Food Junkies Podcast Episode 274: Chérie St. Arnauld | Grassroots Mobilization — How We Push the Message of Food Addiction Forward
What does it take to turn personal pain into policy change? In this episode, Dr. Vera Tarman sits down with Chérie St. Arnauld, Executive Director of Metabolic Revolution and a passionate advocate for metabolic health, to explore the power of grassroots mobilization in the fight against ultra-processed foods.
Chérie grew up in a household shaped by economic constraints and ultra-processed food. It was her sister's cancer diagnosis, and the radical dietary intervention that gave her 10 more years of life, that forever changed how Chérie understood the relationship between food and healing. Today, she's channeling that lived experience into one of the most dynamic grassroots organizations in the metabolic health space.
In this conversation, Vera and Chérie explore what the food addiction and metabolic health communities can learn from each other, and what it actually looks like to build a movement from the ground up.
🎙️ What We Cover:
• Chérie's story: growing up on ultra-processed foods, her sister's illness, and the whole-food dietary shift that changed everything
• How a ketogenic diet transformed Chérie's mental health and clarity
• The founding of Metabolic Revolution and its mission to empower individuals to demand change from their institutions
• The October 2024 Rally for Metabolic Health at the Washington Monument — how it happened, who spoke, and what it sparked
• The petition to ban ultra-processed foods from school meals — and the volunteer-led school lunch committee it inspired
• A halted ketogenic therapy research study at the University of Maryland — and how Metabolic Revolution took action
• The parallel between Big Food and Big Tobacco — and what a master settlement agreement could look like
• Grassroots strategies: rallies, community walks, petitions, state attorney general investigations, and more
• Why individual stories + research + cost data may be the most powerful combination in advocacy
• The intersection of food addiction and metabolic health — and why these movements are stronger together
• What the food addiction world can learn from Metabolic Revolution's bottom-up approach
🔗 Resource(s) Mentioned:
• Metabolic Revolution: metabolicrevolution.org
🙌 If you or someone you love is struggling with ultra-processed food use disorder, please visit us at sweetsobriety.ca and foodjunkiespodcast.com
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The Food Junkies Podcast is hosted by Dr. Vera Tarman, Molly Painschab, and Clarissa Kennedy. We explore the science, stories, and solutions behind food addiction and ultra-processed food use disorder.
The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.