After realizing that many of his fellow fire-fighters had high-cholesterol and some extra pounds to shed, Rip Esselstyn used his knowledge from years of training as an athelete to create a diet for them that would help them all become more healthy. The diet was a smashing success and it Rip wrote a book about it.

The diet emphasizes whole foods like fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and legumes. While it's not strictly vegetarian, it encourages you to avoid meat and fat, while adding whole grains. Rip talks about it being a "plant strong" diet, because it's plants that are well-known to be the healthiest foods.

Many of the firefighters found the diet and lifestyle changes to be easy to implement. They lowered their cholesterol by an average amount of 40 points, but many lowered it by far more, even 100 points! Most also lost a good amount of weight and have gone down a size or two with their clothes.

The book contains loads of delicious recipes that will surprise you. Stuff you didn't think would be allowed on a diet like chocolate desserts, pancakes and pizza.

Here's the website for more information: http://www.theengine2diet.com/