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.

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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.