ADHD & Eating Challenges

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Transcript

Leah: Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition, brought to you by Nutritional Weight & Wellness. I'm Leah Kleinschrodt, a Registered and Licensed Dietitian with Nutritional Weight & Wellness, and today's topic is one we hear about more and more in our nutrition practice, and that's ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and eating challenges.

Maybe you've been diagnosed with ADHD yourself, you're supporting a family member with ADHD, or you're just simply wondering why eating feels so much harder than it should. This is the episode for you. And of course, I'm here today with a co-host, Teresa Wagner, who's also a Licensed and Registered Dietitian with Nutritional Weight & Wellness. So, good to be here with you, Teresa.

Teresa: Thanks, Leah. It's good to be here.

Leah: Yeah.

Teresa: So, today we're talking about ADHD. Maybe you haven't even gotten an official ADHD diagnosis, but you find eating to be a struggle, or you're just finding that you can't pay attention, right? And things seem disorganized and distracted, maybe more than they have been in the past.

Leah: Yep.

Teresa: For example, maybe you have completely forgotten to eat all day, only to find yourself standing in the kitchen at 8:00 PM wondering why you can't stop snacking. Or maybe you've become so hyper-focused on work that hunger doesn't even seem to register until you're absolutely starving.

Or you find yourself eating the same meal every day for weeks, only to wake up one morning and never want to see it again. Or maybe certain food textures, smells, or even the way foods touch your plate make them impossible to eat. If any of that sounds familiar, those are common occurrences in people with ADHD, and today we're exploring the relationship between ADHD and eating.

And according to the CDC, ADHD affects about one in 16 adults, and more than half aren't diagnosed until adulthood. So that's quite a few people- one in 16.

Leah: Yeah. Absolutely, and I mean, I, I've noticed this just in the nine years or so that I've been counseling. I feel like I have seen more women in practice come in, and they're on medications for ADHD, and they're, they're in their 30s, 40s, 50s. And I think I see this a little bit more in social media too. I heard this term, like, the unmasking of ADHD, when you start to hit some of those perimenopausal years or menopausal years.

So I think it's, there's definitely an awareness around this. There's more diagnoses happening, so we- we're seeing more adults that are getting this diagnosis later in life. And I think for a lot of them, it makes sense. They can kind of trace back to when they were kids or teens or younger adults, like why some of these challenges just make a little bit more sense, too, and this could include challenges with eating as well.

Teresa: Right. I think that they're seeing that the sex hormones have a major influence on how our brain functions.

Leah: Yep.

Teresa: And that the coping mechanisms that we were able to use when we were younger aren't working anymore as those hormones start to decline.

Leah: Mm-hmm. Yep. Great. That was perfectly said. I agree. And research also shows that people with ADHD are significantly more likely to experience some disordered eating behaviors. A lot of times this looks like binge eating, not all the time, but oftentimes.

And many people also struggle with food noise, so we'll talk a little bit more about that. They struggle with impulsive eating, irregular meal patterns, and then you mentioned those sensory-based food aversions. So today we'll unpack why ADHD can make eating feel so complicated, what's happening in the brain, and most importantly, share some practical nutrition strategies to help make meals feel less stressful and more satisfying and help balance that brain chemistry.

How ADHD influences eating patterns 

Teresa: Let's start with the big picture in how ADHD influences eating patterns. ADHD affects the brain systems involved in attention, planning, organization, emotional regulation, and reward. Those same brain systems also influence eating. Many people think eating is automatic, but it's actually incredibly complex. First of all, you have to even notice that you're hungry in order to know that it's time to eat. Then you need to make a decision about what you're going to eat and what sounds good.

Leah: Yep.

Teresa: We need to do meal planning, buy groceries, prepare food, set aside a time to eat, recognize when you're full, and then there's the cleanup afterwards. And I just want to point out, too, when you think about planning a meal, buying groceries, and preparing food think of how many places there are there for distraction.

Leah: Yes.

Teresa: Planning a meal, you sit down and you're going to plan what you're going to have, and meal planning usually is multiple meals.

Leah: Mm-hmm.

Teresa: And then writing out that grocery list. Then once you get into the grocery store, how many things are in the grocery store to distract you from your list? And then once you start preparing food, even putting the food away.

Leah: Mm-hmm.

Teresa: You know, there's just so many things that can interrupt that process that do make it pretty complex for those that that complexity is more challenging.

Leah: I, I was going to point out that same thing. Like it, it, it's not when in doing this show, we're not just talking about the act of eating. Like, there is a whole process that goes into how that food actually gets picked out and it arrives on our plate, let alone then the actual act of eating itself. So I, I think that's a great thing that you pointed out.

Teresa: Right, and I think what we call that is executive functioning, right; of, for the brain. It's making those decisions, and being able to follow through. And that's not easy. It would be a lot easier, I mean, we all say it, right? Like, if somebody would just come and cook for me.

Leah: Yeah.

Teresa: It would be great.

Leah: Yeah. Don't, don't make me make the decisions. It would be great, yeah, if I could hand off some of those chores to someone else. Unfortunately, most of us kind of live in that world where it's, it's a little bit more on us. So okay, how, how do we break this down and how do we make it doable?

Teresa: Yeah, there's not a personal chef living in my house.

Leah: Yeah.

Teresa: That would be me.

Leah: Yeah, exactly. So that executive functioning, that is the part of, like that is the part of the brain that is affected by ADHD and like why this is, this is a big struggle. Many people know they should eat lunch, but suddenly it's 3:00 and they realize, "Oh, I haven't eaten all day." Or they become so hyper-focused on work and on that, on school or whatever that project is that those hunger signals disappear.

And I have a client right now I'm, I'm working with, and this is a big challenge for her. She loves meat, loves vegetable, like loves all the, all the ways we talk about eating, but how... I can't tell you how many times I, like when I've talked to her that she has prepared this beautiful salad for lunch and she gets two bites in, starts working on something, and six hours later that salad is still sitting there.

So it's, a very real challenge. So it's sometimes the food falls to the wayside or it's just not that main priority, or we get into that hyper-focused state, and then the hunger hits all at once. It hits, you know, four, five, six hours later, maybe a little bit more. And then instead of grabbing that balanced meal, it's you now you're grabbing whatever is easiest, fastest, whatever sounds the best at that point, which might not always line up with your ideal healthiest choices.

Teresa: Yeah, that sounds like a very familiar story that I hear from clients as well. This creates a very common cycle. Skip meals, become overly hungry, eat very quickly, crave the foods that aren't typically the healthy choices, just like you were saying, and then you find yourself overly full, and then you do it on repeat tomorrow.

And it's funny because I feel like everybody that has this problem has this conversation with themselves either every night before they're going to sleep or every morning as they're starting their day is, "I'm not going to do that again today," or, "I'm not going to do that again tomorrow."

Leah: Yep.

Teresa: And then here we go. If we're not setting up the, the boundaries and the, and the and the systems, the tools the systems that we need in order to prevent it, it is. It's just kind of a cycle that keeps happening. And the problem, it isn't a lack of willpower. Many of these people are actually incredibly successful in their lives.

Leah: Yeah.

Teresa: It's that the ADHD makes consistent and balanced eating so much more difficult.

Leah: Mm-hmm. Yeah, and another interesting piece to this puzzle, and I didn't realize that there was a term for this, but there is something called interoception, and this is the ability for the brain to recognize signals that are coming from inside the body.

So it's like the body is talking, the brain's got to be listening. So this is like, again, this is hunger cues, fullness cues. When are you thirsty? Do you need to go to the bathroom? Do you need to get up and move? Many people with ADHD don't notice these signals. Like, the- they've kind of been dumbed down or the volume's been turned down, and so they don't get these signals until they're- these signals are overly intense.

So instead of feeling a little bit hungry or slight- you know, starting to be like, "Oh, okay, it's lunchtime coming up in another 15, 20 minutes. I'm starting to feel hungry," they don't feel anything until they're suddenly ravenous. And then instead of feeling satiated during a meal, they don't necessarily feel full, and then until they've really blown past their, their fullness cues, and now they're stuffed.

So this makes regular eating difficult. And then to add onto that, some of the ADHD medications can dull these signals even more or interfere with these signals. So it's, you know, again, it, it just kind of creates that environment for less than consistent eating patterns.

Eat on a schedule 

Teresa: Yes, and this is one of the reasons why we often recommend eating on a schedule instead of waiting until you're starving.

Leah: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Teresa: An ADHD brain may not give you reliable hunger signals. Using the clock, even setting an alarm instead of relying on hunger alone can make a huge difference.

Leah: Yeah, that structured eating, those predictable meal and snack times, using those alarms or using some kind of cues to keep those systems in place, absolutely.

Teresa: Well, when we were talking with our podcast editor, and she was telling us, because she has ADHD, that she has to set alarms, basically four alarms that keeps her on track in order to be able to eat on time, and all of the cues of the day, really, in order to make her life be successful.

Leah: Yeah. Because one thing she did say is like, in addition to medication as being one of, like, the pillars that kind of makes the day go a lot smoother, she notices her nutrition makes a big difference. And so that, those two big strings are the things that she can pull that can, kind of can make or break, like, how well the day goes. So yeah, it's a great, you know, again, score one for alarms, cues, like again, whatever keeps those systems going.

Possible concerns with food fixations 

And then there's food fixation. So let's talk about those for a minute, because many people with ADHD develop food fixations. And a food fixation, it's not necessarily unhealthy. Sometimes it is that coping mechanism for the brain of, like, it's just one meal that feels predictable.

It's comfortable. It's easy. It works for your lifestyle. And then it's just, it's- the brain doesn't have to make another decision.

Teresa: Yeah, decision fatigue. It's real, right? I feel like this can go out to the masses, not just the people with ADHD.

Leah: Definitely.

Teresa: But it is something that is maybe even more heightened in a person with ADHD.

Leah: Mm-hmm.

Teresa: So if someone finds a breakfast they enjoy, maybe it's eggs, berries, and yogurt, they might happily eat it every morning for months. Then one day, they suddenly can't stand it anymore.

Leah: Yeah.

Teresa: Many people with ADHD describe this exact experience. The food goes from a favorite to completely unappealing almost overnight. So why does this happen? Well, there are several reasons. One is that it's familiar. The ADHD brain often enjoys routines that remove unnecessary decisions. Another is dopamine. Predictable foods provide consistent satisfaction. Also, if preparing meals already feels overwhelming, having one reliable meal removes that stress.

Leah: Mm-hmm. Now, the concern comes with the fixation when we get extremely limited in the variety of foods that are acceptable. So if someone is relying only on plain bagels or dry cereal or eating plain pasta, like, eventually we're going to see some nutritional gaps develop. So that's where we start to see some concerns and then where we might want to challenge some of that, some of those acceptable foods or find ways to broaden that diet.

Teresa: And there's another element to this, too. Since there's a heightened dopamine connection to ADHD, many people with ADHD are drawn towards foods that provide that immediate reward. Think high carb and high sugar and, in general, just, like, some of those convenience foods. These foods stimulate the brain's reward pathways very quickly through sweetness, saltiness, crunch, or fat. I think the food industry calls this the bliss point.

Leah: The bliss point, yep.

Teresa: That temporary reward can feel especially appealing for someone who craves dopamine, like in an ADHD brain.

Leah: Yeah, it's important to remember that craving these foods doesn't mean that someone is lacking the discipline, the motivation, or, like, doesn't care about their health. Their brain is simply seeking that stimulation and exactly like you said, those processed foods are designed to do exactly that.

They're designed to stimulate And I, I follow some children, like feeding kids accounts on social media and, one of the dietitians pointed out, again, this so we could generalize this to children too, but with that ADHD brain she was saying, "You know what tastes the same every single time you eat it?

Doritos." Every single time. There's no question about it, because that's, I mean, they're manufactured like that. They're, they're made to, like, their specifications. But guess what might taste different every time you, you eat it? A blueberry. You might get a soft one. You might get a harder one.

You might get a tart one. You might get a really sweet one. And so again, like, there's that predictability versus more variability in what you're eating. And so the brains, the brains that are already a little bit more overwhelmed, distracted, overstimulated are probably going to look for that predictability a little bit more.

Teresa: Yeah, that's such a interesting insight.

The importance of balancing blood sugar 

Leah: Yeah, yeah. And so the problem with these foods then, unfortunately with the processed foods, they provide that predictability, but they're typically void of, like, some good balanced nutrition and then they create some dramatic swings in blood sugar.

So let's actually hover on the blood sugar piece for a moment because this becomes really powerful. For example, if somebody in skips through breakfast, which again, like most ADHD medications especially if taken in the morning so that you can focus at school or at work, will dull a lot of your appetite or dull some of those hunger signals especially in the morning and through the early part of the day.

Someone may skip breakfast, then they may eat a high-carb lunch or high-carb snack or by the time some of that medication is wearing off later in the day, now we're grabbing something fast, easy, high-carb, convenient in the evening. The blood sugar rises really quickly, then it crashes, you know, maybe an hour or two later.

So that crash often causes more cravings. We can have more irritability, difficulty concentrating. We hit that wall or that, that bit of fatigue and become more food seeking. So it's that cycle. So we try to stop that cycle and interrupt that cycle with predictable, spaced out, balanced meals that help smooth out the highs and the lows of the blood sugar.

Create consistency 

Teresa: And for someone with ADHD, the goal is to create some consistency. I try to make it simple with my clients. With each meal and snack, we need three things: protein, healthy fats, and real food carbohydrates, meaning those carbohydrates come mostly from vegetables with smaller amounts coming from fruit, legumes, or whole grains.

It's simple to think of the three letters P-F-C for protein, fat, and carb. Then for each meal and snack, you aim to fill in each category like it's a puzzle. Some examples are for breakfast, eggs would be the protein with a side of fruit, the carb, and some sliced avocado would be the fat.

For lunch, a salad bowl with chicken, the protein, a variety of raw veggies and salad greens would be the carb with an olive oil dressing, the fat. For dinner, salmon, the protein, with a side of brown rice and broccoli, the carbs, topped with butter, fat. Balanced meals like this help to support steady energy and a better working brain throughout the day.

Leah: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I had a client, it's been a little while since I've seen her now, but, she does not have ADHD, but for her, keeping the, that PFC or the protein, fat, carb kind of straight in her brain, she actually bought some little, I don't know- it wasn't Tupperware, but like storage containers that had either three or four little divisions in it.

And so that was her cue to say like, "Okay, do I have some protein in one compartment? Do I have a fat in another compartment? Do I have a vegetable in one compartment?" And then filling in, you know, maybe sometimes filling in something a little starchier or some fruit or something like that. So I imagine something like that might be, again, a helpful visual cue for a brain that just is trying to keep all of this straight.

Teresa: Yeah, that seems like a great tool.

ADHD is commonly linked to eating disorders 

Leah: Yeah. It worked really well for her, and she enjoyed it, kind of again, it helped her check all those boxes. Now another eating challenge with ADHD is there's a common link to eating disorders, and research suggests ADHD is associated with a higher risk of several eating disorders, particularly binge eating disorder.

Not everyone with ADHD develops an eating disorder, but you can see that there is significant overlap in some of the symptomology or some of the traits. Several ADHD traits can show up and contribute here. So we think about impulsivity, emotional eating, difficulty recognizing hunger and fullness, irregular eating schedules, those executive functioning challenges that we were talking about. So when those factors combined, you know, that binge eating pattern becomes more likely.

Teresa: And this is what we find too with binge eating. There's... it's like it, it... there's this restriction that also comes with it as well, right? So we're overeating at one point, and then we're trying to undereat to compensate. And this restrictive eating often backfires. Many adults with ADHD have spent years feeling like they just can't control themselves around food, so they try dieting, they restrict, they skip meals, they cut out favorite foods. Unfortunately, restriction usually increases cravings.

Leah: Mm-hmm.

Teresa: Then binge eating becomes even more likely.

Leah: Yep. So instead of restriction, we encourage nourishment, regular meals, eating enough protein, enough healthy fats, enough nutrient-dense foods instead of convenience foods. And your brain functions best when it's consistently fueled.

So we do have to take a quick break. When we come back, we're going to talk a little bit more about, like, what does that consistency and what might that fueling look like throughout the day to have a better working, balanced, more calm brain. We'll be right back.

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Strategies for creating consistency with meals

Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. So we left off talking about how a nourished brain, a fed brain that has enough protein, enough healthy fats, enough nutrient-dense foods in general is going to be a happier, calmer, more focused brain, when it's fueled consistently. But I want to take just a moment and backtrack a little bit, just kind of putting some practicality to some of these things.

We talked a little bit earlier about how some ADHD medications can blunt appetite after ... for several hours after it's taken. And so for ... One thing I was thinking is, like, for women or for people who use these ADHD medications, one strategy that we might look at is can we get a good balanced breakfast in that has a really good amount of protein in it early in the morning or earlier in the day before you take that medication so that at least we've kind of got a good anchor at the beginning of the day, those blood sugars are rock steady, we kind of get some of those nice downstream hormonal effects through the rest of the day, so that even if, even if lunch and dinner aren't exactly ideal or, or we, we slide downhill a little bit, we at least start off the day on a good foot with good anchored balanced blood sugars.

Teresa: Right. Because those medications, I mean, when we're talking about being consistent with meals and fueling the brain, they really can pose a challenge for that consistency because- Yep ... you just don't have an appetite a lot of times.

Leah: Yep.

Teresa: So they're very powerful, appetite suppressants.

Leah: Mm-hmm. Yeah, exactly. So if we can sneak that in even before the medication takes hold, we, we stand a chance of at least getting some good balanced nutrition in there as well. And then again, say, like, lunchtime rolls around, we've taken the medication earlier in the day, and we're just not that super hungry, but maybe the, the alarm's gone off and it's time to eat something or it's time to get something in at that point. One thing I would think about is maybe a smoothie. You know? That when we talk about that, we talk about that as a great breakfast option for some people who might not have a huge appetite in the morning, so why not, like, use that if people don't have a huge appetite right there midday also?

Teresa: Right. You can get absolute balanced nutrition in a smoothie, and you absolutely can get caloric density too, as there's enough energy to pull you through.

Leah: Yep.

Teresa: But because you're drinking it, it doesn't feel so heavy. Yep. And maybe it's even a little bit more, because smoothies are more on the sweet side. It's maybe a little bit more appealing because it isn't that savory. I've got to say my zucchinis are going crazy in my garden right now. And so I'm trying to figure out how to use them, and I've been making zucchini smoothies, which probably sounds terrible. But actually is quite delightful. And, really I'm just ... It's, it just tastes like a vanilla- protein shake.

Leah: Okay.

Teresa: It's very vanilla heavy. I put a little vanilla extract in it, but I don't really measure how much zucchini is in there. I just chop it up, throw it in a, in a container and put it in the freezer. And then it's probably a cup, cup and a half of zucchini, if I'm guessing.

Leah: Okay.

Teresa: I thaw it just a little in the microwave just so it's not so hard- rock hard in my blender, because it does freeze very hard.

Leah: Yep.

Teresa: So I have that, and my vanilla protein powder.

Leah: Mm-hmm.

Teresa: I'll use either a little milk or a lot of times I'll use water. But we need a fat component. So if I have heavy cream, I'll use heavy cream.

Leah: Yeah.

Teresa: You could use a full fat yogurt, just something for that sort of creamy, fatty texture would work really well in the dairy side. I actually think avocado would be great as the fat source and it would still taste very vanilla. I feel like the idea is people are thinking this is... It would be... It's definitely a green smoothie.

Leah: Yeah.

Teresa: But it tastes very vanilla, especially put a little vanilla extract in it. And then for a little extra carb, throwing just a little bit of banana in there.

Leah: Sure.

Teresa: Really gives it a little bit of extra sweetness and, it's quite delightful. And so I do some ice chips in it, some water. It's actually... Like, there's quite a bit there to drink. It's relatively- 

Leah: It’s a big volume.

Teresa: Yeah. And it's more of a thinner consistency, I would say with all that water and, and liquid in it, but that makes it easier, right? Because it's not so thick. It doesn't feel so filling in this circumstance.

Leah: Yeah.

Teresa: And so that's one smoothie I've really been enjoying. But, you know, you could always put berries with it. You don't have to use zucchini at all. I mean, you can just make a smoothie. We just need that PFC we were talking about before. Protein is usually in the form of protein powder.

Leah: Mm-hmm.

Teresa: The carbohydrate is usually a fruit. And then the fat can be cream. It can be a full-fat yogurt- which gives us a little bit more protein. Could be the avocado. It could be nut butter. I mean, there's all kinds of things. Making a chocolate peanut butter smoothie, yum.

Leah: Yeah. Absolutely. That's one of my favorite combos. One of my kids' favorite combos also is the chocolate peanut butter smoothie. And, and if people are looking for a little more inspiration too is like we have a ton of recipes on our website, like so many different options, but I love that you challenged our minds a little bit with the zucchini smoothie.

Check Out Some Of Our Protein Shake Recipes

Teresa: Like, it tastes, it tastes very sweet.

Leah: Yeah. You promise, like, it's a... it doesn't just taste like a, like a green zucchini the whole time.

How to reduce food noise 

Teresa: That’s right. Okay. Let's change the, the topic just a little bit here away from the zucchini smoothie and talk about a phrase that has become very popular lately, and that is food noise.

Leah: Mm-hmm.

Teresa: Food noise refers to constant thoughts about food. For example, thinking about your next meal while you're currently eating a meal or you're feeling like the pantry is calling to you or planning dessert before dinner, just generally feeling like food occupies your thoughts all day long.

Food noise isn't unique to ADHD, but many people with ADHD experience it because the brain naturally seeks stimulation and reward, and food gives us that reward.

Leah: Mm-hmm.

Teresa: Sometimes it's even a way to procrastinate difficult tasks by thinking about food and, or just eating. And I've got a, I've got a term for that. I call that procrastinating.

Leah: Oh, I love it.

Teresa: I've got so much to do. Well, I better get a snack first.

Leah: Yeah. There you go. We've heard the phrase food noise talked about a lot, especially around the GLP-1 medications too because the, when people, a lot of times when they start taking these GLP-1s, so this is like your Wegovys and the Ozempics and the Zepbounds and things like that, they say it reduces that food noise that they've battled sometimes for their whole lives.

So with, the question becomes, like without taking a GLP-1 medication, how can you work on or reduce this food noise? One of the biggest misconceptions is that food noise means that someone lacks self-control. Instead, we would ask, is your brain getting enough of what it needs? Are we getting enough protein? Are we skimping on the protein? Are we sleeping enough? What's our stress and stimulation levels looking like?

Teresa: And there are several strategies we can help to reduce food noise. First, we start with prioritizing protein, and I was talking about this just today with a client- because he has really been focusing on a high protein, lower carbohydrate diet. And we were talking about food noise, and it's just disappeared for him.

Leah: Wow. That’s great.

Teresa: He just doesn't have it. And he was very drawn to, you know, certain foods and had a lot of cravings for things and was very uncertain about how this particular eating style would work for him.

Leah: Mm-hmm.

Teresa: And it's one of those things where you're like, "Oh yeah, I understand that can work for other people, but I just don't think it could work for me." Yeah ... like not me. And sure enough it's working for him, so it's great. And it does this because protein supports that fullness much longer than carbohydrates do, especially those carbohydrates that are processed and lack fiber.

And, you know, as Leah had mentioned, it also has to do with that blood sugar balance-that spike and drop in blood sugar. So, and that reward system that we have going on in our brain that just carbohydrates are just I would say they're just fertilizer for food noise.

Leah: Yep.

Teresa: Right?

Leah: Absolutely.

Teresa: And, as you had said, Leah, about the GLP-1s, protein increases your body's natural production of GLP-1 hormone. GLP-1 is not just something that's in a medication, it's a natural hormone our gut makes to signal fullness to the brain.

Leah: Mm-hmm.

Teresa: And eating protein supports that production.

Leah: Yes. So first we eat protein. Second, we don't skip meals, the best we can, and we try to make those meals balanced. Like Teresa was saying earlier, proteins, healthy fats, real food carbohydrates, PFC, with every meal and every snack.

When your body gets the nutrients that it needs, you'll see those cravings dramatically go down. They may even disappear. And we also encourage creating that eating routine, and we do this with our kids a lot. I know you did this. Your kids are a little older than mine, so they're a little bit more independent, Teresa, but, I mean, it- remember if you, if you had kids, they were younger, there was that predictable routine of like, "Okay, let's get up.

Let's have breakfast," and then maybe you had that mid-morning snack, but maybe you went right to lunch, but then you get home from school, like definitely have a snack, and then there's dinner. Like, there was definitely a predictable routine. But as adults, when we get that autonomy, sometimes though that predictability or those patterns disappear a little bit more.

Teresa: And I would say, like, just to, to piggyback on that idea- we do that because we know that they will behave better because they're fed- ... which goes to how the brain is functioning and working. And so eating in a predictable, nourishing way promotes our brains to work and function well.

Leah: Yeah, so we, so as adults even, we still want to create these eating routines. And so instead of constantly wondering when you'll eat or what you'll eat, we start to set this routine, and it lets our brain begin to expect nourishment every few hours.

So again, you may benefit from setting an alarm to remember to eat every three to four hours. Maybe you do pull out some containers that have those three to four compartments in it so you know you're checking off your protein, your fat, your carbohydrate. So we want that predictability.

It, over time it might take a little more effort in the beginning to kind of get used to something. It's new, it's novel, but that predictability in the long term reduces mental energy spent on thinking about food. So it is actually, this is a very much a self-care practice that does pay off in the long run. It does actually save you time and energy in the long run.

Strategies for food sensory issues 

Teresa: What about food sensory issues? Many people with ADHD experience heightened sensory sensitivity. This may include texture, smell, temperature, appearance, even the sound of chewing. Some people love crunchy foods and avoid anything mushy.

Others dislike mixed textures, like yogurt with fruit or casseroles. These preferences aren't simply being picky. The sensory experience genuinely feels different to them.

Leah: Yeah. So why does ADHD cause food aversions? Food aversions often develop because the brain becomes overwhelmed by sensory input. A texture, like you were just saying, Teresa, a texture that feels, hmm, maybe just slightly unpleasant to one person may feel intolerable to the next person. Really strong smells, unexpected textures. So again, like you get a handful of blueberries, you're probably not going to get two that are exactly the same.

Teresa: Or just think about biting into a cherry tomato.

Leah: Yeah.

Teresa: Right, where it has that... You bite into it, and then the insides kind of explode into your mouth.

Leah: Yep, exactly. And so, like, you could- I could definitely see where that can be extremely off-putting for some people. Certain temperatures can, can offset people. I mean, all of these things can trigger that immediate no response in the brain.

But the problem is, is that forcing food or trying to force yourself to like something, this is- this rarely helps. So instead, we want to think about gentle, repeated exposure. Over time, this tends to be much more effective. Just like kids, it can take many, many exposures before a food starts to feel familiar, predictable. "Oh, I've seen this before. I kind of know what this is like."

And sometimes just changing the preparation can make all the difference. Roasting vegetables in the oven or in an air fryer instead of boiling or steaming, raw instead of cooked, a smoothie, like we were talking about, instead of eating the whole fruit.

Wrap up 

Teresa: Well, let's wrap up with some practical ideas for ADHD and trying to cope with this through nutrition and with proper nourishment of the brain. Number one: don't let yourself get to the point where you're overly hungry. Eat in balance every three to four hours at the most. Create meal and snack time reminders if needed. Phone alarms, they work great because our phones are always on us.

Leah: Mm-hmm.

Teresa: Or maybe your watch.

Leah: I was just going to say, you're wearing your watch. I would think about that, too. Yeah. Number two: simplify meals. Not every dinner has to be Pinterest worthy or five-star restaurant worthy. Rotisserie chicken or some nitrate-free chicken sausages, plus frozen vegetables, maybe a couple of baby potatoes all cooked up in the air fryer with some butter, done. Simple meals still nourish your brain. You don't have to be an amazing cook or spend an hour or two in the kitchen every day to eat healthy.

Teresa: Number three, prioritize protein at breakfast. Protein first thing in the morning supports steadier energy and helps reduce cravings later in the day. A lot of people think of eggs for breakfast, but it can be any animal-based protein. Greek yogurt, a protein shake using our Wellness Whey protein powder or our Paleo protein powders, even dinner leftovers. I, one of my favorite breakfasts is having pulled pork with coleslaw. I love that for breakfast.

I feel like it's just a nice, you know, I, I guess when we go back to that conversation about, about different textures, perhaps it doesn't check that box for people who don't like a mixture of textures, but it has just a nice combination of sweet and savory and crunchy.

Leah: Yeah.

Teresa: And, you know, I just love it. I feel like it's great for breakfast.

Leah: Yep.

Teresa: You don't have to limit your breakfast foods to, like “breakfast foods”.

Leah: I'll say to clients, like, "We can think outside the breakfast box a little bit." It can, it truly could be any kind of food. One of our teachers when I was learning how to teach classes here at Nutritional Weight & Wellness many years ago, I remember her saying she would make a, a pan of pork chops and, like, have those for breakfast, and that was one of my first experiences of, like, again, opening up that breakfast box a little bit more to say, like, we just need to, like, check those boxes of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. It doesn't have to fit into what we typically think about breakfast.

Teresa: Yeah. And my favorite easy breakfast that I've been doing a lot recently, I've been sharing with clients because we all know that cottage cheese is having its day, right?

Leah: Oh, yeah.

Teresa: But it is the easiest protein. There's, I mean, legit you just have to open the container and put it into a bowl. Or maybe you just open the container and eat it. I don't know. It's up to you. But cottage cheese, I love the frozen mixed berries, and then I like them to be thawed because then you have all the like, the juices that come from that.

Leah: Totally.

Teresa: Mix that up. I sprinkle a little bit of stevia and a whole bunch of cinnamon on it, and we've got protein, fat, carbohydrate, and I just love it. It tastes like dessert. It goes so well with coffee. 28 grams of protein. Easy, easy, easy.

Leah: Yeah. Yeah, that's an awesome idea. Now, number four, keep nutritious convenience foods available. Frozen vegetables for meals or cut up raw veggies for snacks, ready-to-eat fruit. We, we mentioned rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken or nitrate-free deli meats, hard-boiled eggs, raw or dry roasted nuts.

I mean, convenience isn't cheating when it's still real minimally processed foods. And sometimes with clients I'll do, we'll-- when we're just spinning up some ideas and trying to figure out again kind of what works, because I'd say most people's every day necessarily isn't the same. So you might have some busier days, some lighter days, some less taxing days.

So we might kind of make a, a meal plan for like, okay, what does a normal day look like? What are some meals that fit into there? What's your worst day where you have zero energy left, zero mental bandwidth, like you're just at your rope's ends? What can you still throw on your plate that's real food that's going to get you a little protein?

And then maybe like, what's your best day? Like, what would you cook for company? What would you do on your best day? So it's like we can kind of scale things like that too. So that's, I think that ties in nicely with just this message of convenience can still be an option. You don't have to trade off, again, like lots of time in the kitchen, expensive food, anything like that. Like, we can still fit that convenience factor in. And a lot of times it's exactly what makes this way of eating accessible and possible for people.

Teresa: Yes. One message we hope everyone hears today is this: healthy eating doesn't have to be hard or a lot of work, especially if you're living with ADHD. Consistency beats perfection every time. Find a few staples and put them on repeat.

Leah: Mm-hmm.

Teresa: Even for the non-ADHD person, complicating meals leads to frustration and inconsistency. So like Leah was saying, what can you do on your worst day? And have those things available. You know, a lot of times those things are things that you put in your pantry or your freezer that you can just pull out and heat up or maybe just eat room temperature.

Leah: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Some days you cook. Some days dinner might just be something that you can heat and eat. Some days it might look like a snack board. So both, all of these options can fit into a healthy lifestyle. Removing guilt around food often improves eating habits far more than beating yourself up or another restrictive diet.

Teresa: And of course, working with a registered dietitian who understands these eating challenges can be incredibly helpful. If eating feels overwhelming every day, if you're frequently skipping meals then binge eating, or if food fears are limiting your nutrition, come and work with one of the dietitians or licensed nutritionists at Nutritional Weight and Wellness.

Just give us a call at 651-699-3438, or to learn more about our counseling before maybe you call and make an appointment, and if your insurance is maybe an option in-network for you to work with us, go to our website weightandwellness.com.

Learn More About Nutrition Counseling

Leah: Yep. As we wrap up, let's leave you with a few key reminders. ADHD changes the way the brain approaches food, but it doesn't have to mean that healthy eating is out of reach.

Teresa: Food fixations, cravings, food noise, and sensory challenges are common experiences for many people with ADHD. They're not character flaws. They're patterns that can often be managed with the right strategies and with support. Focus on simple routines, realistic meals, and nourishing your brain consistently rather than striving for perfection. Small, sustainable habits are what truly makes a difference over time.

Leah: Thanks so much for joining us for today's conversation on ADHD and eating challenges. If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love for you to share it with someone who could benefit from this information. Our goal at Nutritional Weight & Wellness is to teach people the power of eating real food and how life-changing it can be. It's a simple yet powerful message. We'll talk to you next time.