ADHD-Friendly Tips for Healthier Eating
Do you have a healthy relationship with food and eating? Many with ADHD do not. This may present itself in many different ways. It might be impulsively eating. It could be not eating enough throughout the day. It could be making poor food decisions. Or, it could be something else entirely. If you want a better relationship with food, read and incorporate these tips.
Eat Regular Meals
When on medication, your appetite might be suppressed, and you will not be hungry during traditional meal times. It is a good idea to eat anyway. This will prevent you from being super hungry when the medication wears off. In short, sometimes you need to force yourself to eat.
Keep Unhealthy Foods Out of the House
Late at night, when you are feeling tired and hungry, you are more likely to crave unhealthy foods. A way to prevent yourself from eating an entire gallon of ice cream at once is to not keep ice cream in the house. By not storing this food in an easy-to-access place, you increase the chances you will not consume it.
Ask Yourself if You Could Eat a Healthy Snack
Instead of swallowing up a bunch of junk food when you think you are hungry, try offering yourself a healthy snack. If you think you are craving some potato chips, ask yourself if you could eat some carrots. If you would not eat the carrots (or another healthy food you like), you are not hungry.
Don’t Shop for Groceries While Hungry
You make bad decisions at the grocery store if you shop while hungry. Avoid this problem by not walking into the grocery store while hungry. Eat something before you go.
BONUS TIP: Go into the grocery store with a list (made while not hungry), and do not deviate from that list.
Eat Slowly
One of my problems with food and eating is eating too fast. I gobble up my food in no time at all. This makes it hard for me to know when I have had enough food. If I slow down, I won’t eat as much. However, it is really hard for me to slow down. An easy way to combat this is to eat with other people and be actively engaged in conversation while eating. Unfortunately, people are not always around me while I eat. When I am eating alone, I play a game while eating to slow myself down.
Stimulate Your Brain with Non-Food Activities
Boredom is a common excuse for eating. The pleasure we receive while eating can be stimulating for the ADHD brain, which craves stimulation. To avoid eating out of boredom, make sure you are stimulating your brain with activities that keep you engaged and not thinking about food.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Believe it or not, but you can improve the health of your eating habits by getting plenty of sleep. When sleep-deprived, you have increased levels of ghrelin which makes you hungry and decreased levels of leptin which makes you feel full. Moreover, you crave more unhealthy foods when sleep deprived. In short, sleeping more means better dietary choices.
Learn to Say No
Just because you see food or are offered food does not mean you have to eat it. Learning to say no can lead to a healthier lifestyle. This is not easy and may take some extra support. A coach could be useful in this situation.