If you suffer from ADHD, rest assured you are not alone in your crowd. ADHD is on the rise across the United States and the globe.
Fret not, as there are avenues of recourse for ADHD patients. One such avenue is altering the way you eat. Another is asking for help from a nutritional psychologist.
Print this list of healthy eating tips for ADHD sufferers, make an effort to follow them and you’ll notice your ADHD lessens in frequency and severity.
Tip #1: Train Yourself to Recognize Hunger Cues
Though few know it, the symptoms of ADHD have the potential to compromise diet and health. If you are unable to pay attention or over-focus on something in particular, you’ll neglect those all-important hunger cues.
The body’s hunger cues extend beyond the occasional stomach growl.
For some, the rapid loss of focus, mental fog or physical weakness are hunger cues. For others, irritability, shakiness and/or dizziness are their unique personal hunger cues.
Learn to recognize when your body is telling you it is time to eat then proactively address those cues.
Doing so will minimize your ADHD symptoms.
Here’s the bottom line: you know your body better than others.
“Listen” to your body, paying attention to its subtleties before, during and after eating.
As an example, it will help to pay close attention to how specific foods and beverages affect your energy level, mood and ability to focus.
This phenomenon is referred to as the gut-brain connection.
Report your unique gut-brain connection findings to your food psychologist in New Jersey, listen closely to the professional’s feedback and alter your approach accordingly.
It won’t take long to develop a thorough understanding of your body’s reactions to foods, beverages and even some supplements.
This is the in-depth awareness you need to strategically tinker with your food intake for healthier outcomes.
Tip #2: Be Mindful When Eating
Think back to the last meal you ate. Do you even remember it?
Chances are you have a faint memory of that eating session. Most of us rush through our meals and snacks as those experiences are intensely satisfying.
There’s also a high likelihood you spent some or all of your last meal looking at a screen.
Instead of watching TV or scrolling through your smartphone with one hand while eating, conduct an experiment the next time you have a meal: engage in mindful eating in which you focus on foods without the presence of a screen.
Mindful eating is especially important for ADHD sufferers as they tend to not be mindful of the eating process. ADHD patients are often distracted by their surroundings, suffer from mental digressions and are incapable of lengthy focus.
As a result, it’s difficult for an ADHD patient to narrow his or her focus on food being consumed. Eliminate those pesky distractions around you, pace yourself while eating your next meal and you’ll find mindful eating satiates more than expected.
An added bonus: mindful eating helps you consume fewer calories as you’ll savor every bite. You’ll eat smaller portions, feel fuller and get the most out of the food you eat.
Tip #3: Consider the Context
Be hyper-aware of your surroundings when eating. If you are sitting at your desk in front of a computer screen while eating, you won’t be mindful of the food intake process.
Nor is it a good idea to eat meals on the couch in front of the TV.
Instead, sit at a table to eat your meals. Leave the TV and smartphone off. Resist the temptation to read a magazine or book, choosing to center your focus on your food.
Restricting food intake to the dining room table or kitchen table is also valuable in that it ensures you no longer view every room in the home as a space designated for eating.
Tip #4: Take Food Notes
When was the last time you wrote something down with pen and paper?
If you are like most people, it has been weeks or even months. Pivot away from those addictive screens and get into the habit of writing down everything you eat.
Such a “food journal” helps in the following ways:
- Better understand your personal food intake
- Reflect on mistakes
- Make improvements moving forward
Challenge yourself to recall everything you ate at the end of the day or the week.
If your food intake recollection is close to or the same as what you actually ate, it’s a good sign that you are transitioning to mindful eating.
Tip #5: Regiment Your Food Intake
To graze or not to graze?
That is the question.
Eating throughout the day without a set schedule has the potential to lead to excessive caloric intake and weight gain. Grazing is especially risky for ADHD patients as their thoughts tend to drift.
If you permit yourself to eat at any minute and hour of the day, you’ll likely think about food for the majority of your waking hours. That’s no way to live life.
Instead, consider establishing a food consumption schedule with the help of an NJ food psychologist and strictly adhering to it.
Here’s an example of a successful food schedule:
- Breakfast at 7am
- Lunch at Noon
- Dinner at 6pm
Such regimentation helps you maintain a focus on non-food projects such as work, school, socialization, etc.
Tip #6: Use Dishware and Utensils
Most of us have fallen into the trap of eating out of a bag or box without using utensils. Such finger foods are convenient and oftentimes quite addictive. Resist the temptation to eat out of boxes and bags with your hands.
Transition away from such prepackaged and processed foods, turning to conventional, more wholesome and organic foods.
Always eat from dishware with utensils. The logic in forcing yourself to eat in such a traditional manner is this approach limits portions to a specific size.
You are much less likely to overeat when you dine from a small plate or bowl instead of a bag of chips or box of sugary cereal.
Tip #7: Be Aware of Impulsive Eating
ADHD patients are impulsive individuals who do things on a whim, oftentimes without much contemplation. As an example, if you are like most ADHD patients, you have consumed an excess of food on several occasions.
In those instances, you were undoubtedly wondering why, exactly, you ate so much food.
Your impulsivity is to blame.
The catch? It’s not your fault.
There’s no need to feel guilty about being impulsive. It’s part of your makeup as an individual with ADHD. You eat faster than most others and there’s also a good chance you consume more food than you should.
Impulsive eating is especially challenging as the stomach does not have adequate time to communicate to the brain that it is satisfied. However, there are some creative solutions all ADHD patients should consider.
As an example, grounding yourself before and during meals will help minimize impulsivity. Instead of rapidly transitioning from social media, a video game or TV to food, pause for half a minute.
Look away from the screen, close your eyes, take four deep breaths and think about your upcoming food experience.
Such a brief pause will help you narrow your focus on enjoying your food and eating it mindfully.
Get into the habit of drinking a glass of water prior to eating. Water helps create the feeling of fullness, ensuring you eat less rather than more.
Tip #8: Prioritize Specific Foods for ADHD Management
A select group of foods contain an abundance of nutrients that support proper cognitive functionality and overarching brain health.
The top foods for ADHD patients include:
- Lean proteins
- Fish and other foods with omega-3 fatty acids
- whole grains
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Vegetables
- Fresh fruits
In contrast, processed foods laden with preservatives, artificial ingredients and sugar are likely to worsen the symptoms of ADHD.
Such highly processed items spike energy levels, spurring harsh and destructive “crashes” that lead to unhealthy outcomes.
Tip #9: Prepare Ahead of Time
If you aren’t a meal prepper, now is the time to become one.
Get into the habit of preparing your weekly meals ahead of time. Write down healthy meal options, prepare them on the weekend and you’ll find consuming nutritious food is that much easier.
The value of meal prepping primarily lies in its preventative quality. Preparing meals prevents the problematic question of “What should I eat?”.
It’s a question most ADHD sufferers often face and answer in mere seconds with a convenient yet unhealthy option.
Do the food prep work on the weekend and you’ll have healthy meals fully prepared in the proper portion sizes.
Such an approach minimizes the risk of overeating while ensuring you consume nutritious food every single day of the week.
A Food Psychologist can Help
ADHD symptoms are worsening by the day as technology and food become increasingly addictive.
Never give up. Instead, ask for help.
Our New Jersey food psychologist is here to help you eat mindfully, minimize your ADHD symptoms and life a more fulfilling life.
Telehealth appointments are available for those throughout Basking Ridge, the entirety of New Jersey and residents throughout the United States.
Schedule a nutritional psychology consultation today by dialing 908-844-8547.
