Diet impacts OCD in several ways and plays a role in regulating neurotransmitters, reducing inflammation, and strengthening the gut-brain connection. Changes in diet and targeted nutrition can improve responses to standard OCD therapy and lead to more successful treatment outcomes.
What is OCD?
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Patients with OCD often spend excessive time partaking in compulsive behaviors such as cleaning, repeatedly checking safety measures such as locks or appliances, arranging or ordering objects in specific or precise ways, and hoarding items.
To be formally diagnosed with OCD according to the DSM-5, patients must meet the following criteria [1]:
- Obsessions, compulsions, or both:
– Obsessions: Recurrent, intrusive thoughts that cause anxiety and distress. Patients often try to ignore or suppress obsessions with an action (compulsions).
– Compulsions: Repetitive behaviors (hand washing, ordering items, praying, counting, or repeating words excessively) driven by obsessions and thought to ease distress. - Obsessions or compulsions are time-consuming or cause significant distress or impair daily functioning.
- Symptoms are not due to medication or substance abuse.
- Symptoms are not better explained by another mental health disorder, such as generalized anxiety.
How OCD Impacts Diet: Challenges Around Eating
Around 23% of people with food-related OCD struggle with disordered eating, and research shows the lifetime prevalence of those with OCD and eating disorders is as high as 17% [2].
This overlap is significant because both conditions often involve obsessive thinking and compulsive behaviors, including ritualized eating patterns related to texture or contamination fears.
- Rigid Eating Patterns: People with OCD sometimes only eat certain textures, colors, or types of food. Or only eat at certain times.
- Food Avoidance: Intrusive thoughts about specific foods or food groups related to contamination fears can restrict diet.
- Anxiety Around Food Preparation can make mealtime depressing, stressful, and often isolating.
- Compulsive Behaviors and OCD rituals, such as counting calories or strict meal times, can increase disordered eating in individuals with OCD.
How Nutrition Supports Brain Health and Recovery from OCD
Nutrition supports brain health and recovery from OCD in several ways via the gut-brain axis. This is a communication network between the gut and the brain that helps regulate neurotransmitters and inflammation [3].
Research has found that OCD often presents with an imbalance of bacteria and increased inflammation in the gut, known as dysbiosis, which has been found to worsen symptoms of mental health challenges [4].
Disordered eating can cause changes in serotonin production in the gut and worsen symptoms of OCD. Let’s look closer at how it works [5]:
- Neurotransmitter Production: Nutrients like B vitamins and magnesium help produce serotonin and dopamine to regulate mood and manage anxiety.
- Brain Inflammation: Omega-3 fatty acids from foods like salmon, berries, or spinach can reduce inflammation in the brain and body that can worsen OCD or other mental health challenges.
- Regulated Blood Sugar: Balanced meals with enough carbs, protein, and healthy fats can stabilize blood sugar and prevent mood swings.
- Enhances Cognitive Functions: Hydration and nutrient intake improve functions such as attention, memory, and concentration, which are all essential for effective participation in therapies for OCD, such as CBT or Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).
- Compulsions: OCD symptoms such as excessive handwashing, cleaning, or use of antibiotics can impact the gut microbiome.
Practical Tips for Nourishing The Body and Brain with OCD
- Start small and make gradual changes to your dietary habits to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Address difficult foods by introducing them slowly and repeatedly in small amounts (try taking at least 2 to 3 bites of the food).
- Practice mindful eating by focusing on the sensory experience. Chew slowly, appreciate your food, and accept discomfort to expose and decrease anxiety around meal time.
- Choose safe, routine-friendly meals that are quick and easy to make. This can reduce anxiety and decision-fatigue on what to eat.
- Consider prepping ingredients or making meals in advance to lower stress around daily eating choices.
5 Meal Ideas for Improving Gut Health in Those with Food-Related OCD
- Fruit smoothie. Add in things like bananas, berries, and spinach for probiotics.
- Salmon with steamed vegetables. This offers omega-3s for brain health, reduced inflammation, and is easily digestible.
- Miso soup or chicken noodle soup can be simple, easy to eat, and gentle on digestion.
- Oatmeal has an easy texture to tolerate and is rich in fiber. Try adding blueberries, bananas, or chia seeds.
- Grilled chicken and potatoes are a safe food for many individuals who struggle with texture problems and offer a good source of protein.
How Professional Support Makes a Difference
Professional support that integrates evidence-based, clinical therapies for OCD and nutritional guidance can greatly improve treatment outcomes. At Harper Clinic, we take a holistic and integrative approach to treating OCD and provide targeted nutrition to improve your gut health.
Our functional medicine team uses a blend of integrated treatments to heal the gut-brain axis and improve mental health. Some of these include:
- Probiotic therapy: Foods or supplements containing live yeast and found in fermented foods such as kimchi, yogurt, and pickles.
- IV Nutrition: IV therapies provide high doses of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals directly into the bloodstream to support the healing of the gut lining.
- Yoga, meditation, and other stress-relieving activities can reduce inflammation and improve digestion.
We also offer several evidence-based treatments to help patients with OCD manage obsessive thinking and reframe patterns of thought, develop healthy coping skills, regulate brain activity, and nervous system functions. Some of these include CBT, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), Neurofeedback, and Ketamine therapy for treatment-resistant cases.
A Holistic Approach to OCD and Wellness at Harper Clinic Utah
Harper Clinic provides holistic, integrative treatment to address Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, other mental health challenges, and chronic health problems. Our OCD treatments blend cutting-edge, evidence-based neuroscience with holistic, whole-body approaches to address all factors of mental health.
Reach out to Harper Clinic by phone, text, or directly through our booking system to schedule your mental health consultation. Our providers can help you verify insurance benefits and set up a personalized treatment plan that meets your unique mental, physical, and dietary needs.
Sources
[1] Impact of the DSM-IV to DSM-5 Changes on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. National Library of Medicine.
[2] Forbush, K. T. (2013). Why do eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder co-occur?. Eating behaviors, 14(2), 211–215.
[3] Carpenter, S. 2012. That gut feeling. APA.
[4] McVeigh, C. (2023). Microbial Reprogramming in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: A Review of Gut-Brain Communication and Emerging Evidence. International journal of molecular sciences, 24(15), 11978.
[5] Appleton J. (2018). The Gut-Brain Axis: Influence of Microbiota on Mood and Mental Health. Integrative medicine (Encinitas, Calif.), 17(4), 28–32.