“I just needed something crunchy.”

I say this with love: Nobody ever died of a crunch deficiency.

You don't NEED crunch. You WANT it.

So why does it feel like a biological emergency?

In this episode, I unpack why your chips-and-queso moment isn’t about “needing crunch” at all.

We’ll break down:

• Why crunch feels so addictive (and how food manufacturers exploit this)

• The difference between true biological cravings vs. conditioned wants

• How salt, starch, and dopamine drive you back to the pantry again and again

• The Pavlovian loop keeping you stuck in the snack cycle (and how to short-circuit it)

• Simple, satisfying swaps that break the loop without feeling deprived

If you’ve ever scraped the bottom of the Doritos bag and told yourself “I just needed the crunch,” this conversation will change the way you think about cravings, and help you reclaim control.

👉 Get my free Sugar Craving Solution guide here: eat.simple.ca/sugar

Timestamps:

00:00 – Crunch isn’t a nutrient, it’s a habit

03:12 – The real reason Doritos are impossible to stop eating

07:49 – Pavlov’s dog has nothing on your pantry habits

12:30 – Salt cravings vs. chip cravings: know the difference

16:45 – Why “healthy crunch swaps” don’t actually work

20:58 – My favorite hack to break the crunch loop

27:15 – How to feed yourself so cravings die down naturally