Rick Warren, along with Saddleback Church, designed a diet plan for anyone who wants to be healthier the Biblical way. The diet, known as the "Daniel Plan", is a six-week program that is meant to improve one's overall health.
The Director of the Daniel Plan, Dee Eastman, spoke with The Orange County Register about this healthy and Christian approach to a healthy lifestyle, how it originated and how effective it is.
"The Daniel Plan started in 2011 in Saddleback Church as a one-year initiative. We expected a couple hundred people to join. But, thousands attended the program at the church and 15,000 joined the online program during the first year," Eastman said.
Eastman explained that the main concept behind the diet program came from the Old Testament biblical story of Daniel, the prophet who refused to eat sumptuous food from the king. Daniel challenged the king to a fast that lasted ten days.
The Saddleback member further explained that the Daniel Plan is a "holistic program that zeroes in on five key elements – faith, food, fitness, focus and friends."
It's not a diet that focuses simply on one's physical appearance, instead it's a program designed to provide nutrients to the body in various ways. Small and positive steps are the ways to follow the plan.
And how effective was the program?
"Members lost 250,000 pounds in that first year in 191 countries. It was phenomenal," the Daniel Plan director added.