Silencing Food Noise Naturally: Harnessing Your GLP-1
Image by Pap Tamas
Everyone thinks about food.
It is essential for life, vital for our health and energy needs. It is a source of enjoyment. Food is woven into our culture, our celebrations and is a way we come together to bond as family and friends. But thoughts of food for some can become excessive, harmful and an intrusive chatter.
What is Food Noise
Most of us know this quite well. It is the barrage of thoughts about food and our particular cravings when we are really not hungry and when we should be focused on other things. It is frequent thoughts about our next meal. It can be time when thoughts of calories, weight and diets occupy too much mental space.
This preoccupation can feel like a daily battle.
Food noise creates anxiety in making decisions about food. It may even cause you to eat more. Some people become almost dysfunctional because all they think about all day is food, prompting unhealthy eating.
This can lead to uncontrolled weight gain, emotional issues and other medical conditions.
Digging Deeper: Triggers of Food Related Mental Chatter
Thoughts about food can be triggered by internal or external signals. Internal prompts may be caused by stress, emotions, fatigue and the disruption of the hormones involved in hunger and appetite. External factors may simply arise from the smell of fresh baked cookies or seeing a picture of an extra cheesy deep-dish pizza. Both can contribute to food noise.
Chronic stress elevates cortisol levels, which interferes with hunger signals and leads to cravings for comfort foods.
People often crave sugar because the brain releases dopamine, the “feel good” hormone when we eat sugar. This “reward” of feeling good can be extremely addicting particularly during times of stress when our will power plummets.
The key is learning how to respond to food noise.
How to Turn Down the Dial on Food Noise
1. Work on Stress Management and Sleep Quality: When tired, irritable, or anxious, many people think more about food because it brings pleasure. Stress and poor sleep quality also increases the hunger hormone, ghrelin, which is released in the stomach.
Finding ways to manage stress and anxiety, then is key to quieting food noise. Deep breathing, exercise, music, time in nature or with loved ones can get us beyond the chatter.
2. Eat a Balance of Nutrient Dense Food with Plenty of Protein: Researchers have been pondering for years the “protein leverage hypothesis”. It states that we are biologically programed to seek and consume a certain amount of protein. A drop in protein percentage along with the essential tag along micro nutrients our body needs cause us to actually crave and eat excess calories often in the form of carbohydrates and fats.
To begin with, ditch the standard American diet which is full of high sugar, high fat, ultra-processed food which disrupts gut health and hunger-regulating hormones. Replace it with whole foods including plenty of quality lean protein, along with high fiber and water content fruits and vegetables which will satisfy and keep you feeling full.
Your gut bugs will thank you.
3. Stay Hydrated: With dehydration, we may feel low energy or experience cravings, which can be mistaken for hunger. Drinking water can increase alertness and energy without extra calories.
4. Be Proactive: Plan your meals each day and consider preparing in advance in portioned containers. This reduces the mental burden of food decisions throughout the day.
Decide ahead of time what you are going to do when you are bored or anxious.
Control what you put in your shopping cart so to limit the number of bad food choices in your kitchen. A crucial tip: Never go to the grocery store hungry.
5. Practice Mindful Eating: Focus on eating slowly and without distractions, savoring each bite while paying attention to hunger and fullness cues. Engage all your senses. This will make meals more satisfying and help reduce obsessive food thoughts outside mealtimes.
Turn up GLP-1 Turn Down Food Noise
What if the key to silencing food noise, appetite control and ultimately weight loss is already inside your body?
Let us talk about unlocking this “Smart” hormone, GLP-1, and find out how you can leverage it as your secret ally in the weight loss battle.
What is GLP-1 you ask? Glucagon-like peptide-1 is a hormone produced in our gut when we eat. Here is the short list of what this pretty remarkable hormone does and why we want to channel it.
· Slows Down Stomach Emptying: It signals your stomach to slow emptying so you feel full faster and longer and prevents overeating. This also averts an excess, harmful rise of glucose from being dumped into the blood stream.
· Controls Appetite: GLP-1 inhibits the hunger signaling hormone, ghrelin, produced by the stomach. It also directly communicates with the brain’s appetite control centers, reducing food noise, cravings and unnecessary calorie intake.
· Balances Blood Sugar: GLP-1 regulates insulin release from the pancreas which lowers blood sugar levels but it also reduces the total amount of insulin needed because of the delayed stomach emptying and slow carbohydrate absorption. This short circuits those dreaded energy spikes and crashes that lead to cravings.
By ensuring a steady energy level this also supports more efficient calorie burning.
Nature’s Appetite Regulators: GLP-1 Supplements for Lasting Weight Loss and a Quieter Mind
Medical interventions, known as glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) have become a popular trend. These synthetic drugs are expensive and can lead to side effects that are not worth the risk for some people.
Fortunately, science is rapidly innovating new ways to naturally boost GLP-1. For those who prefer a more holistic approach, focusing on activating GLP-1 through natural GLP-1 supplements can be a safe, powerful alternative.
Weight loss isn’t just about calories in, calories out, it’s about understanding how our bodies work.
Research continues to highlight the benefits of the GLP-1 hormone beyond weight management and blood sugar control, including protective effects on cardiovascular and brain health.
Always check with your healthcare provider to help you make the right choice for you. I will drop a link below for the natural GLP-1 Activator that has already made an impact on my health. In the meantime, focus on habits that enhance GLP-1 function, like eating fiber rich foods, staying active and improving gut health.
Embracing these natural strategies will guide you toward optimal health and a more balanced lifestyle, with GLP-1 becoming your hidden partner in weight management.