The Dr. Hyman Show

You can know exactly how you want to eat and still find yourself reaching for something else when you’re stressed or exhausted. I’ve been there. Our relationship with food is influenced by far more than nutrition knowledge, and blaming ourselves for struggling doesn’t help us understand what’s actually happening.

Today, I’m joined by clinical psychologist Dr. Rachel Goldman, author of When Life Happens, to talk about the biology and psychology behind cravings, emotional eating, and food noise. We also explore how to care about nutrition without letting food rules take over your life.

Here’s what we get into:

Why you may reach for food when what you really need is rest, comfort, or a break

How to pause before an automatic food choice and figure out what’s driving it

How rigid food rules can turn one choice into a cycle of guilt and overeating

How GLP-1s can quiet food noise, and what they can’t change about your relationship with food

How to build other ways to cope when food has become your go-to response to stress

I know what it’s like to want the cookie even when I know it isn’t what I really need. Knowing better doesn’t make us immune to being human. My hope is that this conversation helps you meet those moments with more curiosity and less blame, so your relationship with food can become a source of nourishment rather than stress.

View Show Notes From This Episode

Sign up for Dr. Hyman’s Brainshaping Academy to learn how to nourish the biological systems that support your mental, emotional, and cognitive health https://drhyman.com/products/brainshaping?utm_source=dr_hyman_show&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=may_27&utm_content=link

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This episode is brought to you by Seed, Paleovalley, Timeline, Rho, Sunlighten, and Seatopia.

Make your microbiome part of your daily routine with seed.com/hyman and save 25% with code 25HYMAN.

Shop nutrient-rich foods and supplements at paleovalley.com/hyman and save 15% off your first order.

Support healthy aging and get up to 20% off when you subscribe on top of the new starting price of $79 at timeline.com/drhyman.

Explore science-backed products at rhonutrition.com and use code HYMAN for 20% off the entire site.

Discover why so many people are using sunlighten.com. Use code HYMAN to save up to $2,100 today and free shipping.

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0:00 Introduction: Food industry, brain/microbiome hijack, and Dr. Rachel Goldman

1:17 Challenges in our relationship with food and emotional eating

4:25 Societal messages, body image, and the problem with body comments

6:17 Cognitive behavioral therapy for eating behaviors

9:54 The power of pausing and mindful eating

16:20 Emotional vs. physical hunger and mindful eating

22:17 Stress, sleep, and their impact on hunger and food choices

25:21 The myth of willpower, cravings, and brain studies

31:39 Food addiction, biology, and focusing on controllable actions

35:15 Coping tools and stress management

38:32 Diaphragmatic breathing and managing stress

40:36 Orthorexia, restrictive eating, and seeking professional help

45:19 The restriction-binge cycle and building a healthy relationship with food

49:29 Creating and sustaining a healthy relationship with food

56:08 Critiques of psychiatric practice and the GLP-1 phenomenon

1:00:30 Psychological aspects of weight loss and GLP-1 medications

1:02:58 Fixing biology vs. addressing psychology in eating

1:03:44 Long-term strategies and resources for eating disorders

1:07:00 The psychology of eating, self-talk, and episode conclusion

Trying to eat healthy has gotten surprisingly complicated. You pick up salmon and wonder about mercury, grab strawberries and think about pesticides, or drink from a plastic bottle and start worrying about microplastics. But not every food-safety risk deserves the same level of concern. In this episode, I break down what actually matters, what’s worth paying extra for, and the simple changes that can reduce your exposure without making you afraid of everything you eat.
Here’s what I discuss in today’s episode:

Which food-safety risks actually deserve your attention—and which ones may be creating more fear than necessary

How to think about organic produce, pesticides, recalls, and foodborne outbreaks without avoiding healthy foods altogether

What labels like grass-fed, organic, pasture-raised, wild-caught, and farm-raised really tell you—and what they don’t

The hidden exposures that can come from packaged foods, plastics, cookware, and even common mistakes in your own kitchen

Food safety isn’t about eliminating every possible risk. It’s about knowing which risks matter, understanding where small changes can make a meaningful difference, and having enough good information to separate a real concern from a scary headline.

Resources Mentioned:

Check current food recalls and outbreak updates from the FDA and CDC

Explore the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen™ to help decide where buying organic may be most worthwhile: https://www.ewg.org

Learn more about lower-mercury seafood choices through the FDA and EPA guidance

Listen to my conversation with Autumn Smith of Paleovalley for a deeper dive into meat labels, sourcing, and food quality

Have a question you’d love answered on Office Hours? Submit it here.

0:00 Food safety concerns and grocery shopping tips

2:34 Organic produce, washing, and handling recalls

7:40 Frozen produce, meat, and seafood label guidance

13:17 Seafood safety: mercury, wild vs. farm raised

16:45 Processed and ultra-processed foods explained

21:10 Food packaging chemicals and plastic safety

23:08 Kitchen safety and cross contamination

25:26 Key food safety takeaways and conclusion

Chronic illness rarely fits neatly into a single diagnosis. Symptoms can span multiple systems, leaving people profoundly unwell even when standard testing appears normal. I understand this experience from the inside out because I’ve lived it myself.

Today, I sit down with Dr. Neil Nathan, a leading expert in complex chronic illness and author of Toxic, now in its second edition. We explore why these conditions are so often misunderstood and how identifying what is driving them can create a path toward recovery.

We discuss:

Why mold toxicity, Lyme disease, and long COVID can be so difficult to diagnose

How to identify the root cause instead of chasing downstream symptoms

What the Cell Danger Response is and why the body can remain stuck in survival mode

Why some people suddenly become sensitive to foods, chemicals, medications, light, and sound

Why the right treatment can make symptoms worse when introduced at the wrong time

I’ve been sick enough to know how quickly chronic illness can narrow your world—and how discouraging it is when no one can explain why. But I’m also living proof that the body can recover. The answer is not always more treatment. Often, it begins with finding the root cause, respecting what the body can tolerate, and addressing each layer in the right order.

View Show Notes From This Episode

Sign up for Dr. Hyman’s Brainshaping Academy to learn how to nourish the biological systems that support your mental, emotional, and cognitive health

https://drhyman.com/products/brainshaping?utm_source=dr_hyman_show&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=may_27&utm_content=link

Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hyman

https://drhyman.com/pages/picks?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast

Sign Up for Dr. Hyman’s Weekly Longevity Journal

https://drhyman.com/pages/longevity?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast

Join the 10-Day Detox to Reset Your Health

https://drhyman.com/pages/10-day-detox

Join the Hyman Hive for Expert Support and Real Results

https://drhyman.com/pages/hyman-hive

This episode is brought to you by BIOptimizers, Cozy Earth, Perfect Amino, Seatopia, Made In, and BON CHARGE.

Shop Magnesium Breakthrough at bioptimizers.com/hyman and save 15% with code HYMAN.

Upgrade your sleep setup with cozyearth.com and enjoy 20% off with code HYMAN.

Help fill protein gaps at bodyhealth.com and use code HYMAN20 for 20% off.

Find a cleaner source of seafood. Check out seatopia.fish and use code HYMAN for free shipping on your first order.

Shop for kitchen essentials at madeincookware.com and save 10% off your first order with code HYMAN-HIVE.

Explore red light products at boncharge.com/hyman and enjoy 15% off with code HYMAN.

(0:00) Introduction and Dr. Hyman's health journey

(3:11) Challenges and limitations of conventional medicine

(5:03) Environmental toxins and chronic illness

(7:21) Identifying root causes and treatment order

(16:14) Dr. Hyman’s mold struggle, toxicity vs. sensitivity

(21:01) Dr. Nathan’s books and diagnosing chronic illnesses

(28:53) Treatment strategies: primary cause, gut health, and mold

(34:22) Addressing limbic, vagal, and mast cell issues first

(39:52) Complexities of treating tick-borne infections

(44:46) Emotional and psychological aspects of recovery

(45:04) Encouragement and hope for chronic illness sufferers

(46:36) Closing remarks and podcast info

Brain fog isn’t just a normal part of getting older—and it may not be a brain problem at all. If you struggle to focus, lose your train of thought, forget why you walked into a room, or feel mentally exhausted after eating, your body may be trying to tell you something.

Here’s what I discuss in today’s episode:

The five foods I most commonly see contributing to brain fog—and why some seemingly “healthy” choices may be working against you

The surprising connection between your gut and your ability to think, focus, and remember

Why certain foods can affect your brain even when you don’t have obvious digestive symptoms

Brain fog is a messenger, not the root problem. When you start looking at what’s happening throughout your body—especially your gut, blood sugar, inflammation, and microbiome—you can begin uncovering what’s getting in the way of a clearer, healthier brain.

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about my 10-Day Detox Diet, a whole-food reset designed to help identify common food triggers, stabilize blood sugar, and support gut health: https://10daydetox.com

Have a question you’d love answered on Office Hours? Submit it here.

0:00 Introduction, Dr. Hyman's experience, and foods contributing to brain fog

1:31 Functional medicine and the gut-brain connection

2:30 Vagus nerve, gut microbiome, and inflammation

4:21 Long COVID, gut damage, and ultra-processed foods

6:51 Alcohol, artificial sweeteners, and their effects on the brain

9:51 Dairy, gluten, and elimination diets

15:41 Ten Day Detox Diet, food journaling, and reintroducing foods

18:23 Personalized nutrition, functional medicine, and conclusion

This week, I’m the one answering the questions in a deeply personal conversation about my health journey. I speak openly about some of the hardest parts of that journey, the treatments I’ve tried, the beliefs I’ve reconsidered, and what a lifetime devoted to health has taught me about what matters most.

Here’s some of what I share:

How becoming the patient changed the way I practice medicine

How nearly dying changed what longevity means to me and what I believe a healthy life is actually for

Which wellness and longevity therapies I personally use, and how I decide what’s worth trying

Why the pursuit of optimal health can sometimes become unhealthy

What I’m still trying to understand about myself at this stage of my life

I’ve spent much of my life trying to understand how we can live longer and feel better. But nearly losing my own life reminded me that health isn’t the destination. It’s what allows us to be present for the people we love, remain curious, and experience our lives more fully. I hope this conversation encourages you to ask yourself what you want your health to make possible.

Continue exploring:

Watch my conversation with Dr. Tyna Moore here.

Learn more about my Brainshaping Academy here.

View Show Notes From This Episode

Sign up for Dr. Hyman’s Brainshaping Academy to learn how to nourish the biological systems that support your mental, emotional, and cognitive health https://drhyman.com/products/brainshaping?utm_source=dr_hyman_show&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=may_27&utm_content=link

Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hymanhttps://drhyman.com/pages/picks?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast

Sign Up for Dr. Hyman’s Weekly Longevity Journalhttps://drhyman.com/pages/longevity?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast

Join the 10-Day Detox to Reset Your Healthhttps://drhyman.com/pages/10-day-detox

Join the Hyman Hive for Expert Support and Real Resultshttps://drhyman.com/pages/hyman-hive

This episode is brought to you by Paleovalley, BIOptimizers, Timeline, Rho, Sunlighten, and Pique.

Shop nutrient-rich foods and supplements at paleovalley.com/hyman and save 15% off your first order.

Shop Magnesium Breakthrough at bioptimizers.com/hyman and save 15% with code HYMAN.

Support healthy aging and get up to 20% off when you subscribe on top of the new starting price of $79 at timeline.com/drhyman.

Explore science-backed products at rhonutrition.com and use code HYMAN for 20% off the entire site.

Discover why so many people are using sunlighten.com. Use the code HYMAN to save up to $2,100 today and free shipping.

Elevate your daily wellness ritual at piquelife.com/hyman and enjoy 20% off plus free gifts.

(0:00) Dr. Hyman's health decline, initial back surgery, and introduction to Q&A session

(1:51) Dr. Hyman's early career, first herniated disc, and subsequent back surgeries

(10:55) Mercury poisoning and its impact on health

(17:06) Discovery of functional medicine and Jeffrey Bland's influence

(20:27) Impact of personal health journey on Dr. Hyman's career and recovery from major surgery

(24:04) Reflections on mortality, peace during surgery, and the role of spirituality and psychedelics

(26:21) Changes in perspective on longevity, health, and specific recovery strategies

(30:06) Navigating physiological depression and relationship with body as we age

(33:48) Rapid-fire health tools: cold plunges, sauna, and more

(43:32) IV therapy, red light therapy, and stem cell therapy for recovery

(47:26) Exosomes and critique of wellness industry trends

(50:31) Risks of over-testing, over-supplementation, and underrated treatments in functional medicine

(58:13) Dr. Hyman's personal life, hobbies, and balancing passion with well-being

(1:04:51) The Ultramind Solution, mental health, and root cause analysis in MS

(1:07:06) Focus on strength training, functional health, and shifts in health understanding

(1:09:23) Surprising changes in beliefs and impact of becoming a grandfather

(1:11:42) Career reflections, ongoing curiosity, and closing remarks

(1:14:38) Disclaimer and gratitude to sponsors