Most of us have been there: standing in front of the fridge at 9 p.m., knowing we’re not actually hungry, yet something sweet is calling our name like an old friend we can’t ignore. We blame ourselves, call it a lack of discipline, maybe promise tomorrow will be different. But the real story isn’t about weakness; it’s about science most of us never learned. The food industry has spent decades perfecting products that hack our brains and bodies in ways nature never intended. Those packets and bottles aren’t just convenient; they’re built to keep us coming back even when we swear we’re done.
Then there’s Professor Barry Smith, a man who used to be paid extremely well to make that happen. He was the guy in the lab deciding exactly how loud the “crunch” should be, how cold the drink needed to be to hide the sugar, how soft the texture had to be so we swallow faster than our brain can say stop. He worked with the biggest names Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, Ferrero and for years he ate the same stuff the rest of us do. Until one day he couldn’t anymore.
What he did next wasn’t a trendy cleanse or a celebrity diet. He simply stopped eating the foods he’d helped design. Within weeks his constant background craving for something sweet vanished, his energy steadied, and the weight he’d carried for years started falling off without a single gym session or calorie app. If the person who helped create the trap can walk out of it and feel better than ever, maybe the trap isn’t as unbreakable as it feels. This is his story and the roadmap he accidentally left for the rest of us.
1. The Day a Food Scientist Stopped Eating His Own Creations
Barry Smith spent over twenty years as one of the world’s top sensory scientists, running a special lab in London where food companies sent their new products to be perfected. His job was to make sure every bite, sip, and snap felt irresistible. He could tell you why a certain chocolate melts at exactly the right speed on your tongue, why the sound of opening a fizzy drink makes your mouth water before you taste it, why some breakfast cereals go soggy at the perfect moment. He was brilliant at it, and he was proud of it. Then in 2020 he was invited on a podcast with Dr Chris van Tulleken to explain every single trick he’d ever used. Saying it out loud to millions of listeners felt different from doing it behind lab doors. That night he went home, looked at his own kitchen cupboards full of the same hyper-engineered stuff, and quietly decided he was done. Just like that, the expert walked away from the expertise he’d built his career on.
What changed the moment he quit
- Constant afternoon energy crashes disappeared
- He started feeling properly full for the first time in years
- Weight dropped steadily without tracking or restriction
- The daily 4 p.m. “I need chocolate” voice went silent
- Real food suddenly tasted sweeter and more interesting than junk
2. Why Your Brain Can’t Say No to Ultra-Processed Foods
These foods are not upgraded versions of real food; they’re entirely new inventions. Scientists in white coats (people exactly like Barry used to be) sit in labs mixing isolated starches, oils, flavour chemicals, and emulsifiers until they hit something called the “bliss point” the precise ratio of fat, sugar, and salt that makes your brain light up like a slot machine. They make the texture so soft you barely chew, which means you can eat 500 extra calories before your stomach realises what’s happening. They cool drinks and add bubbles so your tongue doesn’t register how much sugar is actually in there. Every detail the smell that wafts out when you tear the packet, the temperature, even the sound is planned to release dopamine and make you want another bite immediately.
The hidden tricks that keep you eating
- Bliss-point engineering: the fat-sugar-salt combo that hijacks reward pathways
- Zero-chew textures: calories slide down before fullness hormones kick in
- Temperature masking: cold + carbonation lets them hide double the sugar
- Anticipatory sounds: the rip, pop, or snap triggers craving before you taste anything
- Tiny pre-broken particles that hit your bloodstream faster than real food ever could
3. How Ultra-Processed Foods Break Your Hunger Hormones
Your body is supposed to work like a beautifully tuned instrument: ghrelin rises when your stomach is empty, then drops sharply once you’ve eaten enough; leptin and other hormones step in to say “we’re good, thanks.” Ultra-processed meals smash that system. Research shows that after eating them, ghrelin often stays sky-high while fullness signals barely twitch. It’s why you can finish a large pizza and still have room for ice cream ten minutes later. The food is so energy-dense and so pre-digested that your gut never gets the proper “stretch” signal, and the hormonal feedback loop stays stuck on hungry. Scientists now believe this hormonal confusion, not lack of willpower, is the real engine behind constant sugar cravings.
What the best science says
- Landmark trials show people eat ~500 extra calories a day on ultra-processed diets even when fat, sugar, and fibre are matched
- Soft textures and fast absorption mean fullness hormones arrive too late
- Insulin spikes hard and crashes, setting up the next craving cycle
- Swapping to minimally processed foods doubles weight loss and slashes cravings in weeks
4. The Moment Barry Realised He Was Hooked, Not Hungry
About three weeks after clearing out his kitchen, Barry opened a famous branded chocolate bar out of curiosity. One bite and he actually grimaced it tasted artificially loud, sickly sweet, almost fake. Vegetables he used to find boring now tasted naturally sweet and complex. Fruit became dessert. For the first time he understood the difference between liking something and being chemically driven to want it. The constant low-level craving that had been his normal for decades simply wasnised to exist. He hadn’t replaced it with willpower; he had removed the trigger completely.
Clear signs you’re hooked instead of hungry
- You finish the packet and still feel empty inside
- Normal sweetness (like a carrot) tastes bland
- Cravings hit at the exact same time every day
- You eat faster than everyone else at the table
- Real food feels “boring” for the first week or two off junk
5. Simple Swaps That Quiet Cravings Without Feeling Deprived
You don’t need to turn into a health monk overnight. Barry went cold turkey because he was already deep into the research, but most people thrive with slower, more sustainable upgrades that still feel enjoyable. Small swaps, tiny wins, and habits that feel like treats are what actually stick. The goal isn’t perfection it’s building a lifestyle you can live with.
Everyday swaps that feel like upgrades, not punishment
- Proper cheese instead of bright orange processed slices
- Real butter instead of margarine full of seed oils and emulsifiers
- Bakery sourdough or a good loaf instead of the supermarket sliced stuff that stays soft for weeks
- A square of 85–90% dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate packed with vegetable oil
- Sparkling water with a splash of fresh lime instead of fizzy drinks
- Handful of nuts or a boiled egg instead of flavoured crisps
6. How to Make Vegetables Taste Better Than Junk Food
Barry’s biggest revelation was this: “You’ll never scare people off ultra-processed food by telling them it’s bad for them. You have to make real food taste incredible.” Once he started roasting, pickling, fermenting, and seasoning vegetables properly, he actually craved them more than crisps. The same brassicas he used to push around the plate became the highlight of dinner.
Flavour tricks that beat any packet snack
- Roast at 200 °C with olive oil and sea salt until the edges caramelise
- Quick-pickle onions or carrots in vinegar with a teaspoon of honey
- Make your own kimchi or sauerkraut for deep umami and crunch
- Finish everything with chilli crisp, garlic, or smoked paprika
- Always add a squeeze of lemon or lime acidity makes flavours explode
7. One Week That Can Change Everything
Thousands of people including many who followed Barry’s journey have tried this gentle seven-day reset to give their taste buds and hormones a fresh start. It’s designed to be simple and forgiving, with no perfection required. Miss a day? No stress. You just pick up where you left off and keep moving forward. The whole point is progress that feels doable, not another strict plan to fail.
Your 7-day “quiet the cravings” plan
- Day 1–2: Remove the obvious triggers biscuits, crisps, sugary cereals, soft drinks
- Day 3–4: Breakfast becomes eggs, Greek yoghurt with berries, or porridge with nuts
- Day 5–6: Cook one proper dinner from scratch (even if it’s just roast chicken + veg)
- Day 7: Notice how different you feel most people wake up without the usual sugar fog
The sugar cravings that used to feel like an unbreakable habit don’t survive when you stop feeding them the exact fuels they need to stay alive. Within days, often within a couple of weeks, your taste buds wake up, your hormones settle down, and food stops shouting at you. You’re not fighting temptation anymore because the temptation has lost its voice.
Mindful eating isn’t about eating tiny portions or living on willpower. It’s about choosing food that was grown rather than manufactured, food that respects your biology instead of hacking it. When you do that, something almost magical happens: the weight starts taking care of itself, energy becomes steady, sleep improves, and the constant mental chatter about “what can I eat next” finally goes quiet. Barry Smith spent years making food addictive for a living. Then he spent the rest of his life proving that freedom is possible for any of us one honest, delicious, real bite at a time. Your body already knows what it wants. All you have to do is stop drowning out its voice with engineered noise.
