Article – “Food, Faith & Fasting”

On the Evening of the 21st of July 2026, St George Cathedral was blessed to have Laura Attallah give a talk to the community on food, faith, and fasting. Combining her experience as a dietician and faithful servant of God, she provided an insightful and informative discussion on why, when, and how we fast as Orthodox Christians.

Her key takeaways were that fasting is about the simplicity of eating, self-control, and discipline. Fasting provides spiritual preparation for a deeper communion with God, and as such fasting should always be accompanied by prayer, penitence, and acts of charity. Fasting is not ultimately about adhering strictly to food labels, but about joyfully setting aside extra time for God.

She emphasized that food is not sinful, but letting the desire for food to control you is. Fasting helps develop the spiritual discipline of temperance while combating the vice of gluttony. She shared that in the Orthodox tradition, we fast for approximately 200 days per year, giving us plenty of opportunity to practice!

Many thanks to Laura for sharing the gift of her time and experience with us.