The concept of ‘food noise’ has been trending for a while now, but it’s increasingly being misunderstood. Here, L360 chats to someone who’s struggled with — and overcome — these repetitive thoughts.
Food noise is when you experience constant thoughts about food. According to Dr Beth Godwin, a clinical psychologist and intuitive eating counsellor, it can also be described as obsessing about eating.
“Thoughts usually involve planning what you’re going to eat, fantasising about the food you’re craving, even when you’ve eaten or aren’t physiologically hungry,” she explains.
The persistent mental chatter is something that Jane Msuba knows all too well, having struggled with food noise for years.
What’s it like to experience food noise?
“I had quite a lot of things going on,” Jane explains. “I had a break-up and I also had a lot of demands, [like] postgraduate studies. And so, my main comfort became food. [I found a lot of solace] in late night takeaways.”
“[I realised] I that I wanted the unhealthy food, but when it arrived, I didn’t want it as much. It made me recognise that the cravings were more in my mind than anything else.”
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How can I stop food noise?
Jane’s journey began from here and she spent time searching for solutions online until she came across functional imagery training, which — according to certain studies — can help to reduce food noise and cravings.
“I like to explain mental imagery as daydreaming with purpose. It’s when you use your imagination intentionally. This involves envisioning it, feeling it, hearing it, smelling it, touching it, like it’s happening in real time.”
By doing this, Jane suggests that our imagination can become a powerful tool for motivation, habits and altering our behaviour.
“It honestly changed my life in some ways. If I wanted to binge late at night, I’d picture my future self. I was a lot healthier, a lot lighter, but it was never really about losing weight, more how I’d feel.”
Jane explains that an important tool can be taking a few moments every day to pause and consider: “Do I really want this? Or am I just feeling sad?”
She says the bulk of inner work began with getting to know herself more. “I wasn’t feeling fully aligned with what was affecting my feelings. After I began to consider this more, I began to give myself more empathy and understanding.”
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Should you take medication to help with food noise?
Food noise is a topic which has been buzzing in the healthcare industry, thanks to the wider knowledge of GLP-1 medications. A survey of 2,704 adults by ZAVA, an online doctor offering medical weight-loss solutions like Mounjaro and Wegovy, found that 75.3% of 25-34-year-olds have considered weight-loss injections to help with their eating habits. These injections can curb the appetite and cravings completely, in some cases halting the food noise.
Jane adds to this by referencing a patient she works with in a community pharmacy. “She had actually tried GLP-1 to help with food noise, but found that she put the weight back on after stopping them because the noise didn’t stop.”
Jane’s now a coach in mental imagery and helps clients to avoid turning to medication.
“I have one client [who] was torn between starting a GLP-1 or not,” Jane says. “Her blood sugar level wasn’t super high yet, so she was keen to go down a more holistic route. She ended up losing 3kg thanks to our mental imagery work, and I know that she feels a lot more empowered now.”
Feature image: Pexels
