Do you guys have a weird relationship with food? Do sugary or salty foods ever exacerbate your physical anxiety symptoms?

[DMARXX]

Hello guys! So since I've had GAD(recently) I don't eat any processed foods. like chocolate, ice cream, gummies. Generally stuff with lots of sugar. The only type ill eat is fruits. I also don't eat salty fried foods anymore. Like french fries, fried chicken, those kinds of deep-fried salty stuff. I completely went cold turkey because I've found it makes my physical anxiety symptoms worse at night which is weird. It's especially bad when I eat those foods. This actually makes me really sad because I really enjoyed eating what my sister would make(she wants to become a baker) I always think about it and it brings me down. I don't know why that's happening but id like to at least eat it once in a while without it hurting me. I seriously won't get any sleep for three days. This makes me depressed. Has anyone had a weird relationship with food?

 

[Avolitionist]

Sugar and flour used to affect my anxiety a lot. Sugar is known to give quick energy, and I feel flour does the same. It hits your stomach and is quickly digested because it is already partially broken down from the act of grinding into flour. This gives quicker energy than say a whole intact wheat berry which still has intact fiber to slow digestion down.

For me, I can't handle all the easy access energy. I would get anxious and/or manic. Fruit I could handle, but fruit juice gave me problems. Again, it is a case of too much energy being digested too quickly for me. I think I am just super sensitive to foods.

I try to stay away from this stuff as it affects me this way and other ways that I don't like. I can't do sugar, flour or juice, but I can do wheat and other grains if they are whole grains and not ground into flour. The weird exception: I can do oat flour. I have no idea why, but works for me.

It is a matter of figuring out what works for you. There are lots of recipes for different baked goods that use all sorts of different flours. They can even be sweetened with dates, apple sauce or bananas, so you don't have the sugar issue. Again the fiber slows down digestion of the sugars in the fruit. At least it works for me.

And here's some cake for you!

 

[DMARXX]

Sugar and flour used to affect my anxiety a lot. Sugar is known to give quick energy, and I feel flour does the same. It hits your stomach and is quickly digested because it is already partially broken down from the act of grinding into flour. This gives quicker energy than say a whole intact wheat berry which still has intact fiber to slow digestion down.

For me, I can't handle all the easy access energy. I would get anxious and/or manic. Fruit I could handle, but fruit juice gave me problems. Again, it is a case of too much energy being digested too quickly for me. I think I am just super sensitive to foods.

I try to stay away from this stuff as it affects me this way and other ways that I don't like. I can't do sugar, flour or juice, but I can do wheat and other grains if they are whole grains and not ground into flour. The weird exception: I can do oat flour. I have no idea why, but works for me.

It is a matter of figuring out what works for you. There are lots of recipes for different baked goods that use all sorts of different flours. They can even be sweetened with dates, apple sauce or bananas, so you don't have the sugar issue. Again the fiber slows down digestion of the sugars in the fruit. At least it works for me.

And here's some cake for you!

The only type of sugar I can handle for now is fruit. I cant do fruit juice either. I tried eating dates once and it messed me up that night. Felt like my whole body was buzzing with energy and i would jolt awake from it. I haven't eaten it since and I'm just really cautious now. since this is all new to me I don't know what I can and can't eat. It just hits me and I have to go thru it and learn my lesson not to eat it. I don't like this trial and error system...

 

[Avolitionist]

Maybe arrange a schedule so you can try out new foods when you don't have obligations for the next few days. That way if they cause you to not asleep you aren't totally messed up. Caution is definitely the way to go.

Dates have a ton of sugar in them, so I totally understand that. Bananas, too.

 

[P_Rose]

This is one of my daily struggles. I have a sweet tooth I inherited from both of my parents and it took me a long time to start to recognize the negative impact that sugar has on my moods and anxiety. It's hard though, because sometimes having a bit of birthday cake with someone or a sugary treat after a hard day temporarily alleviates my depression, I just end up paying for it later. Sugar definitely makes it harder for me to sleep, even if I take a melatonin pill, which usually does the trick. The times I've been off of sugar, the withdrawal symptoms at first are awful, but eventually I feel much more even and less anxious or irritable. Ideally, I wouldn't have sugar in my diet at all, but it's probably going to be an on-and-off thing if I'm honest.

 

[LizBo]

Hello guys! So since I've had GAD(recently) I don't eat any processed foods. like chocolate, ice cream, gummies. Generally stuff with lots of sugar. The only type ill eat is fruits. I also don't eat salty fried foods anymore. Like french fries, fried chicken, those kinds of deep-fried salty stuff. I completely went cold turkey because I've found it makes my physical anxiety symptoms worse at night which is weird. It's especially bad when I eat those foods. This actually makes me really sad because I really enjoyed eating what my sister would make(she wants to become a baker) I always think about it and it brings me down. I don't know why that's happening but id like to at least eat it once in a while without it hurting me. I seriously won't get any sleep for three days. This makes me depressed. Has anyone had a weird relationship with food?

My thing was caffeine. It sped my heart rate up so the brain released adrenaline/cortisol thinking I was in danger. It was the same for vigorous exercise which took me ages to identify. Who would've thought something so good for you was so triggering?

The result was anxiety/panic so I had to limit coffee to once in the morning and only exercise to raise my heart rate a little; swimming turned out to be the best.

Blood sugar's relationship with the brain and effects on circadian rhythms through eating at odd times can cause triggering effects. It's not just what we eat it's when.

Doing anything that might alert the brain to danger, 'perceived or real' (raising heart rates) has to be limited while the brain heals from damage usually caused by trauma, due to triggering the fight/flight/freeze effect. It's adrenaline that's the main cause of symptoms.

 

[DMARXX]

Maybe arrange a schedule so you can try out new foods when you don't have obligations for the next few days. That way if they cause you to not asleep you aren't totally messed up. Caution is definitely the way to go.

Dates have a ton of sugar in them, so I totally understand that. Bananas, too.

I have a food diary that dates the stuff I ate and if I was triggered that night. It really helps to have a schedule. Im gonna try to start eating new stuff but im a little reluctant. I have to wake up really early for work and if i don't get sleep i will suffer. I have a day off tomorrow but i dont want to waste it not sleeping because i ate something that triggered my anxiety

 

[Avolitionist]

I keep a diary too for much the same reason. Handy tool to have.

Very smart of you to choose to eat things you know won't trigger your anxiety. It can be hard on holiday. I know that all too well. I applaud your choice.

 

[DMARXX]

This is one of my daily struggles. I have a sweet tooth I inherited from both of my parents and it took me a long time to start to recognize the negative impact that sugar has on my moods and anxiety. It's hard though, because sometimes having a bit of birthday cake with someone or a sugary treat after a hard day temporarily alleviates my depression, I just end up paying for it later. Sugar definitely makes it harder for me to sleep, even if I take a melatonin pill, which usually does the trick. The times I've been off of sugar, the withdrawal symptoms at first are awful, but eventually I feel much more even and less anxious or irritable. Ideally, I wouldn't have sugar in my diet at all, but it's probably going to be an on-and-off thing if I'm honest.

Im too sissy to do that. Im gonna try melatonin and see how i feel. Maybe i can start little by little and maybe that will help me sleep if it attacks. If this keeps going i am consideringcutting out sugar for a long long time...

 

[DMARXX]

I keep a diary too for much the same reason. Handy tool to have.

Very smart of you to choose to eat things you know won't trigger your anxiety. It can be hard on holiday. I know that all too well. I applaud your choice.

Yes it is My sister is making macarons right now and i cant have any...Thank you i need all the support i can get

 

[DMARXX]

My thing was caffeine. It sped my heart rate up so the brain released adrenaline/cortisol thinking I was in danger. It was the same for vigorous exercise which took me ages to identify. Who would've thought something so good for you was so triggering?

The result was anxiety/panic so I had to limit coffee to once in the morning and only exercise to raise my heart rate a little; swimming turned out to be the best.

Blood sugar's relationship with the brain and effects on circadian rhythms through eating at odd times can cause triggering effects. It's not just what we eat it's when.

Doing anything that might alert the brain to danger, 'perceived or real' (raising heart rates) has to be limited while the brain heals from damage usually caused by trauma, due to triggering the fight/flight/freeze effect. It's the adrenaline that's the main cause of symptoms.

I don't drink my morning coffee anymore because it spikes it. Maybe ill try some tomorrow morning because it been a while since I've drunk it. But definitely true about the adrenaline. That hormone/neurotransmitter is an enemy in anxiety

 

[Faith198]

I swear that sugar affects me but I still put up with it because I’m addicted also coffee like other people have stated