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Food Junkies Podcast

Food Junkies Podcast

By: Clarissa Kennedy
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Summary

 Welcome to the "Food Junkies" podcast! Here we aim to provide you with the experience, strength and hope of professionals actively working on the front lines in the field of Food Addiciton. The purpose of our show is to educate YOU the listener and increase overall awareness about Food Addiction as a recognized disorder. Here we discuss all things recovery, exploring the many pathways people take towards abstinence in order to achieve a health forward lifestyle. Most importantly how to THRIVE rather than just survive. So stay positive, make a change for yourself, tell others about your change, and hopefully the message will spread. The content on our show does not supplement or supersede the professional relationship and direction of your healthcare provider. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder or mental health concern. Hygiene & Healthy Living
Episodes
  • Episode 281: Dr. Stephen Sideroff | The 9 Pillars of Resilience in Recovery

    Episode 281: Dr. Stephen Sideroff | The 9 Pillars of Resilience in Recovery
    May 14 2026
    What if the missing piece in your recovery isn't more willpower — it's resilience? In this deeply inspiring episode, Dr. Vera Tarman sits down with Dr. Stephen Sideroff, UCLA psychologist, researcher, and one of the world's leading experts on stress, addiction, and optimal performance. With over 40 years at the intersection of neuroscience and recovery, Dr. Sideroff breaks down his comprehensive Nine Pillars of Resilience model and shows exactly how it applies to recovery from food addiction. 🎙️ IN THIS EPISODE: Why stress is the #1 driver of both addiction and relapse — and what to do about it The real definition of resilience All Nine Pillars of Resilience explained — and how each one applies to food addiction Why your inner critic is keeping you stuck — and how to replace it The nervous system truth behind burnout: why most of us are already on the continuum How to "dress rehearse" recovery moments so you're prepared when cravings hit Why saying "this is difficult" actually makes things harder The biological age study Dr. Sideroff is running right now — and his own remarkable results How joy is not a luxury but a physiological necessity for recovery and aging Why anxiety and worry are a faulty strategy — and what to do instead The concept of "the path" — and why you don't have to do everything at once What quantum leadership has to do with recovery culture Why 12-step programs work through the lens of the resilience model 🏛️ THE NINE PILLARS OF RESILIENCE: Relationship Pillars: Relationship with yourself — your inner voice, self-compassion, self-acceptance Relationship with others — healthy boundaries, connection, support Relationship with something greater — community, spirituality, purpose Organism Balance & Mastery: Physical balance & mastery — nervous system regulation, relaxation, parasympathetic recovery Cognitive balance & mastery — mindset, growth orientation, releasing negative thoughts Emotional balance & mastery — healing emotional wounds, reducing reactivity Engaging with the World: Presence — awareness of your environment and the energy you project Flexibility — adapting to obstacles, shifting perspective, seeing through others' eyes Power — courage, focus, goal-setting, taking action in spite of fear 📖 DR. SIDEROFF'S BOOK: The Nine Pillars of Resilience: The Proven Path to Master Stress, Slow Aging, and Increase Vitality 🔗 CONNECT WITH DR. SIDEROFF: 🌐 Visit Home - Dr. Stephen Sideroff for resources, his book, and the resilience questionnaire 📬 CONNECT WITH FOOD JUNKIES: 📧 Email: foodjunkiespodcast@gmail.com 🌐 Website: foodjunkiespodcast.com If this episode resonated with you, please leave us a review and share it with someone in recovery who needs to hear that healing is a path — not a single decision. The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.
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    50 mins
  • Episode 280: Bob Messerschmidt | The ESR Marker That Could Change Recovery

    Episode 280: Bob Messerschmidt | The ESR Marker That Could Change Recovery
    May 7 2026

    What if your body could warn you before a relapse happens? In this fascinating episode, Dr. Vera Tarman sits down with Bob Messerschmidt — biomedical engineer, inventor, and one of the architects behind the original Apple Watch's health-sensing technology — to explore a surprisingly simple but powerful biomarker: the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).

    Bob is the founder of Core Health and has developed an FDA-registered at-home device that tracks chronic low-grade inflammation over time. For those of us in the food addiction and recovery world, this conversation opens a compelling new door: could inflammation tracking be the missing feedback loop for people working to stay abstinent from ultra-processed foods?

    🎙️ IN THIS EPISODE:

    • Bob's personal health journey and how weight struggles led him to inflammation science
    • What ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) is — and why it fell out of favor before we understood chronic inflammation
    • Why inflammation is now understood to underpin nearly all chronic disease
    • How ESR differs from CRP (C-reactive protein) and why its "slowness" is a feature
    • What does a high ESR score mean — and what you can do about it
    • Anti-inflammatory lifestyle interventions that move the needle (including one surprising nighttime trick)
    • How the Core Health device works: a simple weekly finger-stick test from home
    • The feedback loop concept: how seeing your own data creates self-efficacy and behavior change
    • Whether inflammation can precede a relapse — and what the data currently shows
    • How ESR compares to a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) as a recovery tool
    • Bob's thoughts on the Theranos dream — and whether democratized blood diagnostics is truly possible
    • The future of non-invasive glucose monitoring and wearable health tech

    🍒 BOB'S ANTI-INFLAMMATORY TIPS FROM THE EPISODE:

    • Tart cherry juice (4 oz before bed — also improves sleep!)
    • Ketogenic eating patterns
    • Vegan dietary approaches
    • Quality sleep
    • Cold plunges
    • Grounding practices

    🔗 LEARN MORE & GET THE DEVICE:

    🌐 Core Health Website: Home - COR Health

    📬 CONNECT WITH FOOD JUNKIES:

    📧 Email: foodjunkiespodcast@gmail.com

    🌐 Website: foodjunkiespodcast.com

    If this episode sparked your curiosity, please leave us a review and share it with someone in recovery who might benefit from understanding the inflammation connection.

    The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.
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    38 mins
  • Episode 279: Clinician's Corner | Why Motivation Isn't the Problem — Building Competence in Food Addiction Recovery

    Episode 279: Clinician's Corner | Why Motivation Isn't the Problem — Building Competence in Food Addiction Recovery
    Apr 30 2026
    Are you exhausted from chasing motivation that never lasts? In this Clinician's Corner episode, Molly Painschab and Clarissa Kennedy break down why motivation is actually an outcome, not a starting point — and what truly drives sustainable recovery from ultra-processed food use disorder. Using the lens of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), they unpack the three psychological needs every person in recovery must have met: autonomy, relatedness, and competence — the often-overlooked key that separates short-term compliance from lasting change. 🎙️ IN THIS EPISODE: Why "just get motivated" is the wrong advice — and what to focus on instead The three pillars of Self-Determination Theory and how they apply to food addiction recovery Why external pressure (shame, fear, "I should") can actually increase relapse risk The difference between a stick-and-carrot and real motivation What competence actually means How the Foundations Program (81+ skills and tools!) was built around these principles Why recovery is a learning process, not a decision What the research now says about forced compliance Small, practical ways to start building self-trust today 🛠️ WHAT'S IN THE FOUNDATIONS PROGRAM? The Sweet Sobriety Foundations Program includes 81+ skills and tools covering: ✔️ Nervous system regulation ✔️ CBT & DBT frameworks ✔️ Mindfulness & self-compassion practices ✔️ Recovery planning ✔️ Craving and urge management ✔️ Emotional awareness and distress tolerance 📬 CONNECT WITH US: 📧 Email: foodjunkiespodcast@gmail.com 🌐 Website: foodjunkiespodcast.com 🍓 Learn more about Sweet Sobriety: www.sweetsobriety.ca If you found this episode helpful, please leave us a review and share it with someone who needs to hear that the problem was never their motivation. The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.
    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
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