{"id":111610,"date":"2026-04-07T10:00:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T10:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/?p=111610"},"modified":"2026-03-08T15:50:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T15:50:39","slug":"the-empty-plate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/","title":{"rendered":"The Empty Plate"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">The introduction of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/treatments\/13901-glp-1-agonists\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">GLP-1 receptor agonists<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"> like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ozempic.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Ozempic<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wegovy.com\/obesity\/starting-wegovy\/getting-started-on-wegovy.html?tc=ps_8r8g0sv&amp;cc=2003&amp;showisi=true&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds&amp;&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_term=wegovy&amp;utm_campaign=1_BR_Wegovy_Exact_2026&amp;mkwid=s-dc_pcrid_788811566112_pkw_wegovy_pmt_e_slid__product_&amp;pgrid=187584597302&amp;ptaid=kwd-1296426946962&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=23370758550&amp;gbraid=0AAAAABWNcslhuLQKQ3GHZIPzNBDrx7MxJ&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAhaHMBhD2ARIsAPAU_D4AGytjOFoLHUNglnamYMqG0xdVwkn6n8u_qymVOTKC-JE2OCKsfjcaAhhtEALw_wcB\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Wegovy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"> has initiated a profound shift in how millions of people relate to food. Much discourse has focused on weight loss and medical outcomes, but a critical sociological phenomenon is quietly unfolding around our dining room tables. By chemically silencing \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/eating-disorders-the-facts\/202507\/food-noise-unwanted-and-persistent-thoughts-about-food\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">food noise<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">,\u201d the persistent, often overwhelming psychological drive to eat, these medications are not just shrinking waistlines; they are fundamentally altering the social rituals of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC8295993\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">commensality<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">, the act of eating together. This is disrupting the social cohesion historically forged by breaking bread.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Loss of Hedonic Anticipation<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">\u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/eating-disorders-the-facts\/202507\/food-noise-unwanted-and-persistent-thoughts-about-food\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Food noise<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">\u201d is frequently framed in medical terms as a pathology to be cured, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41387-025-00382-x\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">defined as<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"> persistent, unwanted thoughts about food that drive consumption. However, from a sociological perspective, this \u201cnoise\u201d is often the engine of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thereader.mitpress.mit.edu\/we-are-who-we-eat-with\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">food culture<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">. The anticipation of a meal, the shared craving, and the collective excitement over a menu are foundational elements of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thereader.mitpress.mit.edu\/we-are-who-we-eat-with\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">dining together<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">. When medications suppress the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41387-025-00382-x\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">hedonic control<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"> of food intake, the desire to eat for pleasure rather than pure biological necessity, the shared excitement that underpins a dinner party or family meal begins to dissipate. The ritual loses its emotional resonance when the craving itself is chemically removed.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Breaking the Symmetry of the Table<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Classical sociological theory helps us understand why a dampened appetite can feel socially disruptive. Georg Simmel (1910), in his <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/958356421\/Georg-Simmel-Sociology-of-the-Meal\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Sociology of the Meal<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">, argued that eating is a unique human activity because it is simultaneously fiercely selfish (only I can digest the food I consume) and profoundly communal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-111613 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-photo-35635532-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-photo-35635532-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-photo-35635532-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-photo-35635532-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-photo-35635532-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-photo-35635532-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/>Simmel posited that the \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/958356421\/Georg-Simmel-Sociology-of-the-Meal\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">socialization of the meal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">\u201d occurs when we elevate this basic, individual biological need into a shared aesthetic experience governed by manners, conversation, and collective rhythm. Think about the unspoken rules your family has at the dinner table: don\u2019t talk with your mouth full, saying grace, even watching tv as a family as you eat are all examples of this socialization.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">When one person at the table is medically removed from the biological urge to eat \u2013 picking at food or abstaining entirely \u2013 they inadvertently break the &#8220;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/958356421\/Georg-Simmel-Sociology-of-the-Meal\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">symmetry<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">&#8221; of the table. The shared vulnerability and mutual satisfaction of the meal are compromised, potentially weakening the social bond being formed or reinforced.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">The Decline of the \u201cThird Place\u201d<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-111615\" src=\"http:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-antoine-maurin-264851287-28472464-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-antoine-maurin-264851287-28472464-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-antoine-maurin-264851287-28472464-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-antoine-maurin-264851287-28472464-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-antoine-maurin-264851287-28472464-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-antoine-maurin-264851287-28472464-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-antoine-maurin-264851287-28472464-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/>The impact of altered <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC8295993\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">commensality<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"> extends beyond the private dining room and into the public sphere. Restaurants and bars have long served as crucial \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/esl.uchicago.edu\/2023\/11\/01\/third-places-what-are-they-and-why-are-they-important-to-american-culture\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">third places<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">.\u201d These \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/esl.uchicago.edu\/2023\/11\/01\/third-places-what-are-they-and-why-are-they-important-to-american-culture\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">third places<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">\u201d are social environments distinct from home and work where community ties are built and maintained. Recent <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.cornell.edu\/stories\/2025\/12\/ozempic-changing-foods-americans-buy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">economic data<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"> suggest a tangible shift in these public rituals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/00222437251412834\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Studies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"> analyzing consumer behavior in households using GLP-1 medications reveal significant reductions in spending at restaurants and on alcohol. This <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.cornell.edu\/stories\/2025\/12\/ozempic-changing-foods-americans-buy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">trend suggests<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"> that as the chemical pleasure of eating and drinking is dampened, the motivation to engage in dining out as a primary mode of socialization is declining. Taking this into account, it raises the question about the future landscape of our communal \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/esl.uchicago.edu\/2023\/11\/01\/third-places-what-are-they-and-why-are-they-important-to-american-culture\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">third places<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Sociological Warning<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">As we witness the medicalization of our appetites, we are forced to confront a fundamental question: what remains of the meal when the hunger is gone? If the \u201cbreaking of bread\u201d is no longer driven by a shared, visceral need, the social glue of the table risks dissolving. The rise of these medications may force us to decouple human connection from consumption, challenging us to find new ways to gather that don\u2019t rely on the dopamine of the feast. We are effectively curing the biological \u201cnoise,\u201d but we must be careful not to inadvertently starve the social soul.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b>Podvorec is a guest blogger at <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/uitac.com\/\"><b>UITAC Publishing<\/b><\/a><b>. UITAC\u2019s mission is to provide high-quality, affordable, and socially responsible online course materials.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Images used in this blog:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 300;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">\u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/close-up-of-semaglutide-injection-pen-on-surface-32532049\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Close-up of Semaglutide Injection Pen on Surface<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">\u201d by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/@haberdoedas\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Haberdoedas Photography<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"> on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Pexels<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"> licensed under <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/license\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Free Use<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">. This image has not been altered.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 300;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">\u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/images.pexels.com\/photos\/35635532\/pexels-photo-35635532.jpeg\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Elegant Indoor Brunch with Assorted Dishes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">\u201d by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/@peri-2149976252\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">peri<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"> on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Pexels<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"> licensed under <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/license\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Free Use<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">. This image has not been altered.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 300;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">\u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/charming-italian-caffe-on-a-sunny-street-corner-28472464\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Charming Italian Caffe on Sunny Street Corner<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">\u201d by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/@antoine-maurin-264851287\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Antoine Maurin<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"> on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Pexels<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\"> licensed under <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/license\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">Free Use<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 300;\">. This image has not been altered.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The introduction of GLP-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic and Wegovy has initiated a profound shift in how millions of people relate to food. Much discourse has focused on weight loss and medical outcomes, but a critical sociological phenomenon is quietly unfolding around our dining room tables. By chemically silencing \u201cfood noise,\u201d the persistent, often overwhelming [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1267,"featured_media":111614,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,71,175],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-groups-and-organizations","category-health-illness-medicine"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Empty Plate - In The NEWS Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Empty Plate - In The NEWS Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The introduction of GLP-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic and Wegovy has initiated a profound shift in how millions of people relate to food. Much discourse has focused on weight loss and medical outcomes, but a critical sociological phenomenon is quietly unfolding around our dining room tables. By chemically silencing \u201cfood noise,\u201d the persistent, often overwhelming [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"In The NEWS Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-07T10:00:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-haberdoedas-32532049-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Emma Podvorec\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uitacpublishing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uitacpublishing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emma Podvorec\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/the-empty-plate\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/the-empty-plate\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Emma Podvorec\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3726050d76bf8a701464b4b97c61231b\"},\"headline\":\"The Empty Plate\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-07T10:00:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/the-empty-plate\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":689,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/the-empty-plate\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/pexels-haberdoedas-32532049-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Culture\",\"Groups and Organizations\",\"Health, Illness, and Medicine\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/the-empty-plate\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/the-empty-plate\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/the-empty-plate\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Empty Plate - In The NEWS Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/the-empty-plate\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/the-empty-plate\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/pexels-haberdoedas-32532049-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-07T10:00:26+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/the-empty-plate\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/the-empty-plate\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/the-empty-plate\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/pexels-haberdoedas-32532049-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/pexels-haberdoedas-32532049-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1920},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/the-empty-plate\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Empty Plate\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/\",\"name\":\"In The NEWS Blog\",\"description\":\"UITAC Blog\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"In The NEWS Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/inthenewsblog-1.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/inthenewsblog-1.svg\",\"width\":1136,\"height\":394,\"caption\":\"In The NEWS Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/uitacpublishing\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/uitac-publishing\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@UITACScholar\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/UITACPublishing\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3726050d76bf8a701464b4b97c61231b\",\"name\":\"Emma Podvorec\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/02699a7175f0b4d92eb1fde3c3901466b0823a9ddf899f0c5fa3f881354be129?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/02699a7175f0b4d92eb1fde3c3901466b0823a9ddf899f0c5fa3f881354be129?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/02699a7175f0b4d92eb1fde3c3901466b0823a9ddf899f0c5fa3f881354be129?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Emma Podvorec\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uitac.com\\\/inthenewsblog\\\/author\\\/emmapodvorec\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Empty Plate - In The NEWS Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Empty Plate - In The NEWS Blog","og_description":"The introduction of GLP-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic and Wegovy has initiated a profound shift in how millions of people relate to food. Much discourse has focused on weight loss and medical outcomes, but a critical sociological phenomenon is quietly unfolding around our dining room tables. By chemically silencing \u201cfood noise,\u201d the persistent, often overwhelming [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/","og_site_name":"In The NEWS Blog","article_published_time":"2026-04-07T10:00:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1920,"url":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-haberdoedas-32532049-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Emma Podvorec","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@uitacpublishing","twitter_site":"@uitacpublishing","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Emma Podvorec","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/"},"author":{"name":"Emma Podvorec","@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/#\/schema\/person\/3726050d76bf8a701464b4b97c61231b"},"headline":"The Empty Plate","datePublished":"2026-04-07T10:00:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/"},"wordCount":689,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-haberdoedas-32532049-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["Culture","Groups and Organizations","Health, Illness, and Medicine"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/","url":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/","name":"The Empty Plate - In The NEWS Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-haberdoedas-32532049-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-07T10:00:26+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-haberdoedas-32532049-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/03\/pexels-haberdoedas-32532049-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1920},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/the-empty-plate\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Empty Plate"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/","name":"In The NEWS Blog","description":"UITAC Blog","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/#organization","name":"In The NEWS Blog","url":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/01\/inthenewsblog-1.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/01\/inthenewsblog-1.svg","width":1136,"height":394,"caption":"In The NEWS Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/uitacpublishing","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/uitac-publishing\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@UITACScholar","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/UITACPublishing\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/#\/schema\/person\/3726050d76bf8a701464b4b97c61231b","name":"Emma Podvorec","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/02699a7175f0b4d92eb1fde3c3901466b0823a9ddf899f0c5fa3f881354be129?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/02699a7175f0b4d92eb1fde3c3901466b0823a9ddf899f0c5fa3f881354be129?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/02699a7175f0b4d92eb1fde3c3901466b0823a9ddf899f0c5fa3f881354be129?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Emma Podvorec"},"url":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/author\/emmapodvorec\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1267"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111610"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111616,"href":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111610\/revisions\/111616"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uitac.com\/inthenewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}