Understanding Food Noise: How Diet Culture and Weight Stigma Fuel Disordered Eating – and What to Do About It.

Aug 5

Do you feel like your mind is constantly preoccupied with food?

Whether it’s obsessing over your next meal, tracking calories, or feeling guilty after eating something “off plan,” this relentless mental chatter is what many call food noise—and for individuals recovering from an eating disorder, it can feel absolutely overwhelming.

At our therapy practice in New Jersey, we specialize in helping clients quiet the food noise and heal their relationship with food and body image. In this blog post, we’ll break down what food noise really is, how it’s fueled by toxic messages from diet culture and weight stigma, and how a compassionate approach grounded in Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size (HAES®) can help you find freedom.

What Is “Food Noise”?

Food noise refers to the constant mental dialogue about food:

“Did I eat too much?”
“What’s in this?”
“I should skip lunch to make up for last night.”
“I’ll start over on Monday.”

It’s the background static that turns every bite into a moral dilemma. For individuals with eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, or orthorexia, food noise is more than just annoying—it’s exhausting and painful.

Where Does Food Noise Come From?

1. Diet Culture

Diet culture promotes the belief that thinness equals health, morality, and self-discipline. It glamorizes restriction, glorifies weight loss at any cost, and labels foods as “good” or “bad.” This sets up a shame-based relationship with eating and reinforces the obsessive thoughts we call food noise.

2. Weight Stigma

Weight stigma is discrimination based on body size. It shows up in the doctor’s office, at school, in the workplace, and even at home. When people in larger bodies are judged, shamed, or treated as less worthy, it can lead to internalized shame, body dissatisfaction, and—tragically—disordered eating.

3. The Minnesota Starvation Experiment

The food noise phenomenon isn’t just psychological—it has biological roots. In the 1940s, researchers conducted the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, in which healthy men were semi-starved for 6 months. The result? They became obsessed with food—talking about it, dreaming about it, collecting recipes. Sound familiar?

This landmark study revealed a key truth: food obsession is a normal response to restriction. If you feel like all you can think about is food, it’s not a failure of willpower—it’s your body trying to protect you.

What Actually Helps?

Introducing: Intuitive Eating + HAES®

At our New Jersey practice, we support clients using a non-diet approach rooted in Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size® (HAES®). Here’s what that means:

Intuitive Eating

Developed by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, Intuitive Eating helps people:

Reject the diet mentality
Make peace with food
Honor hunger and fullness cues
Cope with emotions without using food
Respect the body—regardless of size

It’s not about giving up or “eating whatever forever”—it’s about reconnecting with your body and rebuilding trust that was lost through years of dieting or disordered eating.

Health at Every Size® (HAES®)

HAES is a weight-inclusive framework that promotes:

Respect for body diversity
Access to compassionate, non-discriminatory healthcare
A focus on health-promoting behaviors (like joyful movement, intuitive eating, and mental well-being) over weight loss

This approach allows clients to shift their focus from shrinking their bodies to truly caring for them.

Therapy for Eating Disorders in New Jersey

If you’re struggling with food noise, compulsive eating behaviors, or negative body image, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to go through it alone. At our therapy practice in Bergen County, NJ, we offer compassionate support for individuals of all sizes and identities navigating eating disorder recovery.

Our clinicians specialize in: