Food for Thought: Understanding Food Noise

January 01, 0001

Do you ever find yourself thinking about food when you’re not hungry? Have you ever finished a meal and then immediately started thinking about what you’ll eat next? Do you often feel guilty or ashamed about what you eat?

Persistent, bothersome thoughts centered around food are known as “food noise.” While not an official scientific term, food noise is a very real phenomenon that can negatively affect your mental and physical health. University Hospitals adult psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Reproductive Biology Danette Conklin, PhD, shares some insight on the subject.

How Is Food Noise Different From Hunger?

“It’s normal for people to think about food throughout the course of day,” says Dr. Conklin. “But normal food thoughts tend to be practical and short-lived. They also go away when you’re not hungry.”

Food noise, on the other hand, is mental chatter about food that people experience even when they feel full.

“It can cause anxiety, frustration and trouble with concentration,” says Dr. Conklin. “Food noise can also interfere with rational, healthy eating decisions.”

For example, imagine someone who can’t stop thinking about the ice cream in their refrigerator. They know they should pass on it because of their high A1C. But then they eventually give in and eat the ice cream just to stop the mental chatter.

Does Everyone Hear Food Noise?

“The patients I’ve seen affected by food noise tend be those who eat to cope with stress, people with binge eating disorder, and those who have a hard time getting or feeling full after eating,” says Dr. Conklin.

However, she says that even healthy adults who are able to manage their weight successfully can experience food noise from time to time.

Ways to Quiet the Chatter

If you experience food noise, here are some ways to turn down the volume:

Eat balanced, regular meals. You stay full longer if you eat meals that include protein, fiber, healthy fats and carbohydrates.
Limit or avoid processed or sugary foods. These types of foods can cause:
- Dopamine spikes: Bursts of satisfaction that leave you wanting more junk food.
- Blood sugar crashes: Fast-digesting sugars cause steep rises and drops in glucose, which can trigger intense food cravings.
- Hormonal disruption: Eating too many refined foods can disrupt natural hunger and fullness signals produced by hormones in your body.
Don’t restrict or skip meals: Skipping meals or eating too little can increase the intensity of food thoughts.
Try mindful eating. This is the practice of slowing down and paying attention to your food. Mindful eating can help you tell the difference between emotional food cravings and physical hunger.
Stick to a regular sleep schedule. Daytime activities tend to keep your mind busy. At night, there’s fewer tasks competing for your attention and more mental space for intrusive food thoughts to take shape.
Stay hydrated. Because the brain can confuse mild thirst with hunger, drinking enough water throughout the day can reduce unnecessary food thoughts.
Manage stress through exercise, hobbies or relaxation. Stress is a major trigger for food noise.

Can Food Noise Be Measured?

Although the term food noise has yet to be clearly defined, researchers recently developed the Food Noise Questionnaire (FNQ) to measure it. The FNQ asks respondents to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with five statements about food-related thoughts. Their responses can help healthcare providers improve their care by assessing the intensity of the food noise.

When to Seek Help?

Some food noise is normal. Food noise becomes disruptive if:

You think about food constantly.
Your food thoughts are difficult to control.
Your food thoughts frequently distract you from your daily life.
Your food thoughts lead to feelings of guilt, stress and/or unhealthy eating patterns.

If any of these statements apply you, it may be time to seek support. You can start with your primary care or family medicine doctor. Other healthcare providers who have more specialized training to help people with food noise include:

How Is Food Noise Treated?

The term food noise has become much more common with the rise of GLP-1 weight loss medications, such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound.

“GLP-1s can help with food noise by reducing food cravings and causing smaller meals to make you feel full,” says Dr. Conklin. “Many of my patients who take GLP-1s say they often don’t feel hungry or they frequently feel too full to eat. Their food noise quiet downs when those physical cravings are reduced.”

A common ADHD medication, Vyvanse, is used to treat binge eating disorder in adults and may also be helpful in quieting food noise. However, more research is needed.

If food noise is affecting your daily life, a psychologist can help you develop tools to manage it, including:

Riding the wave. Instead of acting on a craving right away, you pause, notice the physical feeling of hunger, and let the urge rise and fall like an ocean wave until it passes.
Cognitive defusion. Stepping back from a thought about food allows you to observe it without acting on it. This can help reduce the frequency and intensity of food cravings.
Cognitive reappraisal. Imagining that a food will not taste good or shifting your focus to the health consequences of eating that food can help intercept cravings until they pass.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a structured form of talk therapy that helps people identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. CBT can be very effective for people who have food noise and binge eating disorder.