If doctors had to identify the deadliest sin affecting Americans today, they would probably name gluttony as the No. 1 killer. As obesity in the United States reaches epidemic proportions, with more than 60% of adults overweight or obese, public policymakers and health officials are scrambling to find ways to improve the American diet.

But Dr. Don Colbert, physician and nutritionist, thinks the obesity crisis could be solved if Americans would pause before inhaling a super-sized fast food meal and ask themselves a simple question: “Would Jesus eat this?”

If it’s loaded with saturated fats, sugar or artificial ingredients, the answer is no, said Colbert, whose recent book “What Would Jesus Eat?,” combines biblical scholarship with conventional dietary wisdom.

“The gluttonous spirit is deadly,” he said. “I’ve seen so many diseases related to dietary excess, so why not go back to the owner’s manual, the Bible, to see what Jesus ate?”

Jesus essentially ate a Mediterranean diet rich in whole grains, fish, fruit and vegetables and with modest amounts of olive oil, meat and wine, Colbert says.
Anything the Old Testament blacklists in its dietary prescriptions is out, including shellfish, pork products, horses, camels, birds of prey and other carnivores.

Colbert, a Mississippi native who studied for a year at a Bible college and also trained at medical school, said he wrote the book and its companion, “The What Would Jesus Eat Cook Book,” both published by Thomas Nelson, after realizing that many of the fattest Americans are dedicated fundamentalist Christians.