Re: foods and OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Message Board

dannic1 · 12-28-2007, 08:27 PM

Hi all -

Am having a wonderful night - praise God! I wanted to share with everyone that I truly believe certain foods help me out. I also have a strong faith in God and His healing power. : ) Dark chocolate seems to really elevate my mood and turkey is very calming to me. I noticed that eating yogurt also seems to help. Just thought I'd pass these tips on.

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone.

danni

BadMalibu · 12-28-2007, 09:50 PM

Danni-

Well a chocolate, turkey, yogurt sandwich doesn't sound too appealing to me, but I think separately they would be pretty good! =) And you're right, there are foods that are calming and those that I notice can trigger anxiety/OCD.

One I definitely notice that can trigger OCD is caffeine. I'm not supposed to be on caffeine because I start having chest pains, but as I'm sure everyone knows, it's easier said than done because that cup of cappucino is just so good. =) Anyway, I notice caffeine, large amounts of chocolate, and sugar will cause spikes in my OCD, so I try to stay away from caffeine as much as I can and eat healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. I also notice if I smoke too much (go ahead, I can hear all the anti-smoking comments coming my way) that can raise my anxiety a bit too.

Anyone else have foods they stay away from, or foods that you find help you out?

seaturtle · 12-29-2007, 09:23 PM

Hi,

I believe chocolate gives an anti-depressant effect, and turkey and joghurt both contain tryptophan, which is involved in serotonin production.
Your reactions make perfect sense.

Benjamin01 · 01-08-2008, 07:31 PM

I have never thought about the relationship between anxiety/OCD and diet. It would be interesting to work out what common 'ingredient' all 'good' foods contain (and all 'bad' foods). Any ideas anyone?

BadMalibu: I am surprised that smoking increases your anxiety. Smoking is one of my most effective 'tools' (unless I am obsessing about cancer but that's a whole different story).

BadMalibu · 01-08-2008, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benjamin01

BadMalibu: I am surprised that smoking increases your anxiety. Smoking is one of my most effective 'tools' (unless I am obsessing about cancer but that's a whole different story).

Well smoking is a stimulant, but I guess after awhile you get used to it and don't really think about it. I will say that when I'm stressed the ol' ciggy calms me down.