Food Addiction Is Real: How to Break Cravings | Susan Peirce Thompson, PhD
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Release Date: 07/28/2026
Lower Cholesterol With Food: The Portfolio Diet Explained | Dr. David Jenkins
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Can you lower LDL cholesterol by changing the foods you eat? Dr. David Jenkins, the pioneering nutrition researcher behind the Portfolio Diet, joins to explain how a carefully selected combination of foods may help bring cholesterol under control. Dr. Jenkins reveals why oats and barley may be particularly effective for , how their sticky soluble fiber interacts with bile acids, and why simply telling someone to “eat more fiber” may not be specific enough. You’ll also learn: The difference between LDL and HDL cholesterol Whether dietary cholesterol is necessary for...
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Can’t Poop? Do This to Help Constipation | Dr. Will Bulsiewicz
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Gastroenterologist Dr. Will Bulsiewicz returns with a complete guide to constipation, including the symptoms many people overlook even when they are having a bowel movement every day. Dr. B joins Chuck Carroll to explain the different patterns of constipation, including slow transit, pelvic-floor or outlet dysfunction, IBS with constipation, and the surprisingly common problem of a digestive system that has simply fallen out of rhythm. They also discuss the morning habits that may help train your body when to go, foods associated with constipation relief, magnesium and fiber supplements,...
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When Healthy Eating Becomes Unhealthy | Dr. Matthew Lederman
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
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Real Meat vs. Fake Meat: Which Is Healthier? | Dr. Neal Barnard
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Are Impossible Burgers and fake meats worse for you than a steak or hamburger? Dr. Neal Barnard joins Chuck Carroll on The Exam Room Podcast to examine one of today’s biggest nutrition debates. A veggie burger and a beef burger may both be classified as processed, but does that make them nutritionally equal? What about plant milk versus dairy milk, packaged cereal versus bacon and eggs, or a protein bar versus a cheeseburger? Dr. Barnard explains what “ultra-processed” actually means, why certain foods can encourage overeating, and whether the widely used NOVA classification system...
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Food Addiction Is Real: How to Break Cravings | Susan Peirce Thompson, PhD
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Junk food was harder for Susan Peirce Thompson to quit than crack cocaine. The founder and CEO of Bright Line Eating joins Chuck Carroll for a deeply personal conversation about food addiction, compulsive eating, cravings, and long-term weight loss. Susan shares her remarkable journey from crystal meth and crack addiction to becoming a PhD and internationally recognized expert in the psychology of eating. She explains why food addiction can be uniquely difficult to overcome when triggers are everywhere and eating remains necessary for survival. Chuck also revisits his own...
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Why Modern Medicine Isn’t Making Us Healthy | Drs. Joel Fuhrman & Columbus Batiste
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
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Raw Milk and Cow Hearts: Dr. Neal Barnard on Soccer Star's Dangerous Diet
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Erling Haaland eats six meals and roughly 6,000 calories every day to fuel his extraordinary performance on the soccer field. But should anyone else be eating like him? Haaland’s highly publicized routine includes raw milk, beef liver, cow heart, steak, eggs, fish, pasta, vegetables, and honey. In this episode of The Exam Room Podcast, Dr. Neal Barnard joins “The Weight Loss Champion” Chuck Carroll to examine whether the foods powering one of the world’s greatest athletes could create serious health risks for the average person. Dr. Barnard explores the immediate...
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She Survived a Mass Shooting, Then Cancer | Krista Ryan
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Krista Ryan survived the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas. Years later, she faced another life-altering challenge when she was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer. Four surgeries, chemotherapy, an ileostomy, and a difficult recovery followed. But Krista kept going. She joins Chuck Carroll to share the resilience philosophy she calls KFG: Know, Focus, Go. The initials also carry another, considerably more forceful meaning that captures the determination required to move forward when life becomes unimaginably difficult. Krista...
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The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
A leading gastroenterologist reveals that many doctors are never taught about food, nutrition, and the diseases that can been prevented with diet education. Dr. Alan Desmond joins Chuck Carroll on The Exam Room Podcast to discuss his new book, What Your Doctor Isn’t Telling You About Food, and the conversations he believes every doctor should be having with patients. Why do so many doctors avoid talking about nutrition? Are carbs really bad for you? Should healthy people worry about glucose spikes? Do GLP-1 medications fix the root problem? And what does the gut microbiome have...
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Brain Tumor Diagnosis Changed How Top Doctor Sees Health Care | Dr. Bobby Mukkamala
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
The president of the American Medical Association became the patient after being diagnosed with a large brain tumor. Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, immediate past president of the AMA, joins Chuck Carroll on The Exam Room Podcast for a powerful and deeply personal conversation about how his diagnosis changed the way he sees health care, medicine, prevention, access, and the patient experience. Dr. Mukkamala opens up about being diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma, the shock of seeing an eight-centimeter brain tumor on his scan, and what it felt like to suddenly experience the health care system from...
info_outlineJunk food was harder for Susan Peirce Thompson to quit than crack cocaine.
The founder and CEO of Bright Line Eating joins Chuck Carroll for a deeply personal conversation about food addiction, compulsive eating, cravings, and long-term weight loss.
Susan shares her remarkable journey from crystal meth and crack addiction to becoming a PhD and internationally recognized expert in the psychology of eating. She explains why food addiction can be uniquely difficult to overcome when triggers are everywhere and eating remains necessary for survival.
Chuck also revisits his own addiction-driven 10,000-calorie days, including a daily Taco Bell meal containing more than 4,000 calories.
Together, they explore the foods that may be most addictive, dopamine downregulation, ultra-processed foods, the return of cravings years into recovery, and the personal guardrails that can help someone finally break free.
Susan also shares lessons from her book Maintain and explains why lasting weight loss is not simply about completing a diet. It requires a fundamental shift in identity and becoming devoted to the habits that support your health.
Susan also explains why a person’s recovery plan must be individualized and why occasionally experiencing a craving does not mean that years of progress have been lost.
Chuck and Susan will be speaking at the Plant Powered Party in Las Vegas with Chef AJ, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz and many others. Tickets are available now for the Labor Day weekend bash.
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This episode is not medical advice. Always speak with your doctor about any changes to your diet or lifestyle.
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