I was talking with one of my friends a few weeks ago about the struggle with eating healthy foods. It’s a vicious cycle: I try to eat healthy, but end up stuffing my face with chips, cookies, cakes that leave me feeling awful and guilty. She encouraged me to read Made to Crave, a book that had helped her on her journey towards healthy living. Have you ever heard of it? I just finished it this past weekend (at the pool:) and here are my thoughts.
The premise of the book is that we all have been made to crave. And the problem is we are all craving different things — greed, sex, food — which mask our one true craving, which is God. Lysa TerKeursk, the founder of the Proverbs 31 Ministries, describes her lifetime struggle with food in this book and the steps and verses that have helped her overcome her battle.
This is not your typical diet book, which I was half expecting. She rarely talked about her eating and exercise plan but more her thoughts and process for overcoming her cravings for food. Lysa points out that being overweight is more than just a physical issue, but a mental and spiritual battle as well. One of my favorite parts of the book were the Bible references sprinkled throughout the chapters, and most that I have never thought to apply to the struggle with food. The verse that most resonated with me was 1 Corinthians 6:12, “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial.” I’m thinking of posting it on my refrigerator when my sweet tooth kicks in.
I enjoyed the book a lot and have already been more conscious about my everyday decisions regarding food. But I felt that she was a little legalistic about her diet. Now, sometimes you really have to say goodbye to some foods forever or else it will start the pattern of unhealthy living… but I could easily see “the right eating plan” becoming an idol if it becomes all consuming. I think that if you’re trying to lose weight, sticking to a rigid plan makes sense, but once you have reached your goal weight, it is okay to indulge every once and a while. But of course, that’s a decision everyone individually has to make.
This book is definitely not for everyone, as it’s obviously written for Christian women (she often calls you “sister”), but if you struggle with eating and need a mental jump start to accompany an eating and exercise plan, this book is for you.
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Have you ever read Made to Crave? What did you think about the book? What is your favorite healthy eating / exercise book that you’ve read? I’d love to know! :)
