Dr. Buchanan is part of a new generation of physicians rethinking how we treat obesity, diabetes, and food addiction — using lifestyle modification, metabolic insights, and compassionate care to help patients reverse chronic disease, not just manage it.

Her journey began with frustration at how little practical nutrition training medical students receive — just two weeks, mostly focused on vitamin deficiencies and outdated dogma about “low-fat” diets. So she started learning independently, tracking her own glucose with a continuous monitor and discovering firsthand how “healthy” processed foods were spiking her blood sugar. This experience reshaped her entire approach to medicine and prevention.

Now, through the telemedicine practice TOWARD Health, Dr. Buchanan helps patients across the U.S. regain control over food, weight, and health. The TOWARD model — which stands for Text-based communication, Wellness coaching, Asynchronous education, Real-time biofeedback, and Dietary modification — is transforming how care is delivered.

In her recent 2025 study, the TOWARD intervention showed that 61% of participants improved binge eating symptoms and 46% saw a reduction in food addiction symptoms. The program’s low-carb, whole-food approach — combined with personalized coaching, continuous glucose monitoring, and accessible online communication — helped patients break free from cravings, stabilize blood sugar, and rebuild trust in their bodies.

Here’s what we explore in this episode:

• How Dr. Buchanan’s frustration with traditional medical training inspired her to focus on metabolic health and lifestyle medicine.
• The design of the TOWARD Health intervention and why it’s so effective at improving binge eating and food addiction.
• The debate between harm reduction vs. abstinence in food addiction recovery — and how to find which approach works for you.
• Why low-carb, high-protein, whole-food diets are essential for healing both body and brain.
• How tools like continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and soon, continuous ketone monitors, could revolutionize treatment for both metabolic and psychiatric conditions.
• Why acknowledging food addiction as real is critical for both medical progress and patient empowerment.

Dr. Buchanan also shares powerful insights about the future of metabolic psychiatry — a field exploring how nutrition, energy metabolism, and brain chemistry interact in conditions like depression, anxiety, and binge eating disorder. Her research and clinical experience show that food addiction isn’t a failure of willpower — it’s a neurobiological condition that deserves evidence-based, compassionate care.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated by cycles of craving, overeating, and guilt, this conversation will give you both understanding and hope. You’ll learn that recovery isn’t about restriction — it’s about finding metabolic balance, self-awareness, and support systems that actually work.

Watch the full episode on the Beyond Binge Eating YouTube channel, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more interviews exploring the intersection of neuroscience, nutrition, and recovery.