Food Noise vs Food Cravings: Understanding the Difference
Published by
CONTRAVE Care Team
on
One major obstacle to achieving weight loss goals can be how much someone thinks about food.
While hunger is an important sensation that tells us we need food, it can be overshadowed by something else: cravings. Cravings are strong desires for specific foods even when we aren’t hungry. For some people, these cravings may be triggered by emotions, making it harder to stick to weight-loss goals.
What are food cravings?
Food cravings are intense desires for a particular food or flavor—sometimes just for the food itself. Cravings may only be occasional and are often resolved (at least temporarily) by eating the desired food.
Food cravings are not always bad, but many people crave foods high in sugar and fat but tend to individual preferences—whether it’s the allure of chocolate, the salty crunch of chips, or the rich taste of a favorite restaurant dish.
Why do we get food cravings?
It’s pretty common to experience food cravings—but why do they happen?
Sometimes, they’re triggered by sensory cues—like seeing an ad for pizza or smelling fresh-baked cookies. Other times, cravings can come from signals inside your body, such as changes in the levels of hormones that control appetite. These biological cues can make your brain focus on seeking specific foods for quick energy or comfort.
Giving into food cravings can also create a self-reinforcing cycle. When you give in to cravings, especially for high-sugar or high-fat foods, your brain's reward system becomes activated. This reinforces the connection between cravings and those specific foods, leading to more persistent thoughts about them. It happened to Katie, a real CONTRAVE patient:
“I felt like my brain was working against me when it came to dieting. I felt like I had a relationship with food that was keeping me from healthy eating and losing weight. My brain would convince me I needed it, and that eating just a little more would satisfy my craving.”
Cravings often come with a strong emotional or physical component. For some, controlling cravings when dealing with emotions like stress or boredom can be difficult.
Are food cravings the same as “food noise?”
“Food noise” is an emerging concept in the weight loss community. Unlike food cravings, food noise isn’t necessarily about the desiring a specific food. It’s more like an intrusive background hum of preoccupation with food in general, often feeling like your life revolves around food.
Thinking about food and wanting to eat are natural parts of the human relationship with food. However, an unchecked obsession with unhealthy foods can lead to unplanned eating and interfere with weight management goals.
How to manage food cravings and food noise
Just as with weight loss, there is no one-size-fits-all method to control food cravings and persistent thoughts about food. But there are some proven strategies for countering them holistically:
Mindful eating: Slowing down to focus on the experience of eating when you do eat can help reduce the mental chatter about food.
Redirect your thoughts: Distracting yourself with a walk, hobby, or conversation can help quiet the mental chatter about food.
Whole foods and balanced nutrition: Eating a diet rich in proteins, healthy fats, and fiber can help stabilize blood sugar levels and help keep the feeling of fullness longer after a meal.
Getting enough sleep: Poor sleep can contribute to weight gain in many ways, including increasing cravings and making it more difficult to make healthy food choices.
With some self-compassion and the right strategy, you can help manage cravings and build a healthier, more sustainable relationship with food!
Consider a prescription weight loss medication
If you’re still struggling with food cravings, it may be a good idea to talk to your doctor. Some prescription weight loss medications can help with food cravings.
CONTRAVE is an FDA-approved oral weight-loss medication prescribed, alongside diet and exercise, for people who are overweight or living with obesity. It’s designed to help reduce hunger and control cravings, like those associated with dealing with emotions like stress, so you can lose weight and keep it off.*
Watch a video about how CONTRAVE is believed to work on cravings* HERE.
*The exact neurochemical effects of CONTRAVE leading to weight loss are not fully understood.
CON-2286-001 02/25