Anxiety Support Group

Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...

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michiev 04/09/2014

So my brother made brownies and used a non stick cooking spray in the pan so they wouldn't, you know.. stick.. The problem is one of my triggers is oil because of it's tendency to go bad extremely fast, granted this spray was probably the better choice rather than using the oil that was in the clear bottle, my brother said the oil in the bottle smelled really weird so he didn't use it. My problem is that we've had that can of cooking spray for a really long time, I don't even know when my mom bought it but it seems like it's always been in there.. My anxiety and OCD are going crazy today because I started to think it was bad and it was going to make me sick and make me feel awful, I checked the expiration date (april 18th 2014) but that didn't help calm my anxiety much at all (cutting it a little close eh?) I'm now scared that I'm going to get sick, I had the brownies a little bit ago and now I'm thinking that because digestion takes a long time, it might be hours until I get any symptoms of illness from the supposed bad cooking spray.

Help me.

deleted_user 04/09/2014

Did you look at the date on the spray to see if it is old?

michiev 04/09/2014

The best by date is actually today, april 9th 2014.

MsBlank1 04/09/2014

Isn't there an 800 number on the can. If so, call and ask them about the expiration date and what to do. Otherwise, call poison control and see what they advise.
If the oil was bad, I'm guessing you'd be feeling the effects by now.

wildflowers44 04/09/2014

I'm so sorry to hear you're feeling anxious. But I can pretty much promise you that you're fine. I have kept that nonstick spray for AGES and have never gotten sick. Trust me, I am super paranoid about expiration dates. I toss leftovers after a day or so (even if they can be kept longer), so I'm pretty cautious. But trust me on the cooking spray.

Also, the date on things like cooking oil is just a best before date. Certain things, like fresh meats and dairy, do go bad after the date. But with other things, like the oil, the date is just an indicator of when it tastes best. It's still totally safe to eat after the date, it just might not be of the best quality/taste, that's all. But it certain won't make you sick.

Try to take a deep breath and relax, and try to focus on something else. I guarantee you are fine!

rosiestorm 04/09/2014

I'm sure you'll be ok.

If ur anxiety is that high about it, maybe go see a doc for some reassurance.

hyperpgal 04/09/2014

sorry that this is causing you anxiety-I know how that goes--first off---I believe that you would have tasted the oil if it were rancid....I know I can--it is a nasty taste...and I can assure you that you won't get sick from it---my brother once made me a whole plate of gnocchi, using rancid oil....It was awful but I felt so bad saying something about it that I ate it anyway-I have a miserable bad stomach..(and I mean miserable) and I was fine after eating it...so I can say with assurance that you will be ok....unless you work yourself into a state and make yourself sick to your stomach (I've been there and done that...) so try and relax...meditate...tell yourself you are safe....distract yourself with something entertaining and deep breathe......

Reed31 04/09/2014

I have a lot of food anxieties as well. What I tend to do is do something to take my mind off of it - I watch a tv show, a movie, call a friend and talk about something other than my fear, do some online window shopping, listen to music. Whatever you can do to take your mind off it.

My reasoning is that I'll get sick if I get sick and while it may be unpleasant, it will be over fairly quickly and I'll be better soon.

I just took a food safety class and oil is generally fine unless you put garlic in it and set it on the counter for months. Herbs are fine in oils. So just plain oil - and not expired - you should be fine.

Take some deep breaths and do something to keep yourself busy.

michiev 04/09/2014

Hm, what do you mean about garlic and oil?

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