What is the relationship between your religion and food habits?

I understand that food and sex figure prominently into any religious doctrine and subsequently into the rules/rituals to the extent that something is certainly taught about which foods to eat and how/when/why to have sex. Let’s limit this discussion, in particular, to religion and food. Whatever your religious beliefs, how does food figure into your rituals having to do with your spiritual life (or atheism). Are you following the rules of your religion when it comes to consumption?

Personally, whether I was a Christian (when I was young) or a witch (in my teens) or an atheist (these days) I never connected what I ate to what I believed in (in terms of a higher power, religion). These days now that I am a vegan and getting more involved with environmentalist and animal rights causes, I began to consider the connection between belief and food. Could it be that there are people out there that explain their omnivorous nature by relying on the ‘original’ relationship of Adam over animals (and therefore explaining many other connections or lack thereof to nature because we’ve ‘been named to rule all’)? Is it possible that because of their religious beliefs some people are more inclined to stay away from meat (I know certain religions mean staying away from certain meats but that doesn’t have all to do with animal rights)? On the other hand, is there a connection between atheism and vegetarianism/veganism based on the more ‘here and now’ philosophy and feeling more equal to animals (this might not be the case for all atheists, obviously..nor is vegetarianism/veganism always about this for those that practice)? What have been the patterns you noticed, in general..for yourself? Did you ever connect your food choices to your religious beliefs or lack thereof?

I also want to mention that this is not a discussion about vegetarianism vs. meat-eating (though the examples I gave were about that) – this is more about what you eat, in general and whether any of what you eat figures into what you believe in terms of god/religion.