Three years ago, however, I sought the help of a nutritional therapist to help me unpack my terrible relationship with food. “I wonder,” she said, “if you’re familiar with the concept of ‘food noise’.” The term, she explained, is a way to describe constant and intrusive thoughts about food that dominate daily life. For some, this noise is non-existent, or nothing more than a low background hum. For others, it can be deafening and impossible to ignore.

“It’s like your brain is stuck on a loop, asking: what should I eat? When should I eat? How much?” says Ekaterina Vasileva, a registered dietitian and Nutritionist Resource member. Not all food noise is a cause for concern, she adds: “For some people it is just a distraction. But for others, it can really affect their relationship with food and how they feel in general.”

Food noise has no scientific definition, but Vasileva notes that “people in the wellness world talk about it a lot”. Recently, many users of medications like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro (which may be prescribed for the management of type 2 diabetes and/or weight loss) have reported that the injections result in a dramatic reduction in food noise, allowing them to go about their days without constantly ruminating on their next meal or snack. Scientists don’t yet fully understand why these drugs – which use a synthetic version of the gut hormone glucagonlike peptide 1 (GLP-1) to reduce appetite and help people feel fuller, faster – appear to have this effect on the brain. American biochemist Svetlana Mojsov, whose work was pivotal in developing these medications, has said that understanding “the biology behind the Ozempic effects on the brain” is “the next frontier” in her research.

“My ‘food noise’ is deafening”: the reality of living with constant intrusive thoughts about eating