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Religion and food practices observed by people are deeply related to each other. Different foods consumed help you to understand a religion, its practices and ideologies. Food thus plays a very important part in the religious functions and rituals of a religion. In Christianity the regulations governing food and drink differ among the various faiths in the religion, including Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant.
The most powerful symbol of food associated with religion in Christianity is the bread and wine of communion. The bread and wine had during communion represent the actual body and blood of Christ. Communion is thus very sacred for Christians and is regularly celebrated by many.
Fasting or abstaining from food is an ancient practice followed in most religions. In fasting a person abstains from food and drink as an expression of penance. In Christianity, fasting is a personal choice and the church has never prescribed total fasts that go without food and water. However there are many faiths like the Catholic and Orthodox Christians who observe fasts during particular days. These fasts are observed on Fridays, during Lent, Good Friday, and Ember Days. Some Christians fast only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Many Catholics even choose to avoid meat on that day and prefer to eat fish instead. In the Protestant sect ritualized fasting is not common. The severities of the fasts followed differ among Christians, from the more severe ones which are called ‘fasting’ and the milder ones that are called ‘abstinence’.
Most Christians have different kinds of meat as they have no religious objection to it. Some Christians however follow the vegan path for ethical or religious reasons. They base their practice on the other main biblical insight derived from Genesis 1.29 that depicts vegetarianism as God’s original will. Christ urges the believer to go out to the world to preserve it. He compels the believer not to confine his/her services within the community, but to serve a world yearning for mercy and compassion.

There are some Christians who do not drink alcohol and others who avoid caffeine in beverages. Among them members of the Salvation Army avoid alcohol and the Mormons and Seventh Day Adventists keep away from alcoholic as well as caffeinated drinks. Many Seventh Day Adventists do not eat meat, pork and dairy products.
There are many food items that Christians believe to be a gift from God. These include milk, honey, grapes and olives. Thus every meal for a Christian has great religious significance.

Religion and food customs therefore offer a sound perspective on the various practices of that religion.