What It Is and How to Quiet Your Chronic Thoughts About Eating

We all think about eating to some extent—it’s crucial for life. From wondering what to eat for dinner to “how many calories is this bag of Takis?” But food noise becomes problematic if it’s so frequent and intense that it overpowers your ability to enjoy eating and daily life. Food noise is a “colloquial” term for a chronic preoccupation with food and eating.

Throughout her 20s, Janelle McCormack kept getting mixed messages – from herself.

“It felt like my mind was telling me I needed to eat to feel better, especially if I was stressed or irritated,” McCormack says. “It would give me a brief feel-good moment that didn’t last long. Then, moments later, I would feel overwhelmed with self-pity and from realizing I didn’t have control over what I craved or how much I ate.”

McCormack gained 65 pounds but says she lost much more.

“I would constantly look down on myself and mentally beat myself up over gaining so much weight,” McCormack says. “I didn’t look good in any of my outfits and became very self-conscious. I wouldn’t want to go out and socialize or dress up, and I became more of a homebody.”

McCormack, a patient of the Resurge Clinic, and Dollar, a patient with Ro, found GLP-1s helped quiet this “food noise,” improving their cravings and moods. While data on the topic is still emerging, some research (and experts) suggest that GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound can help reduce food noise volume so people can tune into their hunger cues.

Tell Me More About Food Noise…

Food noise is the mental chatter that causes people to focus on food and influences eating behaviors and decisions, explains Michael Glickman, MD, an obesity medicine physician and founder of Revolution Medicine. It can become so loud that focusing on hunger and fullness cues is challenging.

Dr. Glickman says food noise can include:

• Cravings
• Emotional triggers to environmental factors, like food ads or social settings
• Constant hunger cues, even when you’re physically full

Everyone thinks about food sometimes — it’s critical for survival. Moreover, seeing an ad for a specific dish and experiencing a desire to order isn’t necessarily a cause for concern.

“A little bit of food noise is needed to make informed, conscious decisions about what, when, and how much to eat,” says Cara Harbstreet, MS, RD, LD, a registered dietitian with Street Smart Nutrition. 

Signs Your Food Noise Is Too Loud

Some signs that the food noise you’re hearing is too loud include:

• Wondering if you’ve eaten “too much”
• Hearing constant mind chatter about when you will eat, did you eat enough, did you overeat, etc.
• Constantly thinking about food to the point of exhaustion and/or distress

Emerging research suggests that psychological or physiological factors may increase the volume of your food noise to louder volumes than a friend or family member who may see the same ad or experience the same life event (like planning a wedding). These factors include:

• High stress
• Poor sleep quality/duration
• Genetics
• Metabolic conditions, like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Some medications, including beta blockers for high blood pressure and certain antidepressants
• Physical activity levels
• Imbalance of appetite-regulating hormones, including GLP-1 

How Food Noise Affects Eating

Food noise can make the essential, cultural, and social act of eating stressful and unenjoyable.

“The constant thoughts and food noise tend to create judgment, negotiation, and fear around food,” says Amy Goldsmith, RD, a registered dietitian specializing in sports and eating disorders with Kindred Nutrition.

Food noise can contribute to various eating habits that can affect a person’s physical and mental health, experts say, including:

• Overeating: Dr. Glickman says high food noise levels can prompt impulsive and excessive eating because the intrusive thoughts make it harder to notice physical fullness or adhere to recommended portions. 
• Restriction: Goldsmith says that the guilt and shame following an episode of overeating can set off the reverse: the desire to undereat (or not eat at all). However, this can set off a binge-restrict cycle. 
• Emotional eating: Food noise might be a response to psychological triggers. However, Dr. Glickman says self-comforting with food can contribute to guilt and shame and perpetuate eating patterns that worsen mental health concerns.

Danielle Dollar’s complicated relationship with food started with insecurity as a child in foster care.

“My mom said that the first three years after I was adopted, I would ask her each morning what we were having for dinner,” Dollar says. “Thus began the food noise. As I got older, this progressed to stress eating. I would go on the right track for long periods, but stress would trigger a backslide.”

Like McCormack, the stress compounded.

“I have missed out on job interviews, social events, trying out for new opportunities, and experienced stress in my marriage,” Dollar says. “I once had a kid in middle school tell me, ‘Danielle, if you would just lose 10 pounds, you would be really pretty, and I would date you.’”

How Do GLP-1s Work to Silence Food Noise?

Dollar and McCormack say taking GLP-1s helped reduce the food noise they experienced, but how?

“GLP-1 receptor agonists or GLP-1s, such as semaglutide, are medications that help manage weight by mimicking the effects of a naturally occurring hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1,” Dr. Glickman says.

He says these drugs work to quiet food noise in many ways, including:

• Appetite regulation: Dr. Glickman explains that GLP-1s help improve feelings of fullness and satisfaction by activating GLP-1 receptors, stopping or reducing constant food thoughts and cravings.
• Reduced food intake: A person feels fuller, partly because Dr. Glickman says GLP-1s slow down stomach emptying. When food stays in the stomach longer, digestion slows, fullness increases, and the urge to eat constantly (even when you aren’t hungry) drops. 
• Behavioral and emotional well-being: Dr. Glickman says blood sugar spikes and crashes can affect mood and the desire to eat emotionally, but GLP-1s help with insulin regulation. Other research indicates that antiobesity medications might affect dopamine pathways in the brain that trigger a “reward” response during eating.

Yet, lower food noise can set off a positive cycle. Harbstreet explains that when people feel less distracted by cravings and intrusive thoughts about food, they can focus on other aspects of their lives, something McCormack found true for her.

McCormack reports that engaging in things she enjoys, like riding horses, helps prevent her from constantly thinking about food. Having broken the overeat-stress-overeat-stress cycle, she feels her mood and outlook on life are much better.

Strategies to Reduce Food Noise

GLP-1 medications are designed for long-term use and don’t make permanent biological changes.

However, it’s possible to take some steps to reduce food noise even if you’re not taking GLP-1s. Additionally, experts share people may benefit from these strategies while using the medication.

Avoid Severe Calorie Restriction

While restriction has long been billed as a way to lose or maintain weight, Harbstreet says it’s harmful. 

“With or without GLP-1s, your body still needs adequate nutrition,” Harbstreet says. “This includes energy, which is calories, and nutrients. Eating regularly might seem counterintuitive knowing that these medications suppress hunger cues, but it’s important to help you avoid potential nutrition-related issues in the future.”

Skipping meals and severe restrictions can make food noise louder. Consistent eating can have the opposite effect, preventing excessive hunger and impulsive eating later. Dr. Glickman says intense focus during the workday can dull hunger cues, so reminding yourself to eat regularly is essential. 

One of Dr. Glickman’s favorite ways to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner is quick mid-afternoon snacks like yogurt with berries and a handful of nuts.

Identify Food Triggers and Cues

GLP-1s can help lower food noise. However, Habstreet explains that they don’t always treat the root cause of the chatter, such as emotional distress. Learning triggers and cues can help you determine the support you need. For example, does emotional stress prompt intense cravings for a certain food? Do you eat more out of a specific emotion? Are there times you delay eating or don’t eat at all for some reason, and what is it? Journaling can help.

Explore Your Taste Preferences

Harbstreet says denying yourself a favorite dish can intensify food noise. Consuming meals and snacks you like can help increase satisfaction. She says food noise levels and a person’s relationship with food can improve if you eat something you genuinely find tasty.

Harbstreet concedes that this tip can be a slippery slope toward binge eating, and working with a registered dietitian or therapist can be helpful. 

Pause

Food noise can be so loud it causes you to continue to eat when you’re no longer hungry. Goldsmith says that taking a beat to tune into your body by assessing your hunger on a scale throughout meals and snacks can help you listen to your cues. Once you’re full, stop eating and re-assess your body’s signals in a few hours.

Slow down your eating as well. Most people eat too quickly, but slowing down by chewing each bit thoroughly can give your brain and body time to communicate and register fullness cues.

Dollar now has these conversations with her son, hoping to help him navigate food noise and body image more easily than she did.

“My 8-year-old said, ‘I’m full,’” she says, recalling a family meal. “I gently said, ‘Mason, if your tummy and brain are saying you’re full, stop eating. It’s OK. We need to learn to listen to our bodies.’”

Establish Balanced, Nutritious Eating Patterns

Dr. Glickman says a balance rich in a variety of whole foods can help stabilize blood sugar and manage hunger. He recommends consuming:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Lean proteins (and increasing them in general)
• Whole grains

For instance, a fiber-packed breakfast like avocado toast on whole grain sprouted bread with flax, chia, hemp seeds, and microgreens can fill a person up and lower mid-morning cravings.

Incorporate Physical Activity

Dr. Glickman says exercise is more than physical activity. It can help regulate appetite and lower stress. Gentle movement, like a brisk daily walk, might boost your mood and lower your emotional desire to eat.

Research from 2023 suggests that exercise can reduce appetite.

McCormack’s favorite ways to stay active include walking dogs and riding horses.

Develop Stress Management Techniques 

Learning to cope with stress can reduce emotional eating triggers that increase food noise. Dr. Glickman says these techniques include deep breathing and meditation exercises. For instance, he says a person might practice a relaxation or stress management technique before a meal or snack so they listen to their body’s cues and eat mindfully. 

When to Seek Support for Food Noise

While lifestyle modifications and self-help techniques can help lower food noise, people might need additional support. Harbstreet says signs you might benefit from an outside perspective to help with food noise include feelings that it is:

• Disruptive
• Overwhelming
• Distracting
• Unmanageable

A registered dietitian or therapist can help.

Registered Dietitian

Harbstreet says that registered dietitians can help you develop personalized assistance to lower food noise, including:

• Consuming adequate nutrition, with or without GLP-1 medication
• Exploring taste preferences 
• Identifying food triggers and hunger cues
• Screen for eating disorders or eating disorder behaviors

Harbstreet says some insurances cover sessions with a registered dietitian, and healthcare providers can give referrals to one.

Therapy

Working with a behavioral therapist can help reduce food noise, address underlying mental health concerns contributing to it, and help people develop coping skills to manage both. Food noise is still an emerging topic. However, Dr. Glickman and research indicate that therapeutic approaches that can assist with disordered eating and/or eating disorders include:

For Dollar, a focus on her mental health has been paramount to improving her physical health, even with the assistance of GLP-1s.

“I started therapy at church that encouraged me to start a journal to work out my daily thoughts,” she says. “I read now and make sure that—for the first time—I take time to myself.”