Book Review: Made to Crave

Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food by Lisa TerKeurst

I started reading this book last summer with a couple of women from church. One of them had ordered the DVDs that went along with the book, so we would read on our own, then come together to watch the DVD and discuss everything. I read most of it last summer and finished it in a final spurt in the spring. Then it took me months to find the time to review it.

I don't like to write about the need to be healthier for lots of reasons. The top of that long list is a reluctance to admit I'm displeased with my current health and to open myself up to comments from people who read the blog that I "look fabulous" or "like you've been losing weight" which are based more on the desire to make me feel good than any real difference they've seen. So, please feel no need to say anything if you happen to see me in person.

This book is very easy to read. Ms. TerKeurst has an easy conversational style; I felt very much like I would like to sit down and have tea with her. She was upbeat and realistic but she didn't gloss over anything. She reiterates that though God loves us just as we are, He wants better for us.

Ms. TerKeurst provides a good Scriptural study in eating, food, and cravings. It doesn't provide examples of diets or recommendations for how to go about being healthier; it's more about finding Biblical reasons and supports for converting to and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. I found many of her insights helpful and revealing.

In particular, I liked one part in the book where she encouraged the readers to focus on obedience rather than results. It's hard not to look at the scale in the morning or focus on how clothes are still tight, but it's not really about how much we weigh. It should be about eating food that is nutritious and beneficial to our bodies, moving and using our bodies to their full potential and focusing on what God wants of us (rather than on how bummed we feel when we look in the mirror or at the scale or go shopping for clothes). It's better to slowly but permanently change our habits than to see quick results that disappear just as quickly.

It's not a Catholic book. Though I think it would be valuable for Catholics, I also would encourage Catholics to read it with other Catholics. It seems like there would be a lot of room for discussion about the spiritual food we receive in the Eucharist at Mass.

I had the Participant's Guide as well. I thought it was nice to have, but there are plenty of questions and thoughts to ponder within the book itself so it's not necessary.

I can't compare this book to others in its genre, because I haven't read anything like this before. I think it could be a nice supplement for Christian and Catholic women who are attempting to change their eating and exercise habits for the better.