By Eleanor Hong
"God, help me, I'm fat."
Does prayer really help you lose weight? More Americans are looking to divine inspiration to help battle the bulge.
Faith-based diets are increasingly popular with Christians making up the largest base for the new trend. Many pastors and church leaders are recognizing obesity in their congregation and preaching about weight loss as it relates to the Bible. So, don’t be surprised if your local church group incorporates an aerobics class or diet seminar as part of weekly fellowship activities.
While many nutritionists are skeptical about advocating faith-based diets, Christians discouraged by mainstream yo-yo diets are hoping that eating habits and food choices explained through the Bible will be the answer to their prayers for weight loss. While many of these diets aren’t proven scientifically, the phenomenon embraces a more reverent lifestyle that includes spiritual well-being. All these different diet methods share the common message, "Don't run to the fridge, run to God."
Faith-Based Diets
Divine Health
What Would Jesus Eat?
Maker's Diet
Hallelujah Diet
Body By God
First Place
Weigh Down
Thin Within
According to Christine Gerbstadt, MD, nutritionist and national spokesperson for the American Dietetics Association, the obesity epidemic is huge and people are looking for any new way to lose weight.
"They're looking for a magic bullet or something to get through this hurdle [of being overweight]. In other words, turning it over to God for some people is going to be all they need to get going on a weight loss program."
Many faith-based diets stress a lifestyle that focuses on God instead of food as a coping mechanism for personal and emotional problems. Several authors of faith-based programs note that many Americans turn to food when upset or feel a void in their lives.
"The idea of a faith-based diet is a platform to help people to eat a certain way and depending on the details of the diet, it may or may not be healthy. So lumping them all together [with varying food plans], the only thing that we can say is common is that they all rely on the same principles based on religion," says Gerbstadt.
Gerbstadt also notes that the diet industry is an open market and huge business opportunity. And many of these spiritual diet books have quickly become bestsellers and successful marketing products.
Here's a brief overview of some popular faith-based diets:
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