Ep. 120 – Confronting Our Addiction to Processed Food with Dr. Joan Ifland

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We are delighted to have Dr. Joan Ifland joining us today. She is an expert in the processed food addiction space, and she has written the textbook on foundations, assessment, and recovery from processed food addiction. She is a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition, she has earned her Ph.D., she has an MBA from Stanford Business School, and she also has a BA in Economics and Political Science. She has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Network on the Book of John Gray, and she founded online services for food-addicted people.

Dr. Ifland is spearheading a movement to educate individuals and clinicians about processed food addiction, and she has some helpful resources available for people who feel helpless in their struggles with their food addiction. In today’s episode, Dr. Ifland shares her story and talks to us about why people become addicted to processed foods. Be sure to tune in today to get Dr. Ifland’s expert advice and find out why weight-loss programs are not powerful enough to overcome severe food addiction. 

“A tobacco company deliberately took the marketing model they developed for tobacco for adults, and adapted it to sugar for children.”

Dr. Joan Ifland

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

  • The scope of the problem with processed food and when, where, and how it all started.
    1. The role of the tobacco industry in creating addictions to processed foods.
    2. Why, after 30 years of tobacco involvement, many people have addictions to food.
    3. How the five As in the corporate business model lead to people becoming addicted to processed food. They are Advertising, Availability, Affordability, (young) Age of onset, Addictive properties in the product.
    4. How the ‘Bliss Point’ affects people.
    5. How the pleasure centers in the brain make processed foods irresistible.
    6. Some other factors that lower people’s ability to resist compulsively eating processed foods.
    7. Why weight loss programs are not strong enough to overcome severe food addiction.
    8. Where you can get more information about overcoming food addiction.
    9. The similarities between alcoholism and food addiction.
    10. How the online global Addiction Reset Community (ARC) trains people to manage their food addictions.
    11. Integrating healthier food choices.

Connect with Dr. Joan Ifland

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow

Resources:

  • Dr. Ifland’s book – Processed Food Addiction: Foundations, Assessment, and Recovery (2018 CRC Press)

Online services for food-addicted people – www.foodaddictionreset.com                                                      

      www.resetweek.com

Books mentioned:

Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss

About Everyday Wellness Podcast

Everyday Wellness is not just another health podcast. Your host, Cynthia Thurlow (nurse practitioner and nutrition/IF expert) has over 20 years of experience in clinal medicine and wellness. Her mission is to bring you the best, science-backed yet practical information to improve your physical and mental wellness every day. She is a busy mompreneur and knows how important your time is. She has designed this podcast to be short in time and big on impact. She interviews a variety of guests in the field of health and wellness, and discusses important issues, and provide practical strategies that you can use in your real life.