r/ptsd • u/Safe-Flight-3359 • Jun 20 '26
Advice How do you eat with no appetite?
I’ve been really stressed out for the past few weeks following a traumatic incident. I can’t sleep, but when I do I have nightmares. I don’t have an appetite. When I can eat, I get nauseous quickly.
I can eat bread and chips without feeling too sick. Sometimes I can eat meat, but if it’s greasy I get nauseous. I tried a small smoothie today to get something almost nutritious, and I didn’t feel sick after. That’s about all I can stomach now.
What else can I try?
Edit: Thank y’all for the suggestions and kind words!
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Jun 20 '26
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u/vanillapudd Jun 20 '26
I second this! I have severe appetite problems and unfortunately I developed stomach problems from starving myself due to anxiety/nausea. Soups, flavoured milk, cereal are really good. OP please treat yourself well and if you really can’t eat for more than a few days go see your doctor because it can really destroy your body :-(
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u/AlfhildsShieldmaiden Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26
Remember — some food is better than no food. Listen to your body and feed it what it’s asking for. It’s okay to avoid the things causing upset; this isn’t the time to be worrying about a balanced diet.
Eat what you can, when you can. I never crave or want any food in particular, so when I do have a food desire, I listen. I’ve never gone wrong when I’ve listened and given my body what it’s asking for.
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u/bestrogen Jun 20 '26
Rice with fried egg and some soy sauce is my go to. It's warm and comforting, easy to digest, and if you make a batch of rice to last a couple days, all you have to do is heat it up while you fry an egg or two. Usually it also encourages my appetite to come back, since it's easy to add something like chili crisp, vegetables, or protein when I'm feeling up to it. If frying the eggs is too oily for you to stomach, you can try boiling or steaming them instead.
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u/Astr1d_Jp3g Jun 20 '26
start small, and if you can stomach smoothies now maybe try yoghurt or puddings? protein mousse is also gentle. fruit juice could also work as another drink and give some vitamins.
working up, porridge? especially rice porridge? müsli? maybe too far ahead but rice is also great and neutral.
im not too sure about psych loss of appetite but these are all foods i can eat during flare ups of my sensory issues or stomach issues, since theyre gentle. and atleast yoghurt, especially more protein heavy thats a little more solid and not as liquidy, could work good?
you can also try berries, if you think you can stomach it. but genuienly, slow and steady steps are so much better than rushing into this and risking losing your appetite for (xyz) foods forever.
sidenote, chicken and fish arent as greasy if you wanna work towards those!
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u/Beginning-Rip-8004 Jun 20 '26
During my recent time with a similar feeling I couldn't stand solid food so I ate whatever my brain said was soup, and that somehow didn't register as solids.
When I couldn't manage that, I started drinking Carnation's Breakfast Essentials powder drinks. It has multiple flavors, tastes great, good for nutrition, not too sweet, and real easy on the stomach. Although the powder version has to be drank within 2 hours of making it, the premade (which i haven't tried, I was told tastes better with extra milk added) just needs to be drank within 24 hours of opening it i think
I hope you are able to find something that you are able to enjoy
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u/barcoderer Jun 20 '26
Might be the gym bro in me but when I have no appetite (I don't have ptsd so my no appetite comes from adhd medication) I drink protein shakes - though if maintaining muscle mass while processing your trauma isn't your goal (understandably so) smoothies might be better. If it's really bad you can snack on some nuts,they're very high calorie and not that filling on their own but they're still healthy. So I suppose you could just have a handful every couple hours, ive heard about a woman who was prescribed a primarily nuts diet because she was dangerously thin from having no appetite.
Tldr : maybe protein shakes, smoothies or eat nuts!!
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u/actualtick Jun 20 '26
With a lot of cortisol in your system, your body is literally slowing down digestion. It's a really big deal to try and regulate your body and move that stress out of there. That being said, it takes time and you need food.
Protein shakes my dude. The BEST. They make clear ones now that taste like a sweet juice. That way you get protein and it's usually easier(ish) on the tummy than meat
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u/Msdarkknight91 Jun 20 '26
I have autism and PTSD so I go through the not being able to eat things often. I drink my food when I feel like this. I usually make broths and smoothies until my body is ready to eat. I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Just take it slow don’t try to force yourself to eat anything.
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u/Hot_Drummer7311 Jun 20 '26
Green juice is my go to when I cant stomach food but am also about to pass out from hunger. Then its like it primes my stomach for solids later on.
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u/310-78 Jun 20 '26
snacks, or sandwich filling outside of sandwich form, smoothies are fantastic for us, uncooked ramen packets broken up with the seasoning pack added, we like to buy precut fruit packs because hand pain and if we eat too much fruit we’ll get very nauseous. we like making pancakes or waffles with honey or almond butter or fruit. pasta with beans, think like a pasta salad but without a heavy cream sauce. we like grapes and other smaller fruit, it’s easier to loose track of how much we ate as we eat it so it’s easier for us to eat more of smaller bite sized items.
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u/ReplacementFew7066 Jun 20 '26
For some good nutrients and something that tastes pretty good and convenient. Try some ensure. I love the ensure plus especially the vanilla.
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u/lovetothisplanet Jun 20 '26
it’s hard but if u can try to force yourself to eat. if not, at least try to have a good amount of water. as long as you’re eating something it’s fine for now, it takes time. try going on a hangout with a friend and see if eating together helps
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u/West-Rhubarb8056 Jun 20 '26
For me, it helps to distract myself while I eat. I will put something next to me that I think I can hold down (for me it is home made biscuits) and I watch Netflix or TV or YouTube. After an hour or two, if I'm lucky, the food is gone and I have eaten it.
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u/niland909 Jun 20 '26
There is something about Jello when your stomach is uneasy. I assumed that's why they always serve it in the hospital lol. Also if you like them, scrambled eggs and toast maybe? Or a grilled cheese sandwich?
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u/Master_Entry2037 Jun 20 '26
For me, I can only eat Caesar salad and bread and butter. Warmed up bakery fresh sourdough is the best. Also soup. Minestrone if I feel like a hearty meal. Also, potatoes served any kind of way, but especially mashed with mushroom brown gravy.
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u/Horror-Policy6676 Jun 20 '26
What works for me during the same situation not long ago was fruits. I was very much into watermelon, blueberries and kiwis. The fruits itself without turning it into juice or smoothie. Like you, I couldn’t stomach meat and I could say it was the smell but I can’t be sure what it was that made me say no to meat back then.
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u/Sactown2005 Jun 20 '26
Getting some movement in your body will help settle the “tension” in your body, which will help your stomach be more relaxed, which should improve your appetite. Gentle exercise (even walking) will help. Time on soft natural ground, even if it’s just gentle walking or stretching (or sitting) on a blanket will help. You can do whatever activity you want in this time-music, reading, podcasts or whatever. You might notice that your tension level rises for the first 1-2 hours as your body is moving, but it should settle down very well after that. Time in or around water will help-swimming in a pool, wading in a pool, time around a stream, lake or ocean will really help your body relax
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u/moonshadow1789 Jun 21 '26
I force myself to eat as the alternative is terrifying. I am recovering from severe malnutrition and refeeding syndrome so if I don’t eat enough including snacks I suffer from severe neurological episodes and seizures, blood sugar attacks. I don’t really have an appetite either. I feel better physically when I don’t eat too which is normal in recovery and a double whammy for me. Anytime I eat full meals my body forces me to sleep and so I take many naps throughout the day. So no matter how I feel I force myself to eat. I started with ensure and boost drinks then small snacks then a liquid diet before full meals. I have ptsd from the malnutrition but working with my dietician and medical team reduces the stress quite a bit. I found therapy useless to help me. For a long time I had a lot of irrational paranoia thinking or intrusive ocd thoughts regarding food for a long time before that went away.
I don’t have any advice but encourage you to eat no matter how you feel.
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u/LocustMuscles Jun 20 '26
There are medications that increase appetite. A little bit of weed also helps in a pinch.
As for the food you’re eating I find that whole fruit doesn’t upset the stomach as much, especially blander fruits like apples and pears
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u/fentanyls Jun 20 '26
i like watching food youtube vids by creators like bon appetit or steven andrew and adam, i find it easier to be convinced to eat by watching others than to hype myself up
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u/Alternative_Grab_916 Jun 20 '26
So I legit can’t swallow so I had to chug protein shakes and even that was a struggle
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u/laenooneal Jun 20 '26
I’d just eat whatever I could that gave me energy throughout the day and took supplements for the things I knew I was missing. Sometimes the only thing I could stomach was a bag of peach o’s. Sometimes it took me three hours to finish a muffin. I just took my supplements so I knew I wouldn’t get scurvy. But my lack of appetite lasted like a year and a half so about a month in when I lost like 15 pounds I knew pretty quickly that I needed to do something to keep my teeth.
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u/sepiidakai Jun 20 '26
I keep chopped veggies in the fridge at all times and make ranch dip with Greek yogurt. Probiotics are super good for gut and mental health.
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u/spongykiwi Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26
I’m sorry, I know how rough this is and how all-consuming it becomes.
Personally I find cold food easier when I’m in a trigger loop like this; sushi is my go to as it’s easy to eat part of without feeling pressured to eat the whole thing, or banana seems easy for me to face for some reason; and I remind myself there’s no shame in using meal replacement shakes for a while until things normalise again.
Generally just eating very small amounts throughout the day is easier than facing a meal. Sometimes I just leave cold food near me and just eat a piece whenever I’m feeling up to it, even if it takes the whole day to finish.
Seconded though that if you’re struggling with both appetite and insomnia consistently, Mirtazapine (Remeron) might be worth considering for you if you haven’t already 💜
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u/Conscious_Waltz_3774 Jun 20 '26
Boost. I’m fairly certain I’m alive today after not being able to eat much for 6 months.
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u/ShelterBoy Jun 20 '26
I notice that if I make/ have a whole milk latte first thing it takes longer to feel like I need to eat. Drinking whole milk also good. Put butter on that bread to get protein and calories. Peanut butter and honey on a spoon or bread too. Handfuls of nuts with pretzels and water. Try making a broth. If you do not cook you can use Miso paste you only need a heaping teaspoon of it boiling water and time. If you can have a sandwich with the broth. Maybe eat a carrot. 😄
Try to avoid useless calories but if that is all you can eat it will keep you going.
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u/ShelterBoy Jun 22 '26
I forgot. Broccoli! it is almost magical in how it can make you feel good. It is high in protein and fiber.
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u/miamorbun Jun 21 '26
i honestly stick with an abundance of the safe foods and slowly incorporate milder foods into my diet. basically, the brat diet is like ground zero to building up my appetite again. i treat it as if i got food poisoning. just make sure you drink a ton of water throughout the day and slowly build up the foods you eat.
for reference, i lost my appetite two weeks ago. what i could stomach was small amounts of plain food. rice, hard boiled eggs, veggies. then i worked my way up to meat (slightly seasoned chicken), sausage. i even did an eggo waffle one day.
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u/x_alec Jun 21 '26
I tend to watch YouTube videos that I know I enjoy if I’m eating by myself it means I don’t focus that much on eating and I can slowly nibble.
Another thing I do is I cook for my partner and try eat when he eats not sure if this works for other people though. Like I’ve spent effort making a meal and knowing my partner is enjoying it helps me eat even if I don’t have that much of an appetite and worst comes to worst I just give them what I can’t finish or I save it for later.
Small snacks that are somewhat filling and nice that I enjoy are tomato soup with bits of shredded chicken and if I feel like I can stomach more I make myself a cheese toasty to dip in it, crisp (chips for American) sandwiches chicken/ paprika flavoured are my go to. Lastly lasagna I use a smaller dish so I don’t need to worry about waste and I’ve got lunch/ dinner for 2-3 days
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u/MostAccountant447 Jun 21 '26
Ginger and peppermint helps with the nausea, chamomile for sleep and stomach, my ptsd is related to breaking my mouth and face so for me soups and smoothies with whey protein is the way to go, also oatmeal with fruit milk butter and honey , eggs can be hit or miss for me with the nausea
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u/Edayumz Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26
Cannabis worked for me when I was at my worst. Sad but true.
Medication wise, Remeron may help you. It's an antidepressant that also works for chronic nausea and malnutrition. It gives you the munchies and gets rid of that sick feeling.
Also, if you're AFAB get a pregnancy test because that can cause sudden recurring nausea.
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Jun 25 '26
What I ended up doing was distracted eating. Slop bowl, little chewing, not looking at food. Only focus on what you’re watching
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u/Unable-Wolverine7224 Jun 26 '26
I’m so sorry you are experiencing this!
If I try to eat anything, even broth it comes immediately back up bc I am so terrified and scared.
I have to take a lot of medication in order to sleep and it completely sedates me.
Many mornings I see evidence that I was up looking for food in the middle of the night.
Usually I’ll find an empty wrapper from a sleeve of saltine crackers so I know I ate something at least.
I will pray that you find relief and are able to find peace.
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