By: Carol Holland RD, CBE
What is food noise?
There is no scientific definition for “food noise”, but if you have ever experienced it, you probably already know what it refers to.
For some, it’s thinking about what you’re going to have for supper while you’re still eating lunch. For others, it’s searching through the pantry for just that little something, 20 minutes after you finished a big meal. Sometimes it’s being unable to focus on your work because you’re debating with yourself whether it would be ok to have yet another snack. Or, your food cravings might feel constant and relentless, no matter what you do to curb them.
We all think about food and make dozens of food-related decisions every day. But when that mental chatter becomes intrusive, we may end up overeating or choosing foods that we aren’t entirely comfortable with.
What causes food noise?
It’s normal to have food cravings once in a while. It can be easy to keep eating when the food tastes amazing, or to feel comforted by a sweet treat when we feel sad or stressed.
However, there are some situations where food noise can get louder and harder to ignore. For example, following a very restrictive diet can increase food cravings. So can hormone imbalances, medical conditions like sleep apnea or ADHD, some medications, and even the way a food looks, tastes or smells.
Some people’s brains may simply have stronger wiring to “wanting”, too. Some brains respond faster to changes in hormone levels, learning more quickly to love rich foods and putting up stronger “automatic thoughts” about why eating rich foods is a good idea.
So, while food seeking behaviours are fundamentally driven by the brain, they are strongly reinforced by what’s happening around us.
What can you do about it?
Focusing on a healthy eating approach and lifestyle can help lessen the impact of food noise.
- Eat regular meals and snacks, with enough food to fuel your body and brain
- Practice mindful eating, to stay in tune with your body’s hunger and fullness signals
- Get regular exercise to help improve fitness and elevate mood
- Prioritize good-quality sleep to help balance hormones and improve impulse control.
While all these behaviours will help you find your best weight and live a healthy life, they won’t get rid of food noise – only help you deal with it more easily.
Think of behaviour change as the tip of the iceberg, the part that sticks up above the water. It’s useful and important to work on that part, but how do we deal with the huge chunk of ice that’s hidden under the surface?
This is where medications like GLP-1 agonists come in. They can act on parts of the brain that we can’t reach through willpower alone. They can help our brain be less sensitive to hormonal changes, tamp down the wanting of food, and make us less reactive to things around us that normally trigger eating. When combined with behaviour change, this gives us a real chance at successfully managing our weight.
That doesn’t mean these medications are the only solution for weight loss, or the best path forward for everyone. They are just another tool in the toolbox for obesity management, and sometimes the biggest benefit is the mental relief they can bring.
Quieting food noise isn’t just about weight loss. It’s about reclaiming focus and building a healthier relationship with food.
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Diet and exercise alone aren’t enough to help many people reach a healthier weight. Medical treatments are needed to address the biological changes happening in our bodies that can drive weight regain. To find a physician near you who specializes in weight management, click here.
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This article was sponsored by Novo Nordisk Canada. All content is created independently by My Weight – What To Know with no influence from Novo Nordisk.
