Episode Details

In this episode, I'm unpacking the real science behind food guilt — and why beating yourself up after eating isn't keeping you on track. It's actively working against you.

You'll learn:

• Why food guilt triggers your HPA axis and spikes cortisol, increasing cravings, reducing satisfaction, and impairing the very self-regulation you're counting on
• How chronic stress hormones amplify fat storage, particularly for women in perimenopause and menopause
• The truth about the "doughnut study" — how self-compassion after eating led to significantly less food intake later, not more
• The remarkable findings of the "milkshake study" — where the same 380-calorie drink produced measurably different ghrelin responses based purely on what participants believed they were drinking
• Five practical CBT-informed steps I use with clients to start dismantling the stress-eat-guilt loop for good

This isn't about being soft on yourself. It's about understanding that guilt is a stress response — and stress has a hormonal cost your body can't afford.

Referenced research:

• Crum, A.J. et al. (2011) — Mind Over Milkshakes, Health Psychology
• Self-compassion and eating behaviour research (doughnut study paradigm)

If you'd like to connect you can find me at www.nourishandnurtu.re and on Instagram www.instagram.com/nourishandnurtu.re