Shownotes
ADHD Coach Katherine Sanders ADHD Coach Katherine
Diet and ADHD: Impacts and Strategies
In this episode, certified ADHD coach Katherine discusses the correlation between diet, food behaviours and ADHD.
There is a mention of the data around recognised eating disorders and ADHD at the beginning as well as links to organisations that can offer support and understanding.
The podcast explains how certain neurotransmitters in the brain affecting ADHD are connected to food intake.
Impulsive eating, procrastination and meals planning are also touched upon.
Suggestions regarding snacking and procrastination are provided.
The podcast reaffirms the importance of personalised dietary strategies, regular meals, and mindful eating.
A teaser for the next episode, which will delve into ADHD and food from different perspectives including family diets and supplements, is also included.
(Full transcript available)
00:05 Introduction to Powerful Possibilities: A Guide to ADHD
01:10 Starting the Discussion on ADHD and Food
02:05 Appreciation for the Support and Feedback
02:56 Understanding the Stereotypes and Facts about ADHD and Food
03:28 Exploring the Statistics and Neurology of ADHD and Food
04:24 Personal Experience with Eating Disorders and ADHD
07:15 The Connection Between Eating Disorders and ADHD
09:00 Understanding the Role of Executive Functions in Eating Habits
12:29 The Impact of Poor Sleep Habits on Eating
14:28 Understanding the Role of Neurotransmitters in ADHD and Eating
16:10 The Psychological Factors Impacting Eating Habits in ADHD
18:03 The Role of Dopamine in ADHD and Eating
18:06 Understanding Dopamine and its Role in ADHD
18:45 The Connection Between Diet and Dopamine
19:13 Healthy Diet Recommendations for ADHD
20:23 The Impact of Processed Foods on ADHD
21:59 The Role of Sugar in ADHD
25:20 Practical Strategies for Healthy Snacking with ADHD
29:30 Addressing Procrastination and ADHD
33:01 Understanding and Managing Eating Behaviors in ADHD
34:35 Looking Ahead: Future Topics on ADHD and Food
35:13 Closing Remarks and Contact Information
Connect with Katherine here:
https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/
https://www.ncmh.info/2019/02/25/dump-the-scales/
https://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/
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Transcripts
Hello, and welcome to Powerful Possibilities, a guide to ADHD
Speaker:from diagnosis and beyond.
Speaker:I'm your host, Catherine, and I'm a certified ADHD coach with
Speaker:my own experience of a diagnosis of ADHD and autism in my 40s.
Speaker:My career is dedicated to helping people like you navigate the
Speaker:misunderstood areas of ADHD.
Speaker:So whether you're recently diagnosed, you think you might be ADHD, Or you're looking
Speaker:to better understand your journey so far, this is your new go to platform for your
Speaker:insights and transformative strategies.
Speaker:Grab your coffee, settle in, and let's unlock the potential
Speaker:that's just waiting for you.
Speaker:You're in the right place.
Speaker:RODE NT-USB & Susan's iphone (work) Camera: What's up.
Speaker:Everybody it's episode six of powerful possibilities.
Speaker:With ADHD from newly diagnosed and beyond.
Speaker:ADHD coach Catherine.
Speaker:Today we are starting to talk about ADHD and food.
Speaker:You'll know, by now, I like to have fairly short episodes of about 30 minutes.
Speaker:And when I started to look at this, I realized that it's not
Speaker:something that we can even skate over the top of in 30 minutes.
Speaker:So today we're going to start by looking at some of the common areas.
Speaker:Where ADHD and food might show up in our behavior.
Speaker:We will have a quick look at the neuro-transmitters.
Speaker:that affect our behavior and how they're connected with ADHD and.
Speaker:Or food intake.
Speaker:We will include some practical tips.
Speaker:At the end as usual, so that you can make sure that this new found
Speaker:knowledge is put to good use.
Speaker:And you are not sitting in shame any longer, which is one
Speaker:of the main things we do here.
Speaker:is help You to let go of that shame.
Speaker:Before we go any further.
Speaker:I want to say thank you.
Speaker:There have been so many messages and lots of lovely feedback.
Speaker:I'm really grateful.
Speaker:Every single message comes through to me.
Speaker:And I read them all.
Speaker:I want to say thank you for putting the show in the top 25% of
Speaker:podcasts within the first months.
Speaker:I would be thrilled if we got to the top 10%.
Speaker:It's just me.
Speaker:My iPad and laptop.
Speaker:I'm really grateful that so many of you are enjoying us.
Speaker:And to everyone who's got in touch and said how much
Speaker:they've enjoyed it, sank you.
Speaker:It means.
Speaker:So much to me.
Speaker:To know that.
Speaker:This is useful for you and you are.
Speaker:Allowing me into your ear.
Speaker:Your pods, earbuds, your poets it's amazing.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:So why you talk about ADHD and food?
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Lots of people have this stereotypical idea of people with ADHD.
Speaker:Being too wired and too hopped up to think about food.
Speaker:And that does happen for some people.
Speaker:But the facts are quite different.
Speaker:And when I was looking at the research.
Speaker:I was really struck by some of the data.
Speaker:So I will.
Speaker:Put a little screenshot.
Speaker:Up in one corner, I will link in the show notes so you can go and read it yourself.
Speaker:But I was genuinely shocked and there isn't much that shocks me these days
Speaker:about the impact of undiagnosed ADHD.
Speaker:We'll start by looking at some of the statistics.
Speaker:We will look at how ADHD and own neurology afffect how we interact with food.
Speaker:we'll look at the neurochemistry that can affect our eating habits.
Speaker:And then we're going to look at some of the key ingredients that
Speaker:have been fairly conclusively shown to be helpful in our diets.
Speaker:To support ADHD brains.
Speaker:And next week, we're going to look at things like organizing
Speaker:your food planning ahead.
Speaker:Food in the ADHD home, where you may have people who have quite conflicting sensory
Speaker:needs and all of that is very complicated.
Speaker:So we're going to look at that next week.
Speaker:And we'll start this week.
Speaker:With a bit of data.
Speaker:Cause I know you love the data.
Speaker:But first, I would just like to say that am not the only person
Speaker:with ADHD who has a complicated.
Speaker:Back story when it comes to food.
Speaker:And I did have an eating disorder in my teens.
Speaker:Some would see that it's still there.
Speaker:It hasn't gone.
Speaker:It's just turned into something else.
Speaker:And I would say that.
Speaker:I am more aware of it now.
Speaker:thEn at any point in my life, because it's something that you can't get
Speaker:away from, everybody has to eat.
Speaker:And the problem is that.
Speaker:People judge other people on the basis of what they think they eat.
Speaker:And totally choose to eat and how they present in the world.
Speaker:So, this is a really tricky topic.
Speaker:It's a very sensitive one.
Speaker:I'm not a psychiatrist, psychologist, a counselor.
Speaker:I'm definitely not a dietician.
Speaker:There are fantastic dieticians and nutritionists.
Speaker:out there who are looking at the impact of ADHD and autism on food.
Speaker:I'm not one of them.
Speaker:I'm just passing on the bits that I think will be most useful for you.
Speaker:So, if you are currently dealing with an eating disorder, Please contact.
Speaker:Local charities in the UK beat are very good and they have regular meetings,
Speaker:phone lines, you can text them.
Speaker:And they're great for people who live with people with eating disorders and
Speaker:those who are in the middle of it.
Speaker:And I would see that.
Speaker:Please take it seriously.
Speaker:But don't despair.
Speaker:So let's begin with some of those facts and the show notes
Speaker:contain all the references.
Speaker:So you can go back and check.
Speaker:Around 20% of children with ADHD will have some kind of eating disorder.
Speaker:At some point in their lives.
Speaker:A Duke university study found that around 30% of adults.
Speaker:With binge eating disorder.
Speaker:Also had a history of ADHD.
Speaker:Now that means 70% of them.
Speaker:Didn't.
Speaker:But I think when you start looking at the prevalence within the population compared
Speaker:to neurotypical population, That's when you start to see significant differences.
Speaker:For example.
Speaker:Girls with ADHD are 2.7 times more likely.
Speaker:To be diagnosed with anorexia.
Speaker:Then their neurotypical counterparts?
Speaker:And girls was ADHD are 5.6 times more likely.
Speaker:To be diagnosed with bulemia then their neurotypical peers.
Speaker:And this is according to a study in the journal of.
Speaker:Developmental and behavioral pediatrics.
Speaker:Somebody made a comment and said, you know, if 26.7% of.
Speaker:Severely obese women.
Speaker:Our ADHD.
Speaker:That still leaves more than 70% who haven't and I take their point.
Speaker:The problem is that that is five times more prevalent.
Speaker:In the ADHD community than in the neurotypical community.
Speaker:So.
Speaker:To kind of sum it up and I will include lots of articles for you to go and check.
Speaker:in the show notes.
Speaker:There's a real connection.
Speaker:Between eating disorders, whether that is binge-eating.
Speaker:Anorexia bulimia, any of these really challenging?
Speaker:Eating disorders and ADHD.
Speaker:Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker:I've been reading recently about a kind of combined or shared genetic
Speaker:underpinning for the most common.
Speaker:Psychiatric disorders.
Speaker:Including depression, anxiety, general anxiety, specific
Speaker:phobias, and disordered eating.
Speaker:And.
Speaker:The researchers included ADHD and autism in there.
Speaker:I like to think of those as neurodevelopmental conditions, but
Speaker:we knew that the travel with these psychiatric illnesses and these eating
Speaker:disorders are psychiatric illnesses.
Speaker:But what if you're not there yet?
Speaker:What if.
Speaker:You are somebody who eats more than they maybe want to, who maybe has issues around
Speaker:snacking and you think you might be ADHD.
Speaker:are you included in this episode.
Speaker:Yes, you are.
Speaker:And at the end of the episode, I'm going to give some common sense.
Speaker:Information that you can use.
Speaker:When you're thinking about how you go forward,
Speaker:but it's not down to your willpower.
Speaker:It's not because you're weak.
Speaker:It's not because it's a moral failing and too many people equate how they
Speaker:eat with their moral character.
Speaker:And I want you to let go of that as quickly as you can.
Speaker:So it looks like the risk for obesity.
Speaker:Is it around four times higher in the ADHD population.
Speaker:Then the neurotypicals and that makes sense.
Speaker:When you start to think about.
Speaker:Old friends, executive functions.
Speaker:What the are.
Speaker:What they do and what drives them as well as the neurotransmitters involved in ADHD.
Speaker:So we know that executive functions are affected in ADHD.
Speaker:And there are scientists, psychiatrists, psychologists who can measure.
Speaker:Your level of variance from the standard in terms of your executive functions.
Speaker:I don't do that.
Speaker:I asked people to make their own assessment of their
Speaker:executive function abilities.
Speaker:And I think for most people that's adequate outside of a diagnostic area.
Speaker:But think about what feeding yourself involves.
Speaker:You must.
Speaker:Choose the right food for your body's requirements in nutritional terms.
Speaker:There's also an emotional element to choosing what we eat and how we eat.
Speaker:And when.
Speaker:But if you're thinking about food, you must plan ahead.
Speaker:Because, you know, those snack attacks when there's nothing in the house.
Speaker:Eh, and it's never the right thing.
Speaker:That's another executive function issue.
Speaker:And then the other thing that might impact the other side of nutrition is.
Speaker:How we're caring for ourselves.
Speaker:Our lack of sleep.
Speaker:So I'm going to go through some of the common things that happen.
Speaker:Around eating and food.
Speaker:That are more common in ADHD.
Speaker:They are not a diagnostic criteria.
Speaker:None of these mean that you are ADHD.
Speaker:Just something that you might observe in your own behavior.
Speaker:So the main executive function people think about is impulsivity.
Speaker:And impulsivity is making those choices in the moment.
Speaker:Which may not be aligned with our longterm goals.
Speaker:Our future Hills or any of the things that would hold us back.
Speaker:It means that you're more likely.
Speaker:To act on impulse.
Speaker:When you're surrounded by.
Speaker:High carb, high fat, high sugar refined food.
Speaker:And they spend millions advertising it to you.
Speaker:On purpose.
Speaker:So it's not you, it's the environment that we live in.
Speaker:And with impulsivity.
Speaker:We struggle more to halt our impulsive behaviours.
Speaker:It's harder for us to say
Speaker:no.
Speaker:To that.
Speaker:Donut or muffin when we go to get a coffee in the morning, because it's there.
Speaker:And it looks good.
Speaker:and we're a bit tired and.
Speaker:On impulse, we buy it.
Speaker:And I don't know many people who would Chuck a three or four pound.
Speaker:Like.
Speaker:Pound Sterling donut in the bin because you know, It 'Oh
Speaker:I shouldn't have bought that'
Speaker:I'm just going to Chuck it.
Speaker:I don't know many people who would do that.
Speaker:Bravo, if you do.
Speaker:It's not me.
Speaker:The other thing that we often struggle with is we are less aware of our
Speaker:interoception interoception that.
Speaker:Feeling of how am I feeling in my body?
Speaker:I Feeling hungry.
Speaker:How hungry am I?
Speaker:Am I full?
Speaker:And I've spoken to quite a few people with ADHD who say I'm either.
Speaker:Not hungry.
Speaker:Starving, like I haven't eaten for a week and then there's nothing
Speaker:until I'm uncomfortably full.
Speaker:So it's difficult to stop eating halfway through a meal.
Speaker:People talk about yeah.
Speaker:Leave so much on your plate.
Speaker:That's more difficult for us because we're maybe not aware of
Speaker:those inner cues from our body.
Speaker:And of course that means we're less likely to be aware of being tired.
Speaker:We are less likely to be aware of being thirsty.
Speaker:All of the things that we can mistake for hunger.
Speaker:And yeah.
Speaker:Throw in some impulsivity, some easy, really available refined food.
Speaker:And off you go.
Speaker:And that brings us to poor sleep habits.
Speaker:No.
Speaker:Sleep and ADHD.
Speaker:That's a whole other episode in the future, but we know.
Speaker:That anyone who has sleeps poorly is more likely to eat more the next day.
Speaker:And if you are chronically unable to sleep and lots of young people
Speaker:and adults with ADHD are, then it's going to show up in your choices.
Speaker:The next day,
Speaker:and again, that's not your "weak will"
Speaker:that is your brain releasing hormones telling you to search for high
Speaker:energy food because you are fatigued.
Speaker:But not many of us have the luxury of a disco nap.
Speaker:In the middle of the week.
Speaker:So you have to eat.
Speaker:Something or coffee or, you know, and a snack is at hand.
Speaker:So there's another reason that we tend to overeat or snack impulsively.
Speaker:And thinking again about our executive functions.
Speaker:And procrastination, which is often a product of our executive dysfunction.
Speaker:You've heard of "procrastilearning".
Speaker:I hope, which is one of my favorite things.
Speaker:But "procrastineating" is another one.
Speaker:And I saw that a couple of years ago.
Speaker:So we are faced with a task we don't want to do.
Speaker:And instead of starting the task - task initiation being
Speaker:one of our executive challenges.
Speaker:We just have a snake.
Speaker:Now a lot of people get into this habit without being aware of it.
Speaker:And when you do become aware of it, it can be a challenge to break.
Speaker:But we're doing it because we come from a background of lower dopamine.
Speaker:Lower circulating dopamine, and we'll look at that in a minute.
Speaker:And so.
Speaker:Food raises dopamine we anticipate enjoyment, nourishment.
Speaker:Good things from food.
Speaker:And so if you're trying to deal with laundry or paperwork or.
Speaker:Something really that you are just not up for.
Speaker:You may be tired.
Speaker:Having a quick bite, a chocolate before you start the task can feel like a really
Speaker:sensible thing to do in that moment.
Speaker:And of course that brings us back to the lower level of neuro-transmitters.
Speaker:It's not that we don't make as much dopamine per se, but our dopamine
Speaker:transporters are really efficient.
Speaker:And so quite often the dopamine is removed.
Speaker:Before we're ready for it to go to the receptor.
Speaker:But we know that dopamine in low levels means we are constantly under aroused.
Speaker:So we feel bored.
Speaker:And we're also low and.
Speaker:G a B a or GABA, which controls our inhibition.
Speaker:So if we are low in dopamine, So we're feeling under-aroused, bored,.
Speaker:And if we are low in inhibition, The one thing, we're not gonna find it easy to do.
Speaker:Is prevent ourselves from looking for that arousal, that stimulation.
Speaker:Eh, in the form of an easily available snack.
Speaker:And when I was younger, it used to be Nicotine.
Speaker:That was, that was my thing I can now understand why it was so easy.
Speaker:To fall into that and so difficult to quit.
Speaker:Both of these are connected to what Dr.
Speaker:Nora Volkow calls reward deficiency, which means that people with ADHD
Speaker:experience a lower level of reward.
Speaker:To the exact same stimulus as a neurotypical brain.
Speaker:I think the studies are from 2007.
Speaker:Incredible scientists working with her team on addiction reward and ADHD
Speaker:kind of came up as a side effect.
Speaker:So when you are.
Speaker:Experiencing reward deficiency.
Speaker:You will look for a reward more often we'll come back to that in future reward.
Speaker:Deficiency is a whole thing.
Speaker:But right now, we're going to come back to food.
Speaker:And.
Speaker:Tied in with food.
Speaker:Are there?
Speaker:They kind of.
Speaker:Thinking models, the thinking patterns that I see quite often in ADHD.
Speaker:Such as perfectionism.
Speaker:It's all or nothing.
Speaker:I must be perfect.
Speaker:You know, there's the idea that you must eat super clean.
Speaker:This a very rigorous attachment to rules.
Speaker:Can be part of it, but also when we fall short of those standards, we can.
Speaker:Throw our hands up in despair and just say, well, I'm never
Speaker:going to be good enough.
Speaker:And so perfectionism often stops you for trying for good enough.
Speaker:You know, it's the old 80, 20, 80, 20 is applicable to everything.
Speaker:But if you're 80% of the time managing to.
Speaker:Manage your snacks and plan your meals and meet your nutritional
Speaker:and emotional and spiritual needs.
Speaker:Then you're less likely to worry about the 20% perfectionism keeps you stuck.
Speaker:And that also feeds our procrastinating because we want to be perfect.
Speaker:We know we're not going to be perfect because we are human and wonderfully
Speaker:human at that wonderfully weird.
Speaker:But because we expect perfection when we can't reach it, we just put it off because
Speaker:it's another one of those micro failures.
Speaker:Again, That lack of self compassion, self compassion is the ability to
Speaker:say, well, you know, I'm really tired.
Speaker:So I made an unwise choice or I didn't plan that, that.
Speaker:That's okay.
Speaker:And move on.
Speaker:There let's say there is a unique combination of factors.
Speaker:In our psychology.
Speaker:That impact.
Speaker:Our behavior around food that are also magnified by our neurobiology
Speaker:and the way our brains are built.
Speaker:And the way that they are run with our neuro transmitters.
Speaker:RODE NT-USB & Susan's iphone (work) Camera-1: So what are then your transmitters
Speaker:that we want to think about in ADHD and how are they connected to food?
Speaker:So the main one that everybody talks about is dopamine.
Speaker:Dopamine is essential for motivation for pleasure.
Speaker:For reward the anticipation of good things.
Speaker:And it's something that people talk about.
Speaker:Somebody must've said something, cause I've heard three people say
Speaker:chasing dopamine in the last two days.
Speaker:Dopamine is not an illegal substance.
Speaker:That you chase dopamine is a neurotransmitter that
Speaker:does a job in your brain.
Speaker:It's connected with motivation and pleasure and reward.
Speaker:And as I said before in ADHD, It's imbalanced.
Speaker:We have less of it because our dopamine transporter cells are more efficient.
Speaker:And remove it before it's their job is done.
Speaker:One of the main things that can be a precursor to dopamine is tyrosine.
Speaker:And tyrosine is produced from protein.
Speaker:There's some evidence that our gut microbiome also affects our mood
Speaker:this is where science starts to get a little bit less conclusive.
Speaker:So I think it's not something that I want to focus on too much.
Speaker:There's some evidence that a healthy gut microbiome can also
Speaker:affect your brain chemistry.
Speaker:What are good things to include in your diet?
Speaker:Whether you have ADHD or not, but especially if you are somebody
Speaker:whose neurotransmitter levels are slightly less than you would like.
Speaker:So the first one
Speaker:omega three fatty acids are found.
Speaker:Generally in fish.
Speaker:That's where we think of it.
Speaker:But there are some alternative sources, including some vegan ones.
Speaker:I don't know much about the quality of those.
Speaker:I don't take them.
Speaker:I use An omega three fish oil.
Speaker:There's fairly good evidence that they are helpful in ADHD.
Speaker:Don't go crazy.
Speaker:Having too much of it.
Speaker:Instead.
Speaker:Focus on including whole food sources whenever possible.
Speaker:Obviously I mentioned tyrosine before.
Speaker:The main sources of it are of course, in lean meat.
Speaker:Some in eggs and also in legumes, like lentils, chickpeas.
Speaker:Keenwah.
Speaker:And the protein rich foods help because they are.
Speaker:Higher in a dopamine precursor, which is tyrosine.
Speaker:So making sure that you get adequate protein from whole food sources.
Speaker:As far as possible.
Speaker:And the other thing to include in your diet regularly are complex carbohydrates.
Speaker:There's a huge debate going on about ultra processed foods
Speaker:and how bad they are for us.
Speaker:And.
Speaker:I guess anything that needs a chemistry degree to understand ingredients.
Speaker:It's refined.
Speaker:But ultimately all foods are made of chemicals.
Speaker:And I don't want to stigmatize anybody.
Speaker:On the basis of what they're able to afford to buy.
Speaker:And it's a fact that refined food is cheaper.
Speaker:So if you're in a position where you cannot access.
Speaker:The kind of ultra low process, organic type foods that you would like.
Speaker:Please don't feel ashamed and just focus on doing what you can for yourself.
Speaker:Complex carbohydrates are generally not that much more expensive.
Speaker:There's things like brown bread.
Speaker:Brown rice.
Speaker:The whole grains, as well as fruits and vegetables.
Speaker:And.
Speaker:Fruit and vegetables again, they're quite expensive at the moment, but the
Speaker:more of them you can have generally the better your health is going to be.
Speaker:Recently, I've really struggled to get enough fruit and
Speaker:vegetables for lots of reasons.
Speaker:So that's one of the things I'm going to be focusing on over the next few months.
Speaker:And these help because they maintain a stable blood sugar level.
Speaker:Blood sugar level has an impact on your brain function.
Speaker:Although I would not say that there is a magical brain food that will somehow.
Speaker:Make your ADHD symptoms go away.
Speaker:I would say that there are elements that are available to most people.
Speaker:That you can include that will support your brain function, your neurotransmitter
Speaker:levels and your general health.
Speaker:Let's look now at foods to approach cautiously.
Speaker:If you have ADHD and none of these are going to be a surprise.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:This isn't to say that these foods are bad.
Speaker:So it's not about complete rejection of these things.
Speaker:It's about being aware of the impact.
Speaker:Understanding how it affects your ADHD and making an informed choice.
Speaker:LIke medication.
Speaker:It's your choice.
Speaker:You're in control.
Speaker:Obviously number one.
Speaker:To everybody's going to be thinking about is refined sugar.
Speaker:I don't mean sugar that you find in.
Speaker:Pears, apples, berries, bananas.
Speaker:Those are fine for most people unless you're diabetic,
Speaker:which is a different podcast.
Speaker:Refined sugar.
Speaker:Has a significant impact on your ADHD for two reasons.
Speaker:The first obviously is the spike and crash impact on your energy.
Speaker:From your blood sugar level, rising rapidly, and then falling.
Speaker:As your body dumps insulin into the system.
Speaker:And one of the things that I talked about earlier, in a blog post was that.
Speaker:We eat food is high in refined sugar.
Speaker:We experience arise and dopamine, because it's we associate this with
Speaker:a reward from a very early age.
Speaker:Sweet food is associated with a reward.
Speaker:The problem is that the physical impact of such a high amount of refined sugar
Speaker:act as an alarm, if you like in our body.
Speaker:And so we feel worse because there are physical side effects.
Speaker:And your brain reacts and says, I don't feel good.
Speaker:And what do we do?
Speaker:We look for something to make ourselves feel better.
Speaker:We maybe head back for more sugar.
Speaker:When it's the sugar in the first place that could have increased these
Speaker:feelings around feeling not okay.
Speaker:Want to see.
Speaker:No.
Speaker:That I think sometimes these studies missed the point.
Speaker:And the reason I'm saying that is because I was looking at a study where
Speaker:people who had a very high intake of sugary drinks were found to be more.
Speaker:Measurably ADHD in their behavior.
Speaker:And I think actually it's not the sugary drinks cause the rise in ADHD.
Speaker:It could also be that people with ADHD.
Speaker:with their a lower level of circulating dopamine?
Speaker:We're looking for that reward.
Speaker:So we have the sugary drink.
Speaker:Because of the physical response.
Speaker:The insulin, the lower blood sugar.
Speaker:The biological feeling that this is somehow not a good thing.
Speaker:We feel worse.
Speaker:And so we go back for more sugary drink.
Speaker:And so it's almost like a negative feedback loop, which is
Speaker:caused not by the sugary drink.
Speaker:But by our lower level of dopamine.
Speaker:I would love to hear from a scientist, a biologist.
Speaker:If I'm complete liberal, do let me know.
Speaker:But when you're thinking about foods to avoid.
Speaker:It's very individual.
Speaker:Some people are totally fine.
Speaker:And don't notice any difference with refined sugar.
Speaker:Some people feel.
Speaker:Much worse.
Speaker:And the main thing is that none of these things alone are going to make you.
Speaker:Not be ADHD brained.
Speaker:They are complimentary.
Speaker:And none of them should be taken to an extent where the impact your health.
Speaker:And that's one of the things that we're going to talk about in a minute.
Speaker:I did say we would end up with some practical strategies and
Speaker:that is one of the things that I love offering in the podcast.
Speaker:So when we think about ADHD and food intake, we are most likely going
Speaker:to be thinking about snacking.
Speaker:It's very rare to meet somebody who eats far too many bananas or apples,
Speaker:and we tend to go for the easy option.
Speaker:So what's going on there and how can we improve that?
Speaker:If it's our choice the factors in ADHD that affect our snacking
Speaker:are things like impulsivity.
Speaker:Our ability to plan and organize a head.
Speaker:Our sudden, massive hunger compared to not being hungry.
Speaker:And also the procrastination link.
Speaker:Sometimes we don't plan our days very well, and we just don't have time.
Speaker:To eat properly.
Speaker:So we grab snacks, Willy nilly throughout the day.
Speaker:There's a theory that this provides us with little dopamine boosts
Speaker:throughout the day, especially for using high sugar, high, fat food.
Speaker:Which does stimulate those pleasure receptors in your brain.
Speaker:But I generally think it's also as much of a regulation tool
Speaker:and a sensory soothing tool.
Speaker:We use snacks to feel good because we're doing something with our
Speaker:hands and our mouth and we are.
Speaker:Soothing outself.
Speaker:But snacking can be absolutely fine.
Speaker:If we do it with awareness and mindfulness and intention.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:I've mentioning mindfulness again.
Speaker:And although mindfulness is something that you should be.
Speaker:Cautious around if you have PTSD or other.
Speaker:Significant mental health problems.
Speaker:It's certainly something that is very useful to bring into your toolkit.
Speaker:When you're thinking about your snacking habits.
Speaker:Snacking also helps us avoid more demanding tasks that we don't want to do.
Speaker:So how can we make snacking?
Speaker:Something that we're comfortable to do throughout the D.
Speaker:In a mindful, intentional way.
Speaker:The first of all, we want to have the big rocks in place.
Speaker:And that might mean looking at your regular mealtimes.
Speaker:If you have a really chaotic routine, it might be, you don't have time.
Speaker:To plan and cook from scratch and things like that every day.
Speaker:But making sure you have three significant meals.
Speaker:Breakfast lunch and dinner is going to make snacking much more
Speaker:manageable and less attractive.
Speaker:And certainly in the high fat, high sugar terms.
Speaker:And it does that because it maintains our blood sugar level,
Speaker:which makes our brain happy, which regulates our neuro-transmitters are.
Speaker:Body is nourished.
Speaker:Through these regular meals.
Speaker:And you might want to think is there a way that I can access meal
Speaker:planning or meal organizing services.
Speaker:When I was studying a lot and I knew I didn't have time to cook
Speaker:from scratch in the evening.
Speaker:I used all plants when I was studying a lot and they send out.
Speaker:Healthy balanced whole food frozen meals that you can use
Speaker:for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Speaker:And especially for dinner when I was working late.
Speaker:I find them invaluable because I could cook some really quickly.
Speaker:And I still was able to feel like I was looking after myself by
Speaker:providing something nourishing.
Speaker:But the other thing you can have on hand is a toolkit.
Speaker:Of the snacks that you like.
Speaker:And the are useful for ADHD.
Speaker:So things that include a lot of protein, like Greek yogurt.
Speaker:cottage cheese hummus is a good one.
Speaker:And nuts things like that.
Speaker:Things or lots of fiber.
Speaker:So I'm adding some vegetable sticks with your hummus.
Speaker:Using whole grain crackers.
Speaker:And combining protein and fiber together was some water is going to give you
Speaker:a really nice satisfying snack that.
Speaker:Doesn't cause your blood sugar to go really high, very quickly.
Speaker:But it does give you that nice crunch.
Speaker:So think about the textures that you like, think about the flavors that you like.
Speaker:And then one of the fantastic things I've seen people do is create almost
Speaker:a tray that they have to hand so that they can quickly grab things instead of.
Speaker:Going into the cupboards and seeing what's in there.
Speaker:Of course, one of the root causes of this.
Speaker:As our procrastination, and it's easier to go and grab a cracker than
Speaker:it is to do a task that we don't want.
Speaker:It's just a form of procrastination.
Speaker:One of the things I'm going to finish with today is looking a
Speaker:little bit about procrastination.
Speaker:What causes procrastination and ADHD?
Speaker:It could be, we struggle with task initiation, which means.
Speaker:Just getting started.
Speaker:We might feel overwhelmed at the idea of the job we have to do.
Speaker:We might be facing a task that is not even slightly rewarding.
Speaker:And of course we aren't the best.
Speaker:Sometimes it deciding how long a task is going to take.
Speaker:And what that means is instead of being able to say, it takes me 10
Speaker:minutes to put the laundry away.
Speaker:We feel like it's going to take forever.
Speaker:And so we put it off.
Speaker:So procrastination has lots of root causes.
Speaker:And so classic strategies that you can put in place are things like using a timer?
Speaker:No, I don't mean use a timer in the way that some people do.
Speaker:One thing that has been helpful for me is a time timer.
Speaker:And I may be set at for 10 minutes and see how much I can achieve in that time.
Speaker:Doing things like laundry or cleaning the bathroom.
Speaker:That doesn't mean that I'm racing against the clock.
Speaker:It means I want an objective measurement.
Speaker:Of how long, a task that I did not look forward to is going to take.
Speaker:So that I can then put it into proportion.
Speaker:I can put it back into the context of.
Speaker:It'll take me 10 minutes to do this.
Speaker:And then I've got another 30 minutes to do something I enjoy.
Speaker:You might also want to use things like tying a task you don't want to
Speaker:do is something you do want to do.
Speaker:Or a value.
Speaker:I think I mentioned last week.
Speaker:One of my values is family.
Speaker:Things like cleaning the bathroom or putting laundry way.
Speaker:I don't think of them on their own.
Speaker:I think this creates a nice environment for me and my family.
Speaker:And because they tie it to a value it's slightly easier to do.
Speaker:Not easy, but slightly easier.
Speaker:You could even combine preparing a nutritious snack with fiber
Speaker:and protein and something tasty.
Speaker:As a form of productive procrastination.
Speaker:As a productive break.
Speaker:So you're taking a break.
Speaker:But you're choosing to do something that's really good for you.
Speaker:You're still going to have a snack and it's part of your day.
Speaker:You might want to have specific times for a snack.
Speaker:So you may want to have.
Speaker:Breakfast lunch and dinner.
Speaker:Have a snack in between each.
Speaker:It can be really tiny.
Speaker:But it maintains your blood sugar throughout the day.
Speaker:fRom most healthy people and this isn't.
Speaker:Of course going to apply to people with medical conditions.
Speaker:Please don't take this as medical advice.
Speaker:From most healthy adults and young people.
Speaker:Three appropriate meals and three small snacks is going to keep your blood sugar.
Speaker:And your brain nice and happy and nourished and working really well.
Speaker:But when you do sit down to eat.
Speaker:Try not to be distracted.
Speaker:I've seen devices where you can put your phone into a box and set a timer.
Speaker:So you can't take your phone out of the box for 10, 15 minutes an hour.
Speaker:You may not need to go that far, but choosing to put your phone
Speaker:away, choosing to not watch TV and focus on what you're eating.
Speaker:Is going to change how you experience that food and that break as well.
Speaker:So that's a first look at ADHD and food.
Speaker:We've looked at neurotransmitters involved in ADHD.
Speaker:How food can affect them.
Speaker:We've also looked at some practical strategies for snacking.
Speaker:The also are connected with our need for procrastination or.
Speaker:Y we might be choosing to snack instead of getting on with something.
Speaker:We will come back to those in future episodes.
Speaker:You must experiment with what works for you.
Speaker:There's no one connect we to do these things and there's no one correct answer.
Speaker:But if you are the parent or cater or partner of somebody and you are
Speaker:concerned about their eating behavior.
Speaker:And they are not ready to talk to you.
Speaker:Then you can get information from charities online, like beat.
Speaker:There are other groups like ADHD, UK ADHD foundation.
Speaker:In the UK and they can point you in the right direction.
Speaker:If you are concerned about your own eating behavior.
Speaker:Please contact a medical provider.
Speaker:Don't delay.
Speaker:And.
Speaker:No that this isn't your fault.
Speaker:This isn't something you've chosen.
Speaker:And a lot of the time, people who have had binge-eating disorder find that
Speaker:their medication for ADHD improves that.
Speaker:And in some places it's prescribed for binge-eating disorder.
Speaker:So there is a connection there and you can change how you behave
Speaker:around food, but it's your choice.
Speaker:And I want to make sure you knew that there's no judgment from
Speaker:me about any of these things.
Speaker:What all human.
Speaker:And we all go through different stages in our life, and we all have
Speaker:different ways to deal with things.
Speaker:But if you want to make changes hopes that the information I've shared with
Speaker:you today is useful and helps you to drop some of the guilt and the embarrassment.
Speaker:Because we live in a culture where we are definitely judged.
Speaker:On how we look, how we eat and how we nourish ourselves.
Speaker:And.
Speaker:We know that ADHD has a significant impact on that.
Speaker:Next week.
Speaker:We're going to look at ADHD and food from a different perspective.
Speaker:We're going to think about.
Speaker:Fifth preparation and planning in the context of executive functions.
Speaker:We're going to look at families and ADHD and eating.
Speaker:And we are going to finish with.
Speaker:I look about supplements, hydration, and mindful eating
Speaker:I hope this has been useful.
Speaker:I know it's a slightly heavier episode than usual.
Speaker:I know it's a slightly more serious episode than usual.
Speaker:But I do think that ADHD and food is the one thing we all have to do every day.
Speaker:And so the impact of ADHD on it, of course is going to be significant.
Speaker:If you have any questions, please send them in.
Speaker:There's a form on my website, on the podcast page.
Speaker:Or you can contact me at ADHD underscore coach underscore Catherine.
Speaker:On most social media channels.
Speaker:Let me know if you are listening.
Speaker:And please leave a review and if you could leave a review, it
Speaker:really makes a big difference.
Speaker:And I would be so happy if you could share it with somebody
Speaker:else that might find this useful.
Speaker:Till next time.
Speaker:Thank you again.
Speaker:Thank you for joining us today on Powerful Possibilities, Navigating
Speaker:ADHD from New Diagnosis and Beyond.
Speaker:We're all about equipping you with the tools and insights
Speaker:that you need to thrive.
Speaker:If you found value in this episode, please subscribe and share it with
Speaker:someone else you know who might benefit or who you want to understand you better.
Speaker:Remember, your journey with ADHD is an ongoing journey of growth.
Speaker:But you're not alone anymore.
Speaker:Until next time, this is Catherine, reminding you that with the
Speaker:right guidance, the possibilities really are powerful and endless.
Speaker:Take care.
