97 - Dr. Nicole Avena, Ph.D., Author and Nutrition Expert

In today's episode I talk to Dr. Nicole Avena,  a research neuroscientist and expert in the fields of nutrition, diet and addiction. She is a pioneer in the field of food addiction, and it was her seminal research work that jump started this exciting new field of exploration in medicine and nutrition. She is also an expert in diet during pregnancy, and childhood nutrition. We discuss her research around food addiction and her books, including her latest one, "What to Eat When You Want to Get Pregnant."

Dr. Avena’s book, Why Diets Fail (2014, Ten Speed Press) reviews the research on food addiction and provides a way in which people can remove added sugars and carbohydrates from their diet. She has another best-selling book, What to Eat When You’re Pregnant (2015, Ten Speed Press) that provides mom’s-to-be with nutritional advice on what to eat to ensure they and their baby are healthy. Her book, What to Feed Your Baby and Toddler (2018), covers nutrition for babies who are just beginning to eat, and offers science-based advice and practical tips on how to get your baby to eat healthy foods, like vegetables. Her latest book, What to Eat When You Want to Get Pregnant (Kensington, 2021) offers women, and men, who are thinking of having a baby a comprehensive guide to what foods can promote fertility, and what foods they should avoid that can be harmful to fertility.

She regularly appears on the Dr. Oz Show, and she has also appeared on The Doctors, Good Day NY, Home and Family, as well as many local news programs throughout the US including FOX5 San Diego, KTLA, WGN, and the local NY stations. She has also been a guest on several radio programs and podcasts, and has been filmed for several documentaries on the obesity epidemic. Her work has been featured on the cover of National Geographic (Sept ’17), as well as in Time Magazine, Bloomberg Business Week, The New York Times, Shape, Men’s Health, Details, and many other periodicals. Dr. Avena is a member of the Random House Speakers Bureau. She has a TED-ED talk, How Sugar Affects Your Brain, was ranked #2 most watched (over 7 million views). Her video has been praised by educators and public health groups. She consults for many policy groups, pharmaceutical companies and baby-food manufacturers.

Dr. Avena has a blog on Psychology Todaycalled Food Junkie, which explains relevant research findings in an accessible way. She also blogs for The Huffington Post. You can also follow her on Twitter @DrNicoleAvena or Facebook.

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