If constant thoughts about food and eating distract you from daily life, you might already be aware of “food noise”. As GLP-1 medications gain popularity, this relatively new phrase is being used to describe everything from food cravings to mindless eating. Learn more about food noise, plus how to deal with it using a non-diet approach to eating.
Relationship status with eating today? It’s complicated.
Eating requires SO many decisions about food that it can feel completely overwhelming. This mental chatter can feel distracting and debilitating; it even has a new name: food noise.
“Food noise” is a trendy new term that encapsulates the intrusive thoughts and feelings about food that can make eating a stressful experience. But is there more to the story? Is food noise a bad thing? What happens if or when it goes away?
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Hey there, I’m Cara! I’m a registered dietitian who approaches food and eating from a non-diet perspective. In this blog post, I’ll explain exactly what food noise is and how it differs from normal cravings or hunger. I’ll also share some strategies to manage the food chatter from an Intuitive Eating (IE) lens.
Let’s dive in! First…where did the concept of “food noise” come from?
Introduction to GLP-1s
Before we cover food noise in depth, we need to chat about the GLP-1 medications. This stands for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, a class of drugs that mimic a hormone our bodies usually make on their own. GLP-1s – including Ozempic and Wegovy – are often discussed in the context of appetite control and weight management and are what made the term “food noise” a household term (1).
They’re incredibly popular. According to drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk, as many as 25,000 people are starting on their GLP-1 medication Wegovy each week (2). Although they weren’t originally developed as weight loss medications, it didn’t take long before they were touted as the new breakthrough for pharma-based weight loss interventions.
GLP-1 medications are designed to help regulate blood sugar levels. They can also reduce appetite, which might sound like a solution for those battling food noise. Having fewer intrusive thoughts is one reported benefit of these medications, beyond weight loss and blood sugar control (3).
Unfortunately, this surge in demand is leading to shortages for people with diabetes who were prescribed these medications and rely on them to help manage their blood sugar. It’s also contributing to issues like “fake” or counterfeit medications, or questionable programs offered by med spas.
Street Smart Nutrition Tip: These medications come with risks, some of which (like delayed gastric emptying) can be quite severe (4). If you’re considering them as an option, make sure you talk to your healthcare provider first. They should be able to explain the potential pros and cons, and help you understand what to expect…not only when you start a GLP-1, but also what might happen if or when you stop taking it. It’s also a good idea to talk to a registered dietitian about key nutrients to pay close attention to. Ask for a referral, especially since your health insurance might cover the cost.
I’m an advocate for body autonomy and making fully informed decisions about your health, your body, and what goes into it. So no, this is not a soapbox rant about what I think you should do.
But I am going to talk about one major concern when it comes to food noise. And that is, are we pathologizing a normal function of the human body when we quiet food noise and avoid the feeling of hunger?
It is normal to feel hungry when your body needs fuel. When you try to control your hunger by following a restrictive diet, your body works hard to get your attention and compel you to eat: things can get oh-so-noisy in your brain if you need a meal, or need to learn to eat in a more balanced diet.
So, to better understand what food noise is (and isn’t), we need to quickly talk about appetite vs. hunger. Because no, although often used interchangeably, they are not one and the same!
Back to Basics: Overview of Appetite and Hunger
To understand food noise, we must first grasp the complexities of appetite and hunger.
Hunger is the rumble of your tummy, the lag in energy and mood, and difficulty focusing because your body needs a refuel. If you have a history of dieting, it might not be as easy to notice your hunger. If that sounds like you, check out this post for more details: How Do I Know If I’m Hungry? Hunger-Fullness Scale for Intuitive Eating
Appetite is the desire for a particular food or drink, whether or not you’re hungry. Appetite is influenced by many factors – including physical hunger – but also includes other factors such as your emotions, the environment, social cues, and food beliefs and dieting habits (5).
Craving a sizzling steak because you smelled what your neighbor is grilling in the backyard? Can’t stop thinking about an iced green tea lemonade on a scorching summer day? That’s appetite. Because even if you were holding a different snack or drink in your hand at that very moment, you might still feel like you’d rather reach for that other, more enticing option instead.
The TL;DR version is that hunger can be situational, seasonal, or simply depend on what else is going on. There are internal factors, like hormones and physical hunger cues. But also external factors that are more variable and hard to predict. Add that to the list of reasons why rigid diets and food rules usually don’t work long-term – how are they supposed to respond to all the different factors that make you feel hungry or full?
What is “normal” eating?
For anyone who has experienced chronic dieting, yo-yo weight cycling, or worked through an eating disorder or disordered eating, “normal” eating might feel as elusive as a winning lottery ticket.
If you feel lost in the weeds with your relationship with food, this post is a great reference for what the goal is for “normal” eating: What is Normal Eating? (read this then come back!)
But pssst, here’s a spoiler: the goal of normal eating does NOT include never thinking about food again.
And I think that’s a very common misconception about GLP-1s and food noise. Many people are craving relief from the constant barrage of food-related thoughts. You might be one of them…and the hope is that by starting one of these diabetes medications, your everyday life will suddenly improve when unrelenting thoughts of food are minimized or disappear altogether.
But that’s not a guarantee, so let’s talk about how to manage food noise without adding a GLP-1 medication.
What is food noise?
Food noise is a new-ish term that entered our vocabulary in 2022; as of today, this colloquial term does not have a formal definition but the more scientific term is “food cue reactivity” (6). Right now, researchers are trying to figure out how, and to what degree, biological and psychological factors influence how we react to different food cues in our environment. They’re also trying to answer a bigger question: how does that impact health and quality of life?
But you’re probably not writing research papers about this. What I think most folks mean with this term is having too many thoughts about food in a day or having food thoughts negatively impact your quality of life.
It’s important to note, however, that some thoughts about food are normal. And more thoughts each day are normal than you might expect. It might surprise you just how many decisions you have to make leading up to just a single meal! For example, you might be asking yourself:
- Should I cook dinner tonight or order takeout?
- Which recipe should I try? Or should I free-style it and use up that produce in the crisper drawer?
- What sounds good to me? Will the kids even eat that?
- Tomorrow looks busy, maybe I should try to make enough for leftovers….
…and the list goes on. It can get overwhelming pretty quickly, even for someone like me whose entire job revolves around food, eating, and nutrition.
It’s normal to feel overwhelmed at times; at no point in modern history have we been faced with so many competing options all at the same time. Add to that the concerns about health, budget, and fear-mongering headlines that confuse or contradict, and well, the volume of food noise gets turned up higher and higher.
What if I can’t stop thinking about food?
If you’re dealing with a lot of food noise, a lot of the time, it just plain sucks. No one wants to feel hungry all the time. It’s distracting at the very least, and at worst, completely debilitating and overwhelming to the point that you can’t think about or focus on anything else.
This constant awareness of food noise might be a sign of several underlying issues.
It could be that you’re not eating enough. As a dietitian, I can’t tell you how often I catch people off guard by asking them if they’re sure they’re eating enough…especially when they’re bracing for me to tell them to start eating less!
But the reality is that just because you think you’re eating enough, it may not actually be “enough” for your body. Or maybe it’s enough volume, but your meals and snacks don’t provide enough nutrition to get your body exactly what it needs.
Now I’m not saying that’s the case for everyone. If you have certain medical conditions, are dealing with physical or emotional stress, or are in recovery from an eating disorder, how you experience food noise is very different from someone who needs to eat until they’re full and satisfied. Symptoms of intense hunger can also be side effects of medications or a way to cope with negative emotions or trauma.
Regardless of the cause, what you’re feeling is real and can significantly impact your mental well-being. Uncovering the root cause (or one of them) can offer potential solutions to help turn the food noise volume back down.
Is Food Noise Real?
Yes, but it isn’t all “bad.”
Many people are told that their preoccupation with food is “all in their head.” But the experience of constantly thinking about food or obsessing over it is very real. Telling people their intrusive thoughts are not real is just as harmful as denying a person’s depression or anxiety –we’re not going to do that.
Food noise is amplified by the broader cultural attitudes towards eating, weight gain, and health. In societies where there is significant anxiety about these issues, food noise tends to be louder and more intrusive.
Check out this video for more insights into the reality of food noise and its impact on our lives.
What To Do About Food Noise
Are GLP-1 drugs the only way to tackle food noise? No, not by a long shot. They exist, and they’re an option. But if you decide they’re not the right option for you, there are other ways to quiet the constant chatter and reconnect with your hunger and fullness cues.
Whatever you do, don’t fall into the trap that all thoughts about food are “bad” or “wrong.” They’re not!
It’s normal to think about food, plan meals, and have cravings. The key here lies in how your food thoughts make you feel.
Are you joyfully looking forward to making the world’s best salad with your farmer’s market treasures?or are you feeling shame as you eat shredded cheese standing over the kitchen sink late at night because you were ravenous and couldn’t think about anything else?
Get Curious About Your Triggers
The first step is identifying what triggers food noise for you.
Is it stress, boredom, emotional distress, or specific dietary restrictions? Are you trying to distract yourself or numb out to avoid another uncomfortable feeling? Sometimes we slip into a pattern that becomes our new default, without consciously noticing it.
Or are you simply hungry and need to figure out what to eat for your next meal?
It’s always helpful to understand why you’re feeling a certain way to find the best solution. Spend some time with these questions (perhaps with a journal or in a note-taking app) and see where that leads you:
- When you feel hungry, how does it feel in your body? Do you feel like these signs are reliable or do they feel confusing or misleading?
- How do you respond when you feel hunger? How do you respond when you crave a particular food? And how do you feel afterwards?
- Are there times when you eat when you’re not hungry, or vice versa? If you feel hungry but avoid eating, why?
- Was there ever a time when you felt like you were in touch with hunger and fullness cues? What did that feel like? How much food did you eat?
- Which foods seem most satisfying to you? Do you ever feel guilt, shame, anxiety, or other negative emotion when you allow yourself to enjoy whatever you’re eating?
Keep in mind there are no “right” or “wrong” answers to these questions. They’re just a starting point for digging deeper into your relationship with food and how you think about it.
From there, we can find a more gentle approach to nutrition...
Take Time To Reflect
While we are always going to have some thoughts about food each day, it is worth reflecting on how these thoughts make you feel.
Take some time to reflect on your answers to the questions listed above. It might range from extremely negative (anxious, shameful, guilty) to neutral to potentially even positive.
If you generally feel neutral towards the amount of food noise you experience, you may not need to take drastic measures to address it. However, suppose you experience those negative reactions more often than not. In that case, it’s probably worth looking at your eating habits as a whole to find opportunities to improve your relationship with food.
Troubleshoot with Gentle Nutrition
Gentle nutrition focuses on nourishing your body without strict rules or judgments. Gentle nutrition is part of the Intuitive Eating framework. It helps you to nourish yourself without counting macros, points, or calories or inviting shame or guilt to the table.
Ask yourself:
- Are you eating enough?
- Are your foods satisfying and filling?
- Do you still judge your food choices?
Side note: these questions are still applicable even if you do start a GLP-1 medication. Just because the food noise gets quieter or you don’t feel physically hungry, does NOT mean your body doesn’t need energy and nutrients. It very much still does!
If you only take a single thing away from this article, I’d love for you to know that it is always OK to eat. Even if you just ate.
Easier said than done, for sure. Which is why my next tip is to seek qualified support.
Find Support
Having a support system can make a world of difference. This could be trusted friends or family members who understand your journey.
Alternatively, a trained professional like a therapist or registered dietitian experienced in weight-inclusive or anti-diet frameworks can provide valuable guidance.
One place to search for a non-diet practitioner is the Intuitive Eating Counselor Directory.
Build a Book List
If you’re interested in learning more about the history of diet culture and weight stigma, I have a round-up of books for you to check out: Best Anti-Diet Books for a Better Relationship with Food. Knowledge is power!
These resources can also help you understand why some of the symptoms of food noise are beyond your control. Our food environment primes us to think about food all the time…it’s more of a symptom of capitalism and marketing than your individual appetite or food preferences.
Set Some Boundaries
Decide whether you are interested in adding GLP-1 medications to your routine; you’re the boss of your body. Emphasize body autonomy and ensure you make a fully informed and consenting decision.
If the topic comes up with family, friends, or healthcare providers, be prepared for tough conversations. You don’t owe anyone else an explanation of your decisions about your body, your eating choices, or the medications you do or don’t take. Full stop.
And if you are open to learning more about the pros and cons of these medications, do it on your timeline. Doctors and pharmacists are, unfortunately, usually in more of a hurry than they should be. While that’s a symptom of bigger issues in the healthcare system, it doesn’t mean you have to be rushed into making a decision or accept a sample just because it was offered. Both should come with a deeper explanation of the potential benefits or risks for you.
Take Care of You
Self-care is paramount. Make sure you are eating enough, planning meals and snacks, and managing triggers or distractions.
This also includes being more mindful about external cues. One example is social media. You may need to unfollow accounts or influencers who promote before-and-after photos or comparisons.
Taking care of your emotional and physical needs can help reduce food noise. Remember, stress levels can really do a number on our appetite and emotional state! But also keep in mind that your body is always going to tell you if it needs fuel or if something, in particular, sounds extra delicious. Yes, it is OK to Eat Comfort Food. (And You Probably Should).
The Bottom Line: What Is Food Noise?
Food noise is a natural and normal experience, serving an important purpose in our relationship with food.
However, it can also contribute to anxiety, guilt, and shame. This is especially true in a culture that often demonizes eating and body diversity. The most important thing for you to take away from this is that food noise happens along a spectrum; if the food noise in your head is drowning out the rest of your life, it might be time to seek help or make some lifestyle changes.
By understanding food noise and employing strategies to manage it, you can make more informed food choices without falling into the trap of restriction and dieting.
Remember, it’s your body and your journey. With the right strategy for you, food noise can become a quieter, more manageable part of your life.
Quick question for you: Did you find this article helpful? If so, I’d love for you to share it with a friend who might benefit from this information. Thank you!