Food glorious food

What does Christmas mean to you?

Well most people would think that to the Christians it’s about the birth of Christ and to the non-believer it’s a time of light and party’s and family and gifts.

But it seems that these days it’s actually all about the love of food. Now we all like to allow ourselves that bit of luxury, that little extra at Christmas and there is nothing wrong in that. When I was child Christmas food was all the things you didn’t see the rest of the year, so we made the most of them while they lasted.

So, I’m not saying we shouldn’t have some luxury after all a treat is good for us, but there is a limit and some of the photos I saw appearing during Christmas via social media made me feel physically sick.

Photos of plates heaped so high that the food was overflowing, layered in a tower of overindulgence and gluttony. There were photos of dinners that could have fed four people, plates so huge they are normally used as serving platters, gravy dripping down the sides of food mountains and calorie counts that were off the scale and that was just the main course, there were also starters, and the puddings and the sweets and the nuts and of course the booze!

And if that isn’t enough it seems we are not satisfied with stuffing our own faces as photos of dog bowls piled high with leftover meat scraps and roast potatoes are appearing as well.

Each year vets see an increase in overweight pets and if those photos are anything to go by, I’m not surprised, but please understand by overfeeding your pet you are killing them with kindness.

On the BBC yesterday morning there was a report that in a bid to combat obesity ready meals and restaurant meals with have a calorie ceiling, well I can tell you it won’t work because the gluttons will just pile two portions on their plate.

Foodbanks are telling us that they have seen record numbers of people turn to them for help and yet it seems those who can afford it have simply eaten their own weight in turkey, roast potatoes and mince pies and damn the rest.

Of course, the diet industry are ready and waiting in the wings, no doubt the new fad diet book is there ready for anyone regretting their piggery and ready to try some daft crash diet to regain their shape before they have to return to work wearing a tent.

But why?

Why do it, why think you have to eat the whole damn turkey in one sitting as well as a sack of potatoes and half a field of Brussel sprouts?

What has changed that we have forgotten that a little luxury goes a long way, that having a few extras at Christmas is enough, when did this festive season turn into a snout down, heads in trough season of scoffing and stuffing yourself until you are sick?

Anyone who didn’t know the background of the Christmas story would look at the photos on social media and tabloid papers and think it was about a self-indulgent, feeding frenzy of greed gluttony and insatiable food cravings.

We need to stop and take a good hard look at what we are doing. Because we are turning a holiday of goodwill and peace into a binge eating, nonstop, calorie packed food orgy and its disgusting.