If you can't stop thinking about food because of conversations you're having at home, at work or even online, you may be dealing with something called food noise. This can be exacerbated by misinformation about nutrition, food guilt and all the health hacks people share on social media. While these thoughts are common, it's when they take over your mind that they become a problem.
If you regularly deal with food noise, there are steps you can take to better cope with it before considering medications like Ozempic, according to a registered dietitian. This is everything you should know.
What does food noise sound like?
In extreme cases, food noise keeps your mind constantly preoccupied with food to the point that it seems to take over your life. You often wonder about what, when and how much food to eat.
Registered dietitian Gisela Bouvier says conversations around food that we see and hear every day in the media, at work and among family or friends can contribute to food noise. She points out that social media has made food noise worse for some people. “There’s a lot of food noise out there -- nutrition misinformation, fear-based content and a constant stream of ‘health hacks’ that leave people more confused than empowered,” she explains.
Food noise may look like feeling guilty when eating certain foods. Andrey Popov/Getty Images
Examples of what food noise may look like:
You’re constantly thinking about food, even when not hungry.
Thinking about your next meal while still eating or shortly after a meal.
Eating late at night or waking up to eat.
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