About this episode

Dr. Brendan McCarthy explores the biological reasons behind cravings and hunger after eating, focusing on the impact of ultra-processed foods.

Why do you crave dessert after dinner? Why are you hungry again an hour after eating? And why does weight sometimes seem to accelerate even when you're watching calories? In Episode 3 of this series on ultra-processed and hyper-palatable foods, Dr. Brendan McCarthy breaks down the biology behind cravings, hunger, and weight gain. This episode connects the dots between food engineering, blood sugar spikes, insulin, and the brain’s reward system—showing why this isn’t a willpower problem, but a biological response to the foods we’re eating. Dr. McCarthy, Chief Medical Officer at Protea Medical Center in Tempe, Arizona, explains how modern ultra-processed foods are designed to override normal satiety signals, destabilize blood sugar, and drive continued consumption. Over time, this can create hormonal changes that make weight gain easier and weight loss harder. In this episode you’ll learn:• Why ultra-processed foods trigger cravings and repeat eating• How glycemic spikes lead to hunger shortly after meals• The role of insulin as a “routing hormone” for calories• How food processing affects fat storage in the body• Why weight gain can accelerate over time• Why this is not a failure…

More episodes of Dr. Brendan McCarthy

• Trauma Is Driving Your Diet (Not Willpower) | Ultra-Processed Foods Explained · May 6, 2026 · 24 min
• Ultra-Processed Foods & Autoimmunity · April 22, 2026 · 19 min
• The Truth About GLP-1s · April 15, 2026 · 15 min
• This Was Never a Fair Fight: How Ultra-Processed Food Trains a Child’s Brain · April 8, 2026 · 21 min
• This Isn’t a Willpower Problem: The Truth About Stress, Cravings & Weight Gain · April 1, 2026 · 24 min
• The Real Reason You Crave Junk Food Under Stress · March 25, 2026 · 18 min

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