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The INFACT School (https://infactschool.com/) is the only school in the world that teaches students about the science of food addiction and how to treat it. Graduates receive a Certified Food Addiction Professional (CFAP) which is recognized in Europe and the U.S. This seven-month virtual training program involves speakers and many top professionals who study the disease of food addiction. Students are taught screening, assessments and intake technique processes involving looking at behaviors and addiction genealogy. They are trained in counseling and treatment for abstinence and the reversal of personality changes that happen as a person becomes addicted to a substance.
The guest is the podcast owner and highly respected pioneer and school’s founder, Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir, a recovered food addict who released 130 lbs. to achieve a healthy weight through abstinence and working a 12-step food addiction recovery program. She then knew what her life’s mission would be: help other food addicts by opening a treatment center in Iceland and beginning the INFACT School. Over 130 students have graduated from the school, with new classes offered in March and September each year.
We discuss the science behind food addiction, which is just like the addiction to alcohol and drugs: a dopamine response, and over time, experiencing higher tolerance, using more of the substance despite negative consequences. Late-stage food addicts are often obese with obesity-related health issues and cannot stop on their own from eating the offending foods, and once they start, they have difficulty stopping.
37 clinicians, researchers, and academics throughout the world have reached an agreement that food addiction, specifically ultra-processed food addiction, is a substance use disorder. The International Food Addiction Consensus (IFAC) (https://heyzine.com/flip-book/a00ee3aa6c.html) met in London, U.K. in May 2024, and a conference is planned in Mexico City in September 2025 as the application is being submitted to the World Health Organization (WHO) to be placed in the International Classification of Disease, (ICD) to place ultra-processed food addiction as a substance use disorder, in the ICD.
Esther believes in complete abstinence from sugar and addictive foods, along with treatment and recovery programs to recover from food addiction. Her work and that of the school have been impactful and revolutionary. Listen to this wonderful interview with Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir. Yale Food Addiction Scale https://infactschool.com/yale-food-addiction-survey/ -
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. -
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Large food companies, previously owned by tobacco companies, know that we are addicted to sugar and ultra-processed foods. These companies are making large profits using the same tobacco addiction model with items they are selling us to eat. Food companies add sugars to food items, like high fructose corn syrup, and 250 other sugars to the engineered items they call food. Meanwhile, the U.S. population is over 50 percent obese with many health problems and our children are becoming addicted to sugar and these chemically-altered items.
We are made to feel like it is our fault as food addicts, by these food companies and by medical professionals, that we just need to eat less and exercise more to lose weight and become healthy. Sugar and highly processed foods cause a dopamine release in our brains identical to other addictive substances like alcohol and drugs causing us to become addicted.
Dr. Nicole Avena and Dr. Erica LaFata, are two professionals who have made it their life’s work to raise awareness about our sugar and ultra-processed food addiction. Dr. Avena’s book Sugarless, Book, Dr. Nicole Avena, and Dr. Erica LaFata’s research using the Yale Food Addiction Scale have helped progress our understanding of what is actually going on. Dr. Avena and Dr. LaFata presented their findings at the International Food Addiction Consensus Conference (IFAC) held in London, May, 2024. Professionals gathered at this conference and reached a consensus: Ultra-processed foods should be recognized in the International Classifications of Diseases (ICD) and the APA’s (DSM), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a substance-use disorder, identical to alcohol and drugs. The only question now is: As a society, how long will it take for us to see the truth? That we are ADDICTED: to sugar and ultra-processed foods …..and they are killing us. And how many millions must die as our country spends billions on obesity-related illnesses for us to recognize that we are addicted to sugar and ultra-processed foods? It is not our fault. There is a problem and there is a solution. -
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!
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Before recovery, Raena Z. weighed 315 pounds and today she is a recovered food addict which over a 100-lb weight release. As an overweight child, she recalls liking food more than others and using food to manage her emotions. In this episode, Raena shares an experience from high school that caused her incredible shame. After she married and gave birth to her son, her weight continued to climb higher. Eating in secrecy, she could not stop once she began and finally realized her powerlessness and how her compulsive food behaviors were affecting her life. In November 2017 after surrendering to her powerlessness and escaping denial of her food addiction, Raena entered an intensive residential treatment program and began physical and emotional recovery. Today she lives freely of food obsession, compulsivity, and addiction as she has experienced recovery using a 12-step recovery program. She cites all the support she uses to remain abstinent from overeating including fellowship with others. Listen in to this incredible story of addiction and recovery!
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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 -
Amy B.’s highest known weight was 265 as she used food for many years to deal with stress, anxiety and life challenges. While there is humor and a comedic lightness in this podcast episode discussion between two food-recovered food addicts, the messages are serious and important in talking about what it was like and recovery from food addiction. A recovered alcoholic, Amy used food in the same ways she used alcohol, addictively and to numb emotional pain.
Within the laughter, we talk about how we were numbing ourselves with food and alcohol and found that using a 12-step programs of recovery dealt with each addiction’s negative consequences including carrying excess body weight. As an only child, she was not taught that feeling emotions was OK and learned to escape them in self-destructive ways. In recovery from food addiction, she learned that her emotions were not going to kill her as she processed them without using food. We talked about how the transformation in recovery helped her deal with relationships and life stresses in a new way. Amy learned that she needed to surrender her food addiction to a higher power and get to work on taking action in recovery. Today she is free from food addiction as she eats no sugar with the use of a food plan which involves eating whole foods that her body needs to maintain a healthy body weight. Listen in to this inspiring story of recovery from food addiction! -
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
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Lori P. is a recovered food addict who shares the challenges experienced in childhood, during a failed marriage, and after the death of her mother. An accomplished company executive, she had used food and many diets during her life attempting to manage her weight and food addiction. Lori had reached a bottom in her addiction and reached a point of desperation, so she began recovering in a 12-step program. She surrendered control of food and weight through abstinence from offending foods as she physically recovered by releasing and maintaining a 55-pound weight loss.
Today Lori uses a spiritual solution to help her in daily recovery as she says God has shown her love and grace and she has learned to love herself. She left corporate life and realized that she was meant to give back to other professional women. As she became clean from food use she began to tap into her gifts and purpose as she started her own company. What a story of inspiration and transformation to a life of purpose and joy and out of the food!
https://www.infactschool.online/podcast -
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/
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Kristie M., a recovered food addict, has been maintaining a 170-pound weight loss for many years. Having been a child of obese parents and one parent who abused alcohol, she identifies as being obsessed with food early in her life and dealt with the shame and denial of not being able to control her weight or food use on her own. There were many food behaviors including secret eating that plagued any success around the use of diets to control her weight or food. A work colleague told her about a 12-step recovery program for the disease that she entered. Despite a relapse about five years into her abstinence in which she gained 100 pounds, she came back fully surrendered to her addiction to sugar, flour, and volume eating and today she maintains a normal body weight. Kristie has experienced tragedies in her life yet today she accepts life on life’s terms. Recovery has taught her to live for today, not dwell in the past or worry about the future as she has changed how she thinks, behaves, and reacts to people and life events. She says her life has been transformed by finding freedom from food addiction with a program that works for her.
https://www.infactschool.online/ -
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.
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Thirty-four years ago, Dr. Debbie Danowski weighing 328 pounds realized that her life was unmanageable and she decided to enter a food addiction recovery program. Today Dr. Danowski maintains a 170 weight loss through a daily recovery routine. In this podcast, we discuss denial, powerlessness and the negative consequences of food addiction.
Getting the message out about food addiction is the driving force in all of her work and the release of her newest book Happy Eating and Food Addiction in American Advertising which profiles how the food and drink industries are contributing to food addiction and obesity in the U.S. In her research for her book, she watched over 500 food advertisements and outlined specific techniques used in advertisements for ultra-processed foods, which promise consequence-free eating to consumers while encouraging the over-consumption of unhealthy and addictive foods and drinks.
Dr. Danowski presents an analysis of promotional methods in the context of food addiction characteristics and behaviors through an exploration of the themes used in this type of advertising such as using food to rebel, play, relax and achieve happiness and good health. Listen to Dr. Debbie Danowski explain how as a food addict she recovered and how her career has been spent on helping others understand the truth about it and how the food industry plays a role. A 30 percent book discount is available to listeners at this website:
Link For Ordering Book with the use of this code: LXFANDF30
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666939262/%E2%80%9CHappy-Eating%E2%80%9D-and-Food-Addiction-in-American-Advertising -
In his book, Recovery Mind Training Dr. Paul Earley cites the statistic that addiction is a devastating brain disease affecting over 23 million individuals including their loved ones in the U.S. alone. He says that the single biggest driver around addiction is genetics and that there is a strong genetic link with addiction in families. Dr. Earley describes how powerful and insidious the Addict Brain is as it hijacks our brains without us being aware. The Addict Brain is like a computer virus running autonomously in the background virtually undetectable overwhelming an individual's conscious control by reorganizing life goals and ensuring its survival. Once the addict recognizes this and begins to realize the Addict Brain’s power as negative consequences occur, it is possible to implement new skills and recovery practices and place the addiction in remission. In his Recovery Mind Training method of recovery, he employs six domains including addiction containment, basic recovery skills, and emotional awareness and resilience. The RMT method helps unwind and repair damages to the individual as well as his or her family and social network caused by the Addict Brain. Dr. Earley recommends recovering addicts develop a set of skills and life responses to handle life situations blocking the primitive drive to use the addictive substance. He integrates a 12-step recovery program as part of his model and says when we recover and our behaviors are in alignment with our morals and values we find the feeling of freedom, joy, peace and serenity. He cites the strong connection between successful sustained recovery and those individuals developing a spiritual side. What an outstanding podcast episode as we host Dr. Paul Earley outlining the problem...and the solution!
Amazon Link to Recovery Mind Training: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Recovery+mind+training&i=stripbooks&crid=2FV9H3E4BREK6&sprefix=recovery+mind+training%2Cstripbooks%2C97&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 -
When an overweight friend had a stroke, Tony W. realized that if he did not address his own weight and food issues, his health would continue to decline. Weighing 464 pounds, he had many obesity-related illnesses including neuropathy in his feet and five hernia surgeries. He grew up in a family and culture of fried foods and high-calorie foods. Tony got sober from drugs and alcohol using a 12-step recovery program, then began using food even more than he had. He entered the Bright Line Eating Program (https://www.brightlineeating.com/) and has released all of the extra pounds achieving a healthy body weight through eliminating sugar and flour, limiting the times he eats during the day, and weighing his food. The Bright Line Eating Program helped Tony focus on the inner emotional work required around the reasons he was using food. The work Susan Peirce Thompson, PhD (https://www.susanpeircethompson.com/), the founder of Bright Line Eating has done as a neuroscientist resonated with Tony given her focus on the chemical reaction in the brain when we ingest sugar and flour. He realized it was not his lack of willpower which caused his food addiction, but rather his body’s response to addictive substances which set up cravings and obsessive behaviors around food. He talks about how automaticity began to play a part in his daily routine in which he has developed new habits that feel normal. Today Tony W. lives a happy, thin and free life through having recovered from food addiction as he continues to follow his program each day. What an inspiring and hopeful story of recovery from food addiction!
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Colleen Y. has been recovering from food addiction for over four years having physically released 150 pounds. Like many food addicts, her history involves eating in secret and planning her food binges. She experienced shame and embarrassment about her weight and food use and tried to control her food and weight through diets and lap-band surgery. During a 2-month relapse, after she had become abstinent from sugar and other foods, she realized how serious her food addiction was and became suicidal. She entered a food addiction recovery treatment program Shift Recovery by Acorn (https://foodaddiction.com/) and found out she was very angry and processed her anger there. Working a 12-step program, today she enjoys a rich spiritual life with daily disciplines around food. She is abstinent and has neutrality around the foods she used before. Through the support in food addiction recovery, she found the courage to deal with her anger and made changes in her life so today she enjoys her healthy body and a happy and grounded life with peace of mind. What an incredible transformation and inspirational story of recovery from food addiction!
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Once weighing 335 pounds, Lisa K. lost 150 pounds and recovered from her food addiction through treatment and ongoing 12-step work and recovery support. Early in her childhood she had a preoccupation with food and loved the sugar, fat and starch food combination. Growing up in an abusive home she learned not to feel emotions. Later as a teenager she became a food volume addict and was often teased and bullied about her weight. Despite the negative consequences including strained personal relationships, Lisa continued to eat and could not stop eating once she started, often eating secretly. On Jan 1, 2021, she saw an advertisement for Shift Recovery by Acorn (https://foodaddiction.com/) and after a meeting, entered treatment for her food addiction. In recovery and through support she has learned to feel emotions fully and has repaired relationships as she has created the life she wants to live. What an inspirational story of recovery from food addiction!
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Dr. Susan Peirce Thompson has the unique experience of being an addict along with having studied the science of food addiction. In her book Bright Line Eating, The Science of Living Happy, Thin and Free she discusses the concept of automaticity which is developing important new habits around the way we eat and behave. Her Susceptibility Scale quiz allows clients to determine on a scale of 1-10 how strongly their brains react to the reward of addictive foods."Her book, Rezoom addresses the ways in which we get off track from the program by lapsing. She offers ways to resume with acceptance and grace around addiction and recovery. Her approach toward various parts of our personalities that drive our food addiction such as the Saboteur, the Food Indulger and the Rebel helps her clients identify obstacles in their recovery and how to face them. She says the food industry is aware of our society’s addiction to sugar and highly processed foods and deliberately is manufacturing it.Her new book is out, On This Bright Day, A Year of Reflections for
Lasting Food Freedom has just been released and is a daily inspiration book to help food addicts recover. Dr. Susan Peirce Thompson is an inspiring person and a phenomenal advocate for recovery from food addiction!
Susan Peirce Thompson website http://susanpeircethompson.com
Bright Line Eating: The Science of Living Happy, Thin, and Free https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Line-Eating-audiobook/dp/B06XGLWG1N/ref=sr_1_1crid=1I017ZYYOH1TC&keywords=bright+line+eating+book&qid=1697104954&sprefix=bright+line+eating%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1
Rezoom https://www.amazon.com/Rezoom-Powerful-Crash-Burn-Addiction/dp/B09MYBYY5J/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1XV7871MF6JG&keywords=Susan+Peirce+Thompson+rezoom&qid=1697477303&s=audible&sprefix=susan+peirce+thompson+rezoom%2Caudible%2C78&sr=1-1 -
Dr. Guttorm Toverud has a Ph.D. in Counselor Education from the University of North Carolina and a master's degree in Agency Counseling from Appalachian State University. He specializes in teaching that recovery from food addiction is possible using a 12-step program having conducted workshops for 30 years with more than 10,000 participants. Dr. Toverud trains professionals to treat food addicts with a clinical approach by using one of the most published books in history, the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous as a textbook. While he acknowledges that the 12 steps of recovery are important, his academic approach in training focuses on the first 63 pages of this book which clearly outline instructions around the problem and the solution. Dr. Toverud says addicts come to treatment not for the addiction itself, but because of the negative consequences of the addiction. In the case of food addiction, this can be obesity-related problems and illnesses and/or compulsions and obsessions with food and food behaviors. In the case of addiction, he urges that it cannot be controlled until we follow the instructions and do not start using the offending substance or behavior. What an insightful and inspiring episode with Dr. Guttorm Toverud!
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Dr. Robert Lustig has a degree from MIT, a medical degree from Cornell University and a law degree from U.C. Hastings. He is bold in his messaging: Our metabolic health as a nation has been negatively affected by our nutrition---We are not eating real foods, whole foods. Sugar is added to ultra-processed foods and it is making us sicker. 75 percent of our health care costs in the U.S. are due to our poor metabolic health which is related directly to our poor nutrition. Doctors treat the symptoms of metabolic disease and do not urge prevention through eating real food. The food industry and big pharma are all financially highly incented to keep us addicted and they know sugar and ultra-processed foods are addictive. His Youtube video, Sugar: The Bitter Truth (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM) has gone viral with over 24 million views. His most recent book Metabolical: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Metabolical&i=stripbooks&crid=3KXLJ2N75LH2J&sprefix=metabolical%2Cstripbooks%2C109&ref=nb_sb_noss_1) offers an excellent account of what is truly going on: Food and sugar addiction are real, the food industry knows this and adds sugar to foods, our doctors are treating the symptoms of obesity and metabolic syndrome by throwing pills at the problem and the pharmaceutical industry is motivated to be complicit. Dr. Lustig is a vocal advocate for placing Food Addiction in the DSM-V as a substance use disorder just like alcohol and drugs so that insurance companies will pay for treatment. What a brilliant and inspiring man Dr. Robert Lustig is! Listen in!
- Visa fler
