At a glance
First published2010
AudienceAdult
ISBN031029326X
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for: Women in the evangelical Christian tradition who have cycled through conventional diet advice and are looking for spiritual and motivational grounding — rather than another meal plan — to address their relationship with food.
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Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food by Lysa TerKeurst is a Christian living book that reframes food struggles as a spiritual issue, arguing that human cravings are designed to be satisfied by God rather than by food. Rather than offering a diet plan, TerKeurst addresses the emotional and spiritual "want to" that conventional health advice leaves untouched — making it a strong fit for women within the evangelical Christian tradition who have cycled through practical diet advice without lasting results. Readers outside the Christian faith or those seeking nutritional guidance will find the book's theological premise does not translate to their needs.
- Is it worth reading?
- For its intended audience — women within the evangelical Christian tradition who have struggled to sustain motivation through conventional diet advice — Made to Crave fills a distinct and well-defined niche. TerKeurst's personal, testimony-driven narrative makes the spiritual premise accessible, and the book's explicit focus on the emotional and spiritual root of food cravings sets it apart from behavior-modification wellness titles. However, readers outside the Christian faith will find the book's core argument does not apply to their worldview, and anyone seeking nutritional, dietary, or exercise guidance will not find it here. The strong reader enthusiasm on Christianbook.com reflects genuine resonance within its core readership, but fit is the decisive factor.
- Similar books
- Readers who connect with Made to Crave may want to explore its companion volume, the Made to Crave Action Plan Bible Study Participant's Guide (co-authored by Lysa TerKeurst and Ski Chilton), which offers a more structured, applied Bible study experience for those wanting hands-on engagement with the same material. TerKeurst's I'll Start Again Monday: Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Eating Habits revisits the theme of food and faith for readers who want to go deeper with her approach. For a broader faith-based wellness perspective, The Daniel Plan by Rick Warren, Daniel Amen, and Mark Hyman is a widely read companion in the genre. Readers curious about the emotional and psychological dimensions of eating — from a secular perspective — may also find Women Food and God by Geneen Roth or Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch worth considering, though those titles approach the subject from outside a Christian framework.
- Who should read this?
- Made to Crave is positioned squarely for women within the evangelical Christian tradition who already understand the practical mechanics of healthy eating but struggle to sustain motivation. TerKeurst's own framing makes the audience explicit: this is for the reader who has cycled through conventional advice — 'eat less and move more' — and found it emotionally or spiritually insufficient. It is not a book for readers seeking nutritional guidance, dietary frameworks, or exercise programming, nor is it suitable for readers outside the Christian faith, for whom the book's central theological premise will not apply.
- About Lysa TerKeurst
- Lysa TerKeurst is an American speaker and author of Christian non-fiction.
- What are the main themes?
- The book's primary theme is the spiritual root of food cravings — TerKeurst argues that human beings were made to crave God, and that overindulgence in food represents a misdirection of that longing. Related themes include the gap between knowing how to be healthy and actually sustaining motivation, the role of personal testimony and vulnerability in faith-based transformation, and the use of scripture as a framework for everyday struggles. The 21-day challenge companion extends these themes into a structured practice, reflecting TerKeurst's intent to move readers from spiritual insight to applied change.
- How does this compare to I'll Start Again Monday?
- Both Made to Crave and I'll Start Again Monday by Lysa TerKeurst address the intersection of faith and food struggles, sharing the same testimony-driven, scripture-grounded approach. Made to Crave is TerKeurst's foundational work on the subject, establishing the core premise that cravings are spiritual in nature; I'll Start Again Monday — subtitled Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Eating Habits — revisits and extends that territory for readers who want to continue working through the faith-and-food theme. Readers who respond strongly to Made to Crave are the natural audience for I'll Start Again Monday.
Summarize this book
Is it worth reading?
Who should read this?
About Lysa TerKeurst
What are the main themes?
How does this compare to I'll Start Again Monday?
Summarize this book
Made to Crave, published by Thomas Nelson in December 2010, is a Christian living and personal development book in which Lysa TerKeurst argues that human beings were made to crave God, and that many people have misplaced that longing by overindulging in food. The book does not prescribe what to eat or how to exercise; instead, TerKeurst draws on scripture and her own personal testimony — including her own pattern of turning to food like chocolate cake after a hard day — to help readers redirect their hunger toward what she describes as a faithful Heavenly Father. Companion resources, including a 21-day email challenge and a community at madetocrave.org, extend the book's engagement beyond its pages.
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Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Adult
Reading level
Adult
who it suits
Skip if you are looking for practical nutritional, dietary, or exercise guidance, or you do not approach food struggles through an evangelical Christian faith framework.
Editorial Review
Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst is a Christian living book published by Thomas Nelson that reframes food struggles as a spiritual issue, arguing that human cravings are designed to be satisfied by God rather than by food. Rather than offering a diet plan, it addresses the emotional and spiritual "want to" that TerKeurst contends conventional health advice misses.…
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