What Is Food Noise? Dieting and the Psychology Behind It
You’ve probably heard the term floating around lately.
Food noise.
Some people use it to describe constant thoughts about food. Others use it to describe feeling out of control around food.
Some mean cravings.
Some mean guilt.
Some mean hunger.
But what is food noise, really? And more importantly… what is it not?
What People Usually Mean by “Food Noise”
When someone says they’re experiencing food noise, they’re often describing:
Persistent thoughts about food
Mental preoccupation with what they’re going to eat
Feeling distracted by cravings
Urges to eat when they “don’t want to”
Guilt or shame after eating
A sense that food takes up too much mental space
It can feel loud. Intrusive. Relentless.
For some people, it feels like a radio playing in the background all day that they can’t turn off.
But here’s something important:
Not all food thoughts are pathological.
Not all food thoughts need to be eliminated.
Your brain is wired to think about food.
Your Brain Is Designed to Think About Food
Food is not a hobby. It is not a moral test. It is not a weakness.
It is survival.
The human brain is exquisitely sensitive to energy availability. When your body is underfed, restricted, stressed, or depleted, your brain will increase food-related thoughts.
This is not a character flaw. It is biology.
We saw this clearly in the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. When men were semi-starved at 1,400-1,600 calories/day (*Note: I find this interesting; this is not typically the calorie range that you may perceive as starving), they became preoccupied with food. They collected recipes. They dreamed about meals. They talked about food constantly.
Their brains were doing exactly what brains are supposed to do when energy is scarce.
If you have dieted, chronically restricted, skipped meals, suppressed hunger, or tried to override your body for years, food noise may not be a mystery.
It may be a response. This is one reason I practice from a non-diet lens. If you’re not sure what that means, I break it down here: What Non-Diet Nutrition Really Means.
Food Noise and Restriction
One of the most common drivers of food noise is restriction.
Restriction can look like:
Dieting
Skipping meals
Eating “clean”
Avoiding certain food groups
Trying to compensate for earlier eating
Moralizing food choices
Chronic underfueling, even unintentionally
When your body perceives scarcity, your brain turns up the volume.
The louder the restriction, the louder the noise.
This is why people often notice that when they begin eating more consistently, including carbohydrates and adequate fat, and allowing previously restricted foods, the “noise” softens over time.
Not immediately. But gradually.
Because safety quiets alarm systems.
Food Noise and ADHD
Food noise is also commonly described by people with ADHD.
For some, food provides stimulation. Dopamine. Novelty. Sensory engagement.
If your brain runs low on dopamine, it may seek food not because you are weak, but because it is trying to regulate. This doesn’t mean every food thought is “just ADHD.” It means nervous systems are complex.
Sometimes what looks like food obsession is actually:
Understimulation
Emotional dysregulation
Sleep deprivation
Inconsistent eating
Stress overload
Again, not a moral failure, but a regulation signal. For many ADHDers, food noise is less about willpower and more about dopamine regulation and executive function. I talk more about that here in ADHD and the All-or-Nothing Eating Cycle.
Food Noise vs. Hunger
Sometimes food noise is just hunger.
Not dramatic hunger. Not stomach-growling hunger. Subtle hunger.
Mental hunger is real. If you are thinking about food repeatedly, that can be a hunger cue.
Especially if you’ve trained yourself to ignore physical cues.
Many people in recovery from chronic dieting have to relearn that thinking about food counts as information. Your brain is part of your body.
Food Noise and Shame
Here’s where things get tangled.
Many people don’t just experience food noise. They experience shame about food noise.
They think:
Why am I like this?
Why can’t I just stop thinking about food?
Why do other people seem normal?
But what you can’t see is:
Who is quietly restricting
Who is white-knuckling hunger
Who is dissociating from their body
Who is using medication to suppress appetite
Comparison is rarely the full story.
When Food Noise Feels Distressing
Food noise becomes clinically important when it feels:
Compulsive
Out of control
Distressing
Paired with binge eating or purging
Driven by rigid rules
Intensified by trauma or anxiety
In those cases, the goal is not to silence the noise through force.
The goal is to understand it.
What is the body asking for?
What is the nervous system needing?
What has been restricted?
What feels unsafe?
Trying to “shut it down” without addressing the root often backfires.
The Internet Is Talking About Food Noise for a Reason
Recently, the term has exploded because of medications that reduce appetite and quiet food-related thoughts.
And while it’s valid that some people experience relief from constant intrusive thoughts about food, it’s also important to ask:
Was the noise purely biological? Or was it amplified by years of dieting, shame, and restriction?
Silencing hunger is not the same thing as healing your relationship with food.
Sometimes the noise was never the enemy.
Sometimes it was your body trying to be heard.
What Actually Reduces Food Noise?
In my work, food noise often softens when we:
Eat consistently every 3 to 4 hours
Increase overall intake if someone is underfueling
Include carbohydrates without fear
Normalize previously restricted foods
Reduce food rules
Support sleep
Address ADHD regulation strategies
Process body image grief
Build emotional coping skills that are not food-policing
Notice what’s not on that list. More restriction. More willpower. More control.
The solution is usually nourishment and safety.
A Gentle Reframe
Instead of asking:
How do I get rid of food noise?
Try asking:
What is my body trying to communicate?
Sometimes the noise is hunger.
Sometimes it is deprivation.
Sometimes it is nervous system dysregulation.
Sometimes it is grief.
And sometimes, it is just a human brain thinking about the thing that keeps it alive.
If food takes up space in your mind, that does not make you broken.
It might mean your body does not yet feel safe. And safety is something we can build.
If this resonates, you are not alone. At In Good Company Nutrition, we work with people who feel exhausted by food thoughts, confused by hunger cues, or stuck in cycles of restriction and overcorrection. You do not need to silence your body to heal.
Sometimes the work is not about turning the volume down. Sometimes it is about finally listening. Reach out today to get support.
-
Food noise is a term people use to describe frequent or intrusive thoughts about food, eating, cravings, urges, and sometimes guilt or shame. It can feel like food takes up “too much” mental space, even when you are trying not to think about it.
-
No. Food-related thoughts can increase when your body perceives scarcity (restriction, skipped meals, chronic underfueling), when stress is high, or when sleep is poor. Food noise is often a regulation signal, not a character flaw.
-
Restriction (dieting, avoiding foods, moralizing choices, compensating, delaying meals) teaches the brain that food is uncertain. When the body senses scarcity, the brain turns up attention to food. Consistent nourishment and allowing previously restricted foods often helps the “volume” soften over time.
-
ADHD can contribute for some people. Food can provide stimulation and dopamine, and executive function challenges can make eating feel more reactive or all-or-nothing. That said, food noise is rarely “just ADHD.” It often overlaps with stress, sleep issues, inconsistent eating, and dieting history.
