Binge Eating, Food Addiction & Overeating: A Metabolic Psych Approach

If you have ever struggled with binge eating, emotional eating or overeating, you have probably been told the solution is willpower, portion control or learning to “just eat mindfully.” And if those strategies haven’t worked for you, you may have been left feeling like the problem is you.

It’s worth considering another possibility: perhaps the approach was ignoring a big part of the problem.

At Metabolic Psychology, we work with people every day who have tried everything to get on top of their eating. What we have learned, and what the research is now beginning to confirm, is that binge eating and overeating are not simply behavioural problems. They have deep roots in brain chemistry, hormones and metabolism. When we address those metabolic drivers alongside evidence-based psychological therapy, something shifts. People describe their amazement at feeling satisfied after a meal and being able to continue with their day. The revelation that they’d thought there was something different about them, something wrong even, that they always felt hungry.

The metabolic side of the story

Most traditional approaches to disordered eating focus entirely on thoughts, feelings and behaviours. This is important work, and it is part of what we do. But it misses a critical piece of the picture: what is happening in the brain and body.

When someone eats a diet high in carbohydrates or ultra-processed foods, a cascade of metabolic events can unfold making overeating incredibly difficult to resist. Blood sugar spikes and crashes create a rollercoaster of hunger and fatigue. Over time, insulin levels remain chronically elevated, which promotes fat storage and makes it harder for the body to access stored energy between meals. The result is persistent hunger and low energy, even when someone has eaten more than enough calories.

Research published in Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity has highlighted that ultra-processed, high glycaemic index carbohydrates can trigger neurochemical responses that resemble addiction, with abnormal blood sugar and insulin spikes leading to changes in both metabolic and neurobiological signalling (Sethi, Sinha & Gearhardt, 2020). This is not a character flaw. This is physiology.

What happens when we change the fuel

A wholefood, low-carbohydrate approach changes the metabolic environment in several important ways. By reducing refined carbohydrates and prioritising adequate protein and fats, we can help increase nutritional intake, stabilise blood sugar, lower insulin levels, reduce hunger and increase satiety. Many people describe a dramatic reduction in food cravings within the first few weeks. For someone who has spent years locked in a cycle of bingeing and restriction, this can feel like a revelation.

A case series published in the Journal of Eating Disorders found that patients with obesity and comorbid binge eating and food addiction symptoms were able to follow a ketogenic diet for six to seven months, and experienced reductions in both binge eating and food addiction scores, alongside weight loss (Carmen et al., 2020). Notably, the authors observed that appetite suppression and increased satiety are expected effects of nutritional ketosis, suggesting this approach may be particularly helpful for people who struggle with intense cravings.

More recently, Unwin and colleagues (2022; 2025) demonstrated in both initial and 12-month follow-up studies that low-carbohydrate programs combined with psychoeducation and group support showed excellent outcomes in reducing food-addiction behaviours, with a majority of participants achieving sustained improvements in both symptoms and mental wellbeing.

What is happening in the brain

The neurobiological effects of a wholefood, low-carbohydrate approach help explain why people feel so different when they change what they eat. Several key mechanisms are at play.

Improved brain energy. The brain is an energy-hungry organ, and when it is fuelled primarily by glucose from a high-carbohydrate diet, energy supply can be erratic. Ketone bodies, produced when carbohydrate intake is sufficiently low, provide a steady and efficient alternative fuel source for the brain. Research suggests that ketones can increase mitochondrial function in neurons, improving cellular energy production and reducing oxidative stress.

Better GABA and glutamate balance. GABA is the brain’s main calming neurotransmitter, while glutamate is the main excitatory one. A healthy brain needs the right balance between them. Research shows ketosis enhances the conversion of glutamate into GABA, effectively reducing excitatory activity and increasing calming, inhibitory signalling. For someone who feels constantly wired, anxious or unable to stop thinking about food, this shift can make a meaningful difference to how they feel day to day.

Reduced neuroinflammation. Chronic low-grade inflammation in the brain is increasingly recognised as a contributor to depression, anxiety and disordered eating. The ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) has been shown to inhibit the NLRP3 inflammasome, a key driver of inflammatory signalling in the brain, and to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines. Ketogenic diets also increase levels of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that helps protect the brain against oxidative damage.

Calmer reward pathways. Ultra-processed foods, particularly those combining refined carbohydrates and fat, trigger a large release of dopamine in the brain’s reward centres. Over time, this can lead to a downregulation of dopamine receptors, creating a cycle where more and more food is needed to feel satisfied. Research has shown that high glycaemic index carbohydrates can trigger addiction-like neurochemical responses in the brain’s mesolimbic reward system. By removing these hyper-stimulating foods and shifting to wholefoods, we allow the reward system to recalibrate. People often report that real food starts to taste better, and the frantic urgency around eating quiets down.

How this affects cravings, energy and body composition

When these metabolic and neurobiological changes come together, the practical effects are significant. People typically experience reduced or eliminated food cravings, more stable and sustained energy throughout the day, greater satiety after meals (meaning they feel genuinely satisfied rather than always looking for more), improved mood and mental clarity, and, where there is excess body fat to lose, a natural shift in body composition without the need for calorie counting or extreme restriction.

This last point is worth emphasising. Many people who struggle with binge eating also carry excess weight that they would like to address. Traditional approaches often ask people to restrict calories while simultaneously battling intense hunger and cravings, which sets up a cycle of restriction and bingeing. A metabolic approach works differently. People often feel they are eating more, not less. By improving insulin sensitivity and allowing the body to access its own fat stores for fuel, body composition changes can occur naturally as a byproduct of better metabolic health, rather than as the result of fighting against the body’s signals.

Where psychology fits in

Improving metabolic function creates the conditions for change, but it does not do all the work. This is where evidence-based psychological therapy comes in, and it is where the Metabolic Psychology approach becomes truly integrated.

At Metabolic Psychology, we combine metabolic strategies with proven psychological therapies tailored to each person. For binge eating, emotional eating and overeating, this often includes elements of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to identify and shift the thinking patterns and beliefs that maintain disordered eating, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) skills for managing intense emotions without turning to food, and, where relevant, trauma-informed approaches such as parts work for people whose eating patterns are connected to earlier life experiences.

The combination is powerful. When someone’s blood sugar is stable, their brain is well fuelled, their cravings have quietened and their mood is more even, they are in a far better position to engage with the psychological work. They can think more clearly, tolerate difficult emotions more easily, and make choices that align with their values rather than reacting out of physiological desperation.

Working with the body and brain not against it

The central idea behind a metabolic approach to binge eating, emotional eating and overeating is that we are working with the body’s biology rather than against it. We are not asking people to use willpower alone. We are changing urges and craving signals at their source, while also building the psychological skills and self-understanding needed for lasting change.

This is an emerging field, and the evidence base is still growing. But the research to date is promising, and what we see clinically is consistent with what the science suggests: when we address both the metabolic and psychological drivers of disordered eating together, people get better outcomes.

Ready to explore a different approach?

If you are struggling with binge eating, emotional eating or food addiction and feel like you have tried everything, Metabolic Psychology may be able to help. Our team includes psychologists, a metabolic psychiatrist and dietitians, all experienced in both disordered eating and metabolic therapy. We offer telehealth appointments Australia-wide.

Visit metabolicpsychology.com.au to learn more or book an appointment.

References

Carmen, M., Safer, D.L., Saslow, L.R., Kalayjian, T., Mason, A.E., Westman, E.C. & Sethi, S. (2020). Treating binge eating and food addiction symptoms with low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets: a case series. Journal of Eating Disorders, 8, 2.

Lennerz, B. & Lennerz, J.K. (2018). Food addiction, high-glycemic-index carbohydrates, and obesity. Clinical Chemistry, 64(1), 64–71.

Monda, A., La Torre, M.E., Messina, A., Di Maio, G., Monda, V., Moscatelli, F. et al. (2024). Exploring the ketogenic diet’s potential in reducing neuroinflammation and modulating immune responses. Frontiers in Immunology, 15, 1425816.

Sethi, S., Sinha, A. & Gearhardt, A.N. (2020). Low carbohydrate ketogenic therapy as a metabolic treatment for binge eating and ultraprocessed food addiction. Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity, 27(5), 275–282.

Unwin, J., Delon, C., Giæver, H., Kennedy, C., Painschab, M., Sandin, F., Poulsen, C.S. & Wiss, D.A. (2022). Low carbohydrate and psychoeducational programs show promise for the treatment of ultra-processed food addiction. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 1005523.

Unwin, J., Delon, C., Giæver, H., Kennedy, C., Painschab, M., Sandin, F., Poulsen, C.S. & Wiss, D.A. (2025). Low carbohydrate and psychoeducational programs show promise for the treatment of ultra-processed food addiction: 12-month follow-up. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16, 1556988.

Yudkoff, M., Daikhin, Y., Nissim, I., Lazarow, A. & Nissim, I. (2004). Ketogenic diet, brain glutamate metabolism and seizure control. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 70(3), 277–285.