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Food Junkies Podcast

Food Junkies Podcast

By: Clarissa Kennedy
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About this listen

 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 270: Adina Mullen | Plant-Based Keto & Sugar-Free Eating: Is It Possible?

    Episode 270: Adina Mullen | Plant-Based Keto & Sugar-Free Eating: Is It Possible?
    Feb 26 2026
    Can you eat plant-based and still avoid sugar, carbs, and ultra-processed foods? In this episode of Food Junkies, Dr. Vera Tarman is joined by Adina Mullen, plant-based chef, author of Vegan Flavors of the World, and founder of Adina's Delicacies, to explore whether vegetarian or vegan eating can truly support food addiction recovery, low-sugar living, and even plant-based keto—without deprivation or rebound eating. Adina brings a deeply grounded, real-world approach to plant-based cooking rooted in whole foods, cultural traditions, flavor, and satisfaction. This conversation goes beyond diet rules to focus on nourishment, satiety, and sustainability, especially for people healing their relationship with food. 🌱 What You'll Learn in This Episode ✔️ Is plant-based keto actually possible? ✔️ Why many people fail on plant-based diets (and how to avoid rebound eating) ✔️ The difference between vegetarian, vegan, and whole-food plant-based ✔️ How to feel satisfied without sugar or ultra-processed foods ✔️ Best plant-based protein sources, including options for people on GLP-1s ✔️ Why preparation and texture matter more than restriction ✔️ How culture, memory, and comfort foods support long-term recovery ✔️ Common mistakes that leave people hungry, depleted, or triggered 🧠 Key Topics Covered 🥑 Plant-Based Keto & Low-Sugar Eating Adina explains how low-carb, low-sugar plant-based eating can work using whole foods like vegetables, avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, tofu, and seeds—while also naming why keto isn't sustainable for everyone. 🥦 Why "Vegan" Doesn't Always Mean Healthy Removing animal products and replacing them with ultra-processed vegan foods often leads to hunger, instability, and relapse. Whole foods, structure, and adequate fat and protein matter—especially in food addiction recovery. 🍲 Flavor, Texture & Satisfaction Roasting vs boiling, crispy textures, homemade dressings, sauces, and slow cooking are key to making vegetables feel grounding and satisfying—not like deprivation food. 🌍 Culture, Memory & Healing Food isn't just fuel. Adina shares how honoring cultural and traditional meals—without animal products—helps people feel emotionally nourished and connected. 💪 Protein for Plant-Based & GLP-1 Users Includes discussion of: TVP (textured vegetable protein)Tofu & tempehNuts and seeds (chia, flax, hemp, pumpkin)Smart prep for digestion and satiety 📘 About the Guest: Adina Mullen Adina Mullen is a plant-based private chef and founder of Adina's Delicacies, specializing in gourmet vegan cuisine inspired by global flavors, heritage, and memory. She is the author of Vegan Flavors of the World, featuring plant-based adaptations of traditional dishes from 12 countries, with a second volume coming soon. ✨ Key Takeaways Healing doesn't come from fighting food—it comes from letting food support youSteadiness matters more than perfectionSatisfaction, fat, protein, and flavor are not optional in recoveryYou don't need more rules—you need nourishment, warmth, and trust 🔔 Subscribe for More Conversations Like This If you're navigating food addiction recovery, low-sugar living, plant-based nutrition, or metabolic health, subscribe to Food Junkies for evidence-based, compassionate conversations that go deeper than diet culture. ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FoodJunkiesPodcast 💌 Email us at: foodjunkiespodcast@gmail.com 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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    47 mins
  • Episode 269: Amber Romaniuk - Why Emotional Eating Isn't Your Fault (Hormones)

    Episode 269: Amber Romaniuk - Why Emotional Eating Isn't Your Fault (Hormones)
    Feb 19 2026

    In this powerful episode of Food Junkies, we're joined by Amber Romaniuk, emotional eating and digestive health expert, to unpack the real drivers behind binge eating, food addiction, and the relentless restrict–overeat cycle.

    Amber shares her personal recovery journey from binge eating, bulimia, and food addiction—and explains why lasting healing requires more than another diet or food plan. Together, we explore how hormones, thyroid function, nervous system stress, and shame shape our relationship with food in ways most people are never taught.

    This conversation is especially important for women who feel like they "know better" but still struggle—and wonder why nothing seems to stick.

    🎯 In this episode, we cover:

    • Why emotional eating is communication, not a lack of willpower
    • How cortisol, thyroid dysfunction, and low progesterone can drive cravings and binge cycles
    • Why fasting, restriction, and over-exercise often worsen food addiction patterns
    • How shame keeps people stuck—and what actually helps dissolve it
    • What "Body Freedom" really means beyond weight loss
    • First steps to identify emotional eating triggers without self-blame
    • Why healing your relationship with food must come before hormone repair can work

    This episode is for you if:
    ✔ You struggle with binge or emotional eating
    ✔ Diets and food rules keep backfiring
    ✔ You suspect hormones or stress are part of the picture
    ✔ You're exhausted by shame and ready for a deeper, kinder path forward

    🔗 Connect with Amber Romaniuk

    🌐 Website & free resources: https://amberapproved.ca
    🎙 Podcast: The No Sugarcoating Podcast
    📱 Instagram & YouTube: @AmberRomaniuk

    👍 If this episode helped you, please like, subscribe, and share—it helps more people find compassionate, evidence-informed conversations about food addiction recovery.

    ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FoodJunkiesPodcast

    💌 Email us at: foodjunkiespodcast@gmail.com

    💬 Comment below: What part of this conversation resonated most with you?

    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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    56 mins
  • Episode 268: Dr. Richard Johnson - It's Not Willpower. It's Biology. The Fat Switch Explained

    Episode 268: Dr. Richard Johnson - It's Not Willpower. It's Biology. The Fat Switch Explained
    Feb 12 2026

    Is there a built-in "fat switch" in our genes—something nature designed to help us store fat for survival? And if so, what does that mean for food addicts living in a world saturated with ultra-processed food?

    In this episode, Dr. Vera Tarman sits down with Dr. Richard Johnson, Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado, former Chief of the Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension, author of The Sugar Fix, The Fat Switch, and Nature Wants Us to Be Fat, and a researcher with 700+ scientific papers to his name.

    Dr. Johnson explains how fructose (from sugar and high-fructose corn syrup—but also produced inside the body under certain conditions) can activate a powerful metabolic pathway that increases hunger, lowers cellular energy, and shifts calories toward fat storage. He connects this to uric acid, salt, high-glycemic carbohydrates, and the modern "perfect storm" of ultra-processed foods engineered to intensify cravings.

    Together, they explore the evolutionary logic of fat storage, why visceral fat may have had survival value, why "calories in/calories out" fails to explain the whole picture, and what practical steps can help people restore metabolic flexibility—including carbohydrate reduction, movement that supports mitochondrial health, and the emerging role of GLP-1 medications as a tool (not a replacement) for nutrition change.

    What You'll Learn

    🔥Why Dr. Johnson argues sugar isn't "just a calorie," and how fructose changes metabolism differently

    🔥The role of uric acid in blood pressure, metabolic disease, and the fructose pathway

    🔥How salt + starch + fat can amplify the "fat switch" (and why chips and fries are a perfect example)

    🔥Why the body can make fructose from glucose, even if you aren't eating fructose directly

    🔥The survival biology behind fat storage—and why visceral fat may have had an adaptive purpose

    🔥How insulin resistance can be a short-term protective mechanism (and how modern life turns it chronic)

    🔥Why low-carb approaches may "reboot" sugar absorption and cravings in as little as 7–14 days

    🔥What Dr. Johnson believes is a major dietary driver of Alzheimer's risk

    🔥How to support mitochondria through movement and nutrition

    🔥Dr. Johnson's perspective on GLP-1s: benefits, limits, and relapse risk after stopping

    Resources Mentioned

    Dr. Richard Johnson's books: The Sugar Fix, The Fat Switch, Nature Wants Us to Be Fat

    About Our Guest

    Dr. Richard Johnson is Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado, a former Chief of Renal Diseases and Hypertension, and the author of The Sugar Fix, The Fat Switch, and Nature Wants Us to Be Fat. His research explores how sugar—particularly fructose—drives kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, and how modern food environments may overactivate ancient survival pathways.

    If this episode helped you understand your cravings or your biology with more clarity and less shame, please share it with a friend, leave a review, and subscribe so more people can find recovery-focused science.

    ✉️ Email us: foodjunkiespodcast@gmail.com

    Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FoodJunkiesPodcast

    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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    45 mins
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