118. Break Free From Emotional Eating and Sugar Cravings with Tricia Nelson

Aug 4, 2025

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In this episode of the Emotional Eats Podcast, I sit down with Tricia Nelson, author, speaker, and founder of Heal Your Hunger. Tricia shares her deeply personal story of growing up as an emotional eater, her journey to healing, and how she now helps women break free from the cycle of dieting, bingeing, and shame.

We dive into the truth behind emotional eating, why it’s not really about food, and the powerful connection between trauma, people-pleasing, and compulsive eating. If you’ve ever struggled with sugar, secret eating, or feeling out of control with food, this episode is for you.

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Highlights

• Tricia’s early story: bingeing, secret eating, and her powerful “garbage eating” moment
• Emotional eating vs. intuitive eating—why your body’s signals may not always be trustworthy
• The spectrum of emotional eating to food addiction
• The real consequences of emotional eating: health, relationships, spirituality, and joy
• How trauma and people-pleasing fuel emotional eating patterns
• Sugar addiction and why abstinence is sometimes easier than moderation

 

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Timestamps

• 00:01 – Introducing Tricia Nelson and her TEDx story
• 00:50 – Childhood struggles and the moment she realized food was different for her
• 03:18 – The bingeing cycle and the shame of “garbage eating”
• 05:30 – Meeting a mentor and discovering it wasn’t about food or weight
• 08:20 – Tricia’s definition of emotional eating: “Eating to feel better”
• 09:13 – Why diets and control don’t work
• 12:03 – The compulsion to eat and the cycle of self-sabotage
• 15:42 – The real consequences of emotional eating: health, joy, relationships, and spirituality
• 21:30 – Secret eating and why it feels like a relationship
• 24:28 – Trauma, people-pleasing, and how past experiences shape emotional eating
• 33:32 – The pitfalls of intuitive eating when emotions are in charge
• 35:07 – Sugar addiction, cravings, and why abstinence brings peace
• 41:50 – Reframing deprivation: choosing freedom over compulsion
• 43:37 – Tricia’s three tips to start healing: slow down, morning routines, and don’t do it alone
• 46:55 – How to connect with Tricia Nelson at Heal Your Hunger

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About Tricia

Tricia Nelson lost fifty pounds by identifying and healing the underlying causes of her emotional eating. She is an Emotional Eating Expert and TEDx speaker, whose talk has garnered over 2 million views on YouTube. Tricia is the author of the #1 bestselling book Heal Your Hunger: 7 Simple Steps to End Emotional Eating Now and the host of the popular podcast The Heal Your Hunger Show. She has spent over thirty years researching the hidden causes of the addictive personality and has been featured on NBC, CBS, KTLA, FOX, and Discovery Health.

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Connect with Tricia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tricianelson_/

Website: https://healyourhunger.com/ 

Tricia’s Book: Heal Your Hunger: 7 Simple Steps to End Emotional Eating Now Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heal-your-hunger-show/id1190355931 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealYourHunger

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimhyneshealth
Website: https://www.kimhynes.com
Podcast: https://kimhynes.com/podcast

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Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is not intended to replace working with your doctor, medical provider, or mental health professional. It is for conversation, information, and entertainment only.

Note: Some links may be affiliate links, and I may receive a small commission or sponsorship support at no extra cost to you. These partnerships help me keep the Emotional Eats Podcast going and allow me to continue creating free content to support you on your journey.