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It’s easy to get sucked into bad food habits. It’s impossible to turn on the TV or jump online without seeing seemingly endless ads for fast food and snacks. After being bombarded with what the food manufacturers would like us to buy, the morning shows will then have a guest promoting the latest diet that promises us dramatic results via eating nothing but meat or starving ourselves for two days a week. 

While your body knows what it wants from what you put into it – it’ll focus on nutrients, not calories – the brain doesn’t stand a chance. It knows that the things that don’t necessarily have much physical benefit will still trigger a whole lot of dopamine receptors. Hence ‘food noise’ from the outside narratives becomes ‘food noise’ from the internal monologue. 

What is food noise?

Food noise is a phrase that’s been circulating among dietitians and nutrition specialists for around a decade. New York nutritionist Amy Shapiro describes it as the “constant, intrusive thoughts about food that are disruptive to daily life and make healthful behavior very difficult”. If that sounds a little dramatic, think about how often food plays a part in your day, even if not actively eating it. There’s getting lunches ready for the kids, thinking about what’s in the cupboard for dinner, and the snack that it might be nice to have with a cuppa… it can become an almost permanent voice. Some food noise is necessary, and welcome. A growl from the stomach lets us know that energy levels are lowering and need to be topped up. It can become problematic, when, as Shapiro explains, “[food noise] can involve regularly fighting the urge/desire to eat even when you’re not hungry”. 

Turning the volume down

Food noise is situational. When we’re engrossed in work, say, the brain allocates all its concentration to the task at hand, and it’s only when a distraction comes in that we come ‘back in the room’. Once that’s done, our mind can drift to thinking that maybe we’re doing quite well, and we deserve a treat, so off we go to get one. By the same token, some people get so calorie-conscious that constantly calculating means their food noise becomes incessant about what to eat, and even not eating. ‘Is this fattening?’ ‘How many carbs?’ The louder the voice gets, the more likely you are to snap. We know it’s a good idea to eat nutritious foods when hungry. Whole fruits, nuts, and oatmeal are low-GI foods that will help keep us fuller for longer. For those dieting who can’t quell the voice to eat, even if they’re not hungry, a new breed of weight loss medication may help silence food noise. GLP-1s such as Wegovy and Zepbound work not only by slowing the digestive process but also by triggering the receptors in the brain that tell us we’re full, disrupting the need to feel we need a ‘reward’ in the shape of food. They aren’t available over the counter, but if needs be, are something you could speak to your doctor about. 

Keep the noise down

Learning the cues that make us want to eat can help dampen down cravings. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ might be a cliche, but cliches can often be true – try staying out of the kitchen unless actively eating or involved in making food to avoid the temptation to graze. Likewise, meal planning and prep not only means we’ve got control over what goes into our food, but batching means that x amount of meals are now done, and don’t need to be thought about until it’s time to heat them up. Eating mindfully, and taking time to enjoy what we’re eating, is more effective than scarfing down a sandwich sitting at a screen as the memory of the meal remains after the taste has faded. 

It’s harder to make good choices when we’re under pressure. It’s harder still when it’s our own mind that’s applying that pressure. Emptying the brain from food noise helps us fill up on the more fulfilling parts of life.