From Panic to Peace: How I Used Nutrition to Help My Daughter Navigate Anxiety & OCD

I remember the exact moment the phone rang. It was the school psychologist saying my daughter had suffered a panic attack in the cafeteria, and I should come get her. As I drove to school my mind raced, "A panic attack? How? Why?" I tried to convince myself she was just being dramatic but the moment I saw her I knew I was wrong. The shakiness in her body, the fear in her eyes and the way she collapsed into my lap told a different story.

That day marked the beginning of an eight-month journey that would be my most challenging chapter as both a parent and dietitian.

When "Picky Eating" Is Actually A Cry for Help

What started as a single scary thought during lunch-"My tongue feels weird"-spiralled into a debilitating fear of choking and allergic reactions. Soon the"worries" in her 10-year-old head were running the show and the fact that this was all happening during the Covid pandemic didn't help matters.

As a mother, I watched her world shrink and become scary. As a dietitian, I watched her intake shrink and it was terrifying.

• The Appetite Drop: She began procrastinating at meals, playing with her food

• The Restriction: She cut out entire food groups terrified of having a reaction

• The Rituals: We noticed repetitive bedtime routines, needing constant reassurance and "just right" behaviors- common traits of OCD that often emerge in children aged 9-12.

I realized then that some of her "finicky" habits from a young age- needing her socks to be just right, her emotional outbursts, or her constant craving for sugary "quick energy" foods-weren't just personality quirks. They were symptoms of a brain struggling to regulate itself.

The Missing Piece: The Brain-Body Connection

While waiting to get in to see the most amazing child psychologist I did what I do best as a dietitian: I dove into research. I realized that while therapy is vital, we were overlooking the biological foundation of her mental health- her nutrition.

The brain is the most metabolically active organ in the body. If we don't provide the necessary nutrients it needs to produce neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, we are asking a child to "think" their way out of a physiological deficit. I began to use nutrition to bridge the gap between her mental health and her plate.

1. Nourishing the "Worried Brain": I explained to her that her brain was like a high performance engine that was currently running on empty, making it prone to glitching into "panic mode". We openly discussed nutrition and how it could help her feel and think better.

2. Supplementation: Based on clinical research I introduced specific nutrients-such as Omega 3's, Vit D3 and Magnesium to help calm her worried mind, reduce inflammation and support emotional regulation

3. Blood Sugar Stability: Together we focused on more consistent intake to prevent the "glucose crashes" that can mimic or trigger feelings of anxiety.

Four Years Later: A Different Story

Today my daughter is thriving. Her anxiety and OCD isn't completely gone but I'd like to say it's dormant and she is navigating it with a toolbox that includes both mental strategies and nutritional support. She understands that what she eats directly impacts the volume of her "worried thoughts" and she is more mindful of her life stressors and her nutritional intake.

Nutrition isn't a "cure" for mental health, but I believe it is the foundation upon which all other healing is built.

If you or your child is struggling with your mental health-be it anxiety, depression or OCD, you don't have to feel helpless. There are nutrition professionals like me who want to help.

Contact me to see how nutrition can help you feel better.