Do You Have Food Noise? Here’s How to Know, and What You Can Do to Quiet It
Key takeaways:
Food noise refers to the constant, sometimes obsessive thoughts surrounding food. For people who experience it, it can lead to significant distress that takes a toll on both their physical and emotional health.
The concept of food noise is becoming more common with the introduction of GLP-1 medications. Many people who take these medications have noticed a significant reduction of food noise.
If you are affected by food noise, there are also ways that don’t require medication to help quiet the persistent voice in your head.
With the increasing popularity of GLP-1 medications for weight loss, researchers are learning more about the complicated processes in our body — and mind — that affect weight. One of the interesting developments is the increased awareness about something called food noise.
Many people report these medications provide a welcome reduction to the constant chatter in their head around food. And it has highlighted how someone’s brain chemistry can have a powerful impact on their weight. Scientists think GLP-1 medications not only affect the digestive tract, but also the reward centers in the brain. In this article, we explain the emerging concept of food noise, what causes it, and how it can affect weight.
What is food noise?
Food noise is an emerging concept, so there’s no firm definition. But some experts have defined it as “persistent, intrusive thoughts about food that are disruptive to daily life and make healthy behaviors difficult.” It’s a constant inner voice about what to eat, when to eat, where to eat, how much to eat, and so on.
Food noise can cause people to:
Eat when they are not hungry
Frequently be distracted by intrusive thoughts about food
Shop for food multiple times a day
Think about their next meal while eating their current meal
How does food noise affect your life?
Continuous thoughts about food can take a toll on someone’s mental and physical health. It can lead to:
Weight gain
Difficulty losing weight
Weight-related medical conditions
Disordered eating
Anxiety
Depression
Do you think about stress eating? It’s normal to reach for food when you are stressed. But if you are worried you do it too much, here are some tips that can help.
The harms of yo-yo dieting: Repeated cycles of restrictive dieting can have a big impact on your mental and physical health. This includes disordered eating.
Can you increase GLP-1 naturally? Certain foods and supplements may help increase your natural levels of the GLP-1 hormone.
How do you know if you have food noise?
It’s normal to experience a cue to eat when your body needs energy. Or when you smell food — like your favorite cookies baking in the oven. It’s also normal to plan meals for the week and think about multiple meals ahead.
So what’s the difference between normal food cues and food noise? Food noise is heightened and intrusive thoughts about food. These thoughts constantly disrupt daily life, and can make it harder to change lifestyle habits.
If you are curious if you have food noise, it may help to consider the questions from a recently developed Food Noise Questionnaire:
Do you find yourself constantly thinking about food throughout the day?
Do your thoughts around food feel uncontrollable?
Do you think about food even when you are not hungry?
Do your thoughts about food have a negative impact on you and your life?
Do your thoughts about food get in the way of what you need to do?
Rate your response for each one from 0 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). The higher the total score (out of 20), the higher the likelihood you have food noise.
There’s no specific number that determines whether someone has food noise. Experts are still trying to figure out how to best use the above questions to help people. So we have offered them here as a tool for your own reflection. Regardless of your score, if you’re experiencing any sort of distress from your relationship with food, reach out to a healthcare professional. They can help you figure out the next step to addressing this aspect of your mental health.
What causes food noise?
Scientists are still trying to understand what causes some people to think about food more often than others. But there are a few possible reasons that we explain below.
Human evolution
It was just a hundred-or-so years ago that there was a scarcity of food in the United States. Humans — like other animals — are tuned to seek out food via their senses (sight, smell, and hearing).
Now, the food supply is abundant, particularly with shelf-stable, high-calorie, and ultra-processed foods. But human brains haven’t yet caught up with this constant availability of food. They still operate under the assumption that finding food is a matter of survival. So the constant cues from food abundance may be hard to process.
Social media and food advertisements
Because of the rise of targeted social media ads, people are now inundated with an estimated 5,000 ads per day across various mediums (TV, social media, billboards, and websites). And a large percentage of them are for foods and drinks. So it can feel like you can’t escape the cues to think about food.
Diet culture and body image
Chronic dieting — and constant messaging about weight loss — can promote an ongoing and negative relationship with food. Many weight-loss programs promote all-or-nothing thinking around specific foods or food groups. And many of them set restrictive, unachievable goals related to weight, exercise, and nutrition.
This may be why early research suggests that the following groups reported the highest level of of food noise:
Women
People who are dieting for weight loss
People with a higher body mass index (BMI)
According to Meghan Monte, RDN, LDN, CEDS-C, owner and registered dietitian at Nutrition Braved, “people may find themselves stuck in a tug-of-war, wanting to avoid certain foods yet constantly thinking about them. If they do eat something they’ve labeled as ‘bad’ or ‘off-limits,’ they may replay feelings of guilt, questioning why they ‘shouldn’t’ have had it in the first place.”
This can lead to a constant, self-perpetuating cycle of intrusive thoughts about food.
Differences in brain signaling
Appetite, hunger, and food intake are controlled by complicated processes in the body. This includes an interaction between hormones and brain stimuli that drives someone to eat.
Scientists think some people have stronger responses in the reward centers of the brain when they eat. And their feelings of hunger may be more intense, which can affect food regulation.
In other words, some people’s brains are just wired differently. Their brains may be more primed to generate constant chatter about food. And this may be one of the many contributing factors to weight.
How can you stop or quiet food noise?
There are many factors that affect your thoughts about food and food choices. Your relationship with food begins on your first day of life. And strong mechanisms develop as a child, when food plays a central role in your development.
All this is to say, if you’re experiencing food noise, remember that this doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you or your brain. Focus on the things you can change, and ask for help when you need it.
Get help from a qualified healthcare professional
If you reported a higher score on the Food Noise Questionnaire, talk with a healthcare professional you trust. They can help you figure out a plan to address any distress this is causing in your life.
Also consider reaching out to a registered dietitian, or asking your primary care provider for a referral. A registered dietitian can work with you over the course of several months to help quiet food noise.
“The first step we take is to explore your judgments about food — what you’re avoiding, why, and how we can reintroduce a more balanced approach,” Monte said. “My goal is to help people embrace all foods in a way that feels both nourishing and freeing.”
Modify your food environment
Small changes in your environment can help reduce the number of food cues you experience each day. Some ways to do this include:
Put snacks and food in a cupboard instead of on the counter.
Set out fresh fruits and vegetables on your counter instead — or anything that feels like it reinforces the changes you’re trying to make to your diet.
Mute social media accounts that frequently highlight food, or feel triggering.
Go grocery shopping with a list, and after you eat a filling meal.
Focus on areas of wellness
Don’t underestimate the impact of sleep, stress, friendships, and family on food cues. Sleep duration, level of stress, and your emotional state affect how your brain responds to food cues. Try to incorporate small changes or habits into your day that help address these factors:
Establish a sleep routine that helps you go to bed at a similar time each day.
The next time you are tempted to scroll on your phone, try practicing a deep breathing exercise instead.
For your next meet-up with a friend, suggest going for a walk instead of meeting over a meal.
GLP-1 medications and food noise
GLP-1 medications were first approved for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. But they have since been approved for weight management, too. Scientists are still trying to understand all the ways these medications impact the mechanisms that contribute to weight.
We know that GLP-1 medications act on the gastrointestinal tract to promote satiety and slow down how quickly your body digests food. But many people report that they stop the constant voice in their head that fixates on food.
Scientists are now exploring how GLP-1 medications can also affect parts of the brain that regulate appetite, food intake, and the reward center in the brain. Scientists are also studying these medications and their impact on other addictive behaviors — such as drinking alcohol and shopping.
When GLP-1 medications are stopped, the food noise and weight regain often resumes. This is just one of the reasons it’s important to pair GLP-1 medications with nutrition therapy and mental health support. It’s a good reminder that weight loss and weight gain can come with profound changes for both the body and the mind.
Frequently asked questions
There’s no research on food noise and people with ADHD. We do know that the condition can affect brain signaling and cause impulsive behavior around food. This can affect someone’s ability to regulate their food intake, and can lead to disordered eating.
Food noise is a new concept. So there’s not enough research to know if there are supplements that can help reduce food noise. But there are some foods and supplements that may increase your natural GLP-1 levels — like psyllium fiber, berberine, and yerba mate.
Food noise hasn’t yet been studied in children. But focusing on your food environment at home can help. The way parents talk about food, their bodies, and their weight impacts children. Here are some changes to consider:
Neutralize all foods. Try not to label food as “good” or “bad.” Instead, focus on how foods taste and the benefits they have for your body.
Remember that the benefits of food can extend beyond just its nutritional value. Food can be a powerful way to connect to your family and culture. And it can infuse joy and comfort into a child’s life.
Don’t make food or dessert a reward for behavior.
The bottom line
Food noise is a new concept that’s getting more attention with the increasing popularity of GLP-1 medications. It’s normal to think about food when you smell it or when you are hungry. But if you find that you’re constantly thinking about food, this could be impacting your physical and mental health. Consider working with a qualified healthcare professional like a registered dietitian. Small changes to your food environment can help you reduce food triggers. So can focusing on other areas of wellness including sleep, stress, and relationships.
Why trust our experts?
References
Abdullah bin Ahmed, I. (2024). A comprehensive review on weight gain following discontinuation of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists for obesity. Journal of Obesity.
Diktas, H. E., et al. (2025). Development and validation of the Food Noise Questionnaire. Obesity.
Hayashi, D., et al. (2023). What is food noise? A conceptual model of food cue reactivity. Nutrients.
Kadouh, H., et al. (2019). GLP-1 Analog modulates appetite, taste preference, gut hormones, and regional body fat stores in adults with obesity. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Master of Science in Applied Psychology Online. (2023). Thinking vs feeling: The psychology of advertising. University of Southern California Dornsife.
Maurer, L., et al. (2019). Interaction of circulating GLP-1 and the response of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to food-cues predicts body weight development. Molecular Metabolism.
Wiss, D. (2020). Separating the signal from the noise: How psychiatric diagnoses can help discern food addiction from dietary restraint. Nutrients.
