{"podcast":{"title":"Food Junkies Podcast","slug":"food-junkies-podcast-3077617","podcast_index_feed_id":3077617,"rss_url":"https://foodjunkies.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"http://foodjunkies.libsyn.com/website","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/5/b/c/3/5bc3999dd0abe58388c4a68c3ddbc4f2/Untitled_design_8.png","author":"Clarissa Kennedy","episode_count":317,"summary":"Welcome to the \"Food Junkies\" podcast! Here we aim to provide you with the experience, strength and hope of professionals actively working on the front lines in the field of Food Addiciton. The purpose of our show is to educate YOU the listener and increase overall awareness about Food Addiction as a recognized disorder. Here we discuss all things recovery, exploring the many pathways people take towards abstinence in order to achieve a health forward lifestyle. Most importantly how to THRIVE rather than just survive. So stay positive, make a change for yourself, tell others about your change, and hopefully the message will spread. The content on our show does not supplement or supersede the professional relationship and direction of your healthcare provider. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder or mental health concern.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-05T08:19:16.507027+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/food-junkies-podcast-3077617"},"episode":{"title":"Episode 268: Dr. Richard Johnson - It's Not Willpower. It's Biology. The Fat Switch Explained","slug":"episode-268-dr-richard-johnson-it-s-not-willpower-it-s-biology-the-fat-switch-explained","published_at":"2026-02-12T18:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/food-junkies-podcast-3077617/episode-268-dr-richard-johnson-it-s-not-willpower-it-s-biology-the-fat-switch-explained","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/food-junkies-podcast-3077617","url":"https://foodjunkies.libsyn.com/episode-268-dr-richard-johnson-its-not-willpower-its-biology-the-fat-switch-explained","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/foodjunkies/268_episode.mp3?dest-id=2520758","summary":"Is there a built-in \"fat switch\" in our genes—something nature designed to help us store fat for survival? And if so, what does that mean for food addicts living in a world saturated with ultra-processed food? In this episode, Dr. Vera Tarman sits down with Dr. Richard Johnson, Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado, former Chief of the Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension, author of The Sugar Fix, The Fat Switch, and Nature Wants Us to Be Fat, and a researcher with 700+ scientific papers to his name. Dr. Johnson explains how fructose (from sugar and high-fructose corn syrup—but also produced inside the body under certain conditions) can activate a powerful metabolic pathway that increases hunger, lowers cellular energy, and shifts calories toward fat storage. He connects this to uric acid, salt, high-glycemic carbohydrates, and the modern \"perfect storm\" of ultra-processed foods engineered to intensify cravings. Together, they explore the evolutionary logic of fat storage, why visceral fat may have had survival value, why \"calories in/calories out\" fails to explain the whole picture, and what practical steps can help people restore metabolic flexibility—including carbohydrate reduction, movement that supports mitochondrial health, and the emerging role of GLP-1 medications as a tool (not a replacement) for nutrition change. What You'll Learn 🔥 Why Dr. Johnson argues sugar isn't \"just a calorie,\" and how fructose changes metabolism differently 🔥 The role of uric acid in blood pressure, metabolic disease, and the fructose pathway 🔥 How salt + starch + fat can amplify the \"fat switch\" (and why chips and fries are a perfect example) 🔥 Why the body can make fructose from glucose, even if you aren't eating fructose directly 🔥 The survival biology behind fat…","meta_description":"Is there a built-in \"fat switch\" in our genes—something nature designed to help us store fat for survival? And if so, what does that mean for food addicts…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2697,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/food-junkies-podcast-3077617/episodes/episode-268-dr-richard-johnson-it-s-not-willpower-it-s-biology-the-fat-switch-explained/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/food-junkies-podcast-3077617/episode-268-dr-richard-johnson-it-s-not-willpower-it-s-biology-the-fat-switch-explained.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}