The Science of Food Addiction with Dr. Ashley Gearhardt, Part 2

Get ready to dive deeper into your cravings as we explore the addictiveness of processed foods with Dr. Ashley Gearhardt!

This renowned researcher is leading us on a journey through sweeteners, marketing tactics, potential risks, and much more - so buckle up for an eye-opening chat that will leave you enlightened yet hungry (for knowledge)!

Episode Highlights:

(4:18) One of the ways that we knew nicotine was addictive was we would have animals in the research lab choose between nicotine or cocaine. And cocaine was a much stronger reinforcer than nicotine. The animals would choose cocaine about 80% of the time, but they would still choose nicotine 20% of the time, and they would work to get nicotine. Sugar versus cocaine, 80% of the time they'll choose sugar over cocaine.

(09:47) Big tobacco has now gotten into the food game. I just recently learned how much Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds have played a huge role in shaping processed food and the way we eat it. And the way it's engineered and designed and marketed because when they started coming under heat for their addictiveness of the tobacco products, they diversified by buying companies like Craft and General Mills.

And so if we wouldn't trust them around tobacco, why would we trust them with the food that we eat?

(10:56) Self-compassion is one of the things I preach … It is like your biology wants this stuff because it's worried it's gonna starve, and there's a trillion-dollar industry that is using their know-how that they honed on things like cigarettes, and that has been applied to our food environment.