Food Addiction.. Is It Real?

Because of all the talk we've had with gluttony on the blog lately, I wanted to make sure to address this issue of food addiction. Again, like gluttony, it is something that is never talked about, but is mentioned in scripture.

So first off, is food addiction a real thing? Yes. Absolutely! Just like alcoholics use alcohol to control, or bury, their emotions, so too do food addicts use food to fill emotional voids. The definition of "food addiction" is not having control over what you are eating, when and how you are eating it, and not caring about the possible harmful side effects of the food you are consuming.

Food addicts will often:

- eat too much despite consequences, even dire ones, to their health

- be preoccupied for large amounts of time during the day with food, food preparation, and meal planning.

- be roller coaster eaters; always trying, and failing, to cut back on food intake.

- constantly feel guilty, anxious, and paranoid about eating and especially over eating.

*Notice that NO WHERE in these detailed definitions of a food addiction does it mention weight. One does not have to be overweight in order to be a food addict. On the flip side, just because you are overweight does not mean you are a food addict!

Addiction of any kind boils down to a lack of control. Being an addict means that a substance, whether food, alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc. controls YOU instead of you controlling it. 

Food controls many many people without them even realizing it, and you may be one of them. A great exercise to do in order to test your relationship with food is the breakfast experiment. This is a great gauge for how much you allow food to control you. 

The Breakfast Experiment

Monday - Eat only whole grains for breakfast. This includes whole grain bread, whole grain pastas, rice, quinoa, etc. Nothing processed or "white." (no oatmeal either). Drink coffee or tea

Tuesday - Eat a pastry of some sort. Whatever you prefer, but only pastries (something dessert-ish and sugary). Drink coffee or tea.

Wednesday - Eat only dairy for breakfast. This includes yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, cheese, and any other dairy product you prefer. Drink only water or milk.

Thursday - Eat only cereal for breakfast. Any kind will do. Drink coffee or tea.

Friday - Eat only protein for breakfast. This includes eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, beans, and vegetables. Drink coffee or tea.

Saturday - Eat only fruit for breakfast. Any fruit will do. Drink only water.

Sunday - Eat only vegetables for breakfast. Any veggies will do. No dairy, no protein, no grains. Drink only water.

*Wait at least 2 hours after breakfast before eating or drinking anything else. This includes COFFEE!
**Consume whatever you wish throughout the rest of your day.

By conducting this breakfast experiment, you are forced to give up your normal eating habits, routine, and all of your control over what you consume first thing in the morning. If this happens with ease and you are able to enjoy the breakfast experiment and the variety it brings then you do not suffer from a food addiction.

However, if you obsess about the food you ate a breakfast, if you're having major food cravings, if you find it extremely difficult emotionally to eat something that is out of the norm for breakfast, then you need to analyze how much control food really has over your life.

This is an experiment that highlights how food makes you FEEL, not just while you're eating it, but how you feel 2, 4, and 10 hours later. Analyze how different foods make you feel physically and also analyze how foods make you feel emotionally.

Is there a day that you really want to skip, or that you flat our refuse to do? Ask yourself why? What is causing this attitude? How is control playing a part in that? Most people will not do the vegetables on day 7 simply because they don't like the taste. However, that is the healthiest type of food you can put in your body. By refusing to participate in day 7 you are purposely abandoning healthy foods and choosing an unhealthy alternative, which is one of the definitions of food addiction listed above. Yikes!
(health issues that prevent you from participating, i.e. an allergy, do not count here)

As christians we are called to be alert and of sober mind. We are called to be self controlled and stead fast. We are called to control our flesh and live in the spirit by the power of Jesus Christ. Living in the bondage of any addiction is sin, and Jesus wants to set you free from that!! It's what he died on the cross for. If you are reading this and you struggle with an addiction, please please know that you can be set free by the power of Jesus Christ! Please know that no addiction is stronger than the Holy Spirit, who is alive and active.

"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak," Mark 14:38

No true-er (I think I made that word up, but just go with it) words have ever been spoken in regards to addiction. The flesh is weak! It constantly needs to be exercised in order to stay strong.

A great habit to get into that will help to discipline your body and mind against food addiction is fasting. This does not have to be a complete no - food fast. This is more a fast from something that has the potential to control you, i.e. coffee or chocolate. I strongly suggest fasting from one food/beverage at least one week per month. It can be a different food each month, but it needs to be something that your flesh has a weakness towards. Commit to fasting one week per month through the rest of 2014. I guarantee that it will change your entire relationship with food, for the better!

I started doing this at the beginning of the summer and it rocked my world. I had no idea how much I let food control my life. I was shocked at how hard it was to fast from just chocolate for only seven days! Towards the end of September, I'll be writing a post sharing my journey through that fast, but for now I'd love to hear your stories. I want to hear about your breakfast experiments and your fasts, the challenges and breakthroughs that you experience.

I also encourage you to try the weekly prayers this month. We are focusing solely on discipline and self control with regards to gluttony. For more on that, click here.

If you need additional support with food addiction, including where to start once you know you have a problem, schedule a complementary consultation with Abby. Click here to get started.

Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby

Self Control and Discipline as the Antidote to Gluttony

In July, I wrote a blog post about gluttony. Not surprisingly, it hit a nerve with a lot of people. I had many people tell me that they didn't realize that they had an issue with gluttony until after reading the blog. So, for the month of September, I wanted to expand on this topic and focus the weekly prayers on self control and discipline with regards to gluttony.

{to read the blog on gluttony, click here}

{for those of you who have no idea what the weekly prayers are, start here: 52 weeks, 52 prayers campaign}

First, a little background on gluttony: 

1. Gluttony is not just about food. The actual definition of gluttony is to over-indulge and over-consume food, drink, or wealth items to the point of extravagance or waste. 
2. Gluttony is more about a lack of self control than it is about food. We, as followers of Christ, are called to have a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7) and to be self controlled (Galatians 5:22-23). We should not allow anything to control us, whether that be food, alcohol, wealth, sex, career, etc. When we over-consume and over-indulge, we are not acting with a spirit of self control, but are giving in to desires of our flesh.
3. Gluttony is a sin when we use food, or anything, to REPLACE Jesus, to fill a void that Jesus alone is meant to fill. God is a jealous God, and he wants NOTHING to come before him. 
4. The more we let food fill the voids in our life, the more we focus on ourselves, instead of focusing on God. We, as christians are called to continually die to ourselves and to live for Christ. No matter what we are doing, no matter what has happened during our day, we do everything with Jesus in mind. 1 Corinthians 10:31 sums it up best, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

WHY IS GLUTTONY SUCH A BIG DEAL TO GOD?
Even though gluttony is not talked about much today, the Bible is clear that gluttony is a sin. Gluttony is an outward, concrete, literal example of FLESH. We, as followers of Jesus are called to die to our flesh and to live in the spirit. When we live in the spirit we are steadfast and self controlled with our focus solely on Jesus. When we live in the flesh, we are only concerned about ourself, we look for instant satisfaction, we are greedy, and gluttonous.

Self control is the antidote to gluttony. This is why we will be focusing our prayers this month on self control and discipline. We will be praying for self control not just with our food and drink choices, but in all areas of life that affect our health. So, whether you suffer from emotional eating, sugar addiction, alcoholism, or are a workaholic, I hope you will join in with us as we pray for self controlled and Christ like behavior.

To find the prayers each week:

Head over to our website each week where the current week's prayer will be posted on the right side bar.

Follow me on Instagram, @abbyshroka or like us on Facebook by clicking here, to see each week's prayer.

If you missed last month's prayer topic (nagging aches and pains), click here.

Wishing you Health, Hope, & Happiness

Abby

Prayers for Nagging Aches and Pains

I hope this month's prayer topic energized you and got you thinking about healing. I hope you've decided to stick with these prayers and not settle for your nagging aches and pains! Below are the four prayers we prayed this past month over nagging aches and pains:

1. Father God, I ask for complete and total healing for any and all nagging aches, pains, and past injuries. Bring freedom from these aches and pains and the stress, burden, and discomfort that they cause.

2. Father God, I ask that you would give me insight into what is causing my nagging aches and pains. Show me ways that I can change my lifestyle in order to find relief from pain.

3. Father God, I ask for clarity and wisdom with the type of treatment that would best heal my nagging aches and pains. Show me what I can do to manage my pain and find relief.

4. Father God, I ask for freedom from stress, as well as mental and emotional baggage, that may trigger or aggravate my nagging aches and pains.

For more information in this prayer topic, click here, to read about nagging aches and pains.

A Lesson On Food From the Israelites

The whole company of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron there in the wilderness. the Israelites said, "Why didn't God let us die in comfort in Egypt where we had lamb stew and all the bread we could eat? You've brought us out into this wilderness to starve us to death, the whole company of Israel!" 
Exodus 16:2-4

My husband loves tater tots. And when I say love, I mean that he really LOVES them. He would eat them every night with dinner if he could and I've even caught him sneaking them into the cart at the grocery store. Because we try to eat really clean and healthy, we have brown rice or quinoa with most of our dinners instead of tater tots.

The other day I opened the freezer and I noticed a half eaten bag of tater tots that my husband had seemingly forgotten about. When he got home I asked him about it and to my shock, he said that he actually preferred brown rice or quinoa over tater tots now. Folks, this is truly a miracle, and I was skeptical.

But here is the thing that Greg is slowly learning, tater tots taste great, but taste is so temporary. It lasts only a few seconds. But the way that food makes you FEEL, that lasts a couple of hours, or even days, and always has long term effects (think diabetes and heart disease), that can last forever. See, our priorities have gotten mixed up. We put WAY TOO MUCH emphasis on the taste of food, when really we should focus on how food affects our health and how it makes us feel. These are the two things that matter.

The problem is, we get caught up in the moment. That chocolate cake is staring you in the face and all of a sudden you couldn't care less about your high cholesterol or your fibromyalgia pain. In fact, you aren't even sure that having high cholesterol is such a bad thing anyway, and that fibromyalgia pain, well that's all in your head. Right? Wrong!

And this is exactly where we find the Israelites in Exodus 16. They're stranded in the desert with no food. They are starving to death, and so they start wishing for Egypt. For the lamb stew and all the bread they could ever want. They're forgetting about the bondage and slavery. The oppression and cruelty. They're forgetting that they begged God for mercy, for freedom for 400 years! They're sucked in to the here and now, the immediate issue.

Don't get sucked in to the here and now with your food. Don't let the taste of food rule over you and cause you to make choices that you will later regret. The Israelites got so caught up in the here and now that they were forced to wander in the desert for 40 years. Don't get so caught up with the taste of your food that you get stuck with a life altering disease for the last 40 years of your life.

Choose the health benefits.

Choose the way food makes you feel.

Choose foods that give you LIFE, not convenience or satisfaction.

Choose foods that heal. 

And if you don't know where to start, think veggies, always choose veggies :)

Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby

Nagging Aches and Pains

This month's prayer topic is a little bit different. I chose to spend the entire month of August praying over nagging aches and pains. It's more vague than most of the topics and the application will vary ALOT from person to person. However, I chose this topic because I know that almost everyone has nagging aches and pains, and old injuries that just won't go away. If you're new to the blog, or to the weekly prayers, start here: 52 Weeks, 52 Prayers Campaign.

I also chose this prayer topic because I think most of us have settled into our nagging aches and pains. We have come to a Mexican standoff with our aches and pains and the results aren't pretty. We don't even consider what it would be like to find healing. We settle for "good days" and "tolerable pain." We don't even consider praying over these old aches and pains that we have had for so long.

For me, low back pain has been a constant companion of mine for the past eleven years. It has gotten much worse in the past seven years due to an injury I suffered in college. If the pain is manageable, I consider that a good day and am happy, but in the back of my mind I am constantly worried about a flare up that will leave me incapacitated. There are some things I have learned to do to help the pain, but those things only help, they don't heal. What I hate most about the constant back pain is that it sucks so much life out of me. It is a constant burden and it affects so much of my life. I have tried so many different things to heal the pain. I have tried massage therapy, stretching, strength training, yoga, heat, oil therapy, and chiropractic.

Because none of that has brought me healing (some of it has helped), I have given up in the last three years and have just learned to accept the pain and deal with it as best as I can. God has really convicted me of this sin (ouch). I have been writing (read preaching) to you through this blog about believing that God can heal anything and praying through every aspect of your health, all the while I had given up on praying over my own health. So let me first ask your forgiveness for not practicing what I preach, and second let me say that I have a renewed determination to start praying over my back pain. I would also like to ask those of you who don't have nagging aches and pains to pray this month's weekly prayers over my back pain.

For those of you who do suffer from nagging aches and pains; your issues may be totally different than mine, and I encourage everyone to utilize this month's prayers in the way that best suits their health. If you have an undiagnosed illness, or an incurable disease, or an injury that won't heal, these are all fair game as well.

What will the weekly prayers cover in the coming month?
We will be praying this month for complete and total healing, insight into the root cause of these issues so that they can be pulled out by those roots, clarity with treatment, wisdom with pain management, and freedom from mental and emotional baggage that may be aggravating these issues.

How do I find the new prayer each week?
The weekly prayer is posted on my website on the right side bar. It is updated at the beginning of each week.

The weekly prayers will also be posted on Instagram at the beginning of each week. Follow me @abbyshroka in order to see the new prayer each week.

The weekly prayer are also posted on our Facebook page. By liking us on Facebook, you will have access to each week's prayer. Click here to like us on Facebook.

I want to encourage all of you who have made the commitment to pray over your health for these 52 weeks. Prayer is powerful and effective. God honors prayer and is compassionate when it comes to our health! I cannot wait to see what God does this month as we pray over nagging aches and pains.

*If you are just getting started with the 52 Weeks, 52 Prayers Campaign, you can find the past prayers and topics below:

June:
Digestive Disorders and Stomach Pain
Prayers for Digestive Disorders and Stomach Pain

July:
Alzheimer's Disease
Prayers for Alzheimer's Disease and Brain Health

Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby

The 80/20 Rule

I have this theory about the way we view God.

80% of the time we view God as this stern judge who sits on this throne with a gavel in hand watching and waiting to judge our every mistake.
20% of the time we view God as our loving father who is watching and waiting to pour out his grace and redeem our every mistake.

80% of the time we view God as this stern judge who hands out punishment for the crimes we have committed.
20% of the time we view God as our loving father who desires to greatly bless us and give us the best life possible in spite of the crimes we have committed.

80% of the time we view God as this stern judge who is too holy to talk to, too holy to approach, to holy to run to for help.
20% of the time we view God our loving father who wants nothing more than to have an intimate relationship with us, who greatly desires us to run to him with our every need.

80% of the time we view God as this stern judge who is angry, unloving, and hard hearted.
20% of the time we view God as a loving father will continue to pursue us, and will never give up on us, will never leave us or forsake us.

80% of the time we view God as this stern judge who is too busy to deal with our small insignificant problems
20% of the time we view God as a loving father who wants to take care of every need we have, no matter how small.

The problem with the 80/20 rule is that it's a lie. Satan spins this lie in our minds and it slowly eats away at our faith and our relationship with Jesus. If we could fully understand just HOW MUCH God loves us, we would live our lives so differently.

I'm always shocked at how many times people tell me that they don't pray over their health because they don't think God cares. That is a lie. In Matthew there are so many accounts of Jesus healing the sick, from insignificant things like a common fever, to life threatening diseases like leprosy. I love reading about Jesus healing the sick in Matthew because he is very specific in the reason WHY Jesus always took the time to heal the broken people that came to him.

Compassion. Matthew points out again and again in his gospel that Jesus felt compassion for the sick and so he healed them. So whether you are suffering from back pain or cancer, Jesus feels for you. Jesus feels compassion for your pain. Don't believe the 80/20 rule. Don't give in to the lies that he doesn't care, can't heal, or won't heal you.

Know that he has compassion for you!

Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby

Prayers for Alzheimer's Disease & Brain Health

Through the month of July, we prayed over Alzheimer's Disease. This disease is growing in frequency in the U.S. with 1 in 3 seniors getting diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease right now. If Alzheimer's is in your genes, print these prayers out and pray them frequently!

1. Lord Jesus, I ask that you would keep my brain healthy throughout the entirety of my life. Put a hedge of protection around my brain cells, my memory, and my thinking skills. Give me clarity of mind and spirit today, and everyday of my life.

2. Lord Jesus I ask for wisdom beyond my own understanding with possible triggers to Alzheimer's Disease. Please protect me from any and all environmental or lifestyle factors that may harm my brain or cause Alzheimer's Disease.

3. Lord Jesus I ask that you would relieve any tension in my neck and shoulders that, over time, may contribute to Alzheimer's Disease. Lord help me not to worry about anything, but to trust you in everything. Help me to come to you for rest as I need it.

4. Lord Jesus, we ask that you would give medical researchers the knowledge needed in order to find a cure for Alzheimer's Disease. In the meantime, Lord, we ask for better medication that would give all those suffering from Alzheimer's Disease better quality of life.

For more information on Alzheimer's Disease, and ways to prevent it, click here.