Biology
Hunger hormones like ghrelin rise naturally before meals, signalling you to seek food. Highly processed foods can quickly activate the brain’s reward system, creating a strong message to “remember and repeat” the behaviour.
WEIGHT LOSS
The crave kit
Activities, tips, and swaps to quiet food noise.
If your brain keeps circling back to food when you’re not truly hungry, you’re not weak - you’re human. “Food noise” is that constant mental chatter: thoughts about what to eat, whether to eat, and how much.
Food noise is influenced by biological systems that regulate hunger, reward, and energy balance.
The volume of food noise can grow louder when we’re tired, stressed, bored or surrounded by cues (smells, adverts, a colleague’s biscuits).
The good news: a few simple tools can help make food noise feel more manageable.
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Why cravings feel so compelling
Whilst food noise is the background chatter of the brain’s appetite system, cravings - shaped by hormones, learning, mood, and environment - are one of the ways that chatter shows up.
Habits
Over time, everyday cues (such as watching TV, driving, feeling stressed) trigger automatic scripts - reach, eat, repeat. These loops are learned, not chosen.
Deprivation
Over-restricting or skipping meals can backfire - your body increases hunger signals and heightens reward sensitivity, making cravings stronger later on.
Why use the crave kit?
A “crave kit” can support you in riding out urges - it gives you instant, low-effort options to ride out urges with less struggle. Think of it as a first-aid kit for food noise.
Build your personalised crave kit
How to use it: the 4 Ds
Detect
Pause. Rate your hunger 0–10. If it’s physical hunger (stomach empty, low energy, any food sounds appealing), choose a balanced meal or snack. If not, proceed to the next step.
Delay
Set a 10-minute timer. Most urges crest, peak, and fall like a wave.
Do
Pick one action from your crave kit. Change your mouth feel (mint/tea), your hands (fidget), your body (2–5 minutes of movement), or your headspace (breathing or music).
Decide
When the timer ends, decide your next best step. Often the urge has softened enough to choose calmly.
Smart swaps by craving type
Craving sweet
Frozen berries or grapes, Greek yoghurt with cinnamon, sugar-free jelly, apple slices with peanut butter, a square or two of dark chocolate.
Craving salty/crunchy
Air-popped popcorn, roasted chickpeas or edamame with sea salt, seaweed snacks, crunchy veg with hummus.
Craving creamy/comfort
Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese with tomatoes and pepper, miso or chicken broth, oatmeal with chia and berries.
Why these help
Protein and fibre can support steadier blood sugar and help cravings pass more smoothly.
Strong flavours and sensory input can interrupt sweet cravings and shift focus.
Movement and slow breathing can reduce stress signals that often drive urges.
Design your environment, not your day, around willpower
Make the helpful choice the easy choice. Keep nourishing options visible; store snacks that tend to prompt overeating out of sight or reach when possible.
Pre-portion treats you truly enjoy rather than eating from the packet.
Use if-then plans: “If I get hungry at 3pm, then I’ll make peppermint tea, chew gum and take a 5-minute walk. If I still want the snack after, I’ll have my planned yoghurt and berries.”
Daily habits that turn down the baseline noise
Eat for steadier appetite
Regular meals with protein (aim for roughly a palm-sized serving) and fibre (veg, fruit, legumes, whole grains) can help.
Support your body rhythms
Hydration, sleep, and daylight all influence hunger hormones. Carry a water bottle, prioritise 7–9 hours of sleep where possible, and get outside or move early in the day to support appetite regulation.
Lower stress, lower cravings
Stress can amplify food noise. Gentle movement, music, time in nature, stretching, or short mindfulness practices can help calm the nervous system and reduce urges.
The numan take
Food noise is the background chatter of the brain’s appetite system - and cravings are one of the ways that chatter shows up. Neither are moral failings. They’re biological signals shaped by hormones, learning, mood, and environment.
A crave kit helps you answer the right need in the moment. You won’t use it perfectly every time - and you don’t need to. Aim for a little more awareness, a little more preparation, and a little less friction. Over weeks, those small wins retrain the brain, and the food noise gets quieter.
*This is general coaching advice and not medical advice.
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