What Is ‘Food Noise’ and How Do You Quiet or Stop It?

Many parts of our lives revolve around food. When you’re planning a menu for a party or feeling hungry as it gets close to lunchtime, it’s not unusual to notice more thoughts about food.

But sometimes, thoughts about food can become invasive and disruptive. This is known as food noise.

If you’re experiencing food noise, you might notice that you’re:

• constantly thinking about food

• thinking about when you’ll be able to eat again and obsessing about what you might eat

• feeling like your brain is fighting with itself about what to eat or what not to eat

Food noise can increase if you’re hungry, but you might experience it even when you’ve just eaten. Food noise can be very disruptive, making it hard for you to focus and live the full life you deserve.

Here’s what you can do to lower the volume on food noise.

What can trigger food noise?

If you’re hungry or if you smell something delicious, your brain’s focus may shift to food.

That’s to be expected. But if you’re constantly thinking about food, it may become a problem.

Our brains are wired for survival, and food noise can be your brain’s way of making sure you eat enough. Anything that threatens food access can increase food noise.

If you’re currently on a diet, if you have a long history of dieting, or if you don’t always have access to enough food, you’re more likely to experience food noise.

If you’re trying to avoid specific foods, you might notice that you spend more thinking about those foods. The more foods you try to limit or avoid, the more food noise you might experience.

Food noise can get louder when you’re tired or stressed. This type of food noise can come and go, depending on the situation.

Ongoing food noise can also be a sign of disordered eating or an eating disorder.

Strategies to manage food noise

Dealing with constant, intrusive thoughts about food can be exhausting. Here are some ideas to help you understand what might be causing your food noise and what you can do about it.

Get curious

The food noise you experience might get really loud at certain times of the day or in certain situations. Be curious about this. Consider keeping some notes about when you notice food noise. For example:

• Does food noise happen when you’ve skipped breakfast and it’s getting close to lunch?

• Does it happen when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed?

• Does it get louder when you’re starting a new diet plan?

These clues may help you make a change to prevent food noise from getting so loud.

Eat enough

Remember that your brain is wired for survival. Humans are programmed to look for food, and your brain is constantly checking to see if you have access to enough food.

If you’re on a diet, tend to skip meals, or are just not eating enough, it makes sense that your food noise will increase. That’s your brain’s way of pushing you to eat more.

To reduce food noise, try to eat more often. Consider setting a timer to remind you to eat something every 2 to 3 hours. This can reassure your brain that food is available and help reduce obsessive thoughts about food.

Avoid unnecessary restrictions

Dieting can increase food noise. Unless you have food allergies or a medical condition that requires a specific diet, try to stay flexible with your eating.

For example, if you’re avoiding carbohydrates or doing intermittent fasting, your brain doesn’t know you’re doing it on purpose. Instead, your brain might view those restrictions as a threat to your survival. As a result, you might experience more intrusive thoughts about food.

Manage stress

Eating is a common way to cope with stress. Maybe you’ve noticed that stress or anxiety increases your cravings. You might notice more food noise when your stress is high.

Eating in response to emotions is common and is not necessarily something to be concerned about. But it’s important to have other ways to manage stress too. Consider strategies such as:

• exercising

• journaling

• meditating

• working with a mental health counselor

Make sleep a priority

A lack of sleep can increase your levels of stress hormones and mess with the hormones that regulate your appetite. These effects can increase food noise.

Do your best to follow a consistent sleep pattern by:

• going to bed and waking up around the same times every day

• keeping your bedroom dark and cool whenever possible

• avoiding screens before bed

Can a GLP-1 stop food noise?

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are a category of medications that includesTrusted Source semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsus) and liraglutide (Saxenda and Victoza). These medications help:

• slow down stomach emptying

• reduce hunger cues

• make you feel full more quickly

For many people, this type of medication can reduce thoughts of food. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by food noise, this can be a relief.

But GLP-1s are not right for everyone.

These medications can cause side effects such as nausea, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation, which can be hard to cope with. In some cases, they might also lower your appetite so much that you have difficulty getting enough nutrients. If that happens, you could be at risk of malnutrition.

These medications are not recommended for anyone who has an eating disorder.

Talking with your doctor

Constant food chatter in your mind can be hard to cope with.

If food noise is becoming disruptive, consider talking with your doctor about how to get support. You might find it helpful to work with a registered dietitian who has experience with emotional eating or disordered eating.

The takeaway

Food noise involves constant, intrusive thoughts about food and eating. Some food noise is to be expected, but it may increase if you’re not getting enough to eat or if you’re following a restrictive diet. And in some cases, it can be difficult to manage.

To quiet food noise, you can try taking notes about your food thoughts to see whether there are any patterns. Make sure you’re eating enough and try to avoid placing unnecessary restrictions on your diet. If you need support, consider talking with your doctor or a registered dietitian.