Is Food Addiction Real? Here’s the Truth (and 5 Steps to Healing) (Podcast Episode 336)

Let’s start with a hard truth wrapped in a soft blanket: Yes, food addiction is real, and if you’re struggling with it, you’re not broken, lazy, or weak. You’re human. You’re living in a world where the food industry spends billions engineering snacks to hijack your brain, and your biology is just doing its thing, trying to survive. Today we’ll cover all the research and the “why” of food addiction, and then I’ll give you my five actionable steps to start healing your food addiction.

Click here to read the full blog and show notes!

For the One Love Collective Community:

Tier I: Inner Circle

• Journaling Prompts: Get Real with Your Relationship to Food
• Trigger Food and Emotion Tracker

Tier II: Love Accelerator

• Boundaries Around Food & People Worksheet
• New Mantras for Food

Tier III: VIP Love Lab

• Reflection Questions
• Weekly Meal Rhythm Template
• Self-Compassion Script for Food Shame

Get all the above for just $8 on Patreon!

Resources for Is Food Addiction Real? Here’s the Truth (and 5 Steps to Healing)

Join Abby’s One Love Collective on Patreon!

Buy the bundle for this episode for only $8!

Why We Eat Our Feelings: Understanding and Overcoming Emotional Eating

Is Self-Compassion the Secret to a Happy Relationship?

Dopamine Detoxing is a Scam (But You Should Still Do It)

Gearhardt, A. N., Corbin, W. R., & Brownell, K. D. (2009). Preliminary validation of the Yale Food Addiction Scale. Appetite, 52 (2), 430-436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2008.12.003

Yale Food Addiction Scale, Food and Addiction Science & Treatment Lab

Gearhardt, Ashley N., Davis, Caroline, Kuschner, Rachel, Brownell, Kelly D. The Addiction Potential of Hyperpalatable Foods, Current Drug Abuse Reviews, Volume 4, Issue 3, Sep 2011, p. 140 – 145 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2174/1874473711104030140

Robinson, Terry E and Berridge, Kent C (2008) The incentive sensitization theory of addiction: some current issues Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 3633137–3146 http://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0093

Gordon, E. L., H., A., Bauman, V., & Merlo, L. J. (2018). What Is the Evidence for “Food Addiction?” A Systematic Review. Nutrients, 10(4), 477. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10040477

Adams, Claire E. and Leary, Mark R. Promoting Self–Compassionate Attitudes Toward Eating Among Restrictive and Guilty Eaters, Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology Vol. 26, No. 10 Dec 2007

Paranjothy SM, Wade TD. A meta-analysis of disordered eating and its association with self-criticism and self-compassion. Int J Eat Disord. 2024 Mar;57(3):473-536. doi: 10.1002/eat.24166. Epub 2024 Feb 17. PMID: 38366726.

Kalon E, Hong JY, Tobin C, Schulte T. Psychological and Neurobiological Correlates of Food Addiction. Int Rev Neurobiol. 2016;129:85-110. doi: 10.1016/bs.irn.2016.06.003. Epub 2016 Jul 22. PMID: 27503449; PMCID: PMC5608024.

Barakat S, McLean SA, Bryant E, Le A, Marks P; National Eating Disorder Research Consortium; Touyz S, Maguire S. Risk factors for eating disorders: findings from a rapid review. J Eat Disord. 2023 Jan 17;11(1):8. doi: 10.1186/s40337-022-00717-4. PMID: 366

Meeusen, R., De Meirleir, K. Exercise and Brain Neurotransmission. Sports Med 20, 160–188 (1995). https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199520030-00004

Kristeller, J. L., & Wolever, R. Q. (2010). Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training for Treating Binge Eating Disorder: The Conceptual Foundation. Eating Disorders, 19(1), 49–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2011.533605

Cassin, S. E., & Von Ranson, K. M. (2005). Personality and eating disorders: A decade in review. Clinical Psychology Review, 25(7), 895-916. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2005.04.012

Subscribe & Review in Apple Podcasts