IOWA CITY – Much of the Thanksgiving holiday centers around enjoying a large meal with family and friends.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese.

Now, a University of Iowa professor has published an article about the religious connection to food.

Christine Whelan's article recently appeared in USA Today after she conducted extensive research about the relationship between food and religion. It's a subject she says is becoming more and more mainstream every year.

"This is a topic that has flown below the radar for a long time,” Whelan said.

Yet, it's not really a new subject. Hundreds of books have already been written about it.

"In the 1970s, the 1980s, even the 1960s, there were these wonderful books called, 'Help, Lord the Devil Wants Me to Eat' and 'More of Jesus, Less of Me.' They were really titles that would make you laugh," Whelan said.

Whelan’s mother-in-law, Katherine Moyers, is helping her prepare this year’s Thanksgiving meal. Moyers didn’t think about the religious element of overeating until she read the article, but now she thinks the connection makes sense.

"People need to connect. It helps to have a group to belong to. That's the idea behind Weight Watchers,” Moyers said.

Whelan says most major religions today have some kind of weight loss workshop or support group.

"There are all these new centers for mindful eating. The idea if you meditate and concentrate on why you're hungry...because you're anxious or bored or if you actually physically need the food,” she said.

Some experts worry people with low self-esteem may end up feeling even worse about themselves if they think their faith will punish them for overeating.

"I think God doesn't care whether you're a size six or sixteen, but the idea of contemplation, prayer and meditation...these are really things that can be food for a dieter's soul,” Whelan said.

When you break it down that way, the connections between religion and food become a little easier to understand.

The bottom line...As you fill your plate will food this Thanksgiving, that second helping may be more spiritual than you might realize.

Whelan says religious leaders often tell Muslims to leave one-third of their stomachs empty to allow room for the breath of life. In fact, just about every major religion has something to say about eating in moderation.


Click here to read Whelan's USA Today article.