Mindful eating for ADHD: Fuel your focus
If you have ever been diagnosed with ADHD or have simply heard the term been used and wondered if it applies to you, then this article is for you!
ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder which affects a person’s ability to focus, control impulses, and manage energy levels. Does this sound familiar? It is commonly diagnosed in childhood but it is starting to be diagnosed in adulthood and is especially prevalent in women. People with ADHD often struggle with staying on task, time management, and may act impulsively without considering the consequences. Symptoms vary and can affect school, work, and social life. What I love about nutrition is it plays a crucial role in managing ADHD because certain foods and dietary patterns can influence brain function and behavior.
The brain requires specific nutrients to function. Deficiencies in essential nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, magnesium, and iron have been linked to worsening ADHD symptoms. However, ensuring an adequate intake of these nutrients can help support cognitive function, focus and mood stability. By not consuming enough foods with these nutrients, this can look like; inability to focus or concentrate, excessive fidgeting, nervous restlessness, coordination problems, learning difficulties, excessive thirst, dry skin, eczema and asthma. The good news is, our diet is modifiable and we have the choice on what to put on our plate!
How Nutrition Impacts ADHD:
Oftentimes, when working with clients who have ADHD, they express that they struggle with their food choices, forget to eat or skip meals due to hyperfocusing or find themselves very distracted while eating because they are multitasking. What is really fascinating is there are ways we can actually increase our focus, motivation, energy and mood stability naturally through quality nutrition! A diet rich in nutrient-dense whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats, provide essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants necessary for optimal brain function and overall health. Whereas, a diet high in processed foods, sugar, and unhealthy fats may contribute to inflammation, oxidative stress, and worsen ADHD symptoms. Let’s deep dive into this.
PROTEIN: Protein provides amino acids like tyrosine and tryptophan, which are precursors to dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. These are neurotransmitters that control our learning, motivation, stress response, focus and reward system (aka what makes us happy). These neurotransmitters tend to be lower in people with ADHD, so consuming foods that naturally boost these neurotransmitters is quite literally a “no brainer”. You can find good sources of protein in foods like eggs, lean meats like turkey, legumes (beans & lentils) and in nuts and seeds.
OMEGA 3 FATS: These are probably the most important essential nutrients for brain health because 65% of our brain is made up of fat, so all the more reason to feed it healthy fats! Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for the regulation of neurotransmitters, including dopamine and norepinephrine. They also support brain function and development, reduce inflammation and enhance learning and focus. By reducing inflammatory fats we consume from seed oils, processed foods, etc, and focus on omega 3 anti-inflammatory fats we can drastically increase our cardiovascular and brain health! You can find omega 3 fatty acids in foods like avocados, fatty fish like salmon, walnuts, chia, hemp and flax seeds.
MICRONUTRIENTS: Vitamins and minerals are critical for those with ADHD for mood, behaviour, learning, focus and so many other symptoms! There are a few that stand out from the rest for ADHD specifically and those are Zinc, Iron, Magnesium and Antioxidants. Zinc for example, enhances dopamine, which as we learned plays a significant role in the ADHD brain. Zinc rich foods are oysters, lean meats, beans, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, and cashews. Iron supports attention, focus, cognitive and motor function and reduces hyperactivity and impulsive behaviour. You can find iron in sources like lean red meat, lentils, leafy greens like spinach, broccoli and other vegetables. Magnesium is one of those nutrients that most of us are deficient in and is required for mood support and our stress response. If you have ever found yourself irritable without reason, or have trouble sleeping, try increasing magnesium (with the support of a health practitioner). Great food sources are dark chocolate, avocado, almonds, cashews, legumes, sesame and pumpkin seeds, brown rice, chard, broccoli, and bananas. Lastly is the importance of antioxidants. Oxidative stress can reduce dopamine levels, whereas antioxidant-rich foods protect brain cells from oxidative damage, which can help maintain healthy neurotransmitters. You want to find antioxidant rich foods in things like berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries), leafy greens (spinach, kale), nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate.
Sustainable Habits for ADHD:
Now let’s talk about how to implement these nutrient dense foods into your diet in a practical and mindful way.
Plan your menu. Choose simple and balanced meals that you enjoy and don’t take a lot of preparation or cook time. This is so the longevity of the routine is there and doesn’t seem overwhelming. This also helps to avoid poor food choices when hunger sets in.
Set alarms and reminders to eat, especially if hyperfocusing is an issue.
Make meal preparation fun! Listen to music, dance or listen to a podcast while cooking.
Use shortcuts and buy pre-chopped vegetables, frozen fruits or instant grains that can save a lot of time and overwhelm.
Automate grocery shopping. If you are someone who finds going to the grocery store overwhelming, either go with a list and stick to it or use a delivery service.
While eating, make sure to sit down to limit distractions. Create a calming environment where you are focusing on the enjoyment of your meal. This helps your body tune into your hunger and fullness cues to avoid overeating. Incorporating healthy proteins, omega 3 fatty acids and important micronutrients like zinc, iron and magnesium into your diet can drastically reduce common ADHD symptoms, like focus, and help to build long-term health benefits. Whole foods and eating how our ancestors did is what our body craves and what it needs to function optimally. If you are curious how to build these sustainable habits and how to eat for your body and brain, enroll in my online course Mindful Eating for ADHD. Here I deep dive into how to eat for the ADHD brain, why it is important, the gut-brain and hormone connection, how to make these sustainable habits stick, and much much more!
By: Kristen McDow, BA, RHN
