Breaking Free From Food Addiction

by

Rebecca Somoskey

It is enough to make us weep, the recent headlines that have been splashed all over our newspapers, television news and the internet.

NEARLY 2 BILLION ARE OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE

WHY ARE SO MANY TODDLERS OBESE?

EPIDEMIC OF CHILDREN ARE GETTING ADULT DIABETES

OBESITY FASTEST GROWING HEALTH THREAT IN U.S.

(Rapidly catching up to tobacco as the largest cause of death in the United States.)

OBESITY CAUSES NEARLY 100,000 CANCER DEATHS PER YEAR

OVERWEIGHT COSTING AMERICA $93 BILLION PER YEAR

(And the government forks over approximately half of that.)

 
I would like to add three headlines of my own.

MANY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST ARE VICTIMS.

OUR CHILDREN ARE FOLLOWING OUR EXAMPLES.

OBESITY IS CAUSED BY THE SIN OF GLUTTONY

Fifteen years ago I was a glutton. (Gluttony is defined as habitually eating to excess, or eating more than our body needs to function properly.) I didn’t realize it then, but many of my waking moments were consumed with this thought. "What do I get to eat today?" My diet was high fat, high sugar, high caffeine, and I enjoyed it. I never gave a second thought to what it was doing to my body. I indulged whenever I felt like it. Usually, after I finished the weekly shopping for my family I would purchase an 8 oz. package of assorted chocolate candy. I felt I deserved a treat, and by the time I had driven the 20 miles to home I had consumed the entire bag. Often I have eaten a half gallon of ice cream in one afternoon, then spent a good portion of the evening running to the bathroom. The weight was piling on my body, but I just purchased larger clothing and kept on eating.

As the years passed I began to have physical problems: chronic digestion problems, chronic sinusitis, sleep disorders, ulcers, chronic fatigue, emotional problems, female problems, depression, a weakened immune system, among others. Still I did not understand that my gluttony was the problem. After several surgeries and major prescription expenses I realized I had to get myself under control. So, I increased my exercise, and tried every diet I heard about. But the cravings were still there, cravings so strong I could not resist. That was when I knew I was a food addict.

Then, God showed me that my problem was a spiritual one. That I would have to come to Him for deliverance, much the same as a drug, alcohol, tobacco, gambling or pornography addict would. Still I clung to my old habits. Why? Because food was a necessary part of my life. I couldn’t just walk away from it. Food was also the central part of family and church social life. Food comforted me when I was depressed, lonely or bored. Unlike alcohol, drugs, tobacco, gambling or sexual addictions, no stigma was attached to food addiction.

Then came the turning point. My sister, just a year older than myself, was diagnosed with lymphoma and was dead in less than a year. Doctors believed it was her unhealthy diet that triggered the cancer. By the time I got home from her funeral I had made a decision. I would not end up like her. I would find a way to regain my health. Not being educated in nutrition and it’s affect on the body, I hardly knew where to begin. I went to the Lord and asked for wisdom to know what to do. He reminded me again that food addiction was the problem, and directed me to these verses: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink." Matthew 6:25; "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill it’s lusts." Romans 13:14. "Put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite." Proverbs 23:2. I repented of my gluttony and ask Him to help me not to even think about food. That began a long journey of praying, scripture searching, learning how the body functions and applying what I learned to myself. The process has not been easy. I have lost many battles, only to pick myself up and begin again. But today I can praise God for the victory. I have been delivered from the constant focus on food. I am 63 years old, I stay within my normal weight range, and I am healthy and free of gluttony.

READ ON FOR SOME LESSONS I LEARNED FROM GOD’S WORD. This question was recently asked by Dr. JoAnn Butrin in a recent issue of Today’s Pentecostal Evangel, "Why do we care for our spirits and tend to our emotional needs while neglecting or even abusing this amazing organism-the body that God has entrusted to us?" ** Do God’s people really know what the Bible says about our bodies? Has not God created our bodies as the vessels to house our minds and our spirits? Are not all three parts to work together. Will one function properly without the other? Psalm 139:13-16 tells us that we were knit together in our mother’s womb by God Himself. He made us fearfully and wonderfully, and ordained all the days of our lives before they even came to be. Our bodies are so important that Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17 and 6:19, 20 that we are God’s temple and His Spirit lives in us. If we destroy God’s temple, God will destroy us, because God’s temple is sacred. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are not our own but were bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus. We are to glorify God with our bodies.

To allow our bodies to become overweight or obese is a sin against God and our bodies. No wonder we are being destroyed by so many sicknesses and diseases, and the root cause is food addiction, gluttony, poor diet. This sin is rarely mentioned from our pulpits. We talk about drug addiction, alcohol addiction, sexual addictions, gambling addictions, but never food addiction. Is it passed over because many of our pulpits are filled with shepherds who are food addicts themselves? Are we not encouraged to include food in almost every one of our activities, and do not many of us run to the restaurants after every service for food, fun and fellowship? No wonder we become addicts. We indulge until we are overweight and miserable, and end up being sick. Then we call for the elders of the church to pray over us that we may receive our healing. God must get so weary of our indulgences, our chasing after the lusts of the flesh. Still He is faithful and forgiving. and many times He does heal the sickness we bring on ourselves. (Please note that I am not talking about health problems we have through no fault of our own.)

THE HEALTH OF OUR BODIES IS A SPIRITUAL MATTER. When our bodies are unhealthy, our spiritual and mental bodies suffer. Physical suffering draws our attention to ourselves and away from God. Have you every tried to praise and worship the Lord when you had a severe headache? Have you every tried to pray when you were suffering emotionally? We cannot give God our best when one part of us is not functioning as it was meant to function. Just as God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we are body, soul and spirit, triune beings.

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT OUR GLUTTONY? Demand that the government pass more laws to control the actions of doctors and health care professionals? Bring lawsuits against restaurants serving foods that make us fat? Sue doctors for malpractice? Sue drug companies because their drugs are not the magic bullet that is supposed to take care of our problem, with no side effects. Find someone or something else on which to lay the blame?

Doctors cannot force us to care for our bodies properly. There is no magic pill that will bring us instant good health. However, if we take our concerns before the Lord, repent of GLUTTONY and ask for His help, we can be assured He will forgive us and give us wisdom. See James 1:5. Most of us know what we should do: eat light and stay busy. Doing it is another matter. That is when the Holy Spirit will give strength if we ask for it.

WHAT ARE THE FINAL CONSEQUENCES IF OUR NATIONAL EPIDEMIC IS NOT HALTED? The Bible and History warns us if we will read and heed. Ezekiel was pronouncing judgments on Israel and Judah for their sins. He compared them to the other nations around them, specifically Sodom in this verse. Ezekiel 16:49 This is what he says of Sodom. "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her sister had pride, fullness of food, and an abundance of idleness." Then he went on to say that Israel and Judah had done far worse. We know the end of the story. History bears out the same truth. Sinful indulgences have caused other empires to fall. Will God not call America to give an account of our sin of gluttony? See Proverbs 23:1-3 & 20; 25:16 & 27; Philippians 3:19. Let’s repent and seek God’s forgiveness and wisdom to help us. If we do not do this, our children will be the ones who suffer the greatest consequences. Let’s set a good example for them.

What Has Worked For Me

(Everyone must decide, based on their knowledge, what is best for themselves. Please read my suggestions and use what is right for you. Above all, pray for wisdom and consult your doctor before any major changes in your lifestyle, especially if you are under his care.)

1. I purchased a good book on how our bodies function and studied it until I had a good understanding of how all it’s parts work together.

2. I cleaned out my system. There are other cleansing products available but my favorite is Young Living Essential Oil’s Cleansing Trio. Also, much of what I learned about the function of the body was by studying Young Living literature. I use their products religiously. You can visit their website at www.youngliving.com .

3. I broke my chocolate, coffee and sugar addictions and eliminated soda pop.

4. I drink no less that a half gallon of water every day. VERY IMPORTANT!!

5. I learned about nutrition and began eating a balanced diet. That information is available to us all. Check out any box from a healthy cereal. The food triangle is usually printed on the side panel. I read labels.

6. I cut my portions little by little until I was eating about half as much as I was in the beginning. I also began cooking only what my family needed. No seconds.

7. I avoid temptations as much as possible. My husband and I avoid attending social affairs, if at all possible, where there will be an abundance of food . If we must attend we keep our portions small. I stay away from the junk food sections in the grocery store when I shop for food. I view them as poison to my body, just as D-Con is to a rat or mouse.

8. We have stopped eating out except on rare occasions. If we eat out we choose the most healthy food available and order small portions. No Biggie Sizes!!!

9. I exchanged bad fat for good fat. Olive oil and butter instead of margarine and hydrogenated shortenings.

10. I exercise as faithfully as I take a bath.

11. If I make a mistake and fall off the good health wagon, I pick myself up, dust off and climb right back on.

"It’s too expensive to eat healthy food," some will lament. I used to think so too. But consider this. If you cut out all the ice cream, cookies, cakes, pies, candy, chips, pop and all the rest of the junk food you usually buy, you will find yourself spending no more, and sometimes even less than you did before. And you will feel a whole lot better!!!

If you have any questions or comments about this article, or about what is working for you, please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

** Your Body--God’s Gift; Today’s Pentecostal Evangel; 22 June 03; Dr. JoAnn Butrin; pp16-17

All scripture is taken from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.