What Is Food Noise, and How Do You Get Rid of It?
Everyone thinks about food sometimes, whether it’s deciding what to eat for breakfast or what to order at a restaurant. But when these thoughts become so pervasive that we constantly think about eating, this type of “food noise” can contribute to weight gain and obesity, doctors say.
“Food noises are the intrusive thoughts in your brain about food,” says Shauna Levy, MD, the medical director of the Tulane Weight Loss Center in New Orleans. “It’s the voice in your head that makes you think about what you will have for lunch while you are eating breakfast.”
One thing that may separate people with obesity from other individuals is their inability to silence food noise, Dr. Levy says. “No matter what they do through diet and exercise, it will not make those thoughts of food go away,” Levy says, “which makes it nearly impossible to lose weight and keep it off.”
How GLP-1 Drugs Help Quiet Food Noise
While the exact reason these drugs quiet food noise isn’t yet clear, it’s likely related to their ability to boost production of GLP-1, a hormone made in the gut and released in response to food that helps people realize when they’ve had enough to eat, Levy says.
“People with obesity naturally have lower levels of GLP-1, which is part of the reason they experience more food noise than those with thinness,” Levy says. “These medications raise GLP-1 to normal levels and part of the impact is quieting the noise.”
As a result, people taking GLP-1 drugs are finding that all sorts of daily experiences that used to trigger a compulsion to eat or think about food no longer have this effect, says Thomas Wadden, PhD, a psychology and psychiatry professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
“They report that they can see ads for their favorite foods — or pass their favorite restaurants — without experiencing a desire to eat,” Dr. Wadden says. “They report that when they eat highly palatable foods, they still enjoy the taste of them but don’t have the previous desire to keep eating.”
Beyond this, these drugs are freeing up headspace once occupied by food so that people can focus more on other things, says Melanie Jay, MD, an associate professor and the director of obesity research at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine in New York City.
“Some people with obesity report thinking of food all the time, planning their next meal when eating their current meal, and constantly worrying about what they are going to eat,” Dr. Jay says. “Patients report that GLP-1s suppress this experience.”
Other Ways to Deal With Food Noise
Drugs aren’t the only way to manage food noise. Other approaches to weight loss may help people with overweight or obesity think less about food, doctors say.
One option is to use some of the behavioral weight management strategies that are often recommended to people who are trying to make lifestyle changes — like eating less or exercising more — to lose weight, says Wadden.
“This would involve not bringing problematic foods into the house, avoiding food-related advertising and activity as much as possible, and carefully planning meals and snacks,” Wadden says.
Finding other things to occupy your mind can also reduce food noise. “Listening to music or a podcast or engaging in another activity — such as going for a walk or talking to a friend — are other possibilities,” Wadden says. “Such interventions can help people cope with food noise, but the interventions do not eliminate the noise, as the drugs do for many people.
How Food Noise Differs From Hunger
The biggest difference between food noise and hunger is that hunger pangs naturally quiet once you eat, Wadden says. Regular meals and snacks can prevent people from experiencing hunger.
“Hunger is usually defined by the temporary physical discomfort of needing to eat to maintain the body’s energy stores to sustain basic bodily functions,” Wadden says. “Hunger is signaled by feelings such as a rumbling stomach, lightheadedness, and occasional irritability, which prompt the desire to consume food to alleviate these symptoms.”
Food noise has little to do with a biological need to keep your body running smoothly, and as a result, it’s not silenced just because you eat, Wadden says. Unlike hunger, food noise can sometimes get louder when you eat something you think is good for you, like broccoli, instead of satisfying a craving for something you desire, like cake.
“Hunger prompts homeostatic eating — eating to maintain basic biological needs,” Wadden says. “Hunger is satisfied by consuming food.”
The Bottom Line on Silencing Food Noise
When it comes to blocking food noise, it’s important to recognize that the goal of doing this isn’t to stop eating, Jay says. In fact, people still need to stay motivated to eat food, particularly when they’re taking GLP-1 drugs that do more than any other intervention to silence food noise.
“People on these medications need to make sure they are getting high-quality food even if they are not hungry,” Jay says. “This includes enough protein, fruits, and vegetables.”
It’s also important to recognize that food noise isn’t harmful on its own if it only happens sometimes and it’s possible to ignore it when necessary, Levy says. The trouble with food noise is that people with obesity are powerless to silence it and they eat more as a result.
“Food noise is engendered by sights, smells, tastes, and even discussions of food,” Wadden says. “Some people are more responsive than others to these food cues.”
Even when people become less receptive to these cues, they can — and should — still enjoy their meals. “I don’t think food noise has to ruin the pleasure of eating,” Levy says. “It is more like food does not have power over you.”
But some people may not be able to silence food noise on their own, especially if it has its roots in underlying mental health issues like anxiety or depression or an eating disorder, says Stephanie Albers, PhD, an eating disorder clinical assessment program manager for Project Heal and a size-inclusive therapist for Libra Virtual Care.
That’s why anyone who is experiencing food noise should work with a registered dietitian and therapist who recognizes the importance of promoting health for people of all sizes and minimizing stigma for people who are in larger bodies, Dr. Albers says.
“It is important to address your relationship with food, your body, and any underlying psychological issues to truly make food preoccupation disappear,” Albers says.
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