What is food noise? What causes it and how to help quiet it, according to experts
What do I want to eat? What else could I eat? I just ate, but what other food is there?
These are some of the thoughts that may pop into the mind of someone dealing with food noise, Dr. Jeff Alfonsi, internal medicine specialist, co-founder and chief medical officer of nutrition platform RxFood, told CBS News.
Simply put, it's the constant thought or internal chatter about food. And people are being more vocal about it, from TikTok users sharing their experience online to famous faces like Oprah Winfrey talking about it.
Weight loss medications have been playing a major role in bringing the conversation on food noise to the forefront. One unexpected outcome from GLP-1 medications has been patients reporting the reduction of food noise, according to experts.
Jordan Anthony, a registered dietitian nutritionist and head of nutrition at weight loss and nutrition company Ahara Med told CBS the medication might "reduce cravings, slow digestion and silence intrusive thoughts, eliminating the constant chatter in your head on if you should or shouldn't eat something."
What is food noise?
Food noise can also contribute to overeating or eating the wrong foods for your body, Anthony said.
It can also present itself in other ways, she said, including:
- Thinking about when, what or how much to eat
- Not being present in your current meal — constantly thinking ahead about what you will eat
- Obsessing over calories and portion sizes
- Feeling guilty after eating something
- Comparing "good" versus "bad" foods
But don't confuse food noise with normal hunger cues, Dr. Natalie Gentile, with Direct Care Physicians, previously told CBS News Pittsburgh.
"You have to dial down in on, 'What's your relationship with food? What's your relationship with your body and your body image?" she said, adding thoughts about food are "not a bad thing for every person." While for others, thoughts on food can become "constant" or "an obsession."
Who does food noise impact?
Anyone can experience food noise, but it can more intensely impact certain groups, Anthony said.
"Food noise has a particularly negative impact on people struggling with weight loss, people in stressful environments, teenagers, and even athletes. And, dangerously, those with eating disorders, such as binge or emotional eating, can often be most susceptible to food noise," Anthony said.
Food noise also exists on an intensity spectrum.
"There's definitely wide ranges in individuals for the amount of food noise (they have)," Alfonsi said, adding typically, "the greater the food noise, the more difficult it is for somebody to be able to make change."
What causes food noise?
There are both genetic and societal factors that contribute to food noise, according to Alfonsi.
"When we look back at our evolution, having a high degree of food noise was probably really valuable for survival," he said. "You needed nutrients, you needed food, and those people that were really focused on that helped maybe get food and store food, and it led to a survival advantage."
Societally, Alfonsi points to multiple components both in real life and online that can amplify food noise.
"Depending on what you're exposed to, we can have all sorts of very obvious, salient marketing signs of food, but also these more insidious — watching TV food placements, all that stuff," he said.
Options for quieting food noise
There are multiple ways to help quiet food noise, according to experts. GLP-1s and oral weight-loss pills, such as Contrave can be effective for patients dealing with food noise, said Alfonsi.
"I really like that we have medications that can help people in this area, because it is significant," Alfonsi said, but added: "You always have to individualize these treatments."
Alfonsi says he'll ask patients first to reflect or journal the food noise they're experiencing.
"Take some time and and just say, 'What am I feeling when it's really getting loud or difficult?'" he said, adding mindfulness can lead to people understanding their triggers or patterns when it comes to these thoughts. For example, evenings can be a time when food noise increases for many people, he said.
Next is incorporating alternative behavior like physical activity or meditation to help disrupt the flow of food noise.
"Over time, you start building this awareness and this understanding of what's driving this or increasing the noise or causing powerful cravings, and then as you start understanding what those behaviors are, those high risk ones, you can start intervening in a way that maybe reduces the frequency that you have them," Alfonsi said.
Food and hydration is an important factor, while eating with some regularity and having balanced snacks with protein and fiber can help decrease food noise.
Working with a registered dietitian is another way to work through food noise, Anthony said, adding they can "guide people throughout their weight loss journey by addressing bad habits and creating new and healthy habits designed for the long term."
