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Dr Rangan ChatterjeeDr Rangan Chatterjee

The Food Addiction Crisis: Why Millions Can’t Stop Eating Sugar | Jen Unwin

Fill out our audience survey via https://drchatterjee.com/survey This episode is brought to you by: BON CHARGE: Save 20% off all Bon Charge products with code LIVEMORE https://boncharge.com/livemore Ever wondered why you can’t stop at just one biscuit? Or why your efforts to eat better go so well for a few days, but you’re soon back where you started – frustrated, ashamed and wondering what’s wrong with you? This episode has the answers you need, along with a roadmap for regaining control. I’m speaking with Dr Jen Unwin, a clinical psychologist who has struggled with and overcome food addiction. And if you’re thinking ‘I didn’t think that was a thing’ then stay tuned for the facts that will convince you otherwise. Over decades trying to understand her own relationship with food, Jen discovered that for a significant number of people, a compulsive habit around sugar and ultra-processed foods is real and damaging. In this enlightening conversation, she explains how sugar lights up the same reward centres in the brain as nicotine and alcohol. And how our hunter-gatherer ancestors may not have needed an ‘off switch’ for eating, but our modern food industry makes it almost impossible for vulnerable people to say no. The research is strong – and Jen is part of a charity campaigning to have food addiction formally recognised by the World Health Organization. That way millions of people would be able to get help from their doctors, in the same way as people with drug and alcohol misuse disorders – instead of being dismissed for a lack of discipline or willpower. Many of us get cravings or have a fondness for sweet or ‘blissy’ foods. So when does that tip into addiction? Jen shares a clever, six-point, self-assessment tool called CRAVED, which you can use right now to understand whether your relationship with food might be problematic. And we get super practical, with advice on whether cutting down or going cold turkey is right for you, how to handle social situations when everyone around you is indulging, and how to set up your home environment for success. Whether you score one or six on the CRAVED scale, I’m certain there’s something in this conversation for everyone. And if you’re someone who has been battling this quietly, perhaps feeling ashamed or hopeless, I honestly believe Jen’s message might mark a turning point for you – one that helps you see a way forward. #feelbetterlivemore Find out about Dr Unwin: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jen_unwin/ X https://x.com/drjenunwin Dr Unwin’s book: Fork in the Road: A Hopeful Guide to Food Freedom UK https://amzn.to/48nADBj US https://amzn.to/4cM3ikP #feelbetterlivemore #feelbetterlivemorepodcast ------- Order MAKE CHANGE THAT LASTS. US & Canada version https://amzn.to/3RyO3SL, UK version https://amzn.to/3Kt5rUK ----- Follow Dr Chatterjee at: Website: https://drchatterjee.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drchatterjee Twitter: https://twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Newsletter: https://drchatterjee.com/subscription DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Dr. Rangan Chatterjeehost
Apr 28, 20261h 53mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Sugar and ultra-processed foods fuel addiction—diagnose, abstain, and recover

  1. Sugar and refined carbohydrates can strongly stimulate brain reward circuits, making compulsive eating less about willpower and more about addiction vulnerability in a toxic modern food environment.
  2. The concept of “food addiction” is controversial largely because food is necessary for survival, but Unwin argues the addictive target is specific: sugar/refined carbs and engineered ultra-processed foods designed to maximize craving.
  3. Unwin advocates formal recognition of an “ultra-processed food use disorder” to enable proper clinical pathways, funding, and reduced stigma, similar to alcohol or nicotine use disorders.
  4. They introduce the CRAVED screening tool (adapted from WHO substance-use criteria) to help people identify addictive-like eating patterns, including cravings, tolerance, withdrawal, and continued use despite harm.
  5. Recovery is framed as feasible but demanding: clarify motivations, identify trigger foods, engineer environments, plan for social pressure, and often use abstinence plus broader emotional/behavioral supports to prevent substitution into other addictions.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

For many people, sugar problems are neurobehavioral—not a character flaw.

Unwin emphasizes that sugar and refined carbs activate primitive reward circuits (dopamine-driven) similarly to drugs, so guilt and shame are misplaced; logic alone often can’t override a reward-driven brain state.

Not all food is “addictive”—the main culprits are engineered combinations.

Ultra-processed foods that combine sugar/refined grains, fat, and salt (e.g., pizza, donuts, ice cream, biscuits, chips) are described as “food-like substances” optimized to trigger repeat consumption.

Viewing the issue like alcohol clarifies why moderation fails for some.

The “one is too many, a thousand is never enough” pattern mirrors substance use disorders: some people can have occasional treats, while others lose control and do best with abstinence from specific trigger foods.

Formal recognition would change treatment access and reduce misclassification.

Unwin argues that without an official category, referrals and funding lag; people may be placed in “all foods fit” eating-disorder approaches that can be counterproductive for those needing abstinence-based addiction care.

Use CRAVED as a self-check to distinguish ‘harmful use’ from addiction-like patterns.

CRAVED maps WHO-style substance-use symptoms to food: Cravings/compulsions, Reaching for more (tolerance), Activities neglected, Volume loss of control, Exclusion (withdrawal), and Damage despite continued use; 3+ suggests significant risk.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

It's, it's so not a willpower problem.

— Dr. Jen Unwin

We don't have to eat sugar, and we certainly don't have to eat ultra-processed foods that have been sort of manufactured in a factory and literally designed to hook us.

— Dr. Jen Unwin

Once you've got into that addiction problem, you're never gonna solve it with willpower.

— Dr. Jen Unwin

We never needed an off switch for food. We always just needed an on switch, motivated to go get.

— Dr. Jen Unwin

It's not your fault that you have these struggles, but once you know the information that we're talking about today, then it become, it can become your responsibility to, to do something different.

— Dr. Jen Unwin

Willpower vs addiction model for sugar/UPFsBrain reward pathways, dopamine, “bliss point,” and speed of absorptionEvolutionary mismatch and omnipresent modern cuesIndustry engineering/marketing and normalization of constant “treat culture”WHO/ICD-style diagnosis proposal: ultra-processed food use disorderCRAVED screening (cravings, tolerance, neglect, volume loss, withdrawal, continued use)Practical recovery tactics: abstinence, environment design, social scripts, support groups, children’s food culture

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