This should be a rhetorical question...

[Durelin]

But it's not. I want it answered!

The night before last, I came upon a shocking revelation.

I have never heard of a fat Elf. Ever. And I could never really imagine one.

Why on earth is that?

Obviously their diet and/or digestive system might very well differ from Men's, but can either really be that different? All we ever hear about are Elves eating lembas, but surely they ate other things. But were they perhaps vegetarians?

We certainly see Elves as extremely environmental, and so possibly keep animals out of their diet (not that being a vegetarian, vegan, etc. is required for being environmental!).

And even if their diet is extremely selective, perhaps even to the point of a true Jainist's diet, might they even enjoy their food?

If this is belongs in "Middle-Earth Mirth" or perhaps specifically on the "Ask a Stupid Question" thread, I apologize. But though I do find it amusing, I do seriously wonder why this is.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

I think that Tolkien says somewhere about elves, that they can more or less look like they wish. Or, better said, that they are not so much bound by the material world in these terms. Possibly neither of them wants to look fat

[Durelin]

Well, that was a simpler (and yet not) answer than I expected.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

No, that would be Maiar who can choose their appearance, not Elves.

According to The Hobbit, the Wood-Elves were feasting at a fire, and Bilbo and the Dwarves found that

The smell of the roast meats was... enchanting...

Since the Elves did not welcome their unexpected guests, it is to be assumed that they planned to eat the meat themselves. The Wood-Elves also went hunting in the forest, we are told - and that word normally refers to animals, not vegetables!

The way Galion, the butler, is described, I could imagine that he would be well-rounded, since he loved drinking and feasting.

Now, we can quibble about The Hobbit not being quite canonical for Middle-earth as it is written in LotR. We could also debate whether the other Elves in Rivendell and Lothlorien might have had other eating habits than the Wood-Elves. And of course, it is possible that the Elves in the Undying Lands had changed their menus completely. At any rate, this is all the written evidence I could find concerning the diet of Elves in Middle-earth.

Perhaps HoME has more...

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Durelin

We certainly see Elves as extremely environmental, and so possibly keep animals out of their diet (not that being a vegetarian, vegan, etc. is required for being environmental!).

Well I certainly know a lot of overweight vegetarians and vegans so I doubt that would keep an Elf biologically slender! I suppose if they live in two worlds at once (being temporally challenged) they could hide their big butt in one world?

[The Might]

I think that due to the special link between their bodies and their souls they were not so easily ifluenced by such pleasures such as food, drink, or..,you know what I mean

They are not easily deceived by their own kind; and their spirits being masters of their bodies, they are seldom swayed by the desires of the body only, but are by nature continent and steadfast. ~ Laws and Customs of the Eldar, Morgoth's Ring

Still, this comes a little bit in conflict with the image of Elves drinking Dorwinion wine in the Hobbit

Considering however why and how Tolkien wrote the Hobbit and the Laws and Customs of the Eldar, I am inclined to think that such abuses were only possible among more uneducated Silvan Elves, and that Noldor, Vanyar, Falmari or Sindar would have never done something like this. Still, I doubt that Thranduil's folk did that on a daily basis, and so it might have been a single case.

So no, no fast food Elves I'm afraid