Food Addiction, the Problem and the Solution

Dr. Bonnie Nolan holds a PhD in neuroscience and is a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor. With expertise in both neuroscience and psychotherapy, she works on the front lines of opioid addiction, understanding the brain's dopamine response to addictive substances. She also recognizes how genetics, environment, and mental health issues like anxiety and depression contribute to addiction. Having struggled with alcohol addiction herself, Dr. Nolan has been in recovery for years, seeing addiction’s prevalence in her large family. Her experience at the The INFACT School (https://infactschool.com/) led her to identify as a food addict, a diagnosis confirmed by the Yale Food Addiction Scale (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yale_Food_Addiction_Scale). She believes ultra-processed foods should be included in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM-V)of the American Psychiatric Association as a substance use disorder. Dr. Nolan’s work focuses on the link between childhood trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and addiction, with many clients unaware of or minimizing past traumas. She leads group recovery courses, including one for women with food addiction, where she helps them process trauma and gain control over what they can change. Dr. Nolan has witnessed the brain’s ability to reset and the potential to reverse the dopamine response to addictive substances through recovery practices. Dr. Nolan has witnessed firsthand the possibility of reversing the dopamine response to ingesting substances through recovery practices. This podcast episode is excellent and delves into Dr. Nolan’s unique blend of education, professional expertise, and personal experience in addiction and treatment.

Christine G. was raised in an alcoholic home and was often compared by her parents to a sibling and was expected to be different. As a child, she began using food to cope with this treatment and she reached her highest body weight of 229. Her lowest weight was 95 pounds as she suffered many years with bulimia and food addiction. At the age of 13, Christine experienced a traumatic personal violation and didn’t tell anyone for many years. In her addiction, she used food and bulimic behaviors to deal with feelings. To the people in her life, she appeared to have it all together yet became masterful in secretly using food and vomiting daily. It was not until she became honest by facing reality in a residential treatment program for food addiction, SHiFT, Recovery by Acorn, (SHiFT, Recovery by Acorn // https://foodaddiction.com/) Here she spoke the truth about her bulimia and began to take action and recover. Today Christine is open and honest about her food use and bulimic tendencies as she works a food program recovery program (Food Recovery Programs // https://infactschool.com/groups/). Christine lives a simpler, quieter life and has learned to love herself as she lives in the present moment at peace with no more secrets.

Doris R. grew up in an alcoholic household and as the oldest of five children had a lot of responsibility early in her life. She was responsible for taking care of her younger siblings while her mother worked. Her father was an alcoholic, and her mother was obese and used food. Her first diet was in the 4th grade. A recovered alcoholic, after Doris became sober and her food use increased. She realized that she needed to eliminate addictive foods from her diet and has since reached and maintained a healthy weight by realizing that abstinence from sugar and highly processed foods was necessary yet was just the start. She learned she also needed to recover from her food addiction as she entered the treatment program SHiFT, Recovery by Acorn (foodaddiction.com). She has experienced a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual transformation and recovery. As a recovered food addict, rather than using food to deal with emotions she feels the emotions and uses her recovery program to handle life situations. Listen to this great episode!

Do 12-step recovery programs work? Yes! Dr. John Kelly of Harvard performed a comprehensive study which is one of the most widely disseminated research findings in the last five years and was reviewed by Cochrane. The Cochrane organization reviews research studies and is internationally recognized as the benchmark for high-quality information about the effectiveness of health care. Dr. John Kelly specializes in addiction recovery and has served as a consultant to U.S. federal agencies and foreign governments. His research work has focused on addiction treatment and the recovery process. This important study confirmed what many recovered addicts know, 12-step programs work. Dr. Kelly says the three areas in 12-step programs which were most important to successful recovery: attendance at meetings, having a sponsor, and sharing verbally at meetings. While some addicts participate in acute medical management including inpatient or rehabilitation treatment which can be helpful, working 12-step recovery programs allow addicts to maintain sobriety and abstinence from the substance or behavior over time. There is more to be done in our society in destigmatizing addiction and Dr. Kelly knows that addiction occurs in the brain where ingesting the offending substance sets up cravings and obsession and ultimately addiction. In terms of food addiction, Dr. John Kelly says he knows ultra-processed foods can be quite addictive as well and says there is more research to be done. The medical community has been trained to treat the symptoms of addiction, not the source of the addiction. Abstinence in the case of food addiction, sobriety in the case of alcohol and drugs can be effective using 12-step recovery programs. There is an effort to have ultra-processed foods recognized as a substance use disorder, just like alcohol and drugs and an important consensus took place. (Link Below) Listen in to this incredible episode where Dr. Kelly, an accomplished research professional who has helped to prove through his work and research that 12-step recovery programs are very effective. Cochrane Review 12-Step Study https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD012880.pub2/full#CD012880-abs-0002 Dr. John Kelly Harvard biography https://www.health.harvard.edu/authors/john-f-kelly-phd International Food Addiction Conference Consensus Statement https://the-chc.org/fas/conference

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 // https://www.milestonesprogram.org/) in southeast Florida Amanda Leith heads SHiFT, Recovery by Acorn ( SHiFT website // https://foodaddiction.com/), and Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir, owner of this podcast, leads the INFACT School (INFACT School website // https://www.infactschool.online/). 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. International Food Addiction Consensus Conference, May 17, 2024 // https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/international-food-addiction-consensus-conference-ifacc-2024-registration-732854436347

Dr. Joan Ifland is a leading authority and expert in highly-processed Food Addiction and wellness recovery and has personal experience with food addiction. When she realized that her mental and physical health was being negatively affected by the food she was eating, she began to make changes involving eliminating certain foods and utilizing recovery. Dr. Ifland gives practitioners and clients new insights into why food addiction recovery can lead to health improvement from nutrition-related diseases. She cites a statistic in which 1.6 million Americans will die from diet/nutrition-related diseases each year. She also says that it was no coincidence that tobacco companies purchased food companies years ago and applied an addiction-prone model as they add sugar to foods and make highly-processed “food-like substances”, all of which are highly addictive. Dr. Joan Ifland counsels clients by building awareness around severe cravings disorder and how to break the cycle and live a mentally and physically healthy lifestyle. Her group Food Addiction Reset program information and her company can be found at these websites: Processed Food Addiction https://www.processedfoodaddiction.com/ Food Addiction Reset https://www.foodaddictionreset.com/

After losing 130 pounds and gaining it back…twice, on his 34th birthday, Michael Prager had reached 365 pounds. He was often miserable and isolated and alienated people in his life while feeling the shame of his body size. After many years of dieting, he finally learned that he has an addictive, biochemical reaction to sugar, flour, and highly processed foods and decided to “get out of the driver’s seat” and surrender his will. He wrote the book Fat Boy, Thin Man in which he describes his journey from childhood through recovery from food addiction and reached and sustains a healthy body weight. Michael attended a 5-day food addiction treatment program, Shift, Recovery by Acorn. He now offers the service of getting the message out about food addiction, emphasizing that this disease is not our fault. While he resisted any persuasion to accept a God or Higher Power, he finally succumbed to his version, which helped him release the powerlessness over his food and his weight, and how he had been eating, realizing he had no control once he began to eat certain foods. Michael is highly intelligent and had to learn how to approach life not only with his keen mind but learned the value of feeling his emotions. Michael Prager is an author and journalist in Arlington, Massachusetts, and is an incredibly inspiring guest on the podcast.