All this is gluttony, which equals sin, whether fasting or not. The Holy Scripture provides a frame for fasting and repeatedly cautions against gluttony: "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy" (Ezekiel 16:49). Fasting requires several components that do not just apply to food: (1) deeper prayer (2) almsgiving, to give more to those in need especially from the excess from which you restrain from overindulgence (3) restriction to vegan with or without seafood; (4) quantity, to be vigilant about falling in the sin of gluttony. Therefore, if you do eat at a buffet, begin with a small portion that you are sure to finish. If you are still hungry, only take small helpings to satisfy your hunger, and to avoid wasting the food on your plate.
"Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit" (Proverbs 25:16).
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