Hope, Food Addiction, And Her Mission For its Recognition | Dr. Jen Unwin

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jen Unwin — clinical psychologist, co-founder of Food Addiction Solutions, and part of the team that published the first-ever treatment study in the field of food addiction. Jen brings something rare to the recovery space: a 32-year NHS career, expertise in the science of hope in chronic illness, her own lifelong personal struggle with sugar addiction — one she couldn't see clearly until nearly 50, despite being an expert in human behavior. Her approach is rooted not in willpower but in understanding food addiction as a real, treatable condition — and in asking the solution-focused questions that rebuild hope from the ground up. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Beyond Binge Eating Instagram: / https://www.instagram.com/BeyondBingeEating/ Website: https://www.BeyondBingeEating.com Newsletter: https://beyondbingeeating.com/Newsletter/ Grab your FREE Eat-With-Awareness Bundle to slow down, stay present, and reclaim peace with food: https://beyondbingeeating.com/opt-in/ Keep in touch with Kristina: https://www.DrKristinaDobyns.com Come to our keto-carnivore retreat! https://www.MeatandMovement.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 📚 CONNECT WITH DR. JEN UNWIN 🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/drjenunwin 📖 Fork in the Road (all proceeds support Food Addiction Solutions): https://amzn.eu/d/0c2sxYsp 🔬 Food Addiction Solutions (FAS) — support the campaign to get food addiction recognized: https://www.the-chc.org/FAS 📄 RESEARCH Toward Consensus: An International Expert Consensus Statement on Ultra-Processed Food Addiction (Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2025): https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1542905/full TRAINING Healthcare Professional Training https://www.the-chc.org/healthcare-professional-training#training-details 📅 UPCOMING EVENTS 🇵🇱 Low Carb & Food Addiction Conference — Poland, September 18–19, 2026 https://fundacjabraciarodzen.pl/products/international-advanced-training-programme?variant=56860764078458 The International Food Addiction Children’s Conference - Nov 14, 2026 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-international-food-addiction-childrens-conference-ifacc-2026-tickets-1991350856016?aff=oddtdtcreator ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 01:22 – Meet Dr. Jennifer Unwin 04:15 – A Career Built on Hope 06:01 – Psychology in Physical Health Settings 09:17 – Her Doctoral Study: Who Recovers Best? 11:01 – Hope as a Measurable Trait 13:30 – The 3 Components of Hope 14:42 – "What Are You Hoping For?" 16:12 – Solution-Focused Brief Therapy 17:01 – Asking "What's Already Working?" 18:12 – The 0-to-10 Scale 19:12 – "What Would a Four Look Like?" 20:39 – Correcting the Brain's Negative Drift 22:10 – Jennifer's Story: A Childhood Sweet Tooth 23:25 – Family Tragedy & Comfort Eating 24:45 – Overweight at School & Diet Culture 26:03 – Swinging Between Extremes 26:31 – The Shame of "Should Know Better" 26:50 – Discovering Low Carb at 48 27:52 – The Eureka Moment: Sugar Addiction 28:44 – Abstinence Is the Treatment 29:02 – Retiring from the NHS & Training with Bitten 31:04 – Drug-Free Diabetes Remission with David 32:26 – A Life Mission: Recognition 33:22 – Why Your Doctor Has Nowhere to Send You 34:36 – The Recent Wins, Explained 35:49 – The 2022 WHO Application 36:50 – The Four Reasons They Said No 38:10 – Building the Expert Consensus 39:05 – 37 of 40 Experts Agree 39:40 – Naming It: Ultra-Processed Food Use Disorder 41:03 – Distinct from Eating Disorders & Obesity 41:33 – Abstinence as the Mainstay of Treatment 42:15 – The Hammer-and-Nail Problem 42:56 – The First-Ever Treatment Study 44:39 – 62% in Remission at One Year 46:25 – The IFACC Conferences & Children's Event 47:36 – WHO Update: No News Is Good News 48:58 – How Dr. Jen Eats Today 50:44 – Glucose & Ketone Monitoring 52:28 – Raising Their Own Lamb 54:14 – Exercise, Knitting & the "Addict Brain" Disclaimer: The information on this channel is for educational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice or therapy. The views and opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Kristina Dobyns or Beyond Binge Eating.