Eating in moderation
The Short Answer
- Islamic teaching encourages eating and drinking without excess.
- A well-known hadith describes a balance: a third of the stomach for food, a third for drink and a third for breath.
- The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not eat while reclining, and early scholars worried that eating that way makes the belly grow.
- Smaller portions and eating away from screens help you eat less, and water before meals may help too.
At a glance
Islamic and Medical Guidance:Aligned
- Established
- Direct
- Agreed
- Strong
What Medical Guidance says
The NHS Eatwell Guide shows how to balance your diet across the main food groups.
What Islamic sources say
1. Eat and drink, but do not be excessive
The verse is addressed to all people, as the children of Adam.
وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا
Eat and drink, but do not be excessive.
The verse tells people to eat and drink, and not to overdo it.
- Established
- Agreed
- Strong
2. A third for food, a third for drink, a third for breath
Al-Miqdam ibn Ma'dikarib heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say:
No human fills a vessel worse than his stomach. A few mouthfuls to keep his back upright are enough for the son of Adam. If he must eat more, then a third for his food, a third for his drink, and a third for his breath.
Leave room when you eat, and give drink its own share. The thirds describe a balance, not an exact measure. This is about not overeating: it is never a reason to eat too little, because your body has a right over you.
- Strong
- Agreed
- Strong
See also: Your body has a right over you
3. Sit up to eat
Abu Juhaifa reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to a man who was with him:
I do not eat while reclining.
Sit up to eat rather than lounging. Early scholars worried that eating while reclining makes the belly grow.
- Strong
- Scholars differ
- No clinical claim
4. Food for two is enough for three
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
The food of two is enough for three, and the food of three is enough for four.
A meal shared goes further than you might expect. Sharing food is encouraged, and so is being content with less.
- Established
- Agreed
- No clinical claim
Often heard, but not from the Prophet (peace be upon him)
- "Diet is the foundation of medicine, and the stomach is the foundation of illness." Often quoted as a hadith, but it is attributed to the Arab physician al-Harith ibn Kaladah. Ibn Rajab and al-Sakhawi both rejected it as a saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Source: HadithAnswers, citing Ibn Rajab, Jami' al-'Ulum wa al-Hikam (hadith 47), and al-Sakhawi, al-Maqasid al-Hasanah (1035).
- "Don't drink water with your meal." No authentic hadith says this. Darul Ifta Birmingham explains that you can drink before, during or after a meal.
What you can do
- Serve yourself a smaller portion. You can go back for more if you are still hungry.
- Sit up at a table to eat, and switch off the TV and your phone.
- Stop when you feel comfortably satisfied, before you feel full.
- Have a glass of water before your main meals, unless you have been told to limit how much you drink.
Who else can help
- Beat, the UK's eating disorder charity, runs a free helpline for England on 0808 801 0677. Numbers for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are on Beat's website.
Speak to your GP if
- You have, or have had, an eating disorder, or you are worried about how you eat
- You have diabetes and take insulin or other medicines that can cause low blood sugar, before you change how much you eat
- You have been told to limit how much you drink, for example because of heart or kidney problems
- You are losing weight without trying, or your appetite has dropped
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding and want to change how much you eat
- You want to change how much your child eats
Sources (13)
Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, vol. 5, p. 140, as cited in Hidayat al-Qari, a commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari