Food Addiction Is Real: How to Break Cravings | Susan Peirce Thompson, PhD
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Release Date: 07/28/2026
The Science of Willpower: How to Make Healthy Habits Stick | Dr. Gemma Newman
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Why do some healthy habits become part of your life while others disappear after a few days or weeks? Dr. Gemma Newman joins Chuck Carroll to explore the psychology behind lasting lifestyle change — and why willpower alone may not be enough. They discuss research suggesting that sustainable change is often connected to identity, purpose, personal values, and finding a deeper “why.” Dr. Newman also shares her BLEND IT framework for helping patients, friends, and family make healthier choices without lecturing, judging, or telling them what to do. Plus, discover how whole-food plant-based...
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Can Chocolate Protect Your Heart? A 21,000-Person Study Found Out | Dr. Howard Sesso
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Can chocolate actually protect your heart or are we giving candy a health halo it doesn’t deserve? Dr. Howard Sesso from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School joins Chuck Carroll to reveal what the landmark COSMOS trial discovered about cocoa extract, cardiovascular disease and cognition. The randomized clinical trial included more than 21,000 participants. One secondary outcome showed a 27% reduction in cardiovascular disease death among participants assigned to cocoa extract. However, the primary cardiovascular outcome did not reach statistical significance. Dr. Sesso...
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Diet Power: Olympian Gets Stronger, No Longer Eats Meat | Kendrick Farris
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Can an athlete become stronger, recover faster, and clean and jerk more than 440 pounds without eating meat? Three-time Olympian Kendrick Farris says the answer is yes. Kendrick represented the United States at the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic Games and was featured in the hit documentary The Game Changers. He ate a standard American diet during his first two Olympic appearances. By his third, he was completely plant-based—and he says the difference was extraordinary. Kendrick tells Chuck Carroll that he did not lose explosiveness after changing his diet. He believes he gained more,...
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Fiber May Matter More Than Protein for Muscle and Longevity
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Can fiber be even more important than protein for athletic performance, muscle health, and healthy aging? Dr. Regan A. Stiegmann and Dr. Sharon McDowell-Larsen join “The Exam Room Podcast” to challenge some of the biggest assumptions in fitness and sports nutrition. Dr. McDowell-Larsen is an exercise physiologist, nine-time Ironman finisher, and age-group world champion who remains an elite competitor at 65. She reveals how changing her diet helped resolve debilitating breathing problems, eliminate her need for three asthma medications, and revive an athletic career she thought was over....
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The Pleasure Trap Is Getting Worse. Here’s How to Escape It. | Dr. Doug Lisle
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Why does healthy eating feel so hard—even when we know exactly what to do? Dr. Doug Lisle joins Chuck Carroll on The Exam Room to explain the psychology behind The Pleasure Trap and why today’s food environment may be even more difficult to navigate than it was two decades ago. Dr. Lisle is the co-author of The Pleasure Trap and a longtime voice in evolutionary psychology. In this conversation, he shares his perspective on why highly processed foods can be so alluring, why shame and willpower are not enough, and how people can build a more sustainable whole-food plant-based way of eating....
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Food Is Medicine? Meet the Doctor Growing It
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Can food really be medicine? Dr. Ron Weiss is a physician who believes the answer starts long before a meal reaches your plate—it starts in the soil. In this episode of The Exam Room Podcast, visits with Dr. Weiss about his unique model of care at Ethos Farm in New Jersey, where regenerative farming and lifestyle-based primary care come together. They explore why soil health matters, what “living soil” means, and how whole plant foods can become a practical, powerful part of a healthier life. Dr. Weiss also shares how he helps patients make lasting changes without turning healthy eating...
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She Survived Cancer and a Heart Transplant, Then Made History | Dr. Dawn Mussallem
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Dr. Dawn Mussallem survived stage 4 cancer, received a heart transplant, and became the first person in history to complete a full marathon just one year later. Her remarkable story doesn’t end there. After experiencing unimaginable loss, Dawn found new love in the produce aisle—thanks to a purple sweet potato. And after 25 years at Mayo Clinic, she is beginning another major chapter as chief medical officer at Fountain Life. Dawn joins Chuck Carroll to share her extraordinary journey and the health lessons she has learned along the way. They discuss: The difference between longevity and...
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How to Get Healthy When Nobody Else Is | Brenda Workman
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Brenda Workman transformed her health. Now she is working to transform an entire state. After losing 60 pounds and getting off cholesterol and blood pressure medication with a plant-based diet, Brenda became a Food for Life instructor and dedicated herself to improving health in her home state of West Virginia. She teaches cooking classes, speaks to nursing students and businesses, appears on television, and trains community organizations to bring practical nutrition education to the people they serve. In this inspiring conversation with , Brenda explains why personal...
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How to Keep One Bad Meal From Ruining Your Diet | Alan Stein Jr. & Dr. Hana Kahleova
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
What happens when you know exactly what you should do for your health but you still don’t do it? Motivation may not be the answer. Best-selling author and performance expert Alan Stein Jr. joins Dr. Hana Kahleova and Chuck Carroll to reveal the “next play” mindset that can help you bounce back from bad decisions, stop self-sabotage, and become more consistent with your health. Before becoming a keynote speaker, Alan spent 20 years in basketball performance and had the opportunity to observe some of the greatest athletes in the world, including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry,...
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Chef AJ: How to Keep Going When Life Gets Hard
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Chef AJ has been through one of the hardest chapters of her life. But she is still laughing. Still exercising. Still showing up. Still making plans. And most importantly, still finding reasons to enjoy life. In this deeply personal and often hilarious conversation, Chef AJ joins Chuck Carroll to talk about continuing to move forward despite health challenges, treatment and unexpected obstacles. She shares why improv comedy and exercise remained priorities even during some of her most difficult days—and why doing the things that make you feel better can matter most when you least feel like...
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.
Exam Roomies of the Week
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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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The Physicians Committee is dedicated to saving lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. We combine the clout and expertise of more than 17,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,000 members across the United States and around the world.