What if Food Addiction is Part of the Problem? A Talk with Dr Vera Tarman

In this episode I talk with food addiction expert Dr Vera Tarman. Dr Tarman has been working in the field of addiction medicine since 1994 and has been the director of Renascent, an addiction treatment center in Toronto, Canada since 2006. Although she works full-time in all areas of addiction, her particular passion is helping people recover from food addiction. She is the author of the book, “Food Junkies: Recovery from Food Addiction” now in its second edition.

We cover a lot of ground in this episode including discussing eating behaviors on a spectrum from normal eating to different types of eating disorders. Then we talk about the similarities and differences between what Dr Tarman identifies as three distinct disease states: Obesity, Emotional Eating, and Chemical Addiction to food. We then focus-in on chemical addiction to food, specifically foods that are created in labs, are highly processed, and are specifically formulated to target the reward centers of our brains. When the reward center in our brain turns on our brain releases neurochemicals that results in thoughts and feelings of, “yes, that tastes especially good and when I eat it I feel, at least temporarily, better, happier, calmer, more fulfilled.’ This sounds great but what is so concerning are the false “promises” that come with highly processed foods and the price we pay is much higher than we realize, including what more and more evidence is showing to be the growing phenomena of chemical addiction to food.

Discussed in this episode:

Defining Normal Eating as best we can. Eating disorders of Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating. Obesity, Emotional eating, and Chemical addiction to food. What excess sugar does to the human body Dr Tarman’s personal story with food addiction. Gastro and Neuro hormones that are released in response to eating. The cycle of addiction. Bariatric surgery influence on gut and brain hormones. Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS). Dr Tarman’s “Your Sweet Enough- Sugar Free September Challenge” on Facebook. How to begin abstinence from sugar. Overeaters Anonymous support. Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous How to handle social situations when abstaining from sugar. A little history on why Binge Eating Disorder is in the DSM-5 but Food Addiction is not. How to connect with Dr Tarman Reeger’s concluding thoughts