A Roadmap for ADHDers Who Just Want to Eat, But OMG It’s so Hard
My ADHD presents itself in a limited ability to plan (and eat) a meal. Between choosing a dish, sourcing ingredients, going to a grocery store, prepping, cooking…the thought alone overwhelms me and I barely make it past step one. I’m not alone: studies show that most people with ADHD have unhealthy relationships with food. Furthermore, myths around food intake—like reducing sugary foods or eliminating certain chemicals to reduce ADHD symptoms—send misguided messages about how to manage ADHD.
And yet, the symptoms persist. The executive dysfunction disrupted my life to a point that I was either going hungry or running up a very expensive takeout bill. Something had to change, so I saw a nutritionist who specializes in ADHD. Here’s what I learned.
Reframing ADHD Symptoms
Before I could tackle the physical labor of the shopping-to-cooking-to-eating pipeline, I had to mentally reframe my ADHDness, as I’d been harboring internalized ableism for my inability to cook from scratch.
I’d tell myself: Itemizing ingredients isn’t hard. Shopping for groceries isn’t hard. Chopping veggies, cooking, washing dishes isn’t hard. So just do it.
These statements, that I’d convinced myself would motivate me into action, were actually really harsh self-bullying. By holding myself to this unfair standard, I created a narrative that I was the problem. Once I reframed these tasks for what they were for me—impossible, herculean, really hard—I could open myself to ways I could lessen the load.
The Freezer Aisle Is Your Friend
It turns out I don’t have to chop the veggies, grate the ginger, or cook the meal. I can buy them already chopped or frozen from the freezer aisle. And guess what? It’s still food, still nourishing. Eating a meal is more important than not eating one at all. The freezer aisle is a treasure trove of quality food without breaking your mental load.
But What If I Can’t Make It to The Freezer Aisle?
On low bandwidth days, I’m too tired to think about cooking and just want to eat. This next resource does require up-front labor, but the novelty helps create motivation: make a personal menu of your go-to foods. Mine is fashioned after a kids’ restaurant menu, with pictures of the foods I like. However, listing them on the Notes app to refer to works just as well.
I considered these questions when making my personal menu: what are my favorite meals? The foods I eat without hesitation? My “treat-yourselfs?” These can be microwaveable or even takeout. My menu includes yogurt, microwaveable ramen, Korean takeout, frozen fish sticks, brownies, and Dr. Pepper.
Stocking Your Pantry
After identifying my food favorites, there’s one herculean task left (luckily, just one): stock my pantry. I won’t always want to eat those foods but, on a hunger-driven time crunch, I thank myself for the foresight.
These are admittedly still labor intensive tasks, but I’m no longer wading through a wasteland. I have a roadmap that enables me to cook more often—not because it’s “better,” but because I have a craving and now the bandwidth to satisfy it. Thanks to this roadmap, I now eat full meals with, well, still with lots of effort but with less mental load and a less bleak outlook on what’s for lunch.
In a society that often marginalizes us, this jar is a quiet revolution. It celebrates our ingenuity and calls us to keep going. What will you add to yours?
Based in Los Angeles, Ashley Soto Paniagua (she/her) is a TV writer and founder of Me Dio La Gana Jewelry. You can find her on Instagram.
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