Figuring Out Food Noise

What is food noise? Food noise is obsessive and impulsive thoughts/chatter that are constantly mulling about in your brain. If you struggle with disordered eating habits or feel like you are constantly battling the narrative surrounding diet culture, you may deal with food noise. You may feel like food is all that you think about or that you can’t stop the negative thoughts while eating. Or, you can’t stop thinking about what your next meal will be or second-guessing food choices from the last meal you ate. These thought patterns can quickly turn into a stressful relationship with food and leave your irritable and feeling helpless.

If you are struggling with food noise, here are a few things to ponder:

  1. Is not eating more useful than just eating the foods I’ve deemed “bad foods”? If you are questioning or judging eating choices from your last meal, remember that food is food and restricting it makes you a negative version of yourself. Food judgement generally leads to guilt, shame and poor body image. Whether it is to fuel our bodies or our souls, all foods serve a purpose in our lives.

  2. Can I be more present when I’m with food? Sometimes, we can get carried away by a TV show, movie, etc. and forget to really experience the meal we are eating. When we do this, we may skip out on an important part of eating: satiety. Instead, focus on the textures, temperatures, and colors of food. You may find that you are more present and able to enjoy it! You may also find that you stop eating when you are full and experience less food noise about what you ate.

  3. Am I eating enough at meal times? If you are constantly thinking about when your next meal will be, you may not have eaten enough at the one you just had or its a sign that you’ve gone too long between eating. Another reason may be that you’ve experienced a prolonged period of skimpy or restricted eating due to high levels of anxiety, stress, or overwhelm. Remember, your body need fuel every 3-4 hours or so and snacks can help bridge the us gap between meals. In fact, snacks can actually prevent over fueling as they bridge the gap between meal times longer than 4 hours.

In sum, if food noise is leaving you exhausted and overwhelmed, reach out to us for help!

Written by Trinny Duncan, Student Intern and Peggy Pratt, PhD, RDN, LDN, CEDS-C

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