Many of my clients identify as having ADHD, whether formally diagnosed or self-identified. In my May newsletter, I linked an article that provided an overview of how ADHD (and neurodivergence in general) may connect to disordered eating, and I wanted to expand on a few that I see personally. Read below for how ADHD affects eating habits, followed by affirming strategies from me, a weight-inclusive dietitian.
Note, I try to be neurodiversity affirming, but I am not sure I always get the language right! I welcome feedback if I get something wrong.
5 Ways ADHD Affects your Eating Habits
Disconnection from body and hunger cues.
Most of my neurodivergent clients struggle with hunger cues, though perhaps for different reasons. Either your hunger cues don’t exist, you are disconnected from them, or you are otherwise overstimulated and can’t cut through the noise to hear them. Or they just look differently for you – maybe you’re not getting the stomach growling/gnawing sensation, but you are able to recognize the drifting attention, fatigue, and/or headaches. To further complicate things, stimulant medications used for support can further block hunger cues, and when they wear off you might find yourself ravenously hungry. Not everyone experiences hunger in the same way, and that’s okay.
Idea blindness.
Idea blindness, AKA blanking out under pressure, is when you may be able to come up with meal ideas, recipes, and grocery lists when we are in session or if you are otherwise pretty regulated, but when the moment comes and you need to recall them, the ideas disappear.
Perfectionism.
Everyone can struggle with perfectionism, not just those with ADHD. But I notice it tends to show up pretty aggressively among my clients! This, in combination with executive dysfunction (see below), can easily show up as all-or-nothing behaviors with food and eating.
Executive dysfunction can make meal planning, shopping, and cooking seem insurmountable.
Executive functioning refers to the ability to think through and plan for multi-step processes. Meal planning requires a significant amount of planning, organizing, task implementation, and flexibility (e.g. the store didn’t have a necessary ingredient in stock! Now what?) I find this is where food fixations really shine. When you find something that you can prepare easily that is enjoyable and satisfying? Of course you’ll eat it until you burn yourself out on it. Executive dysfunction can also lead to going extended periods without eating, leading to overeating or binge eating.
Sensory processing can affect food preferences.
Those with ADHD or other neurodivergence often have increased sensory sensitivities. This may show up as a recognized eating disorder known as ARFID (avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder) That being said, you don’t need a diagnosis of ARFID or ADHD for sensory issues to impact how and what you eat! Sensory sensitivities can be related to any part of the planning process (grocery stores are bright, busy, and loud), prepping/cooking (e.g. smells and handling raw meat are common ones), to eating (most people have some textures they don’t enjoy.)
So what can you do to cope with these challenges? Here are 10 tips I help my clients work through:
Affirming Nutrition tips to work with your ADHD
Eat on a schedule.
Eating by the clock can be a valid and effective strategy for many people with ADHD. Eventually you may be able to identify what hunger cues feel like for you. Or not! Eating on a schedule forever is also acceptable. Aim for 3-6 times per day.
Manage overstimulation.
This is not necessarily what I can help you do as a dietitian, but work with another professional if needed (e.g. therapist or OT) to find what is triggering you and how you can self-regulate.
Have meal ideas visible in your home.
Keep a list of meals on your fridge or in your phone. Build a working grocery list that has your basics on it and you can build on as needed.
Order groceries online for pick up or delivery.
Some apps allow you to regenerate a grocery list from a past order. This also helps avoid the store, which may be overstimulating, and prevent impulse purchases. On the other hand, if you struggle to find foods that sound good, go to the store while hungry and use impulse purchases to your advantage!
Use cooking short-cuts.
Buy vegetables pre-cut, look for ready-to-cook chicken tenders vs breasts you need to cut or filet, rely on pre-cooked proteins like chicken sausage, frozen patties/nuggets, or rotisserie chicken. Convenience foods aren’t ‘lesser’—they’re tools that support nourishment.
Find ways to turn your food fixations into balanced meals with easy additions.
If you don’t know them by name, food fixations are a temporary “obsession” with foods that eventually lead to burn out. Typically my clients will find a food or meal that just works – it’s tasty, satisfying, and easy to have on hand and prepare. They are so convenient that they eat them regularly (even daily or multiple times per day). Eventually, the novelty wears off and you can’t stomach the idea of eating these again. Embrace your food fixations! And try to add food to them to make them more balanced, if needed. For example, Greek yogurt or cheese an make for a quick protein, pretzels/crackers for a starch, nuts or peanut butter for some fat, and low-prep fruits/veg like clementine, apples, bananas, baby carrots, mini sweet peppers, etc.
Build ordering food, door dash, etc. into your budget.
A lot of clients carry some judgment/shame around frequent ordering out, whether from a budget or health perspective. But if it is the difference between eating or not, remember: fed is best! You can also do this while you are working on building your meal planning skills if you want to and it makes sense for you.
If you are prescribed a stimulant, take it after a meal or with food.
This way you’ve at least had one solid meal before you forget.
Respect your sensory preferences.
Some clients are curious about trying new foods, and others prefer to stick with what works. Both are ok. There are ways to work around the vast majority of sensory challenges without compromising your health.
Everyone’s experience with ADHD is different, and this applies to nourishment and meal planning as well. These suggestions are meant to be flexible suggestions – certainly not rules or a guidebook to follow! If you’re looking for support with meal planning, whether you identify as being neurodivergent or just find some element of this post resonates, reach out to me today!