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Laura chats combatting ‘food noise’
I saw a TikTok about “food noise” and I really want to talk about it.
“Food noise” is the relentless thoughts about food and eating that unfortunately so many of us have experienced, or still do experience.
There used to be a time where food noise consumed my mind. I remember when this took over 98% of my brain. I’d either have guilt or shame around the food I had eaten or be overthinking future food certain decisions – based on the toxic ‘diet rules’ that we have been taught.
I remember a time where I felt like I was in jail in my mind with thoughts about food. How many calories I would ‘allow’ myself in a day and food began to control my entire life.
Falling into the mindset that food is entirely the number of calories you eat, and looking at food as just a number, can be a really slippery slope. Social media at the time was filled with posts showing you how many minutes you needed to run to burn off an Oreo cookie, and it was a big part of triggering my disordered eating.
Food noise can sometimes be all consuming, and without realising, it can suddenly take over your mind. It’s why what we do at Kic is so important, to remind everyone that food is fuel and that you do not need to ‘earn’ what you eat. There is so much more to you as a person than simply the way your body looks, I promise you that.
To help stop this cycle, here are some things you can focus on to help break free from food noise:
Acknowledge ‘food noise’ when it occurs and mindfully let it go
Just as you would with meditation, try and tune in to when food noise occurs and mindfully reflect on why this has come up. Acknowledge that you’ve had the thought and reframe your mindset about what you’re having. Focus on the positives, maybe you’re fuelling your body for strength training, enjoying your meal because it’s your favourite dish or tuning into your body because you’re hungry! All these things are okay, and food does not have to be good or bad or within a certain calorie count.
Rethink the language we use around food
Growing up in a generation where we see diet culture online and in the media can unintentionally create food noise in our mind. Maybe you grew up in environment where loved ones might say “Oh, I better not eat that. Oh, don’t want to use all my calories in one meal. Oh, I’ve written off the day. I need to burn that off”. When we hear these phrases, it’s important that we reframe our mindset and recognise that this is toxic diet culture.
Focus on what makes you feel GOOD
Food should be something you enjoy! Freeing yourself from food noise can bring you so much more joy and reduce that mental load spent on constantly thinking about food and diet culture. We should eat what we enjoy, not what is promoted as ‘low calorie’, ‘superfood’ or ‘fat burning’. Focus on eating to fuel your body to be able to do all the incredible things that it does for you. We only get one body, and it’s important that we show it the love it deserves.
If you’re currently in this cycle, please know, you’re not alone and you can work through this. If you or a loved one experience food noise, disordered eating or an eating disorder, support is available at the Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673 from 8am – midnight (AEST/AEDT) 7 days a week.
Love,
Laura xox
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