Fitness
How To Quiet Food Noise Without Medication
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Tara Jacoby
The term “food noise” gets tossed around a lot these days. We all have a general sense of what it means — but rarely do we stop to unpack it. Food noise refers to our thoughts about food, and we all think about food, right? But what does a healthy relationship with those thoughts look like? At what point might they signal unhealthy patterns? And when do those thoughts become food noise?
To get clarity, I spoke with Dr. Jessica Duncan, Medical Director at Ivim Health and a board-certified obesity medicine physician specializing in personalized, science-backed weight loss. Duncan explains what food noise actually is — and answers some of the most common questions surrounding it.
What exactly is food noise?
Food noise isn’t just thinking about food. Duncan explains that it more often refers to “the constant mental chatter about food that goes beyond physical hunger.” For example, someone might start thinking about lunch right after finishing a satisfying breakfast. Others may find it hard to get thoughts of sweet treats out of their heads, even when they’re already full.
“It’s the thought loop that says, ‘I’m not even hungry, but I really want that,’ or ‘I already ate, but I can’t stop thinking about the chips in the pantry.’” Although these thoughts can come with feelings of guilt, shame, and self-blame, Duncan emphasizes that these loud, sometimes obsessive thoughts aren’t a sign of weak willpower but rather “a biological signal that’s been turned up too high.” In theory, when we’re full, we shouldn’t continue craving or thinking about food. However, “a combination of genetics, the food environment we’ve grown up in, stress, sleep deprivation, and hormonal fluctuations can dysregulate those signals.” And the very foods we are consuming are often times part of the problem. “Ultra-processed foods, in particular, are engineered to hijack this system — overriding satiety cues and keeping us wanting more.”
How can we quiet the noise?
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There are varying manifestations and degrees of food noise. According to Duncan, “for people with significant biological dysregulation, lifestyle changes alone often aren't enough.” For anyone who struggles with a mild to moderate case, though, there are a few first line strategies to improve your brain’s relationship with food. At the top of that list? Sleep. “I ask every patient about sleep. It's non-negotiable.” Duncan adds that “poor sleep directly disrupts ghrelin and leptin, the hormones that regulate hunger and fullness. When you're sleep-deprived, your brain craves high-calorie foods and your impulse control is compromised.”
In addition to improving your sleep patterns, choose foods that will communicate satiety to your brain effectively. By increasing protein and fiber you will “blunt blood sugar swings that contribute to cravings and the urge to keep eating after you're full,” explains Duncan. And don’t forget the C word — cortisol. We hear it often, especially in midlife. It is a hormone that plays a role in managing stress and is known to “drive cravings, particularly for hyper-palatable foods.” Try to cut down on stress, prioritize self-care and balance, and “[practice] mindfulness, and structured breathing practices.” Be patient with these changes, too, because they aren’t a quick fix. They are, however, worth the discipline and consistency. “They're tools that work with your biology, not against it.”
According to Duncan, if your food noise is constant or feels intrusive even after making all the right lifestyle choices, “it is often rooted in biology [and] needs more support than lifestyle alone can provide.” Medications can help quiet the constant chatter about food. It is important, though, that you work with a professional to find the best medication and dosage for your particular situation. GLP-1s are gaining traction in the world and they have proven to quiet that noise for many. “Patients describe the experience as the noise just going quiet. For some, it's the first time in their lives they've felt a neutral relationship with food. That's not a side effect. That's the mechanism working.”
What else is important for people to know?
Everyone’s relationship with food is unique, which means there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to understanding or managing food noise. There are some things, though, that are important for everybody to know. For one, “the science is clear: Hunger and appetite regulation are complex, hormonally driven, and influenced by factors many of us had no control over, including our genetics, our early food environment, even our mother's diet during pregnancy.” It’s not always as simple as willpower, discipline and self-control. And that’s why Duncan wants her patients (and others who suffer with food noise) to know that it is not a character flaw or something to be ashamed of. Many carry shame over their relationship with and thoughts around food, but that needs to stop. “Understanding that food noise has a biological basis is genuinely liberating for a lot of patients. It shifts the conversation from ‘what's wrong with me’ to ‘what does my body need.’ That shift is where the real work begins.”
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