Dr. Brendan McCarthy

Most diets fail because they never address what the food was doing for you emotionally.

In this episode, Dr. Brendan McCarthy explains the stress-craving loop behind emotional eating, why ultra-processed foods feel impossible to resist, and how shame actually reinforces the cycle.

You’ll learn:
• Why cravings feel automatic
• How stress drives food urges
• The “cue → urge → reward” loop
• A simple 9-minute method to interrupt cravings

This isn’t about perfection or willpower. It’s about understanding the pattern so you can finally begin to change it.

 

Citations: 

Boswell, Rebecca G., and Hedy Kober. “Food Cue Reactivity and Craving Predict Eating and Weight Gain: A Meta-Analytic Review.” Obesity Reviews, vol. 17, no. 2, 2016, pp. 159–177. doi:10.1111/obr.12354.
Use for: Food cues can trigger craving and eating even without true hunger.

Berridge, Kent C., and Terry E. Robinson. “Liking, Wanting, and the Incentive-Sensitization Theory of Addiction.” American Psychologist, vol. 71, no. 8, 2016, pp. 670–679. doi:10.1037/amp0000059.
Use for: “Wanting” food is not the same as true pleasure.

Schultz, Wolfram, Peter Dayan, and P. Read Montague. “A Neural Substrate of Prediction and Reward.” Science, vol. 275, no. 5306, 1997, pp. 1593–1599. doi:10.1126/science.275.5306.1593.
Use for: Dopamine helps encode reward prediction and learning.

Wood, Wendy, and Dennis Rünger. “Psychology of Habit.” Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 67, 2016, pp. 289–314. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033417.
Use for: Habits form through repeated cue-context loops.

Laborde, Sylvain, et al. “Effects of Voluntary Slow Breathing on Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability: A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, vol. 138, 2022, article 104711. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104711.
Use for: Slow breathing supports parasympathetic regulation and stress reduction.

Lieberman, Matthew D., et al. “Putting Feelings into Words: Affect Labeling Disrupts Amygdala Activity in Response to Affective Stimuli.” Psychological Science, vol. 18, no. 5, 2007, pp. 421–428. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x.
Use for: Naming emotions can reduce emotional reactivity.

Gollwitzer, Peter M. “Implementation Intentions: Strong Effects of Simple Plans.” American Psychologist, vol. 54, no. 7, 1999, pp. 493–503. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.54.7.493.
Use for: “If-then” plans improve behavior change under stress.

Forman, Evan M., et al. “A Comparison of Acceptance- and Control-Based Strategies for Coping with Food Cravings: An Analog Study.” Behaviour Research and Therapy, vol. 45, no. 10, 2007, pp. 2372–2386. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2007.04.004.
Use for: Acceptance and urge-surfing strategies help cravings pass without acting on them.

Hall, Kevin D., et al. “Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake.” Cell Metabolism, vol. 30, no. 1, 2019, pp. 67–77.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008.
Use for: Ultra-processed foods increase intake and reinforce overeating patterns.

 
Dr. Brendan McCarthy is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center in Arizona. With over two decades of experience, he’s helped thousands of patients navigate hormonal imbalances using bioidentical HRT, nutrition, and root-cause medicine. He’s also taught and mentored other physicians on integrative approaches to hormone therapy, weight loss, fertility, and more.

If you’re ready to take your health seriously, this podcast is a great place to start.

👇 Tap Subscribe to learn more about what’s actually happening in your body, and what to do about it.

📘 Read Dr. McCarthy’s Book:
Jump Off the Mood Swing – A Sane Woman’s Guide to Her Crazy Hormones
https://www.amazon.com/Jump-Off-Mood-...

📲 Follow Dr. McCarthy:
Instagram: @drbrendanmccarthy
TikTok: @drbrendanmccarthy
Website: www.protealife.com

💬 Got a question or topic for a future episode? Let us know in the comments!

Why is it so hard to stop eating ultra-processed foods — even when you know they’re hurting you?

In Episode 13 of this 16-part series, Dr. Brendan McCarthy explains why the real problem is not just the food itself. The real problem is the loop:

Cue or emotional state → Wanting → Bargaining → Consumption → Temporary relief → Crash/regret → Repeat.

This episode explores how ultra-processed and hyper-palatable foods become attached to stress, boredom, loneliness, exhaustion, anxiety, and emotional discomfort — training the brain to seek relief through food.

Key ideas from this episode:

• Hunger is the body asking for nourishment
• Wanting is the conditioned brain asking for the expected hit
• The food is the bait. The loop is the trap.
• The food breaks the feeling. It does not heal the source.
• You cannot remove a counterfeit regulator without restoring real regulation.

Dr. McCarthy breaks down why willpower alone often fails and why lasting change requires a physiologic off-ramp: stable meals, protein, fiber, hydration, sleep, movement, emotional regulation, cue reduction, social planning, and relapse repair.

This is not about “perfect eating.”
It is about building a life where food is no longer your primary regulator of stress, comfort, or identity.

If you’ve ever felt trapped in cravings, emotional eating, binge-restrict cycles, or constant food noise, this episode is designed to help you understand the mechanism behind the loop — and how to begin leaving it.

📚 Research & Citations:

Monteiro CA, et al. “Ultra-Processed Foods: What They Are and How to Identify Them.” Public Health Nutrition, 2019.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10260459/

Hall KD, et al. “Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain.” Cell Metabolism, 2019.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31105044/

Robinson TE, Berridge KC. “The Incentive Sensitization Theory of Addiction.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 2008.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2607325/

Boswell RG, Kober H. “Food Cue Reactivity and Craving Predict Eating and Weight Gain.” Obesity Reviews, 2016.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6042864/

Wood W, Rünger D. “Psychology of Habit.” Annual Review of Psychology, 2016.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26361052/

Everitt BJ, Robbins TW. “Drug Addiction: Updating Actions to Habits to Compulsions Ten Years On.” Annual Review of Psychology, 2016.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26253543/

Fazzino TL, Rohde K, Sullivan DK. “Hyper-Palatable Foods.” Obesity, 2019.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31689013/

Spiegel K, et al. “Sleep Curtailment... Increased Hunger and Appetite.” Annals of Internal Medicine, 2004.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15583226/

Adriaanse MA, et al. “Do Implementation Intentions Help to Eat a Healthy Diet?” Appetite, 2011.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21056605/

Cruwys T, et al. “Social Modeling of Eating.” Appetite, 2015.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25174571/

⚠️ Educational content only. If you have a history of eating disorders, purging, severe restriction, medical instability, or complex psychiatric symptoms, work with a qualified clinician before attempting major dietary elimination.

 

Dr. Brendan McCarthy is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center in Arizona. With over two decades of experience, he’s helped thousands of patients navigate hormonal imbalances using bioidentical HRT, nutrition, and root-cause medicine. He’s also taught and mentored other physicians on integrative approaches to hormone therapy, weight loss, fertility, and more.

If you’re ready to take your health seriously, this podcast is a great place to start.

👇 Tap Subscribe to learn more about what’s actually happening in your body, and what to do about it.

📘 Read Dr. McCarthy’s Book:
Jump Off the Mood Swing – A Sane Woman’s Guide to Her Crazy Hormones
https://www.amazon.com/Jump-Off-Mood-...

📲 Follow Dr. McCarthy:
Instagram: @drbrendanmccarthy
TikTok: @drbrendanmccarthy
Website: www.protealife.com

💬 Got a question or topic for a future episode? Let us know in the comments!

In this episode, Dr. Brendan McCarthy dives deep into the psychology of ultra-processed foods, compulsive eating, shame, and why so many people feel trapped in unhealthy food cycles.

This conversation goes far beyond calories and willpower.

Dr. McCarthy explains how ultra-processed and hyper-palatable foods are intentionally engineered to drive repeat consumption, how emotional memories and stress shape cravings, and why shame-based nutrition advice often makes the problem worse instead of better.

Topics covered in this episode include:

• How ultra-processed foods affect the brain
• Why compulsive eating is learned — and can be unlearned
• The connection between trauma, stress, and food cravings
• The difference between guilt and shame
• How marketing and emotional associations shape eating habits
• Why “clean eating” language can be harmful
• The neuroscience of cravings, dopamine, serotonin, and reward
• What real freedom with food actually looks like
• Why self-compassion matters in healing

If you’ve ever felt trapped in cycles of emotional eating, binge eating, food guilt, or shame around nutrition, this episode is for you.

 

📚 Research & References

Tangney, June Price, Jeff Stuewig, and Debra J. Mashek. “Moral Emotions and Moral Behavior.” Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 58, 2007, pp. 345–372.

Nechita, Dan M., et al. “Shame and Eating Disorders Symptoms: A Meta-Analysis.” International Journal of Eating Disorders, vol. 54, no. 11, 2021, pp. 1899–1945.

Tomiyama, A. Janet. “Weight Stigma Is Stressful. A Review of Evidence for the Cyclic Obesity/Weight-Based Stigma Model.” Appetite, vol. 82, 2014, pp. 8–15.

Levinson, Julia A., et al. “A Systematic Review of Weight Stigma and Disordered Eating Cognitions and Behaviors.” Obesity Reviews, 2024.

Kelly, Allison C., et al. “Self-Compassion and Shame in Eating Disorder Recovery.” International Journal of Eating Disorders, vol. 47, no. 5, 2014, pp. 512–515.

Boswell, Rebecca G., and Hedy Kober. “Food Cue Reactivity and Craving Predict Eating and Weight Gain: A Meta-Analytic Review.” Obesity Reviews, vol. 17, no. 2, 2016, pp. 159–177.

Schultz, Wolfram. “Dopamine Reward Prediction Error Coding.” Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, vol. 18, no. 1, 2016, pp. 23–32.

Berridge, Kent C., and Terry E. Robinson. “Liking, Wanting, and the Incentive-Sensitization Theory of Addiction.” American Psychologist, vol. 71, no. 8, 2016, pp. 670–679.

Morales, Irene, and Kent C. Berridge. “‘Liking’ and ‘Wanting’ in Eating and Food Reward: Brain Mechanisms and Clinical Implications.” Physiology & Behavior, vol. 227, 2020, article 113152.

Hall, Kevin D., et al. “Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake.” Cell Metabolism, vol. 30, no. 1, 2019, pp. 67–77.e3.

Gearhardt, Ashley N., et al. “Social, Clinical, and Policy Implications of Ultra-Processed Food Addiction.” BMJ, vol. 383, 2023, p. e075354.

Haedt-Matt, Alissa A., and Pamela K. Keel. “Revisiting the Affect Regulation Model of Binge Eating: A Meta-Analysis of Studies Using Ecological Momentary Assessment.” Psychological Bulletin, vol. 137, no. 4, 2011, pp. 660–681.

Wagner, Heather S., Traci Mann, and Janet Tomiyama. “The Myth of Comfort Food.” Health Psychology, vol. 33, no. 12, 2014, pp. 1552–1557.

Schaefer, Lauren M., et al. “Examining the Role of Craving in Affect Regulation Models of Binge Eating.” International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2023.

Jansen, Anita, et al. “A Learning Model of Binge Eating: Cue Reactivity and Cue Exposure.” Behaviour Research and Therapy, vol. 88, 2016, pp. 75–84.

Craske, Michelle G., et al. “Maximizing Exposure Therapy: An Inhibitory Learning Approach.” Behaviour Research and Therapy, vol. 58, 2014, pp. 10–23.

Grilo, Carlos M. “Psychological and Behavioral Treatments for Binge-Eating Disorder.” Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, vol. 78, suppl. 1, 2017, pp. 20–24.

 

Dr. Brendan McCarthy is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center in Arizona. With over two decades of experience, he’s helped thousands of patients navigate hormonal imbalances using bioidentical HRT, nutrition, and root-cause medicine. He’s also taught and mentored other physicians on integrative approaches to hormone therapy, weight loss, fertility, and more.

If you’re ready to take your health seriously, this podcast is a great place to start.

👇 Tap Subscribe to learn more about what’s actually happening in your body, and what to do about it.

📘 Read Dr. McCarthy’s Book:
Jump Off the Mood Swing – A Sane Woman’s Guide to Her Crazy Hormones
https://www.amazon.com/Jump-Off-Mood-...

📲 Follow Dr. McCarthy:
Instagram: @drbrendanmccarthy
TikTok: @drbrendanmccarthy
Website: www.protealife.com

💬 Got a question or topic for a future episode? Let us know in the comments!

Why do so many people know what to eat… but still can’t follow through?

In this episode, Dr. Brendan McCarthy breaks down the powerful connection between trauma, stress, and ultra-processed foods—and why willpower alone is not enough.

You’ll learn how the nervous system, PTSD, and chronic stress can rewire your relationship with food, driving cravings and behaviors that feel out of your control.

This isn’t about discipline. It’s about understanding the biology behind your choices.

Inside this episode:

How trauma changes the way you make decisions

Why ultra-processed foods create temporary emotional relief

The brain chemistry behind cravings (dopamine, serotonin, endocannabinoids & more)

Why “just stop eating it” doesn’t work

How to create real change without shame or restriction

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a cycle with food, this episode will change how you see it—and give you a path forward.

📍 Protea Medical Center | Tempe, Arizona

👍 If this helped you, like, subscribe, and share with someone who needs to hear this.

📚 Citations & Research
PTSD & Complex PTSD

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2014). DSM-5 Criteria for PTSD.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207191/box/part1_ch3.box16/

Larsen, S. E. (VA National Center for PTSD). Complex PTSD Overview
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/essentials/complex_ptsd.asp

Women, Trauma & PTSD

Vogt, D., & Mangan, E. Research on Women, Trauma, and PTSD
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/specific/ptsd_research_women.asp

Dworkin, E. R. et al. (2017). Sexual Assault & Psychopathology Meta-Analysis
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5576571/

Dworkin, E. R. (2020). Risk for Mental Disorders After Sexual Assault

PTSD & Addictive-Like Eating

Mason, S. M. et al. (2014). PTSD Symptoms & Food Addiction (JAMA Psychiatry)
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/1904804

Brewerton, T. D. (2021). Food Addiction, Trauma & Comorbidity

Brewerton, T. D. (2017). Trauma & Eating Disorders
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11920-017-0806-6

Gearhardt, A. N. et al. (2016). Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0

Stress & Food Choice

Maier, S. U. et al. (2015). Stress Impairs Self-Control in Food Choice
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627315006273

Yau, Y. H. C., & Potenza, M. N. (2013). Stress & Eating Behaviors
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4214609/

Relief Mechanisms (Biological Pathways)

Adam, T. C., & Epel, E. S. (2007). Stress, Eating & Reward System
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938407001278

DiPatrizio, N. V. (2021). Endocannabinoids & Food Intake
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8067588/

Fernstrom, J. D., & Wurtman, R. J. (1972). Serotonin Regulation
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5077329/

Penckofer, S. et al. (2012). Glycemic Variability & Mood
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22324383/

Oral Self-Regulation

Franco, P. et al. (2004). Pacifier Use & Autonomic Control

Pinilla, T., & Birch, L. J. (1993). Infant Sleep & Oral Soothing

Dopamine & Craving

Berridge, K. C., & Robinson, T. E. (2016). Incentive-Sensitization Theory
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5171207/

Boswell, R. G., & Kober, H. (2016). Food Cue Reactivity
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26644270/

Ultra-Processed Foods

Monteiro, C. A. et al. (2018). NOVA Classification
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10261019/

Hall, K. D. et al. (2019). Ultra-Processed Diet RCT
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413119302487

Gearhardt, A. N., & DiFeliceantonio, A. G. (2023). Addictive Potential

Dr. Brendan McCarthy is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center in Arizona. With over two decades of experience, he’s helped thousands of patients navigate hormonal imbalances using bioidentical HRT, nutrition, and root-cause medicine. He’s also taught and mentored other physicians on integrative approaches to hormone therapy, weight loss, fertility, and more.

If you’re ready to take your health seriously, this podcast is a great place to start.

👇 Tap Subscribe to learn more about what’s actually happening in your body, and what to do about it.

📘 Read Dr. McCarthy’s Book:
Jump Off the Mood Swing – A Sane Woman’s Guide to Her Crazy Hormones
https://www.amazon.com/Jump-Off-Mood-...

📲 Follow Dr. McCarthy:
Instagram: @drbrendanmccarthy
TikTok: @drbrendanmccarthy
Website: www.protealife.com

💬 Got a question or topic for a future episode? Let us know in the comments!

Today, we’re diving into a topic that should be getting far more attention:

Cardiovascular disease in women.

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in women—yet it’s often under-addressed, oversimplified, and misunderstood in clinical practice.

Most women are told:
“Eat better. Take this prescription.”

But that approach misses something critical.

Full citation list:    •    Hall, Kevin D., et al. “Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake.” Cell Metabolism, vol. 30, no. 1, 2019, pp. 67–77.e3. Supports the core causal point that ultra-processed foods drive higher intake and weight gain even under controlled feeding conditions; this is not a women-specific lipid paper, but it is the cleanest experimental anchor for why UPFs create a high-throughput metabolic environment.
    •    El Khoudary, Samar R., et al. “Menopause Transition and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Implications for Timing of Early Prevention: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.” Circulation, vol. 142, no. 25, 2020, pp. e506–e532. Supports the midlife women’s frame: across the menopause transition, LDL-C and ApoB rise, metabolic risk shifts, and cardiovascular prevention needs to become more deliberate during this window. This supports the “why I care about lipids in endocrine care” part of the episode.
    •    Derby, Carol A., et al. “Lipid Changes During the Menopause Transition in Relation to Age and Weight: The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation.” American Journal of Epidemiology, vol. 169, no. 11, 2009, pp. 1352–61. Foundational SWAN paper establishing that the menopause transition itself — not just chronological aging — is associated with adverse lipid shifts in midlife women. This is the original observation that the timing argument rests on.
    •    Wu, Bingjie, et al. “Trajectories of Blood Lipids Profile in Midlife Women: Does Menopause Matter?” Journal of the American Heart Association, vol. 12, no. 22, 2023, e030388. Supports the claim that LDL-C, total cholesterol, and ApoB follow distinct trajectory patterns through the menopause transition, with subgroups of women showing rising lipids in the years before the final menstrual period — useful for the timing argument that body and symptom changes can precede the obvious lab story.
    •    Matthews, Karen A., et al. “Age at Menopause in Relationship to Lipid Changes and Subclinical Carotid Disease Across 20 Years: Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation.” Journal of the American Heart Association, vol. 10, no. 18, 2021, e021362. Supports the point that ApoB and Apo A1 changes cluster around the final menstrual period and that adverse lipid shifts in the early postmenopausal years track with subclinical carotid disease later — connects menopausal timing to the longer cardiovascular arc rather than a one-time lab blip.
    •    De Oliveira-Gomes, Diana, et al. “Apolipoprotein B: Bridging the Gap Between Evidence and Clinical Practice.” Circulation, vol. 150, no. 1, 2024, pp. 62–79. Supports the practical ApoB explanation: ApoB reflects atherogenic particle burden and outperforms LDL-C for ASCVD risk prediction in many settings, but adoption lags because clear apoB targets and triggers are still lacking in mainstream guidelines. Good support for the public-service “what the hell is ApoB anyway?” section.
    •    Williamson, Laura. “The Slowly Evolving Truth About Heart Disease and Women.” American Heart Association News, 9 Feb. 2024, heart.org/en/news/2024/02/09/the-slowly-evolving-truth-about-heart-disease-and-women. Supports the broader clinical framing that women remain underrecognized or undertreated in cardiovascular care and that women’s heart disease still needs better public and clinical communication. This is more public-facing than mechanistic, but useful for your opening frame.

Dr. Brendan McCarthy is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center in Arizona. With over two decades of experience, he’s helped thousands of patients navigate hormonal imbalances using bioidentical HRT, nutrition, and root-cause medicine. He’s also taught and mentored other physicians on integrative approaches to hormone therapy, weight loss, fertility, and more.

If you’re ready to take your health seriously, this podcast is a great place to start.

👇 Tap Subscribe to learn more about what’s actually happening in your body, and what to do about it.

📘 Read Dr. McCarthy’s Book:
Jump Off the Mood Swing – A Sane Woman’s Guide to Her Crazy Hormones
https://www.amazon.com/Jump-Off-Mood-...

📲 Follow Dr. McCarthy:
Instagram: @drbrendanmccarthy
TikTok: @drbrendanmccarthy
Website: www.protealife.com

💬 Got a question or topic for a future episode? Let us know in the comments!