Food Addiction, the Problem and the Solution

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The Problem And The Solution

Abstinence Without Food Addiction Recovery is Just Another Diet

Join us for an inspiring episode with Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir, founder of the INFACT School—the only program training professionals to treat food addiction.

What’s Inside:

- Food addiction as a substance use ...disorder, like drugs or alcohol.
- The global push for ultra-processed food addiction recognition by the WHO.
- Esther’s journey of releasing 130 lbs. and creating a life-changing recovery program.
- How the CFAP certification is transforming lives.

Don’t miss this powerful episode! Listen now and join the revolution in food addiction treatment.[+] Show More

Abstinence Without Food Addiction Recovery is Just Another Diet

Join us for an inspiring episode with Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir, ...

Sugar and Ultra-Processed Foods Are Addictive

Large food companies, previously owned by tobacco companies know that ...

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 has 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.[+] Show More

I Had A Physical Reaction to Sugar, I Got High On It

Doris R. grew up in an alcoholic household and as the oldest of five ...

Recovery From Food Addiction Led Me To Hope and Possibility

Before recovery, Raena Z. weighed 315 pounds and today she is a ...

It Is Scientifically Proven: 12-step Recovery Programs Work

In this episode of the Food Addiction Podcast, Dr. John Kelly of ...

Episode 25: Food Addiction Recovery is Available through 12-step Programs

In this episode of the food addiction podcast, host Susan Branscombe ...

In this episode of the food addiction podcast, host Susan Branscombe interviews Amy, a recovered food addict. They delve into Amy's personal struggles with food addiction, weight issues, and emotional ...regulation, discussing how she used food and alcohol to numb her emotions from a young age. Amy shares her journey through extreme dieting, a miscarriage, marital issues, and her path to sobriety and recovery. They highlight the importance of a sustainable food plan, emotional support, and the role of 12-step programs. Susan concludes by encouraging listeners to seek help and directs them to resources on infactschool.com for recovery programs and professional training in food addiction treatment.

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!

This episode is proudly sponsored by SHiFT: Recovery by Acorn and Milestones in Recovery. SHiFT has been a leader in food addiction recovery for over three decades, offering a comprehensive 12-week program to help individuals regain control over their eating habits and address the underlying emotional and psychological factors. Milestones in Recovery provides tailored treatment plans in a serene setting in southeast Florida, supporting recovery through guided nutritional counseling and strategies to manage compulsive eating behaviors. Tune in to learn more and be inspired. Link in bio to join us! #FoodAddiction #EatingDisorders #PodcastPanel[+] Show More

Food Addiction Versus Eating Disorders, What Are the Differences?

These three incredible professionals have not only personally ...

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) in southeast Florida Amanda Leith heads SHiFT, Recovery by Acorn ( SHiFT website ), and Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir, owner of this podcast, leads the INFACT School (INFACT School website).

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.

This episode is proudly sponsored by SHiFT: Recovery by Acorn and Milestones in Recovery. SHiFT has been a leader in food addiction recovery for over three decades, offering a comprehensive 12-week program to help individuals regain control over their eating habits and address the underlying emotional and psychological factors. Milestones in Recovery provides tailored treatment plans in a serene setting in southeast Florida, supporting recovery through guided nutritional counseling and strategies to manage compulsive eating behaviors. Tune in to learn more and be inspired. Link in bio to join us! #FoodAddiction #EatingDisorders #PodcastPanel[+] Show More