Is It Really Food Noise? Or Is It Hunger We’ve Been Taught to Distrust?
There’s a growing buzz around “food noise” - a phrase now commonly used to describe constant thoughts about food, cravings, or preoccupations with eating. In many of the narratives emerging from weight loss circles - particularly those surrounding appetite-suppressing medications - food noise is framed as the enemy: disruptive, unwelcome, and something to be silenced.
But what if the noise we’re trying to suppress is actually something else?
In this blog, I take a closer look at the concept of food noise and explore a different possibility: what if it’s hunger? What if it’s the body speaking - clearly, persistently - and we’ve simply lost the ability, or the permission, to listen?
The Rise of 'Food Noise' as a Problem to Medicate
The term “food noise” is gaining traction particularly in the context of GLP-1 receptor agonists - medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. For many people, these drugs appear to offer not just appetite suppression, but relief from the mental chatter around food that can feel relentless. It’s easy to understand the appeal. Living in a state of constant internal negotiation ‘Should I eat that? Have I had too much? Why can’t I stop thinking about food?’ - is exhausting.
But here's the problem: in a culture that’s pathologised hunger and glorified restraint, we’ve come to interpret natural cues as problems. What if what some people call “food noise” is not a malfunction of the brain, but the body’s unrelenting effort to be heard in a world that keeps telling it to shut up?
What Causes Food Noise?
Food noise can be real. But it’s not a singular phenomenon, and it’s not always a sign of something going wrong. There are many reasons we may experience frequent thoughts about food, including:
Actual physiological hunger: If you’re under-eating, skipping meals, or eating in a way that doesn't satisfy your energy needs, your body will keep trying to get your attention.
Mental restriction: Even if you’re physically eating enough, believing you “shouldn’t” eat a particular food or “should” eat less can create a psychological sense of deprivation - a well-documented driver of food preoccupation.
Emotional unmet needs: Sometimes thoughts about food are a stand-in for other needs such as rest, connection, stimulation, or comfort. In these cases, the “noise” is less about food and more about our inner world.
Sensory and environmental triggers: We live in a world saturated with food marketing, sensory stimulation, and cultural messaging around body image and health - all of which can increase awareness of, and fixation on, food.
Do Some People Experience More Food Noise Than Others?
Yes, and it’s an important part of the conversation. While food noise is often influenced by things like restriction, unmet needs, or emotional coping, some people may be biologically more predisposed to experience frequent or intense food thoughts. This isn't a flaw or failure - it's part of natural human diversity.
Some key contributors include:
Genetic variation in appetite and satiety hormones: Differences in hormones like ghrelin (which stimulates hunger) and leptin (which signals fullness) can influence how often and how strongly we feel drawn to food.
Dopamine and reward pathways: Some individuals have a more responsive reward system, meaning food can trigger stronger anticipation or satisfaction responses, leading to more persistent thoughts.
Blood sugar fluctuations and metabolic factors: For people with conditions like insulin resistance or PCOS, appetite cues can be more pronounced and harder to regulate, which may lead to more food preoccupation, even when restriction isn’t present.
Neurobiological sensitivity: Some brains respond more intensely to food cues in the environment (like images, smells, or routines), increasing background food chatter.
Stress and trauma: A sensitised nervous system, particularly in those who’ve experienced trauma or chronic stress, can interpret food as a source of safety and regulation. This can make food thoughts louder, especially when emotions are high or needs feel unmet.
So, yes, the “noise” can feel uncomfortably loud. But what if instead of muting it, we recognised the potential complexity behind it, and we got curious about what it’s trying to say?
Hunger SIGNALS ARE Not a Problem to Be Solved
We’ve been taught to see hunger as something to control, suppress, or outsmart. But hunger is not the enemy. It’s a vital bodily signal - just like thirst or tiredness - that keeps us alive. Ignoring or overriding it can lead to more intense preoccupations with food, cycles of bingeing and restriction, and deepening mistrust in our bodies.
It’s no wonder so many people feel disconnected from their internal cues. In diet culture, hunger becomes something shameful - a lack of willpower, a sign of failure. But the body doesn't work on moral terms. It works on biology. And when it doesn't get what it needs, it turns up the volume.
In this context, one of the approaches my work draws on, Intuitive Eating, offers something radically different - not silence, but attunement.
What If the Goal Isn't Quiet, But Clarity?
Through Intuitive Eating, people can begin to reestablish trust with their bodies, learn to distinguish between different types of hunger (physical, emotional, sensory), and develop the capacity to respond to those needs without fear or guilt.
This doesn’t eliminate every food thought. But it does reduce the obsessional quality - the frantic, all-consuming nature of food noise that often arises in response to restriction, scarcity, or shame.
Rather than trying to escape the noise, we learn to decode it. This is a quieter kind of peace - not because we’ve silenced ourselves, but because we’ve stopped fighting.
MY CONCLusIONS AND A Caution About Silencing the Body
Appetite-suppressing medications may offer temporary relief for some, particularly those with intense struggles around food. But a potential danger lies in medicalising normal hunger, and in promoting a solution that disconnects us further from our internal world.
When we see food thoughts as a symptom to be medicated, we miss the opportunity for self-understanding. When we numb hunger, we lose a vital form of self-communication.
Not all food noise is hunger. But not all hunger signals should be silenced. What if food noise isn’t a problem to fix, but wisdom not to be ignored?
Through the lens of Intuitive Eating, we can begin to unpick the noise, understand its roots, and rebuild trust in our body’s cues. It’s not about silencing the signals - it’s about learning to listen with more clarity and compassion.
Take a nourishing step forward today
Are worries about food, weight, or overeating draining your time, energy, and peace of mind? Are you struggling with low mood, persistent food cravings, poor gut health or digestive challenges?
Old mindsets and habits can be hard to shift on your own. If you are looking to find peace with food and your body, and eat with more confidence and ease, I can help you.
Please check out my private programmes here, or book an exploratory chat to find out more.
