Dr. Jen Unwin’s early memories are closely tied to food, with a particularly vivid recollection of enjoying warm cheese scones with butter at around four years old. Reflecting on her childhood, she notes that food was a central theme in her family, and she often spent her pocket money on sweets. The emotional distance of her parents, following her uncle’s death and her father’s severe renal cancer, drove her to seek comfort in food.
By the age of 12, Dr. Unwin weighed over 12 stone, a significant weight for a child in the 1970s. She was the only overweight pupil in her class and, although she despised it, she now realises she was already addicted to sugar. She experienced tremors if she didn’t eat regularly and used food to cope with boredom and anxiety.
In her teenage years, Dr. Unwin and her mother, who she suspects also had a food addiction, tried various extreme diets together. Despite losing over three stone at 16, the weight slowly returned, leading to years of yoyo dieting. This relentless cycle prevented her from becoming excessively overweight but resulted in an unhealthy fixation on food.
Despite her struggles with food, Jen excelled in other areas of her life. She qualified as a clinical psychologist and built a fulfilling career in the NHS.
In 1995, she met David, a GP and they married in 1997. Initially, she kept her food issues hidden from David, but they soon became apparent. Although she maintained a normal weight, she was constantly preoccupied with her diet and avoiding overeating. She dieted for their wedding but began overeating during their honeymoon.
Pregnancy KitKats
When their son Edward was born in 2000, Dr. Unwin tried to maintain a healthy diet during pregnancy, but the demands of motherhood led her to rely on KitKats for energy. Despite having a wonderful life in many respects, her relationship with food was problematic. She deceived herself into thinking she could control her eating, but even a small amount of chocolate would trigger uncontrollable cravings. She dieted for her daughter’s wedding but ended up bingeing on cake at the reception, leaving her feeling despondent and helpless.
The situation was dire, she oscillated between waiting to binge on raw cake mix or ice cream with chocolate sauce when alone, and adhering to strict low fat diets, even fasting for eight days at one point. Her obsession with food and weight rendered her emotionally unavailable to her family. Despite her professional knowledge, she was ashamed that she couldn’t understand or control her own behaviour. She cycled through various diet schemes and coaches but felt too embarrassed to seek help from another psychologist.
Jen’s Turning Point
At 48, Dr. Unwin experienced a turning point when she found Dr. John Briffa’s book “Escape the Diet Trap” in a supermarket sale. The book introduced her to low carbohydrate or keto diets. The science behind high sugar diets leading to high insulin and subsequent blood sugar dips made perfect sense to her. She cut out sugar and carbohydrates, enduring ten days of withdrawal symptoms before feeling a remarkable change. She felt vibrant and alive and her husband David, initially sceptical, observed her positive transformation.
Eight years ago, Dr. Unwin had another significant revelation after hearing Bitten Jonsson, a Swedish nurse and expert on food addiction, speak. She recognised that she was an addict, displaying symptoms common to all addictions, cravings, increasing consumption, neglect of other aspects of life, loss of control and continuing harmful behaviour.
Avoiding Trigger Foods
Understanding that food addiction required a different approach, Dr. Unwin committed to abstaining from her “trigger” foods. She gave up sugar, flour, starchy foods, sweeteners, alcohol and caffeine, which helped curb her cravings and even reduced her migraines.
After retiring from the NHS two years ago, she completed a course in Holistic Medicine for Food Addiction with Bitten Jonsson. Dr. Unwin now dedicates her time to raising awareness about food addiction and helping others overcome it.
Dr. Unwin, along with Nutritionist Heidi Giaever, utilise their expertise and share valuable tools and knowledge on the Metabolic Health Retreat for Food Addiction at Combe Grove, providing firsthand experiences of how they overcame food addiction.
Learn more about how the Metabolic Health Retreat for Food Addiction can transform your health and relationship with food by following the link here.
The full article can be read here.
Client Interview
Hear Lynn Handford’s story about how Combe Grove’s food addiction helped her to combat her lifelong problems.
