Have you ever fixated on a tasty food so much that you just couldn’t get it out of your mind? Maybe you couldn’t stop thinking about how delicious it would taste, even though you weren’t hungry. If so, you may have experienced food noise.
It’s a term we hear a lot these days. It involves persistent thoughts about food — especially highly palatable “addictive” foods, like those high in fat, sugars, and refined carbs.
If you struggle with food noise, you might have overwhelming cravings and constantly think about your next meal, even when you’re eating.
That constant brain chatter can lead to overeating, which can make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight or shed pounds. Some people may even experience symptoms of an addiction to highly palatable foods. For instance, they may not be able to control their eating.
But, as I tell my patients, there are things you can do to manage these powerful thoughts and cravings and to have a healthy relationship with food.
What causes food noise and food addiction?
These challenges may be fueled by a variety of factors, including our modern food environment.
Super-delicious, ultra-processed foods, like pizza, chips, sodas, and sweets, are everywhere. Like other addictive substances, the pleasure of eating these comfort foods may trigger reward pathways in the brain.
In addition, highly processed foods tend to rev up hormones that can make us feel hungry.
What’s more, companies put a lot of effort into marketing highly palatable foods in everything from TV ads to food-delivery apps. So it’s hard to avoid them.
Calming the noise and compulsions
Food addiction and food noise are real challenges. But as I tell my patients, there are things you can do to manage them.
Adjust your eating habits
Eating regular meals and snacks that are balanced and nutritious may help with food noise. For some people, it helps to flip the food pyramid upside down and focus on getting enough fiber and protein. That can naturally help a person cut back on carb-heavy, processed foods and reduce hunger and cravings by helping to regulate hormones that play a role in appetite.
A registered dietitian can provide tailored nutrition counseling to help you manage food noise. At the Temple Bariatric Program, our dietitians work with each patient to form an individualized diet plan.
Manage stress
Do you often reach for something delicious and comforting when you’re feeling down? Emotional triggers — such as stress and depression — can drive food cravings. The key is to identify and minimize your eating triggers or change your reaction to them. For example:
- Stock your kitchen with healthy snacks. It’s easier to grab an apple instead of a bag of chips when the healthier choice is on hand.
- Take a walk. Exercise lowers stress and lifts our moods.
- Do something you enjoy, whether that’s listening to music or spending time with friends.
Get plenty of sleep
Lack of sleep can mess with hunger hormones and increase cravings for high-calorie treats.
Consider psychological support
A counselor can take a deep dive into your eating patterns and help you identify and manage any eating triggers that contribute to food noise. At Temple, each of my bariatric patients meets with a psychologist who helps them understand and manage not just their eating patterns, but the underlying issues that can shape their choices.
Weight-management programs can help
Medical treatment can be an effective way to quiet food noise and change eating patterns. That might include:
Medications. Weight-loss medicines may help decrease food noise. GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as semaglutide, mimic the natural hormone GLP-1, which the body releases when we eat. These drugs cause people to feel full, which may make it easier to control hunger and thoughts about food.
Surgery. Bariatric surgery can be an option for eligible patients who struggle to lose excess weight despite diet and exercise. In addition to making the stomach smaller, weight-loss surgery changes hormones that regulate hunger, which may decrease your appetite. As I tell my patients, surgery can give you more control over hunger and your eating patterns.
You may be a candidate for weight-loss surgery if you’ve struggled to lose a lot of weight or if you have an obesity-related health condition.
Tackling food noise is part of a holistic weight-loss approach
If you’re struggling with food cravings or weight-related concerns, help is available. At Temple, we offer a holistic approach to weight management that includes nutrition counseling, psychological support, weight-loss medications, and bariatric surgery.
To make an appointment with an expert at Temple, please call 800-TEMPLE-MED (800-836-7536) or schedule an appointment online.
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