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.
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📚 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
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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.