Some of you may just enjoy food. That’s fine!  Scripture says God has given us all things to enjoy — and that includes the pleasures of the palate.  But what if food has become too important to you?  If your life revolves around your meals (and snacks), food may have become an idol to you.  If you eat to comfort, entertain, or de-stress yourself, you may have a food addiction.

Food is not a good god. It doesn’t heal or help any hurt.  It doesn’t change any situations.  And ultimately, it can destroy your health and your life. How do you break the hold food has over you?

We discussed in the last couple of posts that you can address the problem the way folks combat any addiction. First, recognize and admit the problem. Second, look for the root causes and get a plan to fix them.  It may be a relationship or situation that has to be changed first. It may be a needed attitude adjustment on your part.  If there is a deeper problem than food, it just makes sense to get to the root of the issue.

What then?

Those who are addicted to alcohol or drugs are counseled to change their environment.  If they are living with people who feed their addiction — they need to move.  They need to get rid of the triggers and to get into a safe, healthy environment.  That’s why there are rehab facilities.  People can go there and know they will be free from temptation so they can fight the other aspects of their addiction.

Unfortunately, there are no rehab centers for sugar addicts — at least none for ordinary people who are not millionaire movie stars.  Kicking out the people in our household who eat is not an option, either.  But don’t despair! There are ways to manage this hurdle.

If having sugar-and-calorie-laden food around the house is a problem for you, then it likely is an issue with your family, too.  Maybe they aren’t overweight (yet) but they aren’t benefitted by eating health-destroying foods.  So, first try to get your family’s cooperation in your sugar-free, low glycemic mission.  Explain the issue and ask their help.  If they cooperate, you will have their backing and can fix healthy foods for the whole family.

Don’t buy junk food or have it in your house. No one needs to eat it — even your skinny teenager.  Make sure there are plenty of good, healthy foods available for them to snack on and, if you are the person in charge of meals, fix foods that are nutritious and filling. If fruit and nuts are the only snack items available, they will eat fruit and nuts. If there is an Oreo option, they will choose the cookies every time.  And it is likely that you will too, in a weak moment. Decide to spend the extra time fixing food from scratch rather than buying the quick, pre-processed foods that are  full of salt and high fructose corn syrup.

If the home crowd complains — and they very likely will — develop selective deafness.  You gave your kids medicine whether they liked it or not, because you knew their health depended on it.  So give them healthy, wholesome foods even if they yell a bit.  They will get over it and the end result will benefit them.

However, if this is not possible for some reason, such as a saboteur in the house who brings in food contrary to your pleas, you can go to plan B.  Make the trigger foods as inaccessible as possible.  Put them out of sight and on the highest shelf of the pantry — at the back.  A friend of mine locked the goodies in the trunk of her car.  If her family wanted snacks, they had to go outside and get them.  After a while even her kids chose the easily available fruit rather than traipse out to fetch the Little Debbies from the trunk.

Do your best to make the good food inviting and easy.  Buy the already-prepared veggie trays complete with dip, or fix the vegetables ahead of time so it will be easy for them (and  you) to snack on them.  Try out low glycemic recipes and make an effort to fix meals they will enjoy.

Yes, it will be trouble — but it will be worth it, both for you AND your family!

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown