From the cabbage soup diet, Hollywood 24-hour diet, 7 day diet to the grapefruit diet, "fad" diets are all around us. As tempting as they sound, these are just that: a fad. A fad is defined as a short-lived fashion that is embraced very enthusiastically for a short time, especially by many people. These fad diets bring millions and millions of dollars to the marketers and business entities; however, they do not do much for a person's long term health or longevity.

Most recently a new fad diet (or diet trend) has come to my attention: "What Would Jesus Eat." As with all fad diets there is promise of quick weight loss and reduced physical signs of disease. However, this diet may actually have some basis of truth. This diet is based on "whole foods consumed in biblical times," mainly yogurt, whole grains, organic produce and grass-fed meats. In biblical times they did not have a means for processed foods as we do today. They also walked everywhere they went in biblical times, so exercise was plentiful.

Basically, the "What Would Jesus Eat" diet is based on the Mediterranean Diet. This diet includes a lot of healthy oils including olive and safflower oils, whole grains and fiber, beans, nuts and seeds for protein, and soy. Of course, everything in moderation.

As mentioned in the article: The Newest Diet Trend: What Would Jesus Eat? "Jesus ate a great many fruits and vegetables" and never mixed dairy with meat. "He did not eat animal fat. ... We can follow His example by choosing to eat whole-grain breads and pastas."

Aside from the robust recommendation of supplements that are suggested alongside this diet - this is a very healthy way of living and eating. I probably would not even consider this a fad diet but a healthy way of living. Whole unprocessed foods, fruits and vegetables, fiber, nuts and seeds - you are eating healthy foods from all aspects of the Food Guide Pyramid in moderation and including exercise. If you are consuming a healthy diet including the foods listed in the plan, you would not need the recommended supplements as you would get them from the food.

Supplements can be very expensive - most supplements are not regulated by the FDA and can cause complications depending on the person. It is important to understand that your body only needs a certain amount of vitamins and minerals. Once these are attained in your body the rest is excreted through the urine. I like to remind people who take a lot of supplements they most likely have very expensive urine.

In summary, following the newest diet trend "What would Jesus Eat" is not such a fad or bad idea. As a matter of fact, if more people were to consume whole foods and eat less refined and processed foods I think we would all notice a change in our overall health.