Episode 214: Dr. Kim Dennis - The Future of Ultra-Processed Food Use Disorder & Eating Disorder Treatment
Release Date: 01/28/2025
Episode 232: Clinicians Corner - The Hidden Challenges of PAWS in Food Addiction Recovery
Food Junkies Podcast
In this insightful and compassionate episode, Clarissa and Molly take a deep dive into post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS)—an often overlooked but critical phase in ultra-processed food addiction recovery. While well-known in substance use disorder recovery, PAWS is rarely discussed in the context of food addiction, yet it shows up in significant ways. Clarissa and Molly break down what PAWS is, why it happens, and how it can show up months or even years into recovery. They share real client experiences, neurobiological explanations, and clinical insights—plus, they normalize what can...
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Episode 231: Dr. Filippa Juul "Ultra-Processed Food: The Hidden Crisis"
Food Junkies Podcast
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Episode 230: Dr. Cynthia Bulik
Food Junkies Podcast
Dr. Cynthia Bulik is a clinical psychologist and one of the world's leading experts on eating disorders. She is the Founding Director of the University of North Carolina Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders and also the founder director of the Centre for Eating Disorders Innovation at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Dr. Bulik is Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders in the Department of Psychiatry at UNC, Professor of Nutrition in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, and Professor of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Karolinska Institute. Dr Bulik...
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Episode 229: Dr. Alexandra Sowa, MD The Ozempic Revolution
Food Junkies Podcast
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Episode 228: Dr. Thomas Seyfried - Cancer as a Metabolic Disorder
Food Junkies Podcast
In this compelling episode, Dr. Vera Tarman interviews Dr. Thomas Seyfried, a pioneer in the field of cancer metabolism. Dr. Seyfried challenges the mainstream view of cancer as a genetic disease and presents strong evidence that cancer is fundamentally a mitochondrial metabolic disorder. Dr. Thomas N. Seyfried is a distinguished American biologist and professor at Boston College, renowned for his pioneering work in cancer metabolism. With a Ph.D. in Genetics and Biochemistry from the University of Illinois, Urbana, and postdoctoral training in neurochemistry at Yale University School of...
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Food Junkies Podcast
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Episode 227: Clinician’s Corner - Recovery Is a Lifestyle, Not a Lifeboat – Maintaining Long-Term Recovery
Food Junkies Podcast
In this episode of Clinician’s Corner, Molly and Clarissa explore the often-overlooked realities of long-term recovery. While many recovery programs focus on the acute phases and early abstinence, sustainable recovery demands much more—it asks us to renovate our lives. Drawing from the latest research—including insights from Harvard’s Recovery Research Institute and their own published study on food addiction outcomes—they break down the average 17-year journey toward stable remission and emphasize that recovery is a process, not a finish line. 🧠 Topics include: The 3 stages of...
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Episode 226: Dr. Jen Unwin on Consensus, Recovery Outcomes, and the Future of Food Addiction Treatment
Food Junkies Podcast
In this episode of Food Junkies Podcast, Molly and Clarissa sit down with clinical psychologist, researcher, and international food addiction advocate Dr. Jen Unwin to unpack a trifecta of groundbreaking developments in the field of Ultra-Processed Food Use Disorder (UPFUD). If you’ve been craving science-backed insight, real recovery stories, and practical hope for the future, this conversation delivers. Together, we explore: 🧠 Two Major Research Milestones • The Delphi Consensus Paper, which brings together 40 global experts to define and validate Ultra-Processed Food...
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Episode 225: Dr. Vera Tarman & Bitten Jonsson Reflect on Food Addiction Recovery
Food Junkies Podcast
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Episode 224: Dr. Eike Buabang - Breaking the Habit Loop: How Our Brains Build—and Battle—Behavior Patterns
Food Junkies Podcast
In this powerful and timely conversation, we welcome Dr. Eike Buabang, cognitive neuroscientist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Trinity College Dublin, to explore one of the most fundamental yet overlooked topics in recovery: habits. Dr. Buabang studies the brain mechanisms behind habit formation—why we repeat behaviors even when they no longer serve us, and how stress, repetition, and environment shape our choices. Drawing from both neuroscience and real-world applications, he offers practical insights into how we can intentionally disrupt compulsive patterns and support lasting...
info_outlineDr. Kim Dennis returns to the Food Junkies Podcast to discuss the evolving understanding of Ultra-Processed Food Use Disorder (UPFUD) and its intersection with clinical psychiatry, eating disorders, trauma, and harm reduction approaches. With mounting research pointing to the undeniable effects of ultra-processed foods on mental and physical health, Dr. Dennis provides insight into how treatment for food use disorder and eating disorders can evolve to better serve patients.
She dives deep into the controversies within the eating disorder and addiction treatment fields, including:
✅ The impact of ultra-processed foods on mood disorders, anxiety, and overall health
✅ The role of trauma-informed care in addiction and eating disorder recovery
✅ How adaptive dietary restraint challenges the “all foods fit” model in traditional eating disorder treatment
✅ The three treatment approaches used in her clinic: treatment as usual, harm reduction, and abstinence-based recovery
✅ How clinicians can balance avoiding diet culture while addressing the reality of harmful food choices
Dr. Dennis also shares new research and emerging treatments, including the use of ketogenic meal plans for anorexia, and how individualized care can be the key to better long-term outcomes.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in bridging the gap between eating disorder treatment and food addiction recovery while ensuring compassionate, science-backed, and trauma-informed care.
🩺 About Dr. Kim Dennis:
Dr. Kim Dennis is a board-certified psychiatrist, addiction specialist, and eating disorder expert. She is a fierce advocate for integrating food addiction into mainstream treatment and leads a clinic that treats eating disorders, substance use disorders, and mental health conditions holistically. With her lived experience in eating disorder and addiction recovery, she brings a unique and powerful perspective to the conversation.
🔗 Connect with Dr. Dennis:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPiWE--B6TQ4-4gqUXDpvng/videos
Published Research Literature:
☑Dismantling the myth of "All Foods Fit" in Eating Disorder Treatment
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