Food Addiction, the Problem and the Solution

About Food Addiction, the Problem and the Solution

The International School For Food Addiction Counseling And Treatment (The INFACT School) brings you the podcast, Food Addiction: The Problem And The Solution which explores the ubiquitous problems of food addiction and presents the solution. The school, founded by director Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir MSc, is the world’s first and only sugar/food addiction counseling training with U.S. and European food addiction counselor certifications. infactschool.com Host, Susan Branscome, a recovered food addict, interviews guests who are professionals and counselors focused on the disease of food addiction, as well as individuals who have successfully recovered from food addiction. The podcast will resonate with food addicts, those dieting unsuccessfully, those desperate to learn more about food addiction and recover, as well as professionals treating and counseling clients with food addiction and medical practitioners treating patients suffering from obesity and obesity-related illnesses and issues. Subscribe to Food Addiction: The Problem and The Solution wherever you get your podcasts!

Publisher

Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir

Category

health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

22 Apr 2023

Latest episode

26 May 2026

Latest episodes

26 of 45 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   26 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Beyond Willpower: How COR Retreat Helps People Heal from Food Addiction

   Program Director Nancy Kaley and Co-Facilitator Joni Osip of COR Retreat discuss how their program offers healing from food addiction through abstinence, connection, and 12-Step recovery.

2. 

   14 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Why We Can’t Stop: The Truth About Ultra-Processed Food Addiction

   Dr. Jen Unwin is a pioneering voice in the field of food addiction, bringing more than three decades of clinical experience from the UK’s National Health Service and a lifelong focus on one powerful idea: hope. A Fellow of the British Psychological Society and recipient of the Karen Ehlert Lifetime Achievement Award, she has dedicated her career to helping people move beyond shame and self-blame toward lasting health change. What makes her work especially compelling is that it is not only professional but personal—Dr. Unwin has openly shared her own struggles with food addiction, giving her a rare depth of empathy and insight into the realities of recovery. Working alongside her husband, Dr. David Unwin, she has helped pioneer drug-free remission of type 2 diabetes through sustainable dietary change, supporting hundreds of patients and influencing many more worldwide. Together, they demonstrate that when biology, psychology, and behavior are addressed as one, transformation is not only possible—it is repeatable. Her work bridges science and lived experience, combining clinical rigor with a deep understanding of the emotional and psychological drivers of addictive eating. In this conversation, we explore the science of food addiction—how ultra-processed foods can hijack the brain, why traditional approaches to control food intake so often fall short, and what it truly takes to move from dieting to recovery. Dr. Unwin shares powerful insights on shame, trauma, withdrawal, and the moment of clarity many experience in early recovery. She is also part of a growing international movement—alongside leaders such as Heidi Giaever and other global experts—working to advance recognition of ultra-processed food addiction as a substance use disorder within the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD). This work represents a critical step toward transforming treatment, research, and public policy worldwide. This is a deeply human and hopeful discussion with a clinician who is helping redefine what recovery can look like—and why meaningful change in how we understand and treat food addiction may be closer than ever. Food Addiction Solutions (https://www.the-chc.org/fas/team) Write to the WHO about food addiction (https://foodaddictioninstitute.org/who-comment-instructions/) The INFACT School (https://infactschool.com/)

3. 

   17 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT

   When the Doctor Is the Patient: Dr. Tro on Food Addiction and Healing

   Dr. Tro Kalayjian is a board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine, founder and Chief Medical Officer of Toward Health, and a founding member of the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners. Through his virtual metabolic health clinic, he helps patients address obesity, type 2 diabetes, chronic metabolic disease, and food addiction using a personalized, lifestyle-based approach grounded in science, clinical care, and real-world outcomes. He is also an international speaker and a leading voice in the growing conversation around metabolic health, nutrition science, and food addiction. What makes Dr. Tro’s work especially compelling is that it is deeply rooted in lived experience. He grew up in a family affected by obesity and struggled with his own weight for years, eventually reaching more than 350 pounds. As a physician, he experienced firsthand the frustration, shame, and limitations of conventional approaches, and through his own recovery he lost more than 150 pounds and has maintained that transformation for over a decade. That combination of medical expertise and personal recovery gives him a rare and powerful perspective on what it really takes to break free from food addiction and reclaim health. In this episode, we explore both the science and the human side of food addiction. Dr. Tro shares his approach to treating patients, his views on abstinence versus harm reduction, the failures of the medical system in addressing metabolic disease, and the powerful influence of Big Food, Big Pharma, and public policy. We also discuss his personal recovery story and his advocacy for recognizing ultra-processed food addiction as a substance use disorder, including his support of the international consensus effort to bring this issue into the World Health Organization’s ICD. This is a bold, thoughtful, and deeply relevant conversation with a physician who brings both professional authority and lived experience to the table. Toward Health Website (https://toward.health/)  IFACC   (https://www.the-chc.org/fas/conference) Dr. Tro on X  (https://x.com/DoctorTro) Binge Eating Food Addiction and Low Carb diets (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6988301/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)  #harmfuluse  #addiction #foodaddiction  #bingeeatingrecovery

Inside a recent episode

Beyond Willpower: How COR Retreat Helps People Heal from Food Addiction

Published 26 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Yeah. Meet you where you're at, but don't leave you there. Somebody said one time. So the people that come in, I assume that the majority are people that are, uh, We know that food addiction can be a symptom of obesity, but we don't necessarily say that. And so how do you help them as they realize that you know, food addiction is a brain disease and it's not their fault and all the dieting failures is not part of, you know, that you kind of turn them around. Do you have people just coming in looking for weight loss and you get them to realize what's going on? Joni, I see you nodding your head. […]

Who has been a guest on Food Addiction, the Problem and the Solution

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Nancy Kaley
• Joni Osip
• Jessica Parker
• Sakinah Osborne
• Amanda Leith

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

15,283

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

32 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

24 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 64 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

63

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

85

Contact Food Addiction, the Problem and the Solution

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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