Food Junkies Podcast

One in four kids now lives with a chronic health condition. Type 2 diabetes in children rose 60% between 2006 and 2019, and conditions like fatty liver disease are showing up earlier than ever. But kids can also heal remarkably fast, sometimes within weeks or months, when the whole family changes together.
In this episode, Clarissa sits down with Dr. Patel, pediatrician, lifestyle medicine physician, and founder and medical director of Reset Pediatric Lifestyle Medicine in Ontario. Dr. Patel shares three real family case studies showing kids reversing pre-diabetes, fatty liver, high cholesterol, and elevated blood pressure. The changes behind those results were simple and practical: changing what came into the house, modeling new habits as parents, and replacing screen time with movement.
He also talks about why he considers ultra-processed foods and screens the two biggest risky substances facing kids today, and how he helps parents take responsibility without sinking into blame and shame.
In this episode, we discuss:
What lifestyle medicine is, and how it goes beyond "eat less, move more"
The six pillars: nutrition, restorative sleep, movement, stress resilience, avoiding risky substances, and social connection
Why ultra-processed food and screens are the most concerning risks for kids today
"Behavior change is simple, but not easy," and how to move from knowing to doing
How to invite parental responsibility without shame
Case 1: A 14-year-old who turned to food after losing his grandmother. His mom stopped bringing treats into the house, for him and for herself.
Case 2: An 11-year-old who became the change agent and started pushing his parents toward healthier choices
Case 3: An 8-year-old whose family returned to their traditional Ghanaian bean-based dishes and normalized her cholesterol
Why eating in front of a screen can raise intake by up to 60%, and the movie theater popcorn effect
Three first steps for busy families this week: screen-free family meals, better sleep routines, and one simple substitution
A message for overwhelmed parents: you're not too late
Learn more about Dr. Patel and Reset Pediatric Lifestyle Medicine:
Rikin Patel | Reset Pediatrics
Connect with Food Junkies:
foodjunkiespodcast@gmail.com
IFACC 2026: The International Food Addiction Children's Conference
Protecting Kids from UPF Addiction Starts Now
Ultra-processed food addiction doesn't start in adulthood. Prevention can't wait either.
On 14 November 2026 (4 PM UK GMT, online), the International Food Addiction and Children's Conference brings together youth ambassadors, researchers, clinicians, and global experts, featuring UNICEF's Fix My Food youth initiative.
What you'll get:
Real stories from young people leading change
The latest science on UPF addiction and early prevention
How global food systems shape children's health
Practical steps for families, schools, and professionals
Your ticket does double duty: all proceeds support Collaboration for Kids and UNICEF's Fix My Food programme.
Parents, educators, clinicians, policymakers, advocates: this one's for you.
🎟️ Get your ticket: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1991350856016?aff=oddtdtcreator
ℹ️ Learn more: https://www.the-chc.org/fas/ifacc-2026
 
Disclaimer: 
The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

Why do we keep reaching for food we don't even want? In this episode, Dr. Vera Tarman talks with Dr. Thomas Sambrook, lecturer in psychology at the University of East Anglia, about his research on how the brain responds to food cues within milliseconds, and why that response can keep firing long after we're full.
Dr. Sambrook holds two PhDs, one in primatology from the University of St Andrews and one in cognitive neuroscience from the University of Plymouth. His work uses computational modeling and brain-tracking methods to study how we learn habits, make decisions, and respond to reward and punishment, most recently with a focus on primary reinforcers like food and pain.
In his latest study, hungry participants learned to work for two foods, one sweet and one savory. Halfway through, they ate their fill of just one. They said they no longer wanted that food, but their brains still produced the same strong reward signal when they saw a cue for it. What we consciously want and what the brain does when it sees a cue can be two very different things.
For anyone who has said "I don't even want this, so why am I eating it?", this conversation offers a clear, shame-free explanation rooted in biology.
In this episode, we explore:
Dr. Sambrook's path from primatology to studying reward, habit, and food
What makes a behavior a habit, and where habit ends and addiction begins
Devaluation insensitivity, and why it may explain eating in the absence of hunger
The brain's reward signal firing just as strongly for a food you're full of as for one you still want
Why a cue can be as rewarding as the food itself, and the evolutionary reasons for that
Whether advertising and cues could override the "food noise" reduction from GLP-1 medications
Why fast, cue-driven responses beat slow, deliberate decisions
Incubation of craving, and why it may be a separate route from cue-driven behavior
Individual differences in cue reactivity, including possible links to ADHD
Why willpower-based "keep it in the cupboard and just resist" approaches tend to fail
Policy parallels with tobacco: limiting the advertising and visibility of ultra-processed foods
Key takeaways:
You can't control the brain's first response to a cue. That response is automatic and inherited from millions of years of evolution. It is not a character flaw.
Practice cue hygiene. Remove trigger foods from your environment and limit exposure where you can. In recovery language, this is people, places, and things.
Replace the habit; don't just fight it. When a cue hits, redirect the action. Keep a satisfying, healthy alternative within reach, such as an orange that keeps your hands busy.
Eat without multitasking. Eating while distracted trains automatic eating. When you eat, just eat.
Let go of the shame. Watching yourself eat something you don't want is the old reward machinery at work, not a personal failing.
🔗 Connect with Dr. Sambrook: Thomas Sambrook - University of East Anglia
🔗 Connect with the Food Junkies Podcast:
Find us on Apple Music, Spotify, and any other platform where you listen to podcasts.
✉️Email us: foodjunkiespodcast@gmail.com
💜 Looking for support with sugar and ultra-processed food addiction?
Sweet Sobriety offers live recovery groups, coaching, and the Foundations Program:
Sweet Sobriety: Foundations PREVIEW - https://sweetsobriety.newzenler.com/courses/sweet-sobriety-foundations-course-preview
Sweet Sobriety: Foundations – https://sweetsobriety.newzenler.com/courses/sweet-sobriety-foundations
Sweet Sobriety: Liberation PREVIEW - https://sweetsobriety.newzenler.com/courses/sweet-sobriety-liberation-preview
Sweet Sobriety: Liberation - https://sweetsobriety.newzenler.com/courses/sweet-sobriety-liberation
Hosts: Dr. Vera Tarman, Clarissa Kennedy & Molly Painschab
⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice. If you are struggling with an eating disorder, addiction, or trauma, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider. Content includes discussion of sexual assault, bullying, and disordered eating. Viewer discretion is advised.

What if your cravings aren't the problem, but a message?
In this episode of the Food Junkies Podcast, we sit down with Luis Mojica, somatic practitioner, nutritionist, and founder of Holistic Life Navigation, to explore how food, trauma, and the nervous system are deeply connected.
Luis shares his powerful personal story: growing up intersex, surviving bullying and sexual assault in silence, and turning to food as his only "witness" during 20+ years of binge eating. He describes how a $20 guitar became his first somatic experience, and how that moment sparked a lifelong path into psychology, nutrition, and Somatic Experiencing.
We talk about his framework of stimulants, depressants, and balancers, a way of understanding food by how it changes your state rather than whether it's "good" or "bad." We also explore why people in recovery often shift to overeating whole foods, and why shame may be harder to metabolize than any food on the planet.
🎧 In this episode, we discuss:
- How unresolved trauma and a dysregulated nervous system can drive food addiction
- Why addiction is an attempt to find safety outside of yourself
- Stimulants, depressants, and balancers: what they are and how to spot yours
- "Volume eating" of whole foods and why it can still be a survival response
- How restrictive eating can be a way to escape the body
- Why a calm, open body can feel unsafe at first, and how to titrate safety
- Conscious choice vs. compulsion: where pleasure fits in recovery
- The biology of shame and why it fuels the craving cycle
- Active pendulation: a one-minute nervous system practice you can do anywhere
- The "roots of your cravings" practice: a gentle way to meet the need beneath the urge
- Why food may be the most overlooked tool for nervous system regulation
🔗 Connect with Luis Mojica:
Website: https://holisticlifenavigation.com
🔗 Connect with the Food Junkies Podcast:
Find us on Apple Music, Spotify, and any other platform where you listen to podcasts.
✉️Email us: foodjunkiespodcast@gmail.com
💜 Looking for support with sugar and ultra-processed food addiction?
Sweet Sobriety offers live recovery groups, coaching, and the Foundations Program:
Sweet Sobriety: Foundations – https://sweetsobriety.newzenler.com/courses/sweet-sobriety-foundations
Sweet Sobriety: Liberation - https://sweetsobriety.newzenler.com/courses/sweet-sobriety-liberation
Hosts: Dr. Vera Tarman, Clarissa Kennedy & Molly Painschab
⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice. If you are struggling with an eating disorder, addiction, or trauma, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider. Content includes discussion of sexual assault, bullying, and disordered eating. Viewer discretion is advised.
#FoodAddiction #FoodJunkiesPodcast #SomaticHealing #NervousSystemRegulation #FoodAddictionRecovery #UPFUD #TraumaHealing #BingeEating #EmotionalEating #HolisticLifeNavigation

Felicia joined CJ today for an incredibly open and honest conversation about recovery, resilience, and the complicated role food played throughout her life. Her story is heartbreaking at times, but it is also filled with strength, perseverance, and hope. For years, food remained intertwined with the recovery she was searching for, keeping her from experiencing the freedom she truly wanted. Felicia shares how she kept moving forward, continued learning, and discovered new ways to care for herself. The contrast between the life she once lived and the energetic, hopeful life she lives today makes her story deeply compelling and inspiring.


If you're considering personalized assistance, CJ, a Certified Addiction Professional specializing in Food Addiction, is here for one-on-one coaching. Reach out to CJ at cjnguy@myfoodaddictioncoach.com 
Interested in sharing your recovery story on our show? We'd love to hear from you! Please email FJRecoverystories@gmail.com 1

Molly and Clarissa sit down for another Clinician's Corner to dig into shadow work — what Carl Jung meant by it, why it's not just a "woo-woo" concept, and why it belongs in food addiction recovery. They talk about the parts of ourselves we learn to hide (anger, desire, ambition, even joy), how those exiled parts often drive the very behaviors we're trying to recover from, and how projection, envy, and even compliments can point us straight to what we've buried. This episode previews the Shadow Work module inside Liberation, Sweet Sobriety's brand-new 10-module program launching this fall.
WHAT WE COVER
Why Molly built a shadow work module into Liberation, and how it connects to the Shame module covered in a previous episode
Carl Jung's quote — "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate" and what it means in practice
The iceberg metaphor: the curated 10% we show the world vs. the 90% underneath driving our behavior
Where the shadow comes from (genetics loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger) and why this isn't about blaming parents
How substance use, food behaviors, and other compulsive patterns often exist to manage and suppress shadow parts
Recovery work doesn't make the shadow disappear — and why it can get louder, becoming a high-risk time for return to use
Projection: how "accusations are often confessions," and why the people who irritate us most can be mirrors
The Golden Shadow — the positive traits (confidence, joy, ambition) we also learn to suppress or deny
Why receiving compliments can feel unbearable, and what that has to do with shadow work
Envy and jealousy reframed as information rather than something shameful
Individuation and integration — Jung's idea that the goal isn't to eliminate these parts, but to become a whole person who can hold all of them
How return to use fits into this: not a moral failure, but sometimes a shadow part that hasn't been integrated
A personal moment on privilege, shame, and how rejecting a part of ourselves can limit our ability to help others
What to expect from the Shadow Work module inside Liberation
LIBERATION — SWEET SOBRIETY'S NEW PROGRAM
Liberation is the next step after Foundations — a deeper 10-module program covering shadow work, shame, anger, guilt, the inner critic, ADHD and the nervous system, trauma, highly sensitive people, and more. You do not need to have completed Foundations first.
Modules release the week of September 21. Live sessions begin October 15 at 1:00–2:30 PM Eastern. Starting price: $400 USD for this first round (early participants help shape the program, same as the first Foundations cohort)
Learn more and join us: https://sweetsobriety.newzenler.com/courses/sweet-sobriety-liberation
RESOURCES & LINKS
Catch our earlier episode on Shame: https://open.spotify.com/episode/44sTxYKeVv7r01wtSKkYtm?si=7557f537d5314ebd
Sweet Sobriety Foundations Program: https://sweetsobriety.newzenler.com/courses/sweet-sobriety-foundations
Sweet Sobriety website: https://www.sweetsobriety.ca/
Have a topic you want us to cover? Email us: foodjunkiespodcast@gmail.com
POLAND 2027: https://fundacjabraciarodzen.pl/products/international-advanced-training-programme?variant=56860764078458
ABOUT FOOD JUNKIES PODCAST
Food Junkies is hosted by Dr. Vera Tarman, Clarissa Kennedy, and Molly Painschab, exploring food addiction, ultra-processed food use disorder, and recovery from a clinical, compassionate, and lived-experience perspective.
Subscribe for new episodes and hit the bell so you don't miss our Clinician's Corner series.
Our show is for educational purposes only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.