Food, Emotions & Cravings Explained | Dr. Jenna Cummings on Why We Crave Certain Foods скачать в хорошем качестве

Food, Emotions & Cravings Explained | Dr. Jenna Cummings on Why We Crave Certain Foods

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jenna Cummings—health psychologist and researcher at the University of Liverpool—to explore how our emotions and expectations shape the way we eat, and why food choices are never just about nutrition. Here’s what we cover in the episode: • Jenna’s journey from journalism student to pioneering researcher in food psychology • What “food-related emotional expectancies” are—and how they influence cravings and behavior • Why processed foods often carry both positive and negative emotional expectancies, creating ambivalence around eating • How expectancy theory, originally applied to alcohol, helps explain food cravings and emotional eating • The role of shame, stigma, and dieting in shaping our emotional relationship with food over time • Innovative smartwatch research that could revolutionize how we track mood and eating in real time • Why shifting overly positive expectancies (rather than amplifying shame) may be the key to lasting change Jenna blends cutting-edge research with practical insights, offering a new lens to understand why food feels so emotionally charged—and how we might build healthier, more compassionate relationships with eating. This conversation is eye-opening for anyone who’s ever struggled with cravings, felt conflicted about food, or works with clients navigating the psychology of eating. 00:00 – intro 01:40 – Why Jenna’s research matters for this audience 01:53 – How Jenna got into this field 06:27 – Choosing health psychology 07:19 – Addiction-lab background 09:24 – Expectancy theory overview + “food-related emotional expectancies” 10:04 – How the brain predicts outcomes to guide behavior 11:21 – How expectancies form: initial learning 12:51 – Applying expectancy theory to food 13:10 – Why focus on emotional expectancies (vs cost, fullness, texture) 14:33 – Is processing/NOVA classification relevant? 16:11 – HFSS (high fat, sugar, salt) in the UK context 16:29 – Examples used: fruit/veg vs snacks, sugary drinks, fast foods 17:10 – Liverpool interview study; mapping foods to the UK composition dataset 17:47 – Why NOVA coding wasn’t feasible in this dataset 18:05 – Using HFSS criteria; coding approach 19:08 – Positive emotions often tied to cultural/social foods 19:29 – Boredom linked to fruit/veg and bland items 20:05 – New UK population study 23:17 – Simultaneous positive and negative expectancies in adults 24:17 – Less ambivalence in youth; stigma/dieting shape it later 24:34 – Reduce inflated positives, don’t amplify negatives 24:50 – Food’s mood effects are brief and comparatively small 25:10 – Alcohol “placebo” demo 26:12 – Translating to food 26:54 – Separate shame from functional signals 27:25 – Neutralize positives via comparators 27:50 – smartwatch detection of eating 32:09 – Where to find Jenna ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🗣️Learn more about Jenna Cummings: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/people/je... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Beyond Binge Eating Instagram: /   / beyondbingeeating   Website: https://www.BeyondBingeEating.com Newsletter: https://beyondbingeeating.com/Newslet... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grab your FREE Eat-With-Awareness Bundle to slow down, stay present, and reclaim peace with food: https://beyondbingeeating.com/opt-in/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.