41. Do I have a sugar addiction? with Marci Evans

Understanding Disordered Eating

Marci Evans, RD has dedicated her career to counseling, supervising, and teaching in the field of eating disorders. She is a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian and Supervisor and certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. In addition to her group private practice and adjunct teaching positions, Marci launched an online eating disorders training for dietitians and co-directs a specialized eating disorder internship at Simmons College.

She volunteers for a number of national eating disorder organizations including the IAEDP certification committee and is serving as an eating disorder resource professional for The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She has spoken locally and nationally at numerous conferences and media outlets.

Sweets, spice, and everything nice! Sugar really does have an amazing effect on our food journeys. It creates a distinct taste that makes everything feel so irresistible.

If you feel like you’re struggling with sugar addiction and would like to be enlightened about this matter, this episode will surely do wonders for you!

Tune in as Marci Evans shares her knowledge with us in this sweet episode.

[0:01-05:54] Introductions

• Introducing our guest speaker

[05:55-29:34] What is Sugar Addiction and How Does It Differ From Other Food Addiction?

• Marci elaborates on her role as a registered dietitian and how she uses her scientific knowledge
• Redefining addiction and how it affects every aspect of the human anatomy
• How science cannot necessarily pinpoint what a sugar addiction is
• What are the proponents of the food addiction model?
• The neuro-responses of mice who have undergone restrictive or intermittent access to sugar in comparison to mice who have unlimited access to it
• The psychological impact of labeling food as “bad” or “good.”

[29:35-38:45] Fake Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners

• Digestive concerns that arise from misuse of artificial sweeteners
• Sugar recommendations – what could this mean?

[38:46- 53:00] Marci’s Advice for Those Who Feel that They’re Suffering From Food Addiction

• The importance of validating one’s emotions, feelings, and experiences to navigate through the concern.
• How a person’s medical history can help Marci’s personalized approach.
• The value of curiosity in understanding food behaviors and other factors that encourage particular actions.
• Marci elaborates on what it’s like working with her and an example of her approach to a hypothetical concern

[53:01-54:39] Outro

• Where to find Marci?

Resources:

• Marci Evans' Website
• Marci Evans' Facebook Page
• Marci Evans' Instagram

Tweetable Quotes:

"The process is not necessarily linear. It can get quite messy. It can go on all sorts of direction.” – Marci Evans, RD

“Know what your vulnerabilities are.” – Marci Evans, RD

“The answer is different everyone.” – Rachelle Heinemann, LMHC

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You can connect with me, Rachelle Heinemann on Instagram, through my website www.rachelleheinemann.com, or email me directly at [e-mail]