The Kick Sugar Coach Podcast

What if your struggle with food isn't just about food?
You can change your diet, break old habits, and work hard to improve your health but what happens when the deeper patterns driving those habits remain unchanged?
In this thought-provoking conversation, Florence Christophers sits down with Dr. Robert Lufkin, physician, medical school professor at UCLA and USC, and New York Times bestselling author of Lies I Taught in Medical School, to explore the often-overlooked connection between trauma, addiction, the nervous system, and metabolic health.
Dr. Lufkin shares his perspective on how early-life experiences and later trauma may shape the way we see the world, respond to stress, and develop patterns of addictive behavior, including our relationship with food.
Together, Florence and Dr. Lufkin explore why addressing eating habits alone may not always be enough. When food serves as a way to cope with distress, changing what you eat without addressing the underlying drivers may leave you vulnerable to falling back into old patterns—or turning to another addictive behavior.
In this episode, you'll discover:
The connection between trauma and food addiction
Why willpower may not tell the whole story
How trauma affects the nervous system
Why changing your diet may not be enough
The risk of replacing one addiction with another
The relationship between stress, mental health, and metabolic health
If you've ever wondered why you keep returning to the same food patterns despite knowing what you want to change, this conversation offers a different perspective to consider—one that moves beyond blame and invites a deeper understanding of what's driving your behavior.
Enjoyed this episode? We'd love to hear your thoughts—share your feedback with us here!
Support the show
Florence's courses & coaching programs can be found at:
www.FlorenceChristophers.com

Connect with Florence on:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE

What’s really driving your desire for sugar and why can it be so difficult to break free from cravings?
In this episode of the Kick Sugar Coach Podcast, we’re joined by Julia Ross, a pioneer in the field of eating disorders and addiction and author of The Craving Cure, The Mood Cure, and The Diet Cure, to explore what may be driving our desire for sugar.
Julia shares her perspective on the connection between brain chemistry, nutrition, and food cravings, explaining why the struggle with sugar may be more complicated than simply having enough willpower.
We explore how the brain’s reward system may influence our eating habits, the role of neurotransmitters and amino acids, and how highly processed foods may reinforce the desire to keep eating. Julia also discusses the importance of protein, blood sugar balance, and nutrient-dense foods in her approach to managing cravings.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
Why some foods can feel so difficult to resist
How brain chemistry may influence sugar cravings and eating behavior
The connection between food addiction and other addictive behaviors
What amino acids do and why Julia incorporates them into her approach
How protein, blood sugar, and everyday food choices may affect cravings
Why restrictive dieting may not address every factor behind persistent cravings
Julia’s approach to understanding cravings and changing your relationship with food
If you’ve ever felt caught in a cycle of craving sugar, trying to cut back, and finding yourself reaching for it again, this conversation offers a different perspective on what may be happening beneath the surface.
Listen now to discover what may be driving your desire for sugar and explore a different approach to understanding your cravings.
Enjoyed this episode? We'd love to hear your thoughts—share your feedback with us here!
Support the show
Florence's courses & coaching programs can be found at:
www.FlorenceChristophers.com

Connect with Florence on:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE

Why do some foods feel almost impossible to resist?
Why can you decide to stop eating sugar or certain processed foods, only to find yourself craving them again later?
In this episode of the Kick Sugar Coach Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Claire Wilcox, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist and addiction specialist, to explore the science behind food addiction, cravings, and overeating.
Dr. Wilcox explains what happens in the brain when we repeatedly consume highly rewarding foods and why certain foods can become powerful triggers for wanting, seeking, and eating.
We also explore the connection between food, emotions, habits, conditioning, and self-control, and why the struggle with certain foods may be more complicated than simply having enough willpower.
In this conversation, you'll learn:
How the brain's reward system responds to highly rewarding foods
Why food cues can trigger powerful cravings and habitual eating
How emotional states can contribute to addictive eating patterns
What happens when repeated eating strengthens the connection between food and reward
Why some people may experience their relationship with food through an addiction framework
And what understanding the brain can teach us about changing our relationship with food
If you've ever wondered, “Why can't I stop eating this even when I really want to?”, this conversation offers a fascinating look at what may be happening beneath the surface.
Enjoyed this episode? We'd love to hear your thoughts—share your feedback with us here!
Support the show
Florence's courses & coaching programs can be found at:
www.FlorenceChristophers.com

Connect with Florence on:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE

Why are so many people struggling with sugar cravings, binge eating, obesity, and chronic disease — even when they desperately want to stop?

In this episode of the Kick Sugar Coach Podcast, we explore the growing scientific movement to recognize ultra-processed food addiction as a legitimate medical condition. Joined by clinical health psychologist Dr. Jen Unwin, we unpack the evidence behind food addiction, why ultra-processed foods may hijack the brain’s reward system, and why official recognition could change the future of treatment, research, and recovery.

Dr. Jen Unwin shares her personal journey with sugar addiction, her work helping people reverse type 2 diabetes through low-carb and whole-food approaches, and the international effort to have “Ultra-Processed Food Use Disorder” recognized by major medical organizations like the WHO and DSM.

🎙️ IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL DISCOVER:
Why ultra-processed food addiction is a legitimate medical condition — not a lack of willpower
The groundbreaking work Dr. Unwin and her husband Dr. David Unwin have done helping over 150 patients achieve drug-free type 2 diabetes remission
The ongoing campaign to get ultra-processed food use disorder recognized by the WHO's ICD and the American Psychiatric Association's DSM
The CRAVED screening tool — 6 simple questions that can help identify food addiction symptoms
Why official recognition would unlock research funding, treatment programs, and real change
How GLP-1 medications relate to food addiction treatment
What YOU can do right now to support the movement
If you’ve ever wondered why some foods feel impossible to control, this conversation offers both insight and hope. 
Enjoyed this episode? We'd love to hear your thoughts—share your feedback with us here!
Support the show
Florence's courses & coaching programs can be found at:
www.FlorenceChristophers.com

Connect with Florence on:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE

Most people think sugar is just a health issue—but the truth goes much deeper.
In this episode, we uncover the dark history behind sugar no one talks about—a story that goes beyond cravings and calories and into slavery, sugar plantations, and systems like convict leasing that continued forced labor long after emancipation.
Registered nurse Shun Foreman shares how her journey started with understanding sugar’s impact on the body—diabetes, metabolic disease, and chronic illness—and led her to a much bigger realization: the story of sugar has been largely left out of what we’re taught.
This conversation connects the dots between:
 the historical roots of sugar production 
 the exploitation tied to sugar plantations 
 the long-term impact on communities and health 
 and why sugar continues to affect behavior and well-being today 
We also explore why awareness alone isn’t enough to break free from sugar—and how understanding your deeper “why” can change the way you approach it for good.
If you’ve ever struggled to cut sugar, felt stuck in cycles with food, or sensed there’s more to the story than “just eat less,” this episode will give you a perspective you likely haven’t heard before.
Enjoyed this episode? We'd love to hear your thoughts—share your feedback with us here!
Support the show
Florence's courses & coaching programs can be found at:
www.FlorenceChristophers.com

Connect with Florence on:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE