Food Junkies Podcast

Loretta Graziano Breuning, Ph.D. is the author of Habits of a Happy Brain: Retrain Your Brain to Boost Your Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin, and Endorphin Levels. She founded the Inner Mammal Institute to help people build new neural pathways to turn on their happy chemicals in new ways. (www.InnerMammalInstitute.org) As a Professor of Management at California State University, and a mom, Loretta was not convinced by prevailing theories of human motivation. While researching alternatives, she uncovered the brain chemistry we share with animals. She learned that each happy chemical evolved to motivate a specific survival behavior, not to make you feel good all the time for no reason. Then everything made sense, and she began creating resources to spread this knowledge: books, videos, blogs, podcasts, infographics, slide shows, social media, and a training program. Loretta's work has helped thousands of people "make peace with the animal inside." And she still marvels every day at the overlap between a wildlife documentary and the lyrics to a love song. Dr. Breuning's work has been translated into Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, French, Turkish, and German. She has been quoted in Forbes, NPR, the Wall St. Journal, Fox, Time, NBC, Psychology Today, Cosmopolitan, Real Simple, and Psychologies. Her podcast is "The Happy Brain," and she's been a guest on many podcasts, including Almost 30, James Altucher, Brainfluence, Recovery Unscripted, Fat Burning Man, Humans 2.0, and Yogabody. Details at InnerMammalInstitute.org. To become a Certified Inner Mammal Trainer and help people make peace with their inner mammal, check out our new training program at InnerMammalInstitute.org/training. In this Episode: Dr. Breuning's personal and professional journey Neurochemistry & the disease model Neural pathways & reward center wiring Alternative experiences & dealing with life on life's terms Understanding brain wiring and behavior Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphin The Inner Mammal Institute and Inner Mammal Method Satiation Expectation management and Distress Intolerance Dr. Breuning's take on addiction and Building Neuropathways What's next? Signature Question Follow Dr. Breuning: Website: https://innermammalinstitute.org/ Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/loretta-g-breuning-phd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorettabreuning/ Books: https://www.amazon.com/Loretta-Graziano-Breuning/e/B001K8RYKU%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede the professional relationship and direction of your healthcare provider. 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.

Erica Schulte, has a PhD in clinical psychology and is an assistant research professor in The Drexel University Center for Weight, Eating and Lifestyle Science (known as the WELL Centre). This is an interdisciplinary clinical research center which aims to develop, test and create new behavioral and technological solutions to the problems of obesity and disordered eating. Erica Schulte's program of research applies a cutting-edge perspective to understanding overeating and obesity by examining 1) which foods or food attributes (e.g., sugar) may be reinforcing in a manner that directly drives overeating, 2) whether core mechanisms of addictive disorders (e.g., withdrawal) may contribute to eating-related problems for vulnerable individuals, and 3) how food addiction may be a useful construct for individualized interventions. Schulte has investigated these empirical questions using a multi-method approach, including neuroimaging, scale development, food consumption paradigms, and self-report. Her Research Interest is the clinical utility of food addiction as a unique phenotype of disordered eating, the addictive potentials of ultra-processed foods, overlapping mechanisms implicated in substance-use disorders and eating and weight disorders, assessment of addictive-like eating behaviors, and treatment development for eating and weight disorders. She is passionate about finding solutions and validating ultra-processed foods addiction. Her inspired throughout her career has been listening to individuals express significant shame about their eating behavior and body weight, because they attribute it to personal weakness or a lack of willpower. Her mission is to help reduce and remove this self-blame by highlighting the direct roles that ultra-processed foods play in motivating eating behavior. These foods have been created by a multi-billion-dollar industry to be highly rewarding in a way that disrupts natural hunger signals and promotes cravings. Erica is developing a research program to inform new clinical interventions and public policies that address the influences of the food environment.

A recovering food addict, Debbie Danowski, Ph.D. has maintained a weight loss greater than the amount she now weighs for more than 12 years. As an alumnus of a food addiction treatment center, Dr. Danowski has consistently used the recovery program outlined in her first book, Why Can't I Stop Eating? to enjoy a 166-pound weight loss without the dangerous health risks. Professionally, Dr. Danowski has written more than 100 articles for national and local publications, including First For Women, Woman's Day, and Seventeen Magazine. She has also spoken at countless meetings, seminars, and conferences about food addiction, including Food Addiction 2000, the first national conference held on the disease. Additionally, Dr. Danowski was employed by the food addiction unit of a national treatment center, to educate mental health professionals about food addiction recovery. Currently, Dr. Danowski is an assistant professor of English at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, and a member of the University's Eating Disorders Prevention Team. Dr. Danowski earned her Ph.D. at Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she studied food representation in film. Dr. Danowski also has a Master's Degree in Public Communications with an emphasis in television, radio, and film from Syracuse University. In this episode: The personal Inpatient Treatment Experience Food Addiction Recovery as a Vegan 12 Step experience Recovery today vs early days Her books Kids and Sugar Resistance to Food Addiction Working with the Food Addiction Institute and SHiFT What's next? Signature Question Dr. Danowski's Books: The Emotional Eater's Book of Inspiration https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Eaters-Book-Inspiration/dp/1569242569/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2IGGN1TSTOA2G&keywords=the+emotional+eaters+book+of+inspiration&qid=1658687497&sprefix=the+emotional+eaters+book+o%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-1 Why Can't I stop Eating? https://www.amazon.com/Why-Cant-Stop-Eating-Understanding/dp/1568383657/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SWURV8ICUCP6&keywords=why+can%27t+i+stop+eating&qid=1658687469&sprefix=Why+Can%27t+I+Stop+%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-1 Overeaters Journal https://www.hazelden.org/store/item/2216?Overeaters-Journal Why Can't My Child Stop Eating? https://www.amazon.com/Why-Cant-Child-Stop-Eating/dp/1937612279/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PTKWEWIJ1AVB&keywords=Why+Can%27t+My+Child+Stop+Eating&qid=1658687431&s=books&sprefix=why+can%27t+my+child+stop+eatin%2Cstripbooks%2C165&sr=1-1 Locked Up For Eating Too Much https://www.amazon.com/Locked-Up-Eating-Too-Much/dp/1568387938/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1658687406&refinements=p_27%3ADebbie+Danowski++Ph.D.&s=books&sr=1-2 The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede the professional relationship and direction of your healthcare provider. 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.

David Courtwright specializes in drug history. He also writes about violence, political and policy history, aviation, and frontier environments. He has taught medical, U.S., and world history at the University of North Florida, where he is presidential professor emeritus in the Department of History. Courtwright has published influential books on drug use and drug policy, both in American and world history; the social problems of frontier environments on the land and in the air; and the culture war that roiled American politics during and after the 1960s. Whether it is about drugs, violence, aerospace, or cultural politics, his research is concerned with power, policy, and social structure. His ambition is to identify what drives fundamental changes in modern social and political history. Courtwright's teaching and research have been recognized by the John A. Delaney Presidential Professorship, the UNF Distinguished Professor Award, five teaching awards, the College on Problems of Drug Dependence Media Award, and fellowships from the American Historical Association, NASA, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, including a 2016-2017 NEH Public Scholar Award. In this episode: Personal – how did Dr. Courtwright get into the history of addiction Limbic Capitalism and pleasure circuitry What is the food industry? Digital Addiction Activism & Awareness of Addiction Sugar taxes and public policy Dr. Courtwright's latest book: The Age of Addiction – How Bad Habits Became Big Business Consumerist Dystopia Harm Reduction Solutions – graffiti campaigns, public health notices, clever propaganda, class action suits What's next? Signature Question Find Dr. Courtwright: Website: https://davidcourtwright.domains.unf.edu/ Books The Age of Addiction https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674737372 No Right Turn https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?recid=30104 Sky As Frontier https://www.tamupress.com/search-results/?keyword=Sky-as-Frontier Forces of Habit https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674010031 Dark Paradise https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674005853 Violent Land https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674278714 Addicts Who Survived https://www.amazon.com/Addicts-Who-Survived-History-Narcotic/dp/1572339373/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378394255&sr=1-7 The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede the professional relationship and direction of your healthcare provider. 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.

Terri Cole is a licensed psychotherapist, relationship expert, an author, and a total Boundary Boss. She's taught thousands of women just like you to talk true, be seen, and finally live FREE as the most authentic, most empowered version of themselves. Terri is a global leading expert in personal empowerment. For two decades, she has worked with some of the world's most well-known personalities, from international pop stars to Fortune 500 CEOs. She has a gift for making complex psychological concepts accessible and then actionable. All of the practices, techniques and concepts she shares are informed by the Five Pillars of Self Mastery, a transformational system based on her personal and professional experience as a licensed clinical therapist for more than 2 decades. She believes we are WAY overdue for a healthy boundary REVOLUTION. Today Terri talks to use about: What boundaries are How critical it is to have good boundaries Why is it so hard to set boundaries How NOT setting boundaries serves us Some telltale signs that you have problems with boundaries How do we set them kindly and clearly without sounding mean What is secondary gain? Can it help explain how it keeps us stuck in our slips, binges and a return to use? Then we unpack perfectionism and codepepndency with a new version of codepepndecy that will make your head spin. High-functioning codependency! FOR MORE FROM TERRI COLE Grab a copy of Boundary Boss – The Essential Guide to Talk True, Be Seen and (Finally) Live Free. https://www.amazon.ca/Boundary-Boss-Essential-Guide-Finally/dp/1683647688?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1626374348&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=jamiescrimgeo-20&linkId=61b840e1b215a5797523d998df1cd26a&language=en_CA&ref_=as_li_ss_tl Get her free guide: Codependency & Boundaries https://boundaryboss.me/codependency/ Website: https://www.terricole.com Instagram: @terricole Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerriColeLCSW The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede the professional relationship and direction of your healthcare provider. 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.

Society has come up with every diet imaginable in our journey toward living healthy, but rates of obesity continue to rise. Food journalist Mark Schatzker argues that tampering with the food we eat has harmed our ability to properly feed ourselves. MARK SCHATZKER is the author of The End of Craving, The Dorito Effect and Steak. He is a writer in residence at the Modern Diet and Physiology Research Center, which is affiliated with Yale University. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Best American Travel Writing and Annual Review of Psychology. He lives in Toronto. LINKS Check out Mark Schatzker on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. See his website https://www.markschatzker.com for links to purchase his books. See some scientific studies mentioned in the interview and Schatzker's book: • This 2020 in Cell Metabolism shows how artificial sweeteners can reduce insulin sensitivity and blunt brain response to sucrose https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(20)30057-7 • This 2017 study in Current Biology suggests how artificial sweeteners disrupt normal physiological responses to carbohydrate ingestion https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(17)30876-X?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS096098221730876X%3Fshowall%3Dtrue Learn more about Canada's permitted food additives and how they are regulated here. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/food-safety/food-additives.html INSIGHTS 1. The stigma against people with obesity is that they are overindulgent or weak. "This is absolutely wrong," says Schatzker. Instead, the brains of obese people respond to food differently. For example, at the sight of food, research has shown that obese people experience a spike in dopamine levels in their brains' reward centres. "The difference," says Schatzker, "is one of craving." 2. "We always thought that sweetness is this indulgent, enjoyable sensation," says Schatzker. "It's actually like an instruction manual… for how much energy we're getting." When our food contains additives like artificial sweeteners or fat replacers, it tastes like it should contain more sugar or fat than it actually does. "When there's this mismatch… the brain doesn't know what to do," Schatzker says. "It kind of throws up its hands." The uncertainty of how much energy we're getting leads the body to want to eat more, just to cover its bases. Which explains the obesity crisis in North America, where so much of the diet is processed (a.k.a. mismatched) food. 3. "We tend to think that our appetite is primitive and unhinged, and that there's something wrong with food," says Schatzker. As a result, we've been adding things to our food to change its taste, texture, shelf-life or caloric content, and these additives have been directly altering our brains and the amount of food that we're driven to eat. To make matters worse, these additives are difficult to spot on ingredient labels. They're often called things that sound healthy and natural, like citrus fibre or milk protein (both fat replacers). 4. "If delicious food is a guilty pleasure, you would expect that Italians would be the heaviest people in the world," says Schatzker. In fact Italy has one of the world's lowest obesity rates, and he credits that to Italy's cultural attitude toward mealtime, home cooking and savouring. "Eating is meant to be deeply pleasurable, so don't be afraid to enjoy real food. That's the way it's meant to be eaten," he says. The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede the professional relationship and direction of your healthcare provider. 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.

In today's episode Dr. Vera Tarman and Clarissa Kennedy interview Susan Peirce Thompson to talk about her latest book, REZOOM: The Powerful Reframe to End the Crash-and-Burn Cycle of Food Addiction. Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D. is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester and an expert in the psychology of eating. She is President of the Institute for Sustainable Weight Loss and the founder of the worldwide Bright Line Eating movement. Her first two books, including "Bright Line Eating: The Science of Living Happy, Thin, and Free," became New York Times bestsellers and instant Hay House favorites. Her work weaves the neuroscience of food addiction with powerful insights from Positive Psychology, IFS, and 12-Step Recovery to outline a roadmap for achieving true integrity and self-authorship around food. The Bright Line Eating mission is to help one million people around the globe discover lasting food freedom and have their "Bright Transformations" by 2025. Website: https://susanpeircethompson.com/ The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede the professional relationship and direction of your healthcare provider. 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.

After earning a BS in biochemistry at the University of Virginia, Dr. Guyenet completed a Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of Washington, then went on to study the neuroscience of obesity and eating behavior as a postdoctoral fellow. He has spent a total of 12 years in the neuroscience research world studying neurodegenerative disease and the neuroscience of body fatness. His publications in scientific journals have been cited more than 3,600 times by my peers. Today, Dr. Guyenet continues his mission to advance science and public health as a researcher, science consultant, and science communicator. His book, The Hungry Brain, was released in February of 2017 and was named one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly and called "essential" by the New York Times Book Review. Dr. Guyenet is a Senior Researcher at GiveWell and a scientific reviewer for the Examine.com Research Digest. Dr. Guyenet is the founder and director of Red Pen Reviews, which publishes the most informative, consistent, and unbiased popular health and nutrition book reviews available. He is the primary designer of an innovative course-based body weight management program called the Ideal Weight Program, which is part of the HumanOS platform. Dr. Guyenet periodically contributes to the scientific literature and is a review editor at Frontiers in Nutrition. Today Clarissa and I spoke with Dr. Guyenet about: Dr. Guyenet's thoughts on food addiction Food Selection Motivational States Craving as a whole and Craving specific foods Genetic role Medications Exercise Body "set point" And more! Find Dr. Guyenet: Website Book: The Hungry Brain Twitter The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede the professional relationship and direction of your healthcare provider. 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.

Dr. Stephan Guyenet received his doctorate in neuroscience and has developed expertise in the study of obesity and eating behavior. He is the author of the 2017 best-selling book: The Hungry Brain: Outsmarting the Instincts That make us Overeat. He has also designed a course-based body weight management program called the Ideal Weight Program. One interesting aspect for us at Food Junkies is how Dr. Guyenet upholds the belief that it IS calories that matter the most when it comes to obesity (and NOT sugar specifically). He does however add that it IS the addiction to trigger foods, such as sugar that leads to overeating the calories that then lead to obesity. In this episode: Dr. Guyenet's personal and professional journey The Obesity Model Processed Foods and Hyper-Palatability Food/Sugar Addiction Volume eating Weight loss/diets Signature question Find Dr. Guyenet: Website: https://www.stephanguyenet.com/ Book: The Hungry Brain Twitter The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede the professional relationship and direction of your healthcare provider. 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.

Dr. Ann Saffi Biasetti has been a practicing Psychotherapist for over 30 years. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology with a Transpersonal concentration and is licensed as a Clinical Social Worker. She is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) through IAEDP, a trained Mindful Self-Compassion and Mindfulness teacher, a trained Polyvagal Theory therapist, as well as a Certified MABT practitioner, and Certified Yoga therapist. Dr. Ann Saffi Biasetti's doctoral research explored the role of self-compassion in eating disorder recovery. Her first book, Befriending Your Body: A Self-Compassionate Approach to Freeing Yourself from Disordered Eating, was released through Shambhala Publications in August 2018 and her second publication, the Awakening Self-Compassion Card Deck was released through Shambhala Publications in December 2021. Ann's approach is not just about talking about your life but rather, helping you to step back into it in an embodied way to re-discover something new and different and to help empower you toward action and lasting growth and change. IN THE EPISODE: Personal and professional journey How she works with clients Befriending Your Body Program Body Image Abstaining and Self-Compassion Recovery, Healing, and Relapse Perfectionism Psychospiritual growth! What is it? Do we need it? How do we get it? Resistance Signature Question FOLLOW ANN: Website: https://www.anembodiedlife.com/ Book: Befriending Your Body https://www.anembodiedlife.com/befriending-your-body/the-book/ Self-Compassion Card Deck https://www.anembodiedlife.com/befriending-your-body/awakening-self-compassion-card-deck/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnEmbodiedLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anembodiedlife/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnEmbodiedLife The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede the professional relationship and direction of your healthcare provider. 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.