Food as an Idol

The best-selling book for ABC's Ministries, Food as an Idol: Finding Freedom from Disordered
Eating published in 2017 offers hope and practical methods to overcoming and preventing disordered eating.
This book is an adapted version of that book intended to reach a broader audience, especially classroom
educators.
The first book entitled Food as an Idol was born out of the author's own struggle with food and body
image issues throughout her childhood and young adult years. Like the first book entitled Food as an Idol,
this book also includes sections on the types, causes, consequences, and conquering of disordered eating. To
give book purchasers a better understanding of the contents of the book, the subtitle has been changed to The
Types, Causes Consequences, Conquering, and Prevention of Disordered Eating.
According to the author, the key points in overcoming and finding freedom from disordered eating that
is stressed within Food as an Idol is to recognize both over and under eating as a symptom of something
missing deeper within the heart of an individual and that disordered eating is a barrier between his or her
relationship with God. Not until one discovers the roots of disordered eating and surrenders his or her
appetites to God can one find true freedom and deliverance from disordered eating.
The section in both books of most importance to the author is information concerning the prevention
of disordered eating. For example, often parents unintentionally set children up for eating disorders by using
food as rewards and punishment. Such unhealthy practices of parents are covered within both editions of the
book, as well as ways that schools and churches can help fight the obesity and disordered eating epidemic in
America and around the world.
How is Food as an Idol: The Types, Causes Consequences, Conquering, and Prevention of Disordered
Eating different from the first book? Intending this edition to be suitable as a textbook, the author has added
an index and, at the end of each chapter a list of Key Terms and Questions for Reflection. Additionally, with
the increasing number of sexual abuse scandals being reported in the news, the author thinks she would be
remiss to not include more information linking sexual abuse and disordered eating. Thus, a revised edition of
an article entitled "Linking Disordered Eating with Sexual Abuse" published by the author on her blog has
been added to the Special Topics section.