Episode 294: Luis Mojica | Stimulants, Depressants & Balancers - A New Way to Understand Food Cravings

What if your cravings aren't the problem, but a message? In this episode of the Food Junkies Podcast, we sit down with Luis Mojica, somatic practitioner, nutritionist, and founder of Holistic Life Navigation, to explore how food, trauma, and the nervous system are deeply connected. Luis shares his powerful personal story: growing up intersex, surviving bullying and sexual assault in silence, and turning to food as his only "witness" during 20+ years of binge eating. He describes how a $20 guitar became his first somatic experience, and how that moment sparked a lifelong path into psychology, nutrition, and Somatic Experiencing. We talk about his framework of stimulants, depressants, and balancers, a way of understanding food by how it changes your state rather than whether it's "good" or "bad." We also explore why people in recovery often shift to overeating whole foods, and why shame may be harder to metabolize than any food on the planet. 🎧 In this episode, we discuss: - How unresolved trauma and a dysregulated nervous system can drive food addiction - Why addiction is an attempt to find safety outside of yourself - Stimulants, depressants, and balancers: what they are and how to spot yours - "Volume eating" of whole foods and why it can still be a survival response - How restrictive eating can be a way to escape the body - Why a calm, open body can feel unsafe at first, and how to titrate safety - Conscious choice vs. compulsion: where pleasure fits in recovery - The biology of shame and why it fuels the craving cycle - Active pendulation: a one-minute nervous system practice you can do anywhere - The "roots of your cravings" practice: a gentle way to meet the need beneath the urge - Why food may be the most overlooked tool for nervous system regulation 🔗 Connect with Luis Mojica: Website: https://holisticlifenavigation.com 🔗 Connect with the Food Junkies Podcast: Find us on Apple Music, Spotify, and any other platform where you listen to podcasts. ✉️Email us: foodjunkiespodcast@gmail.com 💜 Looking for support with sugar and ultra-processed food addiction? Sweet Sobriety offers live recovery groups, coaching, and the Foundations Program: Sweet Sobriety: Foundations – https://sweetsobriety.newzenler.com/courses/sweet-sobriety-foundations Sweet Sobriety: Liberation - https://sweetsobriety.newzenler.com/courses/sweet-sobriety-liberation Hosts: Dr. Vera Tarman, Clarissa Kennedy & Molly Painschab ⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice. If you are struggling with an eating disorder, addiction, or trauma, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider. Content includes discussion of sexual assault, bullying, and disordered eating. Viewer discretion is advised. #FoodAddiction #FoodJunkiesPodcast #SomaticHealing #NervousSystemRegulation #FoodAddictionRecovery #UPFUD #TraumaHealing #BingeEating #EmotionalEating #HolisticLifeNavigation