Kenneth Ferraro is a professor of sociology and psychological sciences at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. In 1998, he published the findings of a study that showed that religious participation is associated with higher body weight. His study of 3,600 people found that Southern Baptists are heaviest, with Jews, Muslims and Buddhists less likely to […]

Prism Weight Loss Program is a Christian program that says it is suitable for nonreligious people as well.

Grace Today Dieters is a support website for Christian dieters.

Thin Within is a Christian-based weight loss program established in 1975 with groups nationwide. It is based in Louisville, Ky.

Read a Jan. 4, 2013, article about the obesity epidemic in American churches.

Read a Nov. 10, 2011, article from the Huffington Post about the results of a study that showed a correlation between religious involvement and weight gain.

Read a March 25, 2011, article from NBC News about the link between attending religious events and obesity in young adults.

Visit the website of the Material History of American Religion Project to read a paper by Daniel Sack on the meanings behind the church potluck supper. See also an interview with Sack about his book, Whitebread Protestants.

Ashram Vrajabhumi is an organization in Brazil that offers resources for “simple living and high thinking” through Hindu meditation and prayer.