Food Triggers by Amber Lia

It seems like I have battled weight all my life. Like many Christians, I thought maturity, submission, consecration, etc. would be sufficient to win the battle. One of the struggles was around triggers, however, and they seemed to sabotage my dedication.

Lia's book is a welcome one in the weight struggle. I was happy to see her write that even mature Christians can still have issues with food triggers. Her strategy is to replace unhealthy patterns with God honoring habits. She addresses 31 common food triggers, applying biblical principles to each one.

She explores external and internal triggers. She encourages us to renew our minds rather than succumb to the world's mindless eating advertisements promoting indulgence. She helps us when eating out, when others intimidate us, when we attend church potlucks, when we travel, and several more external issues. I received the most encouragement from her writing on internal triggers. She helps us deal with stress, negative self talk, being lonely, feeling defeated or angry or shamed, and much more.

I appreciate Lia reminding us the stewardship of our bodies is a spiritual discipline. “There is a connection between spiritual growth and what we put in our mouth.” (132) That may be hard for some Christians to swallow. (Pun intended.) But, Lia says of herself, “I am still a work in progress...” (100) We all are on this journey. I now see food triggers are an opportunity for personal development, seeking God rather than food.

This book gives many practical strategies to conquer those pesky food triggers, helping us traverse farther on our journey to God glorifying well being.

You can read an excerpt here.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Amber Lia is an independent certified health coach who has been on her own transformative health journey. She has written several books and is a former high school English teacher. She is a mentor for women and a regular contributing writer for The Better Mom. She and her husband co-run the faith-friendly production company Storehouse Media Group, and they live in Southern California with their four boys. You can find out more at http://amberlia.com/.

Bethany House, 240 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)