BOSTON -- People turn to the Bible for spiritual guidance and strength. But now some are turning to it to lose weight.

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Heather Unruh Reports On Diet

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NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported that when Brenda Nutter hit 160 pounds, she prayed she would lose weight and turned to an array of diet books and fads.

"I would go on these diets and I would lose weight and then I would binge eat a bag of potato chips or some chocolate," Nutter said.

She said she found the real diet answer in the pages of a book that held her utmost trust: the Bible.

"I don't have cravings for anything," she said. "Somebody could eat a bag of potato chips in front of me and it wouldn't bother me. Would Jesus eat potato chips? No."

The Bible Diet kit costs $139.99 and contains a video, Bible bars, even prayer cards. The diet preached the benefits of all natural and unprocessed foods, like vegetables and whole grains.

"I make casseroles, but everything is from scratch," Nutter said. "I'll take a steamer and I'll put in red pepper and broccoli and purple onion."

Whole grain breads are acceptable, so is fish and chicken.

"The general emphasis is to reduce calories and any time you reduce calories, you're going to lose weight," said registered dietitian Elisa Margolius of Newton Wellesley Hospital.

Margolius likes the general idea of eating healthier and eating fewer processed foods as long as dieters can stick to the plan.

"The Bible Diet also emphasizes something a lot of fad diets are not emphasizing -- exercise," said Margolius.

Nutter has lost 40 pounds in the two years she's been on the Bible Diet. She has kept the weight off, too. She said it's not just what she's eating, but help from above that has made the difference.

"Say I get upset and something really bothers me, the first inclination would be go and get something out of the fridge, but instead, I thank the God in prayer. And pray about it. And I'm satisfied," she said.

Margolius said dieters should avoid plans that recommend fasting and do not cut out entire food groups, like dairy. Women especially need calcium in their diet.