Food Triggers is a book I didn’t know I needed. Several months ago, I finally had enough with my bad health habits and weight gain, so I decided to do something about it. As I went through my own health journey, Amber’s book was the support I needed to show me that I was not alone in my struggles.
So many of the “triggers” are ones that I personally experience. The chapters on external triggers like feeling defeated, eating when you are bored, eating mindlessly, and beverages all rang painfully true for me. The internal triggers were just as accurate: when you are stressed, when you are addicted to sugar or food, when you feed your emotions. I didn’t even realize some of these things about my habits until I saw them in front of me.
This book helps to identify common triggers that people experience. When we can identify them, we can change them. Food Triggers doesn’t give you lofty ideas and then leave you wondering what to do. It provides a way to move forward and not let these triggers determine your choices. One of the main things missing in previous attempts at losing weight was that I was focusing on numbers instead of my WHY.
Amber lines out, “When challenges come, remembering your why forces hindrances (the things that might trip you up or trigger you) to yield, opening up a pathway to success.”
When I am tempted, or triggered, I can now use my healthy habit of focusing on WHY I want to make healthy choices. For me, it’s about honoring God with my body and being ready for whatever he calls me. Second, to be healthy for my husband and sons so that I can care for them and not cause unnecessary pain or grief to them because of my unhealthy choices.
I was in denial about my sugar addiction, but getting the facts about how addictive sugar really is, helped me to move past it. Knowing that I was not alone and that I could overcome it was the encouragement I needed.
“God-honoring habits are a reflection of your willingness to obey God by stewarding your body and allowing nothing to take root in your life except that which will refine you and allow you to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit.”
I am overwhelmingly grateful for this book. I know when I need a reminder, I can pick it up and go straight to the chapters which spoke to me most. Removing the idols in my heart have pushed me closer to the Lord and relying on Him more to meet my needs.
Jodi Arndt 