What's your experience with food & ocd? Curious how much you all feel your diet helps or affects you. It's actually helped me to reduce sugar and caffeine, only drinking decaf, but mainly being meat free again. No judgement on your lifestyle please share 🎃
I switched from drinking a lot of coffee most mornings to drinking green or black tea. I’ve found that dialing back my caffeine intake has helped me to feel less wired and on edge and reduced my anticipatory anxiety around my OCD triggers.
This is so relatable, how long has it been since you switched ?
@Taarna I switched from coffee to caffeinated tea about 10 months ago, I experienced about a week or so of caffeine withdrawal.
So, I've been looking into this heavily. For context, I've never eaten meat my entire life and that did not stop me getting ocd. So it won't prevent it or magically cure you. I've adjusted my diet to receive my serotonin and dopamine etc and that was like a performance enhancer. I did it in place of taking mess because I'm against taking them. Again, this alone did not get me better. It was erp and clear recovery goals that did it. The diet just made it easier. Caffeine, I have cut out completely and don't need it with the amount of serotonin and dopamine I'm getting from my diet. Decaf coffee still has caffeine in. Maybe try green tea as it provides endorphins (one of the only things you can drink or eat to get that). I have lots of energy. Sugar is almost completely eliminated too. I've also cut down on neuro inflammatory such as food with high saturated and trans fats. They inflame neuro pathways and make it harder for people with ocd to rationalise. I've increased my intake of neuro anti inflammatory which I believe helps. If you do go meat free get supplements such as methylated b12, zinc, vit d and maybe magnesium / calcium. Maybe a protein shake once a day too, whether or not you work out. All of this helps but will not save you. You have to put in the work to change your lifestyle and habits. I've been calling my food "happiness fuel" and activities "activators". The fuel goes to waste if I don't choose to do things that release these hormones. 90% of your happiness hormones are created in the gut. It's harder but not impossible to be honestly happy without a decent diet. Hope this helps. Any questions, just ask
In place of taking meds*
Ive had such an experience once i started taking probiotics and jogging at least 3 times a week, i felt on top of the world, its been snowing where i live so i cant be as physical as id like to be but still trying to make somewhat smart dietary choices has helped
Heck yeah !! How long do you run for usually and what kind of probiotics? Past week started taking probiotics again and this feels like a sign to get back into running.
@Taarna I usually do about 2 miles, with a brisk walk or warm up for the first half mile working my way into a jog or run with a bit of a lull between each half mile. I aim for at least a 20:30 pace
I am super interested in this topic! And I agree with the coffee/ caffeine thing. I have significantly dialed back my daytime coffee and red bull drinking and it makes a big difference. I start my day with 1 cup of coffee and it helps me shake off sleepiness, I rarely feel anxiety or jitters from morning coffee. I have a cup of decaf in the afternoon once in a while and I find that it is just enough caffeine to give me a tiny focus boost without sending me over the edge and into an anxiety spiral. I used to use Jetson probiotics and loved them but now they are closing and I have to find another probiotic 😔
Has switching to a healthier diet helped anyone’s anxiety symptoms?
every once in a while my body image issues flare up & it can get intense. i obsess over the feeling I have in my clothes to check if I’ve gained weight, think of food, and have this perception that everyone sees me in a certain light I don’t want to see. i really can beat myself up with negative self talk. i haven’t realized until today since body image issues are so common that this could be my ocd. i used to engage in highly restrictive behavior when it came to food—I eliminated any white carbs, dairy, meat, etc & would do intermittent fasting. it’s hard not to fall into this obsession. I gained a few pounds over the last couple of months and it makes me feel anxious for the summer. anyone have a similar experience? x
Hey everyone! Sending love and support for all of you managing your OCD (We’ve got this!!). I’ve had a very rough week— I just tried out Prozac and had an AWFUL physical + mental response to it, so I am going off of it after about 9 days. My spirals have taken an intense physical toll on me and it’s been extremely hard to eat properly/stomach anything. I am curious about the holistic health end of things. Does anyone have experience with taking magnesium supplements and/or multivitamins to help deal with stress and anxiety? How have they made you feel, and have they helped ease your mind a little? Any recommendations? How do you deal with the physical effects of your OCD?
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