A New Look at Food “Slip and Falls”

Do you have frequent food 'slip and falls'? Here's a question to think about: Do you keep slipping in the same place? The reason I asked is that when people have food slips, it's usually in the same place! It's usually the same food or food types, plus the same trigger situations. This reminds me of a painful "slip and fall" accident that happened to me about 15 years ago. I was in a train station and I slipped on a water puddle on the stairs. I fell down the stairs and twisted my left knee and ankle. I had to have knee surgery eventually to repair the torn knee ligaments. I spent weeks in recovery with physical therapy and having to move about on crutches. Now imagine that my fall was not uncommon in this train station; for years, people had been slipping on water puddles and falling down the stairs. What should the train station do about it? Proverbs 22:3 says,

"A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished."

In this case, "hide" doesn't mean cover your eyes and pretend like no problem exists; it means "protect yourself from harm." Here is how you can apply 3 lessons to food slips: 1.Accept responsibility Would not that train station be responsible for their patrons' injuries if they knew about the continual problem but did not protect the people from the water hazard? The train station may have argued that the slip was an isolated incident. However, if there was a track record of patrons' injuries from slipping in the same spot, then the station must accept responsibility for the problem. This assumes the patron wasn't engaging in an irresponsible behavior, such as running down the stairs. So, do you have a track record of slipping in the same place? That means that you are on notice; this is an issue that must be addressed to avoid future injury. 2. Investigate the circumstances surrounding the slip. An African proverb says, "Don't look where you fell; look where you slipped." In the case of the train station, their reaction to the slip and fall incident was to launch an investigation into what happened. Regarding food slips, we can benefit from the same approach! Many people spend time condemning themselves for food slips but don't examine the circumstances surrounding the slip. If you never confront the issue, then you can't conquer it. So if this is an area where you continually slip regarding food, then consider the following for your investigation: * What specific situation caused the slip (details about the food, the time of day, the circumstances)? * What was your emotional state before the incident? * Were their other people around you when the slip happened (witnesses or accomplices)? * What were the environmental conditions, such as did you have foods in your environment that made it easy for you to slip? 3. Implement slip prevention tactics In my case, the water I slipped on came from patrons tracking water in from the outside on a rainy day. So the station could have put up warning signs to alert patrons of the hazard or barriers to protect patrons from the hazard. Regarding your slip prevention plan with food, I suggest taking the matter to the Lord in prayer first. Seek him for wisdom regarding how you should manage the circumstances you discovered in your investigation. You may also seek Godly counsel in the matter from someone who has been in your shoes. You may have to test different strategies until you find one that works consistently, but be willing to go through that process. After all, isn't your future health worth the effort? Be blessed with health, healing and wholeness, Kimberly Taylor Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple program P.S. When it comes to weight loss, do you often know what you should do but have a hard time doing it? You are not alone! I struggled with this issue on my own weight loss journey, but I discovered that “Nothing is different until you think differently.” The value of the Take Back Your Temple program is that you will learn how to think differently through using Biblical keys to overcome obstacles. You’ll discover how to win the Spiritual and mental battle that often causes us to become inconsistent and get off-track on our weight loss journey. This is "can't-miss" information if you are ready to succeed permanently and join a community of others doing the same. Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple program