Food Addiction, the Problem and the Solution (Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir )

Large food companies, previously owned by tobacco companies, know that we are addicted to sugar and ultra-processed foods.  These companies are making large profits using the same tobacco addiction model with items they are selling us to eat. Food companies add sugars to food items, like high fructose corn syrup, and 250 other sugars to the engineered items they call food.  Meanwhile, the U.S. population is over 50 percent obese with many health problems and our children are becoming addicted to sugar and these chemically-altered items. We are made to feel like it is our fault as food addicts, by these food companies and by medical professionals, that we just need to eat less and exercise more to lose weight and become healthy. Sugar and highly processed foods cause a dopamine release in our brains identical to other addictive substances like alcohol and drugs causing us to become addicted.  Dr. Nicole Avena and Dr. Erica LaFata, are two professionals who have made it their life’s work to raise awareness about our sugar and ultra-processed food addiction. Dr. Avena’s book Sugarless, Book, Dr. Nicole Avena, and Dr. Erica LaFata’s research using the Yale Food Addiction Scale  have helped progress our understanding of what is actually going on.  Dr. Avena and Dr. LaFata presented their findings at the International Food Addiction Consensus Conference (IFAC) held in London, May, 2024.  Professionals gathered at this conference and reached a consensus: Ultra-processed foods should be recognized in the International Classifications of Diseases (ICD) and the APA’s (DSM), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a substance-use disorder, identical to alcohol and drugs.  The only question now is:  As a society, how long will it take for us to see the truth?  That we are ADDICTED:  to sugar and ultra-processed foods …..and they are killing us.  And how many millions must die as our country spends billions on obesity-related illnesses for us to recognize that we are addicted to sugar and ultra-processed foods? It is not our fault.  There is a problem and there is a solution.  

Kristie M., a recovered food addict, has been maintaining a 170-pound weight loss for many years.  Having been a child of obese parents and one parent who abused alcohol, she identifies as being obsessed with food early in her life and dealt with the shame and denial of not being able to control her weight or food use on her own.  There were many food behaviors including secret eating that plagued any success around the use of diets to control her weight or food. A work colleague told her about a 12-step recovery program for the disease that she entered. Despite a relapse about five years into her abstinence in which she gained 100 pounds, she came back fully surrendered to her addiction to sugar, flour, and volume eating and today she maintains a normal body weight.  Kristie has experienced tragedies in her life yet today she accepts life on life’s terms.  Recovery has taught her to live for today, not dwell in the past or worry about the future as she has changed how she thinks, behaves, and reacts to people and life events. She says her life has been transformed by finding freedom from food addiction with a program that works for her. https://www.infactschool.online/

These three incredible professionals have not only personally experienced recovery from addiction, but they have made it their life’s work to help others recover from food addiction and eating disorders.  This podcast panel episode is comprised of three well-known experts in the treatment of food addiction and eating disorders, Dr. Marty Lerner, Amanda Leith, and Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir.  Dr. Marty Lerner is the founder and CEO of the Milestones in Recovery program (Milestones In Recovery website // https://www.milestonesprogram.org/) in southeast Florida Amanda Leith heads SHiFT, Recovery by Acorn ( SHiFT website // https://foodaddiction.com/), and Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir, owner of this podcast, leads the INFACT School (INFACT School website // https://www.infactschool.online/). These professionals agree that as we look at the differences and similarities between eating disorders and food addiction, it can be complicated. Yet one thing they all agree on, eating disorders almost always have some basis in an addictive bodily response, and or addictive and compulsive food behaviors.   The absolute importance of complete abstinence from addictive foods such as sugar, ultra-processed foods, flour, and other trigger foods, weighing and measuring portions can be critical to recovery.   Treatment programs for food addiction are quite valuable to help engage food addicts to begin recovery and food plans can vary by individual.   While there are many ways to look at the emotional and spiritual aspects of food addiction recovery, all agree that 12-step programs are important to long-term recovery. Our society focuses on quick fixes for weight control, restrictive diets, surgery, and drugs, yet the solution is getting to the nature of the addiction and the emotional work around food use and behaviors.  Listen to these experts talk about the disease of food addiction and eating disorders and learn how treatment can work, there is a solution to weight control and compulsive food behaviors.  International Food Addiction Consensus Conference, May 17, 2024 // https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/international-food-addiction-consensus-conference-ifacc-2024-registration-732854436347

Dr. Robert Lustig has a degree from MIT, a medical degree from Cornell University and a law degree from U.C. Hastings.  He is bold in his messaging: Our metabolic health as a nation has been negatively affected by our nutrition---We are not eating real foods, whole foods.  Sugar is added to ultra-processed foods and it is making us sicker.  75 percent of our health care costs in the U.S. are due to our poor metabolic health which is related directly to our poor nutrition.  Doctors treat the symptoms of metabolic disease and do not urge prevention through eating real food. The food industry and big pharma are all financially highly incented to keep us addicted and they know sugar and ultra-processed foods are addictive.   His Youtube video, Sugar: The Bitter Truth (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM) has gone viral with over 24 million views.  His most recent book Metabolical: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Metabolical&i=stripbooks&crid=3KXLJ2N75LH2J&sprefix=metabolical%2Cstripbooks%2C109&ref=nb_sb_noss_1) offers an excellent account of what is truly going on:  Food and sugar addiction are real, the food industry knows this and adds sugar to foods, our doctors are treating the symptoms of obesity and metabolic syndrome by throwing pills at the problem and the pharmaceutical industry is motivated to be complicit. Dr. Lustig is a vocal advocate for placing Food Addiction in the DSM-V as a substance use disorder just like alcohol and drugs so that insurance companies will pay for treatment.  What a brilliant and inspiring man Dr. Robert Lustig is! Listen in!   

Dr. Joan Ifland is a leading authority and expert in highly-processed Food Addiction and wellness recovery and has personal experience with food addiction.  When she realized that her mental and physical health was being negatively affected by the food she was eating, she began to make changes involving eliminating certain foods and utilizing recovery.  Dr. Ifland gives practitioners and clients new insights into why food addiction recovery can lead to health improvement from nutrition-related diseases. She cites a statistic in which 1.6 million Americans will die from diet/nutrition-related diseases each year.  She also says that it was no coincidence that tobacco companies purchased food companies years ago and applied an addiction-prone model as they add sugar to foods and make highly-processed “food-like substances”, all of which are highly addictive.  Dr. Joan Ifland counsels clients by building awareness around severe cravings disorder and how to break the cycle and live a mentally and physically healthy lifestyle.  Her group Food Addiction Reset program information and her company can be found at these websites: Processed Food Addiction  https://www.processedfoodaddiction.com/   Food Addiction Reset https://www.foodaddictionreset.com/

Dr. Vera Tarman is the Medical Director of Renascent, one of Canada’s largest treatment centers for substance abuse where she works as an addiction specialist. Dr. Tarman cites the statistic in her book, Food Junkies:  the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that by the year 2030, 84% of the U.S. population will be overweight and 42 % will be obese. After recovering from food addiction herself by maintaining a 100-lb weight loss for more than 12 years, Dr. Tarman is on the front lines in presenting the message about the problem of food addiction and recovery solutions through her work, her book, Food Junkies: Recovery From Food Addiction and her podcast Food Junkies. We discuss how sugar and processed foods can be addictive and contribute to the growing obesity crisis and are the “tobacco of the 70s”.  Since the truth about food addiction has not been acknowledged and accepted, the food industry, insurance, and pharmaceutical industries continue to benefit financially without addressing in a meaningful way how addictive foods contribute to health issues today. The length of time it takes for people to withdraw from excess food, sugar, and trigger foods varies by individual but is typically three to four weeks. Dr. Vera Tarman is an instructor at the INFACT School https://infactschool.com/ and is an internationally renowned expert on sugar and food addiction and knows recovery is possible. This is a wonderful episode. Check out Dr. Tarman’s Facebook group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/SugarFreeForLife

Anna Maria S., a recovered food addict, was a child of alcoholic parents.  Her childhood was one characterized by instability and sexual abuse. Though she was not aware of the sexual abuse until later in life, once she acknowledged the abuse and processed it, she was able to deal with it.  She began to cope with life stress by using food as a solution early at the age of 7.  After many failed diets Anna Maria was desperate and weighing 286 pounds, she was on the eve of gastric bypass surgery, yet elected instead to enter a food addiction treatment program. There Anna Maria learned her food addiction disease was not her fault and decided to try another way and transformed her life into a new one. After three years of abstinence from sugar, flour, and trigger foods, weighing and measuring her food, and working a 12-step program, she has released 106 pounds. Today she has freedom from food addiction by dealing with her life through working a program of recovery.  A long-time, self-proclaimed people-pleaser, she has learned to set healthy boundaries. Her life has transformed into one of happiness and peace, a life she could only have dreamed of when she was using food to deal with her life.  Anna Maria loves to hike and walked 205 miles with her husband on the El Camino Trail in Spain. Tune into this inspiring food addiction recovery story!  www.infactschool.com

Erin K, a recovered food addict was exposed to addiction and 12-step recovery as a child which she believes helped her realize that her food addiction could be alleviated through 12-step recovery work.  She knew early on that she did not use food for nourishment, but rather to soothe her anxiety and to feel normal. Erin’s powerlessness and her compulsive behaviors around food drove her life. It was not until she surrendered to her disease at the age of 18 and stopped blaming others and taking responsibility for her life that she began to recover from the disease of food addiction.  Later in her life, she had a relapse from abstinence and food began once again to dominate her life.  Today she has 11 years of successive abstinence and through recovery Erin has freedom from food addiction. She recommends to anyone who cannot control their food or weight on their own to consider recovery and that there is freedom from being controlled by food.

Amy B.’s highest known weight was 265 as she used food for many years to deal with stress, anxiety and life challenges. While there is humor and a comedic lightness in this podcast episode discussion between two food-recovered food addicts, the messages are serious and important in talking about what it was like and recovery from food addiction. A recovered alcoholic, Amy used food in the same ways she used alcohol, addictively and to numb emotional pain.  Within the laughter, we talk about how we were numbing ourselves with food and alcohol and found that using a 12-step programs of recovery dealt with each addiction’s negative consequences including carrying excess body weight. As an only child, she was not taught that feeling emotions was OK and learned to escape them in self-destructive ways.  In recovery from food addiction, she learned that her emotions were not going to kill her as she processed them without using food.   We talked about how the transformation in recovery helped her deal with relationships and life stresses in a new way.    Amy learned that she needed to surrender her food addiction to a higher power and get to work on taking action in recovery.  Today she is free from food addiction as she eats no sugar with the use of a food plan which involves eating whole foods that her body needs to maintain a healthy body weight. Listen in to this inspiring story of recovery from food addiction!

In his book, Recovery Mind Training Dr. Paul Earley cites the statistic that addiction is a devastating brain disease affecting over 23 million individuals including their loved ones in the U.S. alone. He says that the single biggest driver around addiction is genetics and that there is a strong genetic link with addiction in families.  Dr. Earley describes how powerful and insidious the Addict Brain is as it hijacks our brains without us being aware. The Addict Brain is like a computer virus running autonomously in the background virtually undetectable overwhelming an individual's conscious control by reorganizing life goals and ensuring its survival.  Once the addict recognizes this and begins to realize the Addict Brain’s power as negative consequences occur, it is possible to implement new skills and recovery practices and place the addiction in remission. In his Recovery Mind Training method of recovery, he employs six domains including addiction containment, basic recovery skills, and emotional awareness and resilience. The RMT method helps unwind and repair damages to the individual as well as his or her family and social network caused by the Addict Brain. Dr. Earley recommends recovering addicts develop a set of skills and life responses to handle life situations blocking the primitive drive to use the addictive substance. He integrates a 12-step recovery program as part of his model and says when we recover and our behaviors are in alignment with our morals and values we find the feeling of freedom, joy, peace and serenity.  He cites the strong connection between successful sustained recovery and those individuals developing a spiritual side. What an outstanding podcast episode as we host Dr. Paul Earley outlining the problem...and the solution! Amazon Link to Recovery Mind Training: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Recovery+mind+training&i=stripbooks&crid=2FV9H3E4BREK6&sprefix=recovery+mind+training%2Cstripbooks%2C97&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

The ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine) has found Addiction to be a brain disease affecting a person’s physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being and that recovery from the disease is possible through treatment in recovery centers and 12-step programs or similar support. Currently, there is overwhelming evidence and science for food addiction as a substance use disorder. Podcast listeners would include those who might either identify as food addicts, believe they may have a food addiction, or have tried diets unsuccessfully.  Also, listeners would include those treating and counseling clients with food addiction and physicians/doctors treating patients suffering from obesity and obesity-related illnesses.     This interview-based podcast includes information about food addiction as a disease for which the hope and recovery experience is shared. Guests will be two groups of people:   Professionals and experts specializing in and treating the disease of food addiction and, People who have recovered from food addiction share how they found the solution to the disease and share their experience, strength, and hope in how they did it.  The INFACT School (http://infactschool.com) sponsored the podcast, which was begun by Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir, MSc, who also serves as the Director. It is the world’s first and only sugar/food addiction counseling training, resulting in professional certification from an accredited certification body. Graduates qualify to receive a Certified Food Addiction Professional (CFAP) certificate from the European Certification Board https://ec-board.com and a CFAP from the US Addiction Professional Certification Board  https://certbd.org/  Susan Branscome, host, and a recovered food addict, will interview the experts and food addicts. These podcast interviews will discuss the science and real-world experience of food addiction as a substance use disorder and recovery. We will uncover the experience of recovered guests---the lack of personal control or lack of willpower over the compulsion of food use with diets and other methods of control.  The obesity statistics in the world are astounding, especially in the U.S.  The use of food as a method to cope with life issues and ultimately becoming physically and mentally addicted to the use of food is discussed.   Willpower, discipline, and diets are only temporary solutions for food addicts. Eventually, food addicts begin using food again to deal with their lives versus utilizing recovery solutions and helpful programs.  We hope to advance our understanding of treating this disease, especially within the medical community.   Recovery, gastric bypass, physicians, treatment, diets, dieting mental health, self-improvement, personal development, food addiction, obesity, serotonin, dopamine, eating disorders, sobriety; overeaters anonymous; alcoholics anonymous, Food addiction, Counseling, Professional training, Nutrition, Emotional eating, Overeating, Binge eating, Binge Eating Disorder, Eating disorders, Addiction Recovery, Mental health, Behavioral therapy, Motivational interviewing, Cognitive-behavioral therapy, Mindfulness, Stress Management, Self-care, Wellness, Health Coaching, Dietetics, Substance abuse, Sobriety

Colleen Y. has been recovering from food addiction for over four years having physically released 150 pounds. Like many food addicts, her history involves eating in secret and planning her food binges. She experienced shame and embarrassment about her weight and food use and tried to control her food and weight through diets and lap-band surgery.  During a 2-month relapse, after she had become abstinent from sugar and other foods, she realized how serious her food addiction was and became suicidal. She entered a food addiction recovery treatment program Shift Recovery by Acorn (https://foodaddiction.com/) and found out she was very angry and processed her anger there. Working a 12-step program, today she enjoys a rich spiritual life with daily disciplines around food. She is abstinent and has neutrality around the foods she used before. Through the support in food addiction recovery, she found the courage to deal with her anger and made changes in her life so today she enjoys her healthy body and a happy and grounded life with peace of mind.  What an incredible transformation and inspirational story of recovery from food addiction!

Dee C. is a recovered food addict having maintained abstinence from sugar and excessive food consumption for 37 years and keeping off 100 pounds of extra weight. We discuss the shame and secrecy surrounding the use of food to cope with our lives.  After many failed attempts at dieting, Dee talks about the misery of not being able to control food on her own and found the solution to her food addiction in recovery. She believes when she finally became completely honest and embraced the practices around abstinence and worked with other addicts, she recovered from the disease of food addiction.  Today she lives a full life and loves the serenity of not being focused on her weight or food.  

Do 12-step recovery programs work? Yes!  Dr. John Kelly of Harvard performed a comprehensive study which is one of the most widely disseminated research findings in the last five years and was reviewed by Cochrane. The Cochrane organization reviews research studies and is internationally recognized as the benchmark for high-quality information about the effectiveness of health care. Dr. John Kelly specializes in addiction recovery and has served as a consultant to U.S. federal agencies and foreign governments. His research work has focused on addiction treatment and the recovery process.  This important study confirmed what many recovered addicts know, 12-step programs work. Dr. Kelly says the three areas in 12-step programs which were most important to successful recovery: attendance at meetings, having a sponsor, and sharing verbally at meetings. While some addicts participate in acute medical management including inpatient or rehabilitation treatment which can be helpful, working 12-step recovery programs allow addicts to maintain sobriety and abstinence from the substance or behavior over time. There is more to be done in our society in destigmatizing addiction and Dr. Kelly knows that addiction occurs in the brain where ingesting the offending substance sets up cravings and obsession and ultimately addiction. In terms of food addiction, Dr. John Kelly says he knows ultra-processed foods can be quite addictive as well and says there is more research to be done. The medical community has been trained to treat the symptoms of addiction, not the source of the addiction.  Abstinence in the case of food addiction, sobriety in the case of alcohol and drugs can be effective using 12-step recovery programs. There is an effort to have ultra-processed foods recognized as a substance use disorder, just like alcohol and drugs and an important consensus took place. (Link Below) Listen in to this incredible episode where Dr. Kelly, an accomplished research professional who has helped to prove through his work and research that 12-step recovery programs are very effective.    Cochrane Review 12-Step Study https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD012880.pub2/full#CD012880-abs-0002  Dr. John Kelly Harvard biography https://www.health.harvard.edu/authors/john-f-kelly-phd International Food Addiction Conference Consensus Statement https://the-chc.org/fas/conference

Sonja B. has been abstinent and sober from sugar, wheat, processed foods and compulsive food behaviors including volume eating, and nighttime binges, having maintained a 100-pound weight release for 18 years after hitting bottom in 2005. She had early evidence that she used food differently than others as a child and teenager and carried 75 pounds of extra weight in high school. Sonja went into treatment for alcohol addiction and became sober at the age of 20. Her food use continued after becoming sober realizing she was using food in the same way she used alcohol, which triggered a dopamine response in her brain leading to substance addiction. Her message to fellow suffering food addicts, life can be different, and we do not need to use food to escape. We need not be imprisoned by our addiction and compulsive behaviors with food. In recovery from food addiction, Sonja works a 12-step program through planning meals, committing her food to someone, and writing. She deals with life situations by using spiritual and emotional support as she talks daily with others who share her disease. What an inspiring story of recovery from food addiction!

Thirty-four years ago, Dr. Debbie Danowski weighing 328 pounds realized that her life was unmanageable and she decided to enter a food addiction recovery program. Today Dr. Danowski maintains a 170 weight loss through a daily recovery routine. In this podcast, we discuss denial, powerlessness and the negative consequences of food addiction.   Getting the message out about food addiction is the driving force in all of her work and the release of her newest book Happy Eating and Food Addiction in American Advertising which profiles how the food and drink industries are contributing to food addiction and obesity in the U.S.  In her research for her book, she watched over 500 food advertisements and outlined specific techniques used in advertisements for ultra-processed foods, which promise consequence-free eating to consumers while encouraging the over-consumption of unhealthy and addictive foods and drinks. Dr. Danowski presents an analysis of promotional methods in the context of food addiction characteristics and behaviors through an exploration of the themes used in this type of advertising such as using food to rebel, play, relax and achieve happiness and good health. Listen to Dr. Debbie Danowski explain how as a food addict she recovered and how her career has been spent on helping others understand the truth about it and how the food industry plays a role. A 30 percent book discount is available to listeners at this website:  Link For Ordering Book  with the use of this code: LXFANDF30 https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666939262/%E2%80%9CHappy-Eating%E2%80%9D-and-Food-Addiction-in-American-Advertising

Before recovery, Raena Z. weighed 315 pounds and today she is a recovered food addict which over a 100-lb weight release. As an overweight child, she recalls liking food more than others and using food to manage her emotions. In this episode, Raena shares an experience from high school that caused her incredible shame.  After she married and gave birth to her son, her weight continued to climb higher.   Eating in secrecy, she could not stop once she began and finally realized her powerlessness and how her compulsive food behaviors were affecting her life.  In November 2017 after surrendering to her powerlessness and escaping denial of her food addiction, Raena entered an intensive residential treatment program and began physical and emotional recovery. Today she lives freely of food obsession, compulsivity, and addiction as she has experienced recovery using a 12-step recovery program.   She cites all the support she uses to remain abstinent from overeating including fellowship with others. Listen in to this incredible story of addiction and recovery!

Having struggled personally with food addiction, Amanda Leith entered a food addiction recovery program of the company she ultimately purchased and now leads, Shift, Recovery By Acorn, https://foodaddiction.com/. At Shift, Recovery By Acorn Amanda and her staff help clients struggling with food addiction to find physical abstinence and address underlying issues which produce life-changing results and freedom from food obsession. Amanda talks about the huge diet industry marketing to the public, yet diets do not work long-term for food addicts. She was a late-stage food addict and weighed 350 pounds. Her disease progressed and she was no longer eating for the effects of food, but because she had to continue to eat compulsively or face withdrawal. Today she has lived in recovery for years fully abstinent from sugar, processed foods, and volume eating while maintaining a healthy body weight. Listen to Amanda’s inspiring story of finding her own recovery from food addiction as she now uses her experience and her passion to help others find freedom from food obsession and seek recovery from this deadly disease. 

Once weighing 335 pounds, Lisa K. lost 150 pounds and recovered from her food addiction through treatment and ongoing 12-step work and recovery support. Early in her childhood she had a preoccupation with food and loved the sugar, fat and starch food combination. Growing up in an abusive home she learned not to feel emotions. Later as a teenager she became a food volume addict and was often teased and bullied about her weight. Despite the negative consequences including strained personal relationships, Lisa continued to eat and could not stop eating once she started, often eating secretly. On Jan 1, 2021, she saw an advertisement for Shift Recovery by Acorn (https://foodaddiction.com/) and after a meeting, entered treatment for her food addiction. In recovery and through support she has learned to feel emotions fully and has repaired relationships as she has created the life she wants to live. What an inspirational story of recovery from food addiction!

Doris R. grew up in an alcoholic household and as the oldest of five children had a lot of responsibility early in her life. She was responsible for taking care of her younger siblings while her mother worked. Her father was an alcoholic, and her mother was obese and used food. Her first diet was in the 4th grade. A recovered alcoholic, after Doris became sober and her food use increased.  She realized that she needed to eliminate addictive foods from her diet and has since reached and maintained a healthy weight by realizing that abstinence from sugar and highly processed foods was necessary yet was just the start. She learned she also needed to recover from her food addiction as she entered the treatment program SHiFT, Recovery by Acorn (foodaddiction.com). She has experienced a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual transformation and recovery.  As a recovered food addict, rather than using food to deal with emotions she feels the emotions and uses her recovery program to handle life situations.  Listen to this great episode!

Lori P. is a recovered food addict who shares the challenges experienced in childhood, during a failed marriage, and after the death of her mother. An accomplished company executive, she had used food and many diets during her life attempting to manage her weight and food addiction. Lori had reached a bottom in her addiction and reached a point of desperation, so she began recovering in a 12-step program.  She surrendered control of food and weight through abstinence from offending foods as she physically recovered by releasing and maintaining a 55-pound weight loss.  Today Lori uses a spiritual solution to help her in daily recovery as she says God has shown her love and grace and she has learned to love herself. She left corporate life and realized that she was meant to give back to other professional women.  As she became clean from food use she began to tap into her gifts and purpose as she started her own company. What a story of inspiration and transformation to a life of purpose and joy and out of the food! https://www.infactschool.online/podcast

Dr. Susan Peirce Thompson has the unique experience of being an addict along with having studied the science of food addiction. In her book Bright Line Eating, The Science of Living Happy, Thin and Free she discusses the concept of automaticity which is developing important new habits around the way we eat and behave. Her Susceptibility Scale quiz allows clients to determine on a scale of 1-10 how strongly their brains react to the reward of addictive foods."Her book, Rezoom addresses the ways in which we get off track from the program by lapsing. She offers ways to resume with acceptance and grace around addiction and recovery. Her approach toward various parts of our personalities that drive our food addiction such as the Saboteur, the Food Indulger and the Rebel helps her clients identify obstacles in their recovery and how to face them. She says the food industry is aware of our society’s addiction to sugar and highly processed foods and deliberately is manufacturing it.Her new book is out, On This Bright Day, A Year of Reflections for Lasting Food Freedom has just been released and is a daily inspiration book to help food addicts recover. Dr. Susan Peirce Thompson is an inspiring person and a phenomenal advocate for recovery from food addiction!  Susan Peirce Thompson website http://susanpeircethompson.com Bright Line Eating: The Science of Living Happy, Thin, and Free https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Line-Eating-audiobook/dp/B06XGLWG1N/ref=sr_1_1crid=1I017ZYYOH1TC&keywords=bright+line+eating+book&qid=1697104954&sprefix=bright+line+eating%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1 Rezoom https://www.amazon.com/Rezoom-Powerful-Crash-Burn-Addiction/dp/B09MYBYY5J/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1XV7871MF6JG&keywords=Susan+Peirce+Thompson+rezoom&qid=1697477303&s=audible&sprefix=susan+peirce+thompson+rezoom%2Caudible%2C78&sr=1-1

Dr. Adrian Soto-Mota brings a unique blend of expertise as a practicing clinician, data specialist, researcher, and educator at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the largest university in Latin America. The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) (https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/fastlab/yale-food-addiction-scale/) is the most widely used food addiction screening tool worldwide. Dr. Soto-Mota utilized another food addiction screening technique, CRAVED (https://the-chc.org/assets/uploads/CRAVED%20Introduction%20and%20Notes%20for%20the%20User_Update_240506.pdf), a shorter yet effective screening method, in his research. His study distinguishes between binge-eating disorder and food addiction, highlighting key differences. While binge-eating disorder is recognized in the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual, food addiction as a substance use disorder is not—an important distinction.  Having experienced childhood obesity himself, Dr. Soto-Mota understands the personal impact of food addiction and is deeply committed to addressing the ongoing childhood obesity crisis in Mexico. In May 2024, he participated in the IFACC conference in London, where he signed a groundbreaking Consensus Statement (https://heyzine.com/flip-book/a00ee3aa6c.html). This agreement, developed by 40 experts over many months, recognizes ultra-processed food addiction as a substance use disorder. The next IFACC London Conference is set for 2025: IFACC London Conference 2025 (https://the-chc.org/fas/conference), Dr. Soto-Mota emphasizes that while food addiction is not our fault, we have a personal responsibility to acknowledge it and take steps toward recovery to live healthier, fuller lives. Tune in to this insightful episode.

Dr. Guttorm Toverud has a Ph.D. in Counselor Education from the University of North Carolina and a master's degree in Agency Counseling from Appalachian State University. He specializes in teaching that recovery from food addiction is possible using a 12-step program having conducted workshops for 30 years with more than 10,000 participants. Dr. Toverud trains professionals to treat food addicts with a clinical approach by using one of the most published books in history, the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous as a textbook. While he acknowledges that the 12 steps of recovery are important, his academic approach in training focuses on the first 63 pages of this book which clearly outline instructions around the problem and the solution. Dr. Toverud says addicts come to treatment not for the addiction itself, but because of the negative consequences of the addiction. In the case of food addiction, this can be obesity-related problems and illnesses and/or compulsions and obsessions with food and food behaviors. In the case of addiction, he urges that it cannot be controlled until we follow the instructions and do not start using the offending substance or behavior.  What an insightful and inspiring episode with Dr. Guttorm Toverud!

Mary F. has maintained a nearly 200-pound weight release for 31 years as she has recovered from food addiction. As an overweight child and teenager, she endured ridicule and verbal abuse. The shame associated with not being able to control her eating made her miserable and suicidal.  Mary talks about the powerlessness to stop eating once she started, and she discusses the secrecy around her addiction. We address not only physical recovery but also emotional and mental recovery. For many years she and her partner/husband led what is now Shift Recovery by Acorn  (foodaddiction.com) helping many people recover from food addiction and find the solution. For over 30 years Mary has worked a 12-step program which has involved measuring her food and working with others. Mary shares the common experience with a number of our guests, recovered addicts as well as working professionally in the food addiction treatment field. What a wonderful and inspiring story!

Dr. Bonnie Nolan holds a PhD in neuroscience and is a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor. With expertise in both neuroscience and psychotherapy, she works on the front lines of opioid addiction, understanding the brain's dopamine response to addictive substances. She also recognizes how genetics, environment, and mental health issues like anxiety and depression contribute to addiction. Having struggled with alcohol addiction herself, Dr. Nolan has been in recovery for years, seeing addiction’s prevalence in her large family. Her experience at the The INFACT School (https://infactschool.com/) led her to identify as a food addict, a diagnosis confirmed by the Yale Food Addiction Scale (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yale_Food_Addiction_Scale). She believes ultra-processed foods should be included in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM-V)of the American Psychiatric Association as a substance use disorder. Dr. Nolan’s work focuses on the link between childhood trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and addiction, with many clients unaware of or minimizing past traumas. She leads group recovery courses, including one for women with food addiction, where she helps them process trauma and gain control over what they can change. Dr. Nolan has witnessed the brain’s ability to reset and the potential to reverse the dopamine response to addictive substances through recovery practices.  Dr. Nolan has witnessed firsthand the possibility of reversing the dopamine response to ingesting substances through recovery practices.  This podcast episode is excellent and delves into Dr. Nolan’s unique blend of education, professional expertise, and personal experience in addiction and treatment.

When an overweight friend had a stroke, Tony W. realized that if he did not address his own weight and food issues, his health would continue to decline. Weighing 464 pounds, he had many obesity-related illnesses including neuropathy in his feet and five hernia surgeries. He grew up in a family and culture of fried foods and high-calorie foods.  Tony got sober from drugs and alcohol using a 12-step recovery program, then began using food even more than he had. He entered the Bright Line Eating Program (https://www.brightlineeating.com/) and has released all of the extra pounds achieving a healthy body weight through eliminating sugar and flour, limiting the times he eats during the day, and weighing his food. The Bright Line Eating Program helped Tony focus on the inner emotional work required around the reasons he was using food. The work Susan Peirce Thompson, PhD (https://www.susanpeircethompson.com/), the founder of Bright Line Eating has done as a neuroscientist resonated with Tony given her focus on the chemical reaction in the brain when we ingest sugar and flour. He realized it was not his lack of willpower which caused his food addiction, but rather his body’s response to addictive substances which set up cravings and obsessive behaviors around food. He talks about how automaticity began to play a part in his daily routine in which he has developed new habits that feel normal.  Today Tony W. lives a happy, thin and free life through having recovered from food addiction as he continues to follow his program each day. What an inspiring and hopeful story of recovery from food addiction!

Dr. Nicole Avena is a research neuroscientist, a pioneer, and a world-renowned expert in the field of nutrition, diet, and food addiction. She received her Ph.D. in psychology and neuroscience from Princeton University and is uniquely qualified to address the biology of food addiction as well as its psychological aspects. In her books, Why Diets Fail (Because You're Addicted to Sugar) and Hedonic Eating: How the Pleasure of Food Affects Our Brains and Behavior, Dr. Avena discusses our addictive and dependence-like relationship with sugar and highly processed foods. She reports that sugar is hiding in many foods and we have easy access to this highly addictive substance. Dr. Avena discusses the neuroscience around the brain’s pleasure center and dopamine release when we ingest addictive substances like sugar and dopamine release which can be in “overdrive” for addicts. Our society can tend to shame those who cannot control their sugar intake on their own, yet it is not a failure, it is an addiction. She reports withdrawal from sugar is possible and while it can come with side effects, they are temporary. Dr. Nicole Avena’s hope for the world is for all of us to make the connection between the obesity crisis and eating sugar and highly processed foods by acknowledging this and making changes. She has also written books about nutrition during pregnancy and for our children with the hope we will not raise unhealthy and overweight children. As she and others advocate for change to labeling and the addiction of food in the DSM-5 as a substance use disorder, the fight is a big one against the trillion-dollar food industry. Her next book Sugar Less will be released in the fall of 2023 which furthers the discussion around the prevalence of sugar and the addictive response in our society with 80 percent of grocery store products containing sugar. What an inspiring professional and advocate for bringing awareness around food and sugar addiction in our society!  All of Dr. Avena’s books can be found at:   https://www.drnicoleavena.com/bookstore.html https://www.drnicoleavena.com/index.html

Christine G. was raised in an alcoholic home and was often compared by her parents to a sibling and was expected to be different. As a child, she began using food to cope with this treatment and she reached her highest body weight of 229.  Her lowest weight was 95 pounds as she suffered many years with bulimia and food addiction. At the age of 13, Christine experienced a traumatic personal violation and didn’t tell anyone for many years. In her addiction, she used food and bulimic behaviors to deal with feelings.   To the people in her life, she appeared to have it all together yet became masterful in secretly using food and vomiting daily. It was not until she became honest by facing reality in a residential treatment program for food addiction, SHiFT, Recovery by Acorn, (SHiFT, Recovery by Acorn // https://foodaddiction.com/) Here she spoke the truth about her bulimia and began to take action and recover.    Today Christine is open and honest about her food use and bulimic tendencies as she works a food program recovery program (Food Recovery Programs // https://infactschool.com/groups/). Christine lives a simpler, quieter life and has learned to love herself as she lives in the present moment at peace with no more secrets. 

After losing 130 pounds and gaining it back…twice, on his 34th birthday, Michael Prager had reached 365 pounds.  He was often miserable and isolated and alienated people in his life while feeling the shame of his body size.   After many years of dieting, he finally learned that he has an addictive, biochemical reaction to sugar, flour, and highly processed foods and decided to “get out of the driver’s seat” and surrender his will.  He wrote the book Fat Boy, Thin Man in which he describes his journey from childhood through recovery from food addiction and reached and sustains a healthy body weight.  Michael attended a 5-day food addiction treatment program, Shift, Recovery by Acorn. He now offers the service of getting the message out about food addiction, emphasizing that this disease is not our fault.  While he resisted any persuasion to accept a God or Higher Power, he finally succumbed to his version, which helped him release the powerlessness over his food and his weight, and how he had been eating, realizing he had no control once he began to eat certain foods.  Michael is highly intelligent and had to learn how to approach life not only with his keen mind but learned the value of feeling his emotions.  Michael Prager is an author and journalist in Arlington, Massachusetts, and is an incredibly inspiring guest on the podcast.    

David Wolfe is a certified food addiction counselor and co-founder of SUGARx Global (https://www.sugarxglobal.com/), an online community dedicated to helping individuals overcome sugar and food addictions. David has been instrumental in developing impactful programs that support people successfully finding freedom from addictive food behaviors. He is also the co-author of The Fix For Cravings (https://tinyurl.com/yhnnnc3x) with Cynthia Myers-Morrison a book offering practical strategies and insights for managing cravings and maintaining long-term recovery.   David emphasizes community support, connection, and comprehensive lifestyle changes in the recovery journey. His approach blends professional expertise with personal experience to provide holistic, compassionate support for those struggling with food and sugar addiction. At SUGARx Global, trained counselors use assessments to help clients identify patterns of food and sugar use and cravings. Many clients arrive after trying countless approaches and suffering the painful consequences of food addiction. Through personalized tools and counseling, clients begin to recognize the addictive nature of certain foods and behaviors. The process often uncovers layers of denial, shame, and guilt, creating space for acceptance and willingness to heal. Counselors guide clients to plan, prepare, and remove trigger foods, which are essential steps toward recovery.   David also addresses common misconceptions about food addiction, urging patients to educate their healthcare providers on this often misunderstood condition. He highlights the power of group support, emphasizing how shared vulnerability and collective momentum within groups can drive lasting change.   Although David’s personal story is not one of obesity, he struggled with obsessive and compulsive food thoughts and behaviors. It wasn’t until he attended the The INFACT School (https://infactschool.com/) that he fully realized his own patterns of food addiction. This episode offers valuable, educational insights into what food addiction is, how to recognize it, and how to recover—making it essential listening for anyone seeking understanding, hope, and actionable solutions.

Individuals can be predisposed to addiction through genetics says Dr. Marty Lerner, head of Milestones in Recovery  https://www.milestonesprogram.org/  In his book, A Guide to Eating Disorder Recovery, Defining the Problem—Finding the Solution, he outlines the nature of the disease of food addiction and how to recover. Dr. Lerner talks about the “perfect storm”, a person being an addict and seeking brain pleasure-center hits of dopamine and having the available substance, food can lead to the disease of food addiction. Food addicts can recover and enjoy glorious lives free of their substances through daily disciplines such as having a food plan, and exercise, despite whether they are motivated, saying, “When we develop the discipline of doing what needs doing despite the feelings or intrusive thoughts we are moving toward the solution. It’s a doing process, not a thinking or feeling process”, Dr. Lerner says. At Milestones in Recovery, the professionals work to identify with the individual what substances trigger a physiological response for which willpower is not a solution, and encourage complete abstinence from the triggers.   Through what he calls “Constructive Living” we gain freedom from our habitual patterns of self-destructive behaviors and reclaim our lives. In recovery from food addiction, Dr. Lerner emphasized the need for an acronym called SMERF: Spirituality, Meditation, Exercise, Rest, and a Food Plan. The food, pharmaceutical, and insurance industries are financially motivated to get and keep people addicted to sugar, flour, and other processed foods. Until it is recognized that sugar can be addictive, is an additive, and not a food, and other substances such as flour and processed foods are addictive, food addiction will continue to contribute to the obesity crisis in the U.S.  

Sachir Ajlouni’s incredible journey from obesity and food addiction to recovery is a story of hope and transformation. Weighing 450 pounds at his heaviest, Sachir spent over 30 years trapped in a cycle of compulsive overeating and failed attempts at weight loss, including bariatric surgery. It wasn’t until he entered SHiFT, Recovery by Acorn (https://foodaddiction.com/) a food addiction recovery program that he realized the true nature of his struggle: it wasn’t just about his weight or eating habits—it was his addiction to food that had been controlling his life. After seeing success from others, he entered a food addiction program where he met Phil Werdell (https://www.foodaddictioninstitute.org/post/in-loving-memory), founder of SHiFT, Recovery by Acorn.    Through his own recovery, Sachir lost 250 pounds and gained a deeper understanding of how food can be as addictive as alcohol or drugs. He now devotes his life to helping others break free from the chains of food addiction through Aglon Recovery (https://aglonrecovery.com/), a center he founded to offer support and healing.  Sachir’s workshops help people recognize that food addiction is real and that overcoming it requires more than just willpower. It’s about understanding the emotional and psychological drivers behind eating behaviors and taking responsibility for recovery once the problem is recognized.  If you’re struggling with your own relationship with food, or if you know someone who is, this podcast offers an opportunity to hear firsthand how recovery is possible. Sachir’s story is a testament to the power of self-awareness, support, and commitment to change. Tune in to listen to an inspiring account of resilience and recovery—and learn how you, too, can begin your journey toward healing. 

Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir is a pioneer in the field of food addiction treatment and recovery. Motivated to continue to get the message out that food addicts cannot control their eating and body weight through diets and exercise alone, she began the Food Addiction podcast. Esther was personally battling food addiction for most of her adult life, carrying 130 lbs. of too much weight. She discovered the solution to her problem in recovery and a twelve-step program which changed her life and led to her life’s mission.    She is founder and director of one of the first food addiction treatment programs in the world, the MFM Food Addiction Treatment Center in Iceland. MFM has treated more than 3000 people for the disease of food addiction.  In 2017 Esther founded the INFACT School infactschool.com/, the first school in the world to train and certify food addiction professionals and counselors to treat those suffering from the disease. Those completing the training are qualified for certification by the European Certification Board as well from the US National Addiction Professional Certification Board. If you want to know more about INFACT, visit our site at infactschool.com for registration details and certification information. Esther is the chair and executive director of the board of the Food Addiction Institute. Food Addiction Institute (FAI) was founded in 2005, as an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to support the healing of all food addicts. https://foodaddictioninstitute.com In this podcast we address the shame and denial as food addicts try and fail at diets repeatedly since they cannot control food intake in the same ways normal eaters can. Also discussed are the misconceptions by the medical community around food addiction, and rather than treating it as a brain disease or addiction, the health problems associated with the symptoms of food addictions such as obesity are being treated. The science is clear: Food addicts are chemically addicted to foods such as sugar, flour and other trigger/binge foods and once ingested it initiates an addictive response causing them to want more. Abstinent food plans and recovery programs are the solutions for food addicts.   Though food addiction is a substance use disorder, the American Psychiatric Association has not yet acknowledged it as such through the DSM-5. There are movements afoot to assure food addiction is approved in the DSM-5 so that treatment can be broadly offered and covered by insurance companies. The food and pharmaceutical industries have strong financial interests in preventing this from happening.  Subscribe to the Food Addiction podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Watch for more incredible episodes coming soon!

The INFACT School (https://infactschool.com/) is the only school in the world that teaches students about the science of food addiction and how to treat it.  Graduates receive a Certified Food Addiction Professional (CFAP) which is recognized in Europe and the U.S.  This seven-month virtual training program involves speakers and many top professionals who study the disease of food addiction. Students are taught screening, assessments and intake technique processes involving looking at behaviors and addiction genealogy. They are trained in counseling and treatment for abstinence and the reversal of personality changes that happen as a person becomes addicted to a substance.  The guest is the podcast owner and highly respected pioneer and school’s founder, Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir, a recovered food addict who released 130 lbs. to achieve a healthy weight through abstinence and working a 12-step food addiction recovery program.  She then knew what her life’s mission would be: help other food addicts by opening a treatment center in Iceland and beginning the INFACT School.  Over 130 students have graduated from the school, with new classes offered in March and September each year.   We discuss the science behind food addiction, which is just like the addiction to alcohol and drugs: a dopamine response, and over time, experiencing higher tolerance, using more of the substance despite negative consequences. Late-stage food addicts are often obese with obesity-related health issues and cannot stop on their own from eating the offending foods, and once they start, they have difficulty stopping.   37 clinicians, researchers, and academics throughout the world have reached an agreement that food addiction, specifically ultra-processed food addiction, is a substance use disorder.  The International Food Addiction Consensus (IFAC) (https://heyzine.com/flip-book/a00ee3aa6c.html) met in London, U.K. in May 2024, and a conference is planned in Mexico City in September 2025 as the application is being submitted to the World Health Organization (WHO) to be placed in the International Classification of Disease, (ICD) to place ultra-processed food addiction as a substance use disorder, in the ICD. Esther believes in complete abstinence from sugar and addictive foods, along with treatment and recovery programs to recover from food addiction. Her work and that of the school have been impactful and revolutionary.  Listen to this wonderful interview with Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir. Yale Food Addiction Scale https://infactschool.com/yale-food-addiction-survey/

H. Theresa Wright, MS, RD, LDN, is the Founder and Director of Renaissance Nutrition Center, in Pennsylvania where she has developed programs to help people develop the skills to make lifestyle changes that lead to freedom from food addiction and encourage a “sane approach” to eating and living. Website:  Sane Food a nutrition therapist registered and licensed dietitian and nutritionist, for more than 36 years, Theresa has helped people struggling with compulsive eating, obesity, eating disorders, weight loss, and food addiction leading them to find freedom and recovery. Growing up in an alcoholic household and witnessing the negative effects of addiction as well as the benefits of 12-step recovery have allowed her to treat food-addicted clients by counseling them on proper nutrition while addressing underlying emotional issues.  Theresa talks about the hallmarks of addiction: tolerance, cravings, and withdrawal, and says withdrawal can come with symptoms as our bodies adjust to eating differently, but they are temporary.  Once her clients become abstinent from excessive food, trigger foods, and compulsive food behaviors she helps counsel them as they emotionally disconnect from the foods they were using. She believes that our unhealthy use of food is hurtful to our minds, bodies, and spirits.   Theresa tells people who are struggling with food to not give up, there is hope to recover and live a wonderful life. https://sanefood.com/