contamination ocd with food

Hi everyone, I’m new here and just wanted to see if there’s anyone out there who relates to me in any type of way so i don’t feel like a weirdo lol. I’ve had food anxiety my entire life, and it’s gotten progressively worse over the years. it started off with meat (chicken especially) now i’m scared of raw fruits and veggies (due to ecoli, salmonella, parasites, etc.) and now it’s even coming down to simple things like bread or milk. I throw food out all the time when it’s literally fresh but my mind tells me i’ll get sick from it. i stick to specific “safe foods” that i don’t think i’ll get sick from and 99% of the time it’s not healthy and it stresses me out that i’ll have problems later on when i’m older (i also have health anxiety) i even overthink about the way the grocery store workers stock food, thinking they’ve left it out for too long. it’s ridiculous. i love food, i’m just scared of throwing up and getting food poisoning. anything that involves throw up: i’m out. i even overthink about bleach and lysol somehow getting into my food if someone is cleaning near me. i hope there’s someone who understands in some type of way. i cant even enjoy eating out at a restaurant with friends or family. i hope after i talk to a therapist it could help. I’m happy i’m taking a step in the right direction :)

Username: opossumfan opossumfan

Date posted: 2y ago

Gosh, absolutely. While it’s not my main struggle and not to the extent you wrote, I definitely struggle with it. Raw chicken is something that freaks me out, and with school, I progressively stopped cooking like I used to. Milk also scares me because if it was any scent at all, I want someone to smell it and check and I’m always asking, “are you sure it’s not bad? Doesn’t it smell different from yesterday? You sure??”, etc. Other then chicken, mold is one of my big fears for some reason, straight up wouldn’t drink out of the coffee machine for a while. However, as I’ve gotten therapy, it’s helped to realize what is a compulsion, sitting with uncertainty, etc. to get back to living life. I’m glad that you’re seeing a therapist and am excited for progress for you!

Username: FJustRightOCDFJustRightOCD

Date posted: 2y ago

There are SO many things you've written that I can completely related to, and it's so hard, because I too, love food. And between fear of contamination&health OCD (they are tooootally related for me), and actual health issues (ironically, caused by an old case of food poisoning), I feel my choices are limited at the super market. I'll go to the market, and see and SMELL DELICIOUS FOODS I REALLY CRAVE, but then I am reminded in my head that "they aren't safe" and I feel more frustrated. Literally everything that smells good at the grocery store, are also things with "off limits" ingredients. My "safe" foods are pretty bland, and I am so tired of how much all the rules in my mind are boxing my diet in. I'm going to be doing ERP scripts for this and turn them into loop tapes, and start doing exposures around buying 1 "wild/risky food" item, and just take a bite.. and then maybe take more, until I become used to it. Omg, any advice/tips in this thread would be awesome!

Username: ClaireRagerClaireRager

Date posted: 2y ago

yes I have the same problem, especially with raw chicken and especially pork because of the fear of worms and stuff—some fruits bother me while others don’t. it’s unusual but it’s good to talk to someone and be able to accept it as well as realize when you are having compulsions. you got this!

Username: Dj-is-livingDj-is-living

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 2y ago

Oh my gosh. I’ve been this way for such a long time 😮😮😮AND IF I EAT SOMETHING OR DRINK SOMETHING immediately trying to spit it out, washing my tongue, freaking out, etc. you’re not alone!

Username: Anonymous

Date posted: 4y ago

I’m new to this app and really happy to be within a community of people working through same thing. I have been working through contamination ocd since the start of the pandemic. It’s debilitating mentally. It just wants me to seek certainty in every compulsion and also reassurance and researching online incessantly. Anyone else struggle with this specific ocd? Wiping down doorknobs every time someone touches them. I can’t even sit outside in the grass I’m afraid of the pandemic. I won’t touch my groceries for three days. I miss my old self. I literally feel like a different person since March.

Contamination OCD

Username: Anonymous

Date posted: 1y ago

Contamination/Somatic OCD support

Hi i’m new here. Everyone in my family except me is now positive for Covid and i’m freaking out so badly i cannot sleep. i cannot eat. i’m worried i’m going to get sick, i have a phobia of throwing up too on top of all of this so it’s making this even more difficult hearing coughing/gagging/vomit. My face is literally tingling numb and i cannot sit still. I’m trying to calm myself the best I can because this is almost a nightmare to me but nothing is working and my therapist isn’t even responding to me. What do i do? i’m so scared

Username: libbyp97

Date posted: 1y ago

Food allergy ocd

Hi everyone. I have food allergy ocd. Eating anything is hard for me. Especially if I’ve never had it before. It’s causing a lot of distress for me. Eating something new means I will probably spend at least an hour in anguish over whether or not it will give me an allergic reaction. I sometimes convince myself it is actually happening and it’s so frightening. I feel like nobody else has this theme and it makes me feel more alone and isolated since I’ve never heard anyone talk about it. I miss when it wasn’t so hard but I worry that once I stop worrying then that’s when it will happen. Anyone have any advice?? 🥺🥺

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contamination ocd with food

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