Pastor Rick Warren, the author of bestselling book like The Purpose Driven Life What on Earth am I Here For? in 2002, is sharing with every one The Daniel Plan, a step towards weight loss and healthy living through his book The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life. The book is already flying off the book shelves.

The book has nothing to do with  prophet Daniel fast for weight loss. But of course the book draws inspiration from his diet thats why the name The Daniel Plan. The plan was to include healthy, fresh  and natural food which “grows on the plant.”

The book is about five “f” i.e. Faith, Food, Fitness, Focus and Friends. Together these five ‘f’ program helped Rick Warren and 12,000  members of his congregation has collectively shed 250,000 pounds in 2011. Now that entire program has taken the shape of a book for the benefit of many.

The book is the excellent fusion of nutritional information and spiritual thoughts which generates faith in one self and the plan to follow for a better life. There are some eye opening facts like One can of soda a day increases a kid’s risk of obesity by 60 percent and women’s chance of getting diabetes by more than 80 percent”?  “One pound of factory-farmed meat requires 2,000 gallons of water and produces 53 times as much greenhouse gases as a pound of vegetables”? 

 The book is an encyclopedia of philosophy behind overeating. Warren says,”There are emotional reasons why you eat. There are spiritual reasons why you eat. There are mental reasons.” Because of these sometimes we start overeating and thus gain in weight. It helps in creating awareness and build better eating habits.

The best part of the book are its simple and healthy recipes. They are all mostly vegan and the Daniel Plans specifically  emphasizes eating whole, natural foods and eliminating gluten, sugar and processed junk foods. There are also great deal of information about good food.

Rick Warren has establish a connection between fitness and friends. He writes, “People that actually did the program together lost twice as much weight as people who did it alone,” Warren noted. “It was the power of the community. The community was the medicine.”

Under the section Focus there are two chapters “Change Your Brain, Change Your Health” and “Renew Your Mind” which clearly states that how much your attitude matters in bring about positive  changes in your health and life. Those two chapters are particularly moving and touching.

Verdict: The Daniel Plan is the ocean of good health. It is up to us how much we want to drink. It is a ground breaking proven lifestyle program which has benefited many and you could be one of them if followed religiously.Great Book.