MAKE EATING EASY (AND HEALTHY) WHEN YOU HAVE ADHD

Food. It’s the dreaded question we ask ourselves 3 times a day…. “What am I going to eat?” What should be an easy answer is one of the hardest decisions for someone with ADHD to make. On top of making decisions all day at school or work, to come home and decide what’s for dinner can sometimes feel impossible, even though there is a full fridge of food. So, how to make this process easier? The first step is to understand what the body needs to run efficiently. Sure, we can pump it full of caffeine and sugar, which appear to make us feel “good.” But this never lasts…. Literally. We need so much more than a “quick fix” to sustain energy all day, and food is how we get it.  Here are some good options to start with:

1.       Base your meals around high fiber and starchy carbs. This includes items such as potatoes, rice, and pasta. Carbs help us to feel full longer and give us energy to do things. However, keep an eye on the fats you add when you’re cooking these foods, such as butter, oil, or creamy sauces as they are not the most nutritious options.

2.        Protein! Get some long-term energy when you add protein to any meal/snack. If you are looking for options other than chicken to add to a meal, try foods high in omega-3s (which are great for your brain and heart health). This might be fish such as salmon, trout, or mackerel. Did you know we should be eating at least 2 portions of fish a week! Be careful to watch out for canned fish can be high in salts!

3.       Fruits and Veggies are great side options. We should be eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables daily. Many people forget that this can come in the form of fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or juiced. So if eating some apples with your meal at lunch time isn’t for you, try drinking a glass of apple juice instead.

4.       Saturated fats and sugars are really sneaky. These typically come in the form of processed foods. Most of us are more likely to recognize it by names such as soda, pie, biscuits, cake, creams, alcohol, and cheese. Although everything in moderation is encouraged, sugar can sneak into foods we think might be good for us. Have you looked at the amount of sugar in that yogurt with toppings you are eating for breakfast? If not, it might be time to look at the label and compare it with a different, but still appealing yogurt. Small changes can have a big impact!

Now that we have identified better options to eat, the question of how to eat still remains. The answer I hear most often goes something like this. “I grab chips for a snack because cutting up some apples, putting peanut butter on it, and then cleaning up my mess is just so many steps. Grabbing a bag of chips is just faster.” Of course it’s faster when we don’t prepare! Instead I recommend we take 1 hour out of our entire week to prepare some “premade” items. Here are some good options.

1.       Anything + a Nut butter. Apples, bananas, carrots, celery, crackers… you name it, it all goes good with a nut butter of your choice.

2.       “Chips” and dip. If you are looking for a crunch in your meal or snack, try some of these “chip and dip” options. Tortilla chips and salsa/guacamole; hummus and pretzels, ranch and veggies, celery and cream cheese, bagel chips and chicken salad dip; “cowboy caviar” or tapenade are some other dip options to try!

3.       Protein, protein, protein! Try some hard-boiled eggs, cheese sticks/spreads, homemade jerky, trail mix, no bake energy bits, cottage cheese, homemade granola, or even a protein bar/shake.

a.       Looking for non-meat or Vegan based protein? Check out Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN’s list of plant-based protein options!  https://www.sharonpalmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Plant-Based-Protein-List-0221.pdf

4.       Create a meal plan. The trick is to make it less complicated! No one wants to meal prep, grocery shop, or look for new recipes when they are tired and fatigued. Try some of these options to make getting food easier.

a.       One of my most favorite options to do for meal prep is to have the same thing every week (or a rotation of the same thing), but change out the ingredients. For example, every Tuesday might be taco night for dinner, but the type of taco changes weekly. Options could include “normal” beef, chicken, fish, tofu, veggie, pork, or any other protein in some taco seasoning!

b.       Online order groceries from Kroger click-list, insta-cart, or even Doordash. This way you can avoid the grocery store all together and have food ready for pick up or delivery right to your home. If you aren’t sure what to order, try using the app “Paprika” to help with this week’s meal planning.

c.       Don’t like meal prepping in the evening? Try doing it first thing in the morning when you have energy. Put on your favorite podcast or music and get to prepping!

5.       Can’t or don’t want to meal plan every week? Try some of these other options.

a.       Double or triple a meal to put in the freezer to eat later this month.

b.       Utilize meal prepping services such as HELLO FRESH, FACTOR, or CLEAN EATZ (local in Cincinnati) to specialize what you are looking for. Getting into Keto, Vegan, Gluten Free, or Low Carb? They can help!

c.       Opt for ordering catering from your favorite restaurant. One of my go-to’s is to order the salad from Dewey’s Pizza and eat on this for different lunch options all week! You could also try options such as Chipotle (rice, beans, protein, and sides), Curito, or Chick-fil-a. Get creative! Food should be fun, delicious, and nutritious.

Food is essential! So we might as well put healthy options that we are going to get the most bang for our buck to do the things we want to do. As the decision fatigue from deciding what to eat wears off, we can start to get even more creative with our food options. Other good resources could be looking into working with a nutritionist or dietitian to determine what you like and how to make them in the easiest, most healthy way.

Resources:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/how-to-eat-a-balanced-diet/eight-tips-for-healthy-eating/

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthy-high-protein-snacks

https://www.sharonpalmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Plant-Based-Protein-List-0221.pdf