Have you ever wondered why cravings for junk food can return weeks—or even months—after you’ve stopped eating it? Neuroscience has an answer.
In this fascinating episode, Dr. Vera Tarman speaks with Dr. Guillaume de Lartigue, Associate Professor at the Monell Chemical Senses Center and the University of Pennsylvania. His groundbreaking research reveals how the hippocampus—the brain’s memory hub—stores food-related memories that can later be reactivated by sights, smells, or even routines like watching Netflix at night. These memory cues, combined with the dopamine-driven reward system, help explain why ultra-processed foods are so hard to resist.
Together, Dr. Tarman and Dr. de Lartigue explore:
The difference between metabolic hunger, hedonic hunger, and memory-cued hunger
How fats and sugars create separate memory traces in the brain—and why foods combining both are especially addictive
Why food memories can trigger cravings long after the food itself is gone
How childhood exposure, stress, and even in-utero diet shape lifelong vulnerability to food cues
The impact of artificial sweeteners on memory, satiety, and “the broken stop switch”
Why food marketing deliberately exploits our memory circuits
Emerging treatments: from behavioral retraining to potential drugs that could dampen food-related memories
Dr. de Lartigue’s research shows that food cravings aren’t just about willpower—they’re wired deep into our biology. But with awareness, deliberate habit-building, and future medical advances, there is hope for reshaping how our brains respond to ultra-processed foods.
✨ Key Takeaway: Our brains remember every rewarding food experience, and those memories are designed to pull us back for more—even when we’re not hungry. Recognizing this isn’t weakness—it’s science.
The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.
