How to stop food noise

Food noise is when your thoughts are always occupied by food and eating, even if you’re not hungry.

It’s normal to think about food around meal times or when planning your day but a lot of people that are overweight or obese struggle with the constant thinking about food, which is what can make weight loss so hard. The food thoughts can be intrusive and make it hard to think about anything else.

This blog post is going to give you ways to help manage the food noise;

Eat regular, balanced meals

Going long periods of time without eating will lead to blood sugar levels dropping which will make you hungry and crave sugary/fatty foods as your body wants quick energy. It’s also important to eat a balanced meal as if not, this will also lead to your blood sugar levels rising and dropping quickly after a meal.

Having a source of protein, carbohydrates, and fat at meals can help with this as they’ll take longer to digest which will keep your blood sugars stable. And if you’re not able to manage a meal, a balanced snack will do the trick too. Aiming to eat something every few hours is useful.

Balanced meal/snack ideas:

• Yoghurt, fruit, and granola
• Scrambled eggs on seeded toast
• Chicken and cous cous salad
• Snack plate with cheese, meat slices, vegetables sticks, dips, and olives
• Tuna mayo and sweetcorn on rice cakes

Plan ahead for difficult times

A lot of people turn to food when faced with a stressful, sad, or difficult situation. This type of hunger is driven by emotion and isn’t physical hunger. We can do our best to avoid negative emotions but life happens and it’s not realistic to think that we can limit stress all the time. It’s better to be prepared and plan ahead for it.

Food noise can be extra loud at these emotive times so preparing for it can make it easier.

Whether it’s having a more nutritious, balanced snack ready to go or distracting yourself with something that’s not food entirely, having things to fall back on in emotional times can help manage the noise. Some people do things that keep their hands busy like knitting, playing an instrument, or gaming to take their mind off food.



A nutritious snack, eaten mindfully may also help bring some comfort without feeling like you’ve ‘blown it’.

Try to eat mindfully

Mindful eating is a good way to appreciate and enjoy your food. It involves slowing down your eating, recognising all your senses and trying to eat without distractions. Being more present with your meal can help you enjoy it more and reach satisfaction quicker. A lot of times when we eat in a rush or emotionally we don't pay attention to what we’re eating so we can eat more than we realise.

By appreciating your food and paying attention to it, the food noise may be calmed.

Some tips for mindful eating: 

• Slow down: putting your cutlery down between mouthfuls can help you appreciate what’s in your mouth rather than getting the next bite ready and not thinking about it
• Chew well: take the time to chew your food and think about the flavours and textures you notice
• Sit at a table: eating on the go or while standing can lead to not recognising what or how much you’ve eaten

If you want to try a mindful eating exercise, you can find one in my e-book, How To Lose Weight for Good. My book also has other tips to manage food noise such as allowing yourself to eat all foods and not restricting as this can make you think about food more.

Food noise can be overwhelming at times, but trying these tips can help to manage it a bit better. 

I hope you found this post useful!

Bye for now 👋

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40628707/