Healthy Eating Habits for Impulsive, Dopamine-Starved ADHD Brains

4 Comments: Healthy Eating Habits for Impulsive, Dopamine-Starved ADHD Brains

1. Our ADHD family usually FORGETS to eat. We are much more likely to be doing our stuff and then suddenly zone in realizing it’s 8 and no one cooked dinner! People criticize – even other ADHD families, but they don’t know what it is like to have Mom – ASD/ADHD, Dad – pretty severe ADHD, Kid1 – 14 and ASD/ADHD and Kid2 – 12 and T1D…

   It is a constant challenge.

2. Horrible article. Usually most articles here make sense, but this one is such a cliche and written so mindlessly, without any valuable and real medical information.
   It’s attributing certain eating patterns to ADHD which have absolutely nothing to do with it.
   People that have weight gain struggles are usually dealing with undiagnosed actual underlying physiological issues. A healthy body has natural responses against unhealthy eating, excercising, sleeping, working, stress, etc that keep its weight regulated.
   If you are struggling with weight gain, specially if it is extreme, make sure to get a complete checkup.
   Fighting internal things with pure will power and tricking your appetite is a lost battle and scientifically impossible. Things like vitamin and mineral deficiency e.g. iron, hormonal imbalances e.g. thyroid or reproductive ones, neurological or mental/emotional problems like ADHD, depression, anxiety, physical like heart disease or diabetes, allergies, and last but not least, sleep disorders, and many more are all silent culprits that can easily beat your best intentions to control your weight, as well as losing any substance abuse or food cravings, better known as addictions.
   Because your body is not exempt of the scientific rules that govern the world, and it is in fact a very well balanced machine. So any body system failures must be corrected first.
   You can’t maintain a healthy body if you don’t fix those issues just the same way that you can’t keep a car running without oil. If you do, the car will get destroyed pretty fast.
   Find out what kind of procedure or medicine you need, psychiatric or otherwise, and make sure to fine tune it, and find the right brand.
   Get help from a nutritionist to find out which foods you are sensitive or allergic to and eliminate them completely. It makes drastic improvements to your overall health and subsequently your weight loss. You could be surprised e.g. what cutting out your only cup of light tea can achieve.

3. I disagree with your saying we should eat SIX times a day. This is one of the reasons we have an obesity epidemic. There was very little obesity a few decades ago when everyone ate 3 decent meals a day and no snacks. Raising insulin (the fat storing hormone) levels 6 times a day is not good for anyone at all. 3 or fewer decent meals with plenty of protein and healthy fats will see you through the day, ADHD or neurotypical, and keep the extra lbs off.

4. Great article ! Thanks ! It follows quite closely a diet that was offered by my work insurance and that did wonders for me. I lost 20 pounds over 6 month, I am still there a year later and I finally had a healthy relationship to food and without sacrificing the food I love. Honestly, Iwondered if it was not written by someone with ADHD. Here are the major guidelines
   1. Eat only when you are hungry
   2. Take 25 minutes to eat including a 5 minutes break
   3. Chew very slowly. Stop when you feel full.

   And minor guidelines

   4. Divide large portion to have a chance to stop.
   5. Curate your snack , and use them only when starving and cannot eat right now.

   6. Eat your favorite food, and it eat first at each meal, but reduce sugar and alcohol as much as possible.
   7. Listen to your emotions.
   8. 180/90 minutes of light/strong exercise a week.