GLP-1 agonist drugs are effective for weight loss because, for many people, they turn down the “food noise:” that unwanted mental chatter about the need or desire to eat. At least half of adults, especially women, experience it at least part of the time. For almost 1 in 5 adults, it’s frequent or constant, regardless of actual hunger. As a concept, “food noise” is not very scientific or well-defined, but most people I know had an immediate, intuitive sense of recognition when they first heard the expression.
But what about the food noise outside of our heads?
We are exposed to thousands of ads every day. Hundreds of those are food-related. The vast majority of food ads are for “unhealthy foods,” meaning fast and processed foods. That’s to be expected: those products have bigger profit margins than whole, raw vegetables. Also, brand recognition doesn’t matter a great deal for beans. Preference for Coke versus Pepsi soda is part of many folks’ identity, but who can speak to the difference between Goya and Eden canned black beans?
All those ads are also food noise, and you can turn it down with none of the negative side effects of GLP-1 drugs.
Reclaim (some of) your willpower
Perhaps the majority of the ads we see these days come through our phones. Metamazoogle – the forces behind Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and Google – have so much data on us, they can predict what’s on our Christmas list better than our closest friend.
The tech giants also know what – and when – we want to eat, and they’ll nudge us at the exact time we’re most likely to follow through with an order.
Stop giving them so much power over you.
You may not be ready to start cooking whole food plant based meals at home every day, but you can at least stop giving so much attention and power to the business trying to sabotage your health.
Here’s how to start:
- Every time you receive an email from Uber Food, DoorDash, Fantuan, Skip the Dishes, or another company that wants to deliver food to you, click “unsubscribe” immediately. They do not have your best interest in mind. It may not work the first time, so be persistent. Go to your privacy settings inside each app to turn as much as you can off.
- Open your phone’s notification settings and turn off everything for food-ordering apps.
- Next level: set a 10-minute timer and start scrolling your social media feed. Every time you encounter a creator that promote foods or recipes that aren’t whole food and plant-based, unfollow them. Don’t worry: if ever you need a decadent vegan donut recipe, you’ll be able to find it again. You can do this on YouTube, too.
- Bonus: set another 10-minute timer and now use keywords to search for food creators that align with your vision for a healthier self, and follow them. Like a few of their posts. If you do this even just once per week, the algorithm will quickly learn to serve you their content on top.
Changing what you eat is hard. But it’s easy to start changing where you put your precious attention. Even if it’s only vicariously, you can start living the life that aligns with your health vision.
Surround yourself with images of the foods that nourish you. Follow businesses and creators that present healthy choices as the norm. Get notified every time Dr. Greger publishes a new video, when Nisha Vora drops a new recipe, when the Food Revolution Network organizes a summit, and when your favorite lifestyle medicine and habit coach sends a newsletter. 😁 Once you can imagine yourself as the kind of person who prepares and eats healthy foods, the step to actually practicing those habits will have become shorter.
Brigitte Gemme is a Certified Lifestyle Medicine and habit coach. If you’re interested in embracing healthier habits, consider booking a conversation with Brigitte to find out if habit coaching would be useful for you.
In November, Brigitte’s free group coaching call is focused on Healthy Habits for Givers. If you have a tendency of putting other people’s needs ahead of yours, finding yourself undernourished, lacking exercise, or short on sleep, you’ll feel seen and supported by this session. More info here: Healthy Habits for Givers.