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What do you eat when your stomach is all churned up from anxiety

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Posted 11/6/2011 9:26 PM (GMT 0)
hello,

having a hard time eating lately.  Taking omeprazole for the acid but my stomach is just in a knot and I feel just sick.  I know I need to keep trying to eat because I'm feeling week.  Taking vitamins too. 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,

cookie

Posted 11/6/2011 9:38 PM (GMT 0)
I eat soda crackers when my stomach feels upset because I am anxious. It works for me. :-)
Posted 11/6/2011 10:26 PM (GMT 0)
Hi cookie,

Some people say you should try a bit of soft drink/soda like Coke. My personal favorite is mint tea, either iced or hot - whichever sounds better to you.

I also learned from some moms when their kids are having stomach troubles they turn to the "BRAT Diet" - Brat standing for bananas, rice, apples and toast.

Hope one of these helps you.
Posted 11/7/2011 12:54 AM (GMT 0)
Have you tried a high calorie/protein drink such as ensure? It can be considered a meal replacement, so if you add it in as a suppliment to what you are able to eat already, it could boost your calorie intake needs. It is also fortified with the vitamins and minerals that you need.

It should also be easy to sip and keep down...try it really cold:)

I hope that you can eat with more confort soon:)

S.C.
Posted 11/7/2011 2:40 PM (GMT 0)
i've been having stomach issues lately too and doc thinks i have acid reflux - i eat crackers too - i had pizza last night and geez, now i have this pinching pain in my stomach when i bend over. fun. don't know what that could be. ugh

bland foods like potatoes and rice would be good i think.
Posted 11/9/2011 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
I go for green tea when my stomach is all tight and anxious. Yogurt is pretty good too, I feel like it balances things out. But when I'm really tense I avoid ANYTHING with a lot of cheese in it.
Posted 11/9/2011 5:32 PM (GMT 0)
Hey cookie. When my stomach is bothering me I tend to stick to bland/white foods. Maybe some jelly on white bread OR plain white rice. Nothing oily! I might have some chicken soup, that seems to be ok. I drink warm drinks... tea (decaf or herbal - chamomile or something else). Cold drinks seem to be the way not to go for me OR anything carbonated.

I've had yogurt at times, but either the cold or whatever can get to me if my stomach's REALLY upside down from anxiety. I guess different things work for different people. I've gone the banana route someone else mentioned :) Ginger is good in general, but having a carbonated beverage may bother you. I know it probably would for me if I was not feeling good from anxiety. If it's flat, then it's fine. Crackers sound good to me too. :)

I also take omeprazole as I have some stomach issues and acid reflux (IBS, not to be confused with the more serious IBD)


PresentTensed

And yes, you definitely still need to eat. Some vitamins may be hard on the stomach, like iron or a multi. You'd have to see. Some things are best taken
with a meal. A protein shake/drink as suggested by SC may work. Hope I said something helpful and that you feel better. :)
Posted 11/15/2011 3:32 PM (GMT 0)
Since most of my stomach issues, which I have almost constantly, are related to stress and anxiety I really have stopped trying to force myself to eat. It is the feeling that "omg, I didn't eat breakfast and food doesn't even sound good anyway" thoughts that make it worse. I take something for my stomach. like zegerid and wait for it to calm down and then eat when I do feel hungry. If the day goes by and you still don't feel hungry just eat something like cereal and toast and see how it goes. Usually it's the first "meal" that will start to help settle things down. Make sure you are drinking enough water too and just start small, don't feel as if you have to have a big meal when you really don't feel like it.
Posted 11/15/2011 11:35 PM (GMT 0)
I had the "tied in a knot" feeling from anxiety in high school - especially during lunch when I was surrounded by so many other people. Since I had a hard time eating, I started the habit of eating small but frequent, rather than 3 big meals. I would eat as healthy as I could, not just junk food, but snacking on stuff at a slower pace and spreading it out throughout the day as you get hungry might help...and is also a great way to regulate weight (not saying that's an issue for you, but I found it useful for myself).

The caffeine from soda made my anxiety worse, so although it might be good for a stomach ache, I don't know if I'd recommend it for anxiety-related stomach "knots."
Posted 11/16/2011 1:21 PM (GMT 0)
cookie, When my stomach is acting up from anxiety I cant eat either. It actually feels like there is acid burning a hole right through my stomach. I have acid reflux and it burns so bad sometimes that I have to force feed myself crackers. I buy Cheez-Its for the flavor, cause regular crackers alone are just "yucky" to me. LOL And I also drink Ginger Ale, it's caffeine free and it helps bring up the "burps", and the ginger is good for your belly too! Trust me, since my anxiety and panic attacks have started back up, I lost 34 pounds from not being able to eat, so I know exactly where you're coming from. Hope this helps a little. Take care of you! Fox
Posted 11/18/2011 8:43 PM (GMT 0)
I am not usually on this forum, but lately my anxiety has been really high.
I saw your post, and wanted to add - I find that the dairy product kefir is my go-to when I can't eat because of stress. It is kind of like drinking yogurt, but even more calming. It has a lot of protein and excellent probiotics.
Hope this helps.
Hope
Posted 11/19/2011 1:59 AM (GMT 0)
I also like to eat small, frequent meals. My stomach gets upset if I am the least bit hungry. Eating big meals is hard when you are stressed and/or have acid reflux symptoms. When I'm really anxious I go for high protein foods and carbs. I might have a piece of wheat toast with peanut butter on it for instance.
Posted Yesterday 2:10 AM (GMT 0)
What I eat is oatmeal. It keeps me satisfied and I put on my sweatpants if I'm stressed out after that. Usually go for a stroll around the block. It makes me feel that I am at home. Theres no place like home.
Posted Yesterday 3:01 AM (GMT 0)
Tocoolcookie,
I have some stomach issues also that prevent me from eating. I eat crackers with water and for vitamins I drink the ensure shakes,1 every night, before I started drinking them I was having issues with anemia, low b vitamins and all around an absorption problem, I now seem to be doing pretty good after drinking them for a while. They shakes absorb better for me where the pills go right through me.
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