Nutritional psychology is an emerging subfield in psychology. It is an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary field that explores topics like food noise and how to stop food noise, compensatory behavior, neuroadaptation, and hedonic hunger.
Nutritional psychology is an emerging subfield in psychology. Its focus is the relationship between food consumption (e.g., eating patterns) and how eating patterns affect our neurological (brain) and physical health over time. Nutritional psychology is an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary field that explores topics like food noise and how to stop food noise, compensatory behavior, neuroadaptation, and hedonic hunger.
Table of Contents:
Food Noise
How to Stop Food Noise
Compensatory Behavior
Neuroadaptation
Hedonic Hunger
Importance of Nutritional Psychology
Food Noise
Food noise is characterized by persistent thoughts about food. Food noise means we have an ongoing inner dialogue and thoughts about what to eat, how much to eat, what we’ve already eaten, and when we’ll next eat.
Sometimes, when taking a GLP-1 medication, the food noise goes away because — according to current thinking — these medications signal our brain’s reward center that we are full. The food noise might also be quieted because of the associated gastrointestinal side effects of these medications, so this is something to take note of and monitor.
Like any inner dialogue we might have, a food noise dialogue is not necessarily problematic. That said, when our internal dialogue becomes a seemingly all-consuming echo chamber, this is a sign that we need to act.
How to Stop Food Noise
Before we can stop food noise, we need to dig into whether the food noise is actual hunger or related to a suboptimal emotional or psychological state — perhaps we’re feeling bored, angry, anxious, stressed, tired, or excited — and we are using food as a reward or to satisfy a perceived need.
Strategies to stop food noise include:
- Mindful eating. Mindful eating involves paying conscious, focused, attention to the foods we consume at mealtime. A mindful eating practice includes taking note of the size, texture, scent, mouth feel, and taste of our food. We should chew consciously and pay attention to the physical act of eating and to hunger cues, and when we notice we are full and feeling satisfied, stop eating. As part of a mindful eating practice, cultivate a healthy eating framework that includes lean protein for muscle health and maintenance and satiety. Include fiber, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats to ensure nutritional needs are being met. A nutritionally dense diet promotes overall health and helps us remain fuller for longer periods of time.
- Talk with a counselor. Working with a licensed mental health professional can help identify the cause or causes of food noise. Therapeutic approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a therapeutic approach that offers tools for changing our thoughts patterns and behaviors, is one available option.
- Mindfulness is the practice of bringing our conscious and focused attention to the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness is about being fully aware of the present moment relative to our thoughts and feelings. Developing a mindfulness practice can help us to tease out the cause of the food noise.
Compensatory Behavior
Compensatory behavior is another component of nutritional psychology. A compensatory behavior is a behavior taken to cancel out or counterbalance another behavior. This is commonly seen in people with eating disorders wherein someone may engage in excessive exercise following a calorie-dense meal to offset the calorie consumption or in some cases, unfortunately, some may turn to self-induced vomiting.
Compensatory behaviors could amplify unhealthy thought patterns and behaviors. Instead of an “all or nothing” approach to food, adopt a more balanced approach that does not eliminate a food group or type of food (unless there is as medical reason to do so). A nutritionally balanced diet can leave room for a more flexible mindset where we adopt more moderate approaches to exercise and eating. A compensatory behavior like the ones described above could be dangerous, so if you recognize these behaviors in yourself or someone you know, it’s important to talk with a healthcare professional.
Neuroadaptation
In the context of nutritional psychology, neuroadaptation is a process wherein our brain changes in response to what we eat and think. For example, consistently consuming high sugar foods, salty foods, high fat foods, processed, and ultra-processed foods can have negative consequences for our brain’s health. Following an unhealthy diet can lead to:
- Cognitive decline: Cognitive decline is characterized by poor memory and difficulty with planning and organizational skills. Mental acuity decreases.
- Inflammation: While we know that sugar and salt can lead to inflammation in our bodies, we may not be aware that they can also lead to inflammation in our brain. Inflammation in our brain can damage neurons and our brain’s ability to maintain neural networks. Inflammation can also lead to neurodegenerative disorders and impaired cognitive function. As our brain becomes accustomed to a sugary, salty diet, it craves those foods, so working to develop a healthy eating habit and consuming nutrient-rich foods can help protect brain health. Nutritional psychology can be instrumental in this shift.
Hedonic Hunger
Hedonic hunger is characterized by a desire to eat for pleasure rather than to satisfy hunger cues. Hedonic hunger tends to be activated by environmental cues (like the scent of BBQ on your neighbor’s grill or the scent of freshly baked donuts as you walk past the bakery). In the context of hedonic hunger, eating is motivated by the desire for taste and the reward that comes with tasting food.
Understanding hedonic hunger is an important element of nutritional psychology because it addresses how our internal states influence our eating behaviors. The drive to eat is not always body-based; sometimes, it is a response to a psychological need.
One strategy for managing hedonic hunger is to identify eating patterns: are we eating because we are hungry or because we are bored, anxious, or feeling sad? Taking note of how we feel after eating in response to a psychological need is also important. If we are feeling shame, embarrassed, or guilty, these are possible signs that we may need to talk with a healthcare professional.
Importance of Nutritional Psychology
Although it is as new field, nutritional psychology is an important component in the wellbeing landscape. Nutritional psychology can help us understand our relationship to food and offer us the tools and strategies we need to develop a healthy and sustainable relationship with the foods we consume. Changing our thoughts about food and dietary changes can be difficult.
It is important to start with sustainable changes. As noted above, food noise may be quieted when taking a GLP-1 because of how these medications affect the reward center in our brain or because of their associated GI side effects.
One approach to jumpstarting a shift toward healthy eating patterns is Biocare, a dietary beverage that is specifically designed for people taking a GLP-1 weight loss medication. Biocare is scientifically formulated to help manage GLP-1 side effects, and it contains high-quality whey protein, which helps maintain lean muscle mass and promote satiety. It also includes pre- and probiotic fiber that supports gut health, and two servings per day offer 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of 26 vitamins and minerals. What’s more, Biocare can help with the transition away from your GLP-1.
Prior to starting any weight loss program, whether it includes anti-obesity medication or not, be sure to consult with your healthcare provider to make sure your desired weight loss strategy is right for you.
