Dr. Nicole Avena Reveals the Scary Truth About Sugar
EPISODE 38 / 08.20.2025
Todd and Bettijo are tackling their sugar cravings with neuroscientist and author Dr. Nicole Avena, who proves your cookie obsession isn’t just willpower gone wrong—it’s a real addiction. Get ready to laugh and learn as they uncover the shocking truth behind sugar addiction, and why your brain can’t stop at just one, or maybe 12, peanut butter cups!
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Show Notes
Todd and Bettijo are joined by Dr. Nicole Avena, a Princeton-trained neuroscientist who literally wrote the book on sugar addiction. A faculty member at both Princeton University and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Dr. Avena has spent over 20 years proving that sugar is, in fact, an addictive substance that meets the same criteria as drugs linked to substance use disorder.
Her book Sugarless is a practical guide to kicking sugar without losing your mind, complete with a step-by-step plan and recipes to help you break free. In this conversation, she reveals the sneaky ways hidden sugars show up in everyday foods like frozen pizza and even bacon, and how the food industry relies on them to mask preservatives. The episode also dives into the artificial sweetener debate, exposing how they can actually fuel stronger cravings by confusing the brain.
Dr. Avena shares her personal journey, the resistance she faced from the scientific community, and how her work helped reframe food addiction from a moral weakness to a diagnosable brain disease. From obesity and chronic illness to sugar as a potential “gateway drug” for kids—and even its eerie parallels to Big Tobacco—this eye-opening conversation will change the way you look at what’s on your plate.
EPISODE Highlights
- Todd confesses his sweet tooth for Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups. (1:30)
- Is sugar really addicting? (2:12)
- The sneaky names for hidden sugar on food labels that you need to know about. (8:21)
- What about artificial sweeteners? (10:24)
- Sugar as a gateway drug. (23:31)
- Bettijo’s strategy for when to use sugar and when to avoid it based on the book Nourishing Traditions. (29:03)
- Surprising amount of sugar in popular beverages like iced coffee and soda drinks. (33:50)
- The eerie similarities between sugar and Big Tobacco. (37:07)
- How to tackle your sugar addiction. (40:19)
- ToddFlix: Todd talks about the TV show Narcos. (47:44)
ToddFlix Pick
Listen to Learn
- The best way to read food labels to spot hidden sugars.
- How food companies use sugar to make their products addictive.
- Simple, small changes you can make to reduce your sugar intake.
Todd just committed to giving up soda with dinner—DANG! Now that’s what we call a small, incremental change. Listen now to find out how you can start making your own!
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