Who Designed Your Craving? (Hint: It Wasn’t You) episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 8, 2026 · 21 MIN

Who Designed Your Craving? (Hint: It Wasn’t You)

from The Habit Healers · host Laurie Marbas, MD, MBA

In this episode, I take a hard look at a question most of us have asked ourselves at some point—and I challenge the answer we’ve been given. What if it’s not about willpower at all? What if the food I’m reaching for was engineered, very deliberately, to override the systems in my body that are supposed to tell me when to stop?I walk through the science behind how modern food is designed to drive overconsumption—from the “bliss point” that maximizes pleasure without triggering fullness, to foods that literally dissolve before my brain can register calories, to combinations of fat and carbohydrates that don’t exist in nature but light up my brain’s reward system in ways it wasn’t built to handle.I also unpack how variety, texture, smell, and even labeling strategies are used to keep me eating longer than I intended—and why none of this shows up on a nutrition label.But this isn’t just about what’s being done to me. It’s about what I can do next. I share a simple, practical “food defense” approach I can actually use in my own kitchen and at the grocery store—without turning my life into a full-time project.This episode changed how I see every snack, every label, every craving.Because once I understand the system, I stop blaming myself—and start seeing the design.Dr. Marbas Substack: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/A Big Thank You To Our Sponsors:If you want the best supplement to help you on your plant-based journey, you have to try Complement: https://lovecomplement.com/?aff=62 Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe

NOW PLAYING

Who Designed Your Craving? (Hint: It Wasn’t You)

0:00 21:12

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Habit Healers?

This episode is 21 minutes long.

When was this The Habit Healers episode published?

This episode was published on April 8, 2026.

What is this episode about?

In this episode, I take a hard look at a question most of us have asked ourselves at some point—and I challenge the answer we’ve been given. What if it’s not about willpower at all? What if the food I’m reaching for was engineered, very...

Can I download this The Habit Healers episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!