Chew On This with Dr Anna Colton

Dr Anna Colton
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  • NUTRITION
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Food is never just food. It’s emotional, learned, cultural, and deeply personal. Chew on This is a podcast hosted by clinical psychologist and author Dr Anna Colton, exploring the psychology behind how and why we eat. Through conversations with experts and people with lived experience, each episode looks beyond diet culture to unpack the habits, beliefs, and patterns that shape our relationship with food - from childhood to adulthood. If you’ve ever felt confused, conflicted, or curious about eating, this podcast is for you.

  1. Why ADHD Makes Feeding Yourself So Difficult with Michaela Thomas

    APR 8

    Why ADHD Makes Feeding Yourself So Difficult with Michaela Thomas

    I am so thrilled to have the wonderful Michaela Thomas - clinical psychologist, ADHD specialist, and author of The Lasting Connection - joining me for this fascinating deep dive into the ADHD brain. We’ve talked about neurodivergence on the show before, but rarely do we look at it through the lens of our relationship with food. Michaela completely shifted my perspective by explaining that ADHD isn't just a "focus" problem; it’s a systemic, whole-body regulation issue. We explore everything from the "good girl" conditioning that leads many women to mask their symptoms for decades, to the staggering reality of how internalised criticism eventually manifests as burnout or disordered eating. In the second half of our chat, we get into the nitty-gritty of why the kitchen can feel like a battlefield when your executive function is compromised. Michaela and I discuss the "decision paralysis" that strikes at 6:00 PM and the science behind "interoception" - the reason you might literally forget to eat until you're crashing. We also tackle the "dopamine seeking" behind sugar cravings and why we need to stop demonising food "shortcuts." This episode is an invitation to stop fighting your brain and start working with it, moving away from perfectionism and toward a more compassionate, neutral relationship with how we fuel ourselves. Find Michaela: Website: https://thethomasconnection.co.uk Instagram: @the_thomas_connection Buy her book: https://amzn.eu/d/03j7Dfna Find Anna: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dranna.co.uk/about⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/drannacolton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Book (Amazon): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Children-About-Food/dp/1785120557⁠

    44 min
  2. From Eating Disorders to Food Freedom with Elle Mace

    APR 1

    From Eating Disorders to Food Freedom with Elle Mace

    Trigger Warning: This episode does include discussion of eating disorders and disordered eating, so please take care while listening. In this episode of Chew on This, I’m joined by personal trainer, author and trainee eating disorder psychotherapist Elle Mace for an honest conversation about recovery, body image and what it really takes to rebuild a relationship with food. Elle shares her lived experience of anorexia, binge eating disorder and bulimia over a 17-year period, opening up about how early body comparison, people pleasing and low self-worth shaped her struggles, and what finally helped her begin the long road to recovery. We talk about the emotional roots of eating disorders, the chaos of living with food obsession, and the unlearning that recovery demands in a culture that still glorifies restriction. Elle reflects on how her relationship with food has changed from “chaos” to “incredible”, and shares what she has learned through recovery, motherhood, training as a psychotherapist, and writing her forthcoming book Food Freedom. It’s a thoughtful and powerful conversation about recovery, self-understanding, and how a different relationship with food is possible. Find Elle: Website: https://www.ellemace.com/ Instagram: @iamellemace Pre-order Food Freedom: https://amzn.eu/d/0iaIRt5O Find Anna: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dranna.co.uk/about⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/drannacolton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Book (Amazon): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Children-About-Food/dp/1785120557⁠

    27 min

  3. MAR 25

    Menopause, ADHD & Why Food Feels Harder in Midlife with Dr Helen Wall

    In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Helen Wall, GP, menopause specialist and author of Menopause and ADHD. We explore what’s really happening during perimenopause—not just physically, but in the brain—and why so many women are left feeling anxious, foggy and unlike themselves without understanding why. Helen explains how fluctuating hormones impact mood, memory and emotional regulation, and why so many symptoms have historically been misdiagnosed or dismissed. We also dive into the powerful connection between hormones, ADHD and our relationship with food—why cravings, bingeing and weight changes can intensify during this stage of life, and why it’s not about willpower. This conversation is all about compassion, clarity and understanding: reframing midlife changes as deeply biological rather than personal failure, and offering a more supportive, realistic way to care for ourselves through it. Find Dr Helen: Website: https://tvhealthdoctor.com Instagram: @drhelenwall Pre-order Helen's book: https://amzn.eu/d/0iHu1grE Find Anna: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dranna.co.uk/about⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/drannacolton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Book (Amazon): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Children-About-Food/dp/1785120557⁠

    41 min
  4. Fertility Nutrition and the Myths We Need to Let Go Of with Ro Huntriss

    MAR 18

    Fertility Nutrition and the Myths We Need to Let Go Of with Ro Huntriss

    In this episode, I’m joined by registered dietitian and fertility nutrition specialist Ro Huntriss for a thoughtful and reassuring conversation about what the evidence really says when it comes to food, fertility and trying to conceive. We explore why fertility can become such an emotional space to navigate, how nutrition is often one of the first things people reach for when they feel powerless, and why Ro is so passionate about bringing clarity to an area that is often full of misinformation, false promises and anxiety. Together, we talk about the Mediterranean diet, supplements, sperm health, egg quality, implantation, weight stigma, male factor fertility and the pressure many women place on themselves when conception doesn’t happen easily. Ro explains why fertility nutrition is about improving the chances rather than guaranteeing outcomes, and offers a grounded, compassionate perspective on how to support yourself without slipping into blame, obsession or overwhelm. It’s a hugely informative conversation that brings both science and kindness to a subject so many people struggle with quietly. Find Ro Huntriss: Website: https://dietitianro.co.uk Instagram: @fertility.dietitian.uk Find Anna: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dranna.co.uk/about⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/drannacolton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Book (Amazon): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Children-About-Food/dp/1785120557⁠

    35 min
  5. Why Body Image Isn’t Really About Your Body with Dr Charlotte Ord

    MAR 11

    Why Body Image Isn’t Really About Your Body with Dr Charlotte Ord

    In this episode, I am joined by Charlotte Ord - counselling psychologist, body image specialist, eating disorder specialist, and author of Body Confident You, Body Confident Kid — for a thoughtful conversation about body image, food, control, and the messages we pass on to the next generation. Together, we explore how body image develops, why it becomes so entangled with eating behaviours, and how diet culture, restriction, shame and “food noise” can pull us further away from ourselves. We also talk about GLP-1s, weight stigma, Health at Every Size, social media, and the growing pressure on both adults and children to shrink themselves. Charlotte shares practical ways to build a healthier relationship with your body, support children to feel body confident, and shift the focus from appearance to connection, care and self-worth. It’s a nuanced, compassionate conversation full of insight, hope and genuinely helpful takeaways. Find Charlotte: Website: https://www.charlotteord.com Instagram: @drcharlotteord Buy her book: https://amzn.eu/d/05QroEZB Find Anna: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dranna.co.uk/about⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/drannacolton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Book (Amazon): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Children-About-Food/dp/1785120557

    52 min
  6. The Truth About Weight, Appetite and GLP-1 Medications with Professor Giles Yeo

    MAR 4

    The Truth About Weight, Appetite and GLP-1 Medications with Professor Giles Yeo

    In this episode of Chew on This, I’m joined by Professor Giles Yeo — Cambridge geneticist, obesity researcher, and one of the leading scientific voices in the conversation around weight, appetite, and GLP-1 medications. We unpack what it really means to describe obesity as a brain-based, genetically influenced chronic disease, and why the narrative of “just eat less and move more” doesn’t come close to explaining the complexity of hunger, fullness, reward, and emotional eating. Giles explains how our biology, environment and internal wiring intersect — and why judging someone at the point of “fork to mouth” ignores the deeply individual pathways that drive eating behaviour. We also dive into GLP-1 medications — what they actually do, what they don’t do, who they’re for, and why the biggest risk may not be side effects, but access without proper guardrails. Giles shares a personal perspective on his son’s experience, and together we explore the tension between health and weight, stigma and science, and how we might shift the conversation away from blame and towards a more nuanced, compassionate understanding of bodies and health. Find Giles: Instagram: @gilesyeo Website: https://www.wolfson.cam.ac.uk/people/giles-yeo Listen to The Hunger Game: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002r3kd Read Why Calories Don't Count: https://amzn.eu/d/06GC0a1k Find Anna: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dranna.co.uk/about⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/drannacolton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Book (Amazon): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Children-About-Food/dp/1785120557

    48 min
  7. Fussy Eating Is Not a Parenting Failure with Charlotte Stirling-Reed

    FEB 25

    Fussy Eating Is Not a Parenting Failure with Charlotte Stirling-Reed

    In this episode of Chew On This, I’m joined by Charlotte Stirling-Reed - registered nutritionist, bestselling author, and one of the UK’s most trusted voices on feeding babies and children. We talk about the pressure parents are under at mealtimes, why “high-stakes feeding” backfires, and how building a healthy relationship with food starts way earlier than most of us realise. Charlotte shares the simple mindset shift that changes everything: make the table a place kids actually want to be -because enjoyment comes before exposure, and exposure comes before variety. We get practical too: buffet-style “fridge raid” dinners, how to handle the dreaded beige plate, why food hierarchy (aka “eat this to get pudding”) can cause more problems long-term, and what to do when you catch yourself coaxing, bribing, or taking refusal personally. If you’re navigating fussy eating, portion anxiety, snack stress, or just want calmer, more confident mealtimes, this is your reminder that feeding is a long game - and you’re not failing. Find Charlotte: Website: https://www.srnutrition.co.uk/ Instagram: @sr_nutrition Books: https://www.srnutrition.co.uk/2023/08/which-charlotte-stirling-reed-book-should-i-buy/ Find Anna: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dranna.co.uk/about⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/drannacolton⁠⁠⁠⁠ Book (Amazon): ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Children-About-Food/dp/1785120557

    43 min
  8. Food Doesn’t Need to Be This Complicated with Dr Emily Leeming

    FEB 18

    Food Doesn’t Need to Be This Complicated with Dr Emily Leeming

    This week on Chew On This, I’m joined by Dr Emily Leeming — registered dietitian, nutrition scientist at King’s College London, former chef, and self-confessed gut microbiome nerd. Emily is the author of Genius Gut and she’s back to talk about her new book Fibre Power, plus why gut health doesn’t need to be extreme, expensive, or obsessed-over to actually make a difference. We get into the real-world basics that move the needle: the difference between a nutritionist and a dietitian, what your gut microbiome actually does (beyond digestion), the emerging gut–brain research, and why restriction so often backfires. Emily shares her simple “B-G-B-G-S” framework (beans, greens, berries, grains & seeds), why most of us are seriously under-eating fibre, and how to build a healthier plate that still leaves room for joy, connection, and the foods you genuinely love. Find Emily: Website: https://www.emilyleeming.com Instagram: @dremilyleeming Buy her book: https://amzn.eu/d/0ambScHs Find Anna: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dranna.co.uk/about⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/drannacolton⁠⁠⁠⁠ Book (Amazon): ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Children-About-Food/dp/1785120557

    36 min
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About

Food is never just food. It’s emotional, learned, cultural, and deeply personal. Chew on This is a podcast hosted by clinical psychologist and author Dr Anna Colton, exploring the psychology behind how and why we eat. Through conversations with experts and people with lived experience, each episode looks beyond diet culture to unpack the habits, beliefs, and patterns that shape our relationship with food - from childhood to adulthood. If you’ve ever felt confused, conflicted, or curious about eating, this podcast is for you.

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