food noise

Definitions

A mental preoccupation with food that is differentiable from hunger and from cravings but tends to urge people to overeat.

idiomatic, uncountable

Examples

“[…] the concept that once the meal is over, it's time to move⟳ on to other tasks. When you use⟳ one or more of them at the end⟳ of a meal or snack, you help⟳ to quiet the part of your mind⟳ that distracts you with thoughts about food, thus creating more mental energy for work⟳, hobbies, and other tasks. Without all of the "food noise" in your head, you'll find⟳ you are much more productive. Consider⟳ using any or all of the following strategies to add⟳ closure to your meals. / • Light⟳ a candle for your meal and blow⟳ it out once you've finished. This simple strategy effectively says, "The meal is over." / • Brush your teeth after meals. Besides creating a mentally reinforcing ritual, brushing your teeth offers two side benefits. […]”

“As more and more people took the drugs, stories spread⟳ about “food noise,” and researchers started looking even more closely at what was going on in the brain.”

CEFR level