Does it seem like you are always thinking about food? You want to focus on other things and you know that constantly grazing contributes to excess weight and health issues, but you cannot seem to help yourself. This is the description of “food noise.” There seems to be a constant nagging in your mind for more food even when you really do not have a need for it. In recent years, thousands have been turning to medication to help reduce this “food noise,” but the results of the medication have some concerning side effects, as I wrote about last month. With every medication there is a natural alternative when you look more closely at what is happening. “Food noise” can be reduced naturally when you rebuild your eating habits.
The key to reducing “food noise” is to understand how your body generates fullness and satisfaction signals and then how to increase those signals. There are at least three significant areas to change in order to increase satisfaction with your meals – timing, protein, and fiber. Focusing on these three areas has helped thousands of individuals to improve their quality of life and reduce the distraction of “food noise.” So, let’s take a look at these three areas.
Timing – refers to the importance of a routine. We are creatures of habit. Habits are what help us get through the day. Food noise can be related to some negative habits that have formed over the years and need to be changed. However, simply determining to eat at specific times and not between meals is easier said than done. Ideally, you will focus on three meals a day with at least four and a half hours between meals. In a 2022 national survey asking health practitioners about their eating habits, those doctors and nurses who ate three meals a day with no snacks between meals had a lower risk of death and lower heart disease risk than those who snacked throughout the day or those who did intermittent fasting. The timing and consistency of eating was important, but this would not be possible to maintain without the next two areas of protein and fiber.
Protein – is an essential component for every meal of the day. Your digestion process responds with satisfaction signals when protein is eaten in the first bites. Notice the first foods placed on the table at a restaurant – chips, bread, salad, drinks – all carbohydrates, very tasty, but no protein. Notice the trend of the ketogenic diet or the Atkins diet that promote high intake of protein and many people lose weight. The satisfaction signals are greatly increased with protein and the food noise decreases. The Atkins or ketogenic plan is not a balanced diet but demonstrates the power of protein to reduce the food noise. A healthy protein portion should be selected for breakfast to help start the day on a positive trend. Eggs, full fat Greek yogurt, full fat cottage cheese, smoked salmon, or chicken sausage are just some examples of protein options for breakfast. Replace the cold cereal, muffin, pop tart, or fruit juice with a protein for breakfast and you will begin to move toward a routine that will stimulate satisfaction.
Fiber – is another essential component that promotes satisfaction and reduces food noise. Quality fiber at each meal is provided through fresh vegetables and fruits. Lettuce and cabbage may seem to have little nutrition value but much of the benefit comes from the fiber in these foods. Fiber is undigestible to humans but becomes a feast for the bacteria in our intestines. When the bacteria in the colon feast on fiber, they produce fatty acids that feed the colon cells lining the large intestine. The colon cells produce glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) which signals satisfaction to your brain and reduces food noise. Americans are recommended to consume at least 35 grams of fiber each day. Great choices for increasing daily fiber intake include apples, pears, berries, avocados, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, brussels sprouts, artichoke, black beans, navy beans, lentils, and squash. As you increase fiber intake with each meal, you will achieve a greater signal of fullness that will sustain you for hours.
When you select a protein for each meal and a fiber source to go with that protein you are beginning to construct a healthy meal that will satisfy your body needs for hours. As you build these quality meals, you will be able to start reducing snacks and separating your meals up to five hours. As you build this daily routine, begin to drink water between meals which will help to make sure you are well hydrated, which will also reduce snacking signals.
Health is the result of healthy choices. A supportive community is needed to help make these healthy choices become a lifestyle. I have written in previous articles about healthy weight and continue to provide resources to support healthy lifestyle choices that can help you reach your health goals. Contact me to discuss your health goals for the coming year. Nutrition is designed for healing. I can help you reach greater health freedom in 2026. Contact me at nutritionproportion@gmail.com, or check out my website at www.nutritionproportion.net
