CW: Mention of calories throughout this newsletter and this week’s podcast episode. This is in the interest of explaining a research study. So please take care of yourself and do what feels good to you.
While in the thick of disordered eating, I thought something was wrong with me because I couldn’t stop thinking about food. Because I felt chaotic around it. Because I could be “good” during the day and then find myself elbows-deep in guilt in the evening.
I didn’t know, back then, that what I was experiencing wasn’t a failure of “willpower” — it was biology. It wasn’t my body betraying me, it was my body fighting for me.
There’s a study — one I’ve returned to again and again in my work with clients and in my research — that makes this point in a way that you can’t unsee once you see it.
In 1944, thirty-six men volunteered their minds and bodies as part of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. They were conscientious objectors to World War II, willing to undergo six months of “semi-starvation” to help researchers understand how to rehabilitate people after famine.
They were fed around 1,600 calories per day. They lived communally. And slowly, they unraveled.
They became obsessed with food. They couldn’t concentrate. They grew anxious and depressed. They licked their plates clean and chewed gum until their jaws ached. They stopped caring about anything else. When re-feeding began, they felt they couldn’t stop eating — citing that “out of control” feeling that so many dieters can relate to. They felt ashamed, even though they were doing exactly what any deprived body would do when it finally realized that food was available.
The parallels to modern diet culture are staggering, because we are told to eat like this all the time.
Less than this, in fact. We are handed a 1,200-calorie plan with cheery font and floral branding and called “disciplined” for being obedient. We pathologize binge eating without asking what came before it. We shame hunger without asking where safety went. Because when we restrict food, our brain becomes food-focused. This is biology, not a flaw.
This week on the podcast, I’m joined by nutritionist and eating disorder expert Chris Sandel to unpack this pivotal study—about what happens when we restrict food, and what healing actually requires.
It’s one of the most honest conversations I’ve had about the biology of restriction and the deep psychological toll it takes — even when we’ve convinced ourselves we’re fine.
Tune in for more on:
The history and phases of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment
How body weight played a role in this study (in ways you may not expect)
Why we feel fine (and even “good”) for a while when first restricting food
How under-eating affects our mental health, mood, and personality
What a calorie deficit actually does to our metabolism, cardiovascular system, hormones, and nervous system (no fat-phobia, just facts)
Why eating disorders are more than “just about food”
Why hunger can feel insatiable after periods of restriction (even ‘light’ restriction)
The amount of food it really requires to help a body feel safe again
The role of body trust in healing, and how to move through the fear
What the study reveals about the failures of diets, GLP-1s, and the high-protein hype
Whether you're healing from disordered eating, supporting someone who is, or rethinking your relationship with food, this conversation is deeply validating and provides science-backed clarity about what it means to nourish yourself.
I hope this episode reminds you of something vital: that you are not broken for craving food. You are not weak for needing more. And your mind isn’t betraying you when it can’t focus on anything else — it’s doing exactly what it was designed to do.
I’d love to hear any take-aways you have after listening.
Had you heard about this study before? What sticks with you the most? What symptoms of “semi-starvation” do you relate to?
