Indeed, Christians who are most active in practicing their religion are more likely to be overweight, with Southern Baptists being the heaviest. Baptist preacher Jerry Falwell is not surprised. Many preachers find food frivolous, she said, compared to the lure of drugs, alcohol and premarital sex. Few clerics preach about living in a world of caloric temptation. And few know how to address the quiet desperation of portly parishioners.
Supporters sing praises in testimonials about changed hearts and waistlines.
But critics say such diets are a mixed blessing that can bring more angst than relief. Some programs, they contend, offer questionable advice about nutrition and exercise and erroneously equate losing weight with gaining God's love. And despite lip service paid to loving your body, they say, these diets reinforce the cultural ideal of rail-thin beauty. It was the early 19th century health reform movement that led to the current preoccupation with diet, said Griffith, who is writing a book about Christianity and the body in American culture. Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham of Graham Cracker fame left the ministry to preach on diet and vegetarianism.