FOR LENT, IOWA MAN PLANS TO ONLY DRINK BEER

'It's not like a joke,'  says editor, who is getting guidance from pastor and doctor.

CORNING, Iowa  -  Instead of fruits and vegetables, why not stick with beer?
That's what a man in Corning is doing, and he said it's for religious reasons.

J.Wilkson is attempting to recreate the way Fransiscan monks marked the holy season of Lent centuries ago.  Until Easter, he'll live on only water and four hearty pints per day of his own Doppelblock creation.

The newspaper editor is getting guidance from both a local doctor and a pastor.  He knows living on 1,200 calores  a day will be a challenge, but his goal is to never become drunk.

"It's not something I'm taking lightly.  My health is important to me.  I've got a wife and two kids that are very, very important to me.  So, it's not like a joke," Wilson said.