When we say “food noise,” it means different things for different people. For some, it’s the constant bombardment of food chatter from companies advertising on billboards, in commercials, and even product placement in shows. For others, it’s a cacophony of thoughts about when and where the next meal is happening.
Food noise can make healthy eating a real challenge. Thinking about food to some degree is normal. It’s how we meal plan, develop healthy eating goals, and listen to our bodies for food cues. Food is also cultural, and we all need nutrients to survive.
However, when food noise escalates to intrusive levels that distract our thinking, it becomes a problem.
Common Types of Food Noise
External: Food noise from sources outside our minds falls into this category, such as:
- Advertisements
- Recipe videos on social media
- Diet advice
Even passing a street full of restaurant choices can be a form of external food noise. Companies vying to “satisfy your cravings” have tapped into a multi-billion dollar business model, and they likely won’t let up any time soon. The barrage is equaled by the number of fitness brands promising to change our eating habits for the better.
The result is lots of external talk about food.
Internal: This food noise type has more to do with our preoccupation with food. Internal food noise goes beyond normal meal planning or nutrition goal setting. This food noise is the distortion of the signal between the brain and body’s digestive system that says when we’re hungry, when we’re sated, and when we should eat again.
Internal food noise can be influenced by the external food noise, creating a feedback loop that contributes to a disruptive level of food distraction and preoccupation.
Problems Due to Food Noise
Food noise becomes an issue when it occurs too often, becomes difficult to silence, and distorts regular food cues.
Food noise is disruptive:
- If your social life is detrimentally affected. For example, if your attendance at social events is shortened or altogether absent because you’re “getting a quick bite.” Or you’re so distracted by the food at the event that you don’t participate in the event’s main purpose.
- When your work or schooling is affected. If you’re thinking about food instead of focusing, and it distracts you to the point where your grades or work suffers.
- When emotional eating is your coping mechanism, such as soothing stress, hurt, or other negative feelings with comfort foods or large portions.
- You participate in unhealthy eating habits. This could mean eating when you’re not hungry, overeating your share of food, eating food portions too large for a single person, or eating too frequently.
- When cravings drive up your food consumption, causing enough weight gain that contributes to chronic illnesses and an overall unhealthy relationship with food.
Quieting Food Noise
Unfortunately, there’s no stopping external food stimuli except to commit to ignoring it. Try to not look at the advertisements, to not listen to the commercials, and ignore the social media posts and diet chatter. Eventually, their volume dims.
Internally, Silencing the food noise without medication is possible with a few techniques.
Drink more water – Are you hungry or just bored and thinking about food? If you’re not sure, drink water to see if you’re actually thirsty. If the snack drive goes away, it wasn’t hunger.
Listen to your body – Be mindful of your body’s signals when you’re eating and go slowly. The brain needs several minutes to recognize fullness from the stomach. Eating at a leisurely pace is more likely to lead to satiety rather than becoming stuffed, giving the brain time to catch up to your food cues.
Connect with your food choices – Choosing options based on textures, flavors, and sensations can deepen your desire for foods and make eating fulfilling and pleasurable while remaining healthy and mindful. Limiting environmental distractions can contribute to the meal’s enjoyment so the desire for the food is met and the noise is quieted.
Limit sugary choices – A high sugar diet leads to metabolic imbalance and insulin resistance, and perpetuates a cycle of cravings in the brain, making it difficult to resist these foods. It’s not a matter of willpower; it’s chemical. Breaking the cycle will help combat cravings and quiet the internal food chatter demanding these kinds of snacks.
Eat more frequently – Fasting does not quiet food noise. It may have the opposite effect, spurring overeating, or even binging. Consuming smaller, more frequent meals with balanced macros can help you feel full and stay more evenly satiated through the day, tempering the noise.
Look for patterns – We’re creatures of habit. If you can identify when your food noise is its loudest, then take steps to disrupt those patterns—like having small, healthy snacks on hand or drinking water to combat misread hunger cues—you can keep food noise from growing to a crescendo.
GLP-1s Can Quiet Food Noise
Many things affect food noise, including genetics, habits, environment, and social influences. For some people, no matter how hard they try, food noise still chatters away.
In these cases, a GLP-1 like semaglutide or tirzepatide may help. These medications slow gastric emptying, so people feel full for longer. The medicines also target the areas of the brain involved in appetite, which dims the demand for food.
Patients taking GLP-1s often report a marked decrease in the food noise, helping them reform their habits for a healthier relationship with food. GLP-1s also block dopamine release, which disrupts the associations in the brain for giving in to the cravings.
At EllieMD, we can help you quiet the food noise with our prescription GLP-1 treatments, offering a comprehensive approach to weight management and appetite control. Visit us online today to learn how.
