Q: Food Junkies: Recovery from Food Addiction (December 15, 2026, Dundurn Press), your bestselling book, is now being released in its third edition. Why did you feel a third edition was necessary?
A: I wrote this new edition because the literature on sugar and food addiction has grown exponentially since 2019, and the book's message becomes more relevant each year. Awareness of sugar toxicity and ultra-processed food addiction is rising, so I updated the book to reflect current evidence.
Two developments also needed new guidance. Intermittent fasting (for example, eating only once a day) is now widely used for weight loss, but it can be dangerous for people with food addiction unless it is done correctly. GLP-1 medications were not in clinical use in 2019. They bring real hope for weight loss and the treatment of diabetes, but they call for caution and practical advice, especially for people with food addiction.
I also introduce a new topic, volume addiction, where people eat until they are uncomfortably full, even with healthy foods. I see it often in my clinical work, but I have not found it addressed anywhere else in the food addiction literature. I use clinical scenarios and my own experience to illustrate the science, which makes this book unlike any other. It is written by a doctor who has both lived with and treated this condition.
About Food Junkies: Recovery from Food Addiction:
All you need to know about food addiction and recovery.
Overeating, binge eating, obesity, anorexia, and bulimia — Food Junkies tackles the complex, poorly understood issue of food addiction from the perspective of a medical clinician and dozens of survivors. What exactly is food addiction? Is it possible to draw a hard line between indulging cravings for “comfort food” and engaging in substance abuse? For people struggling with food addictions, recognizing their condition remains a frustrating battle.
The third edition of the bestselling book includes the latest research on all aspects of food addiction and an expanded section on practical strategies for breaking free from it, offering supportive and manageable steps toward healthy, lasting habits.
Vera Tarman, MD, MSc, FCFP, ABAM, is a specialist in addiction medicine. She is the medical director of Renascent, an addictions treatment centre. Vera lives in Toronto.