ADHD & Food: Why Eating Feels Impossible (and How to Fix It)

🔥 "Eating with ADHD is exhausting. Whether you forget meals, binge late at night, or struggle with food and focus—you're not alone, and there's a way to fix it."

📌 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✔️ Why eating feels impossible with ADHD – and how to fix it
✔️ The 3 ADHD eating patterns (and how to break the cycle)
✔️ Best & worst foods for ADHD focus, energy & brain function
✔️ ADHD & sugar: What actually helps vs. what hurts
✔️ How to eat when ADHD meds kill your appetite
✔️ Supplements for ADHD: Do they work or just waste money?
✔️ Easy ADHD meals: 10-minute food hacks that make eating simple

🔗 Guest Info:
👩‍⚕️ Special Guest: Annika Angelo @nutrimindcoach (NeuroNutrition Expert)
Annika is a behavioral nutritionist and ADHD educator specializing in neuro-nutrition, psychology, and brain health. She helps ADHDers improve their relationship with food and eat in a way that supports focus, energy, and emotional regulation.
📍 Website: https://nutrimindcoaching.com/
📲 Follow Annika on Instagram & YouTube: [@NutrimindCoach]

🎙 Hypercast's Co-Hosts:
🔹 Melissa Llewellyn Snider – ADHD Coach & Hypercast Executive Producer
Melissa is an ADHD coach, corporate educator, and the Executive Producer of Hypercast. She helps ADHDers develop personalized strategies to navigate life, work, and executive function challenges. She is the founder of Likemind Coaching.
📍 Website: https://likemindcoaching.com/

🔹 Brianna Morton – ADHD Coach & Therapist Intern
Brianna is an ADHD coach, therapist intern, and mental health advocate specializing in ADHD education and executive function support.
📍 Website: https://understandingadhd.ca/

💬 ADHDers—what’s YOUR biggest food struggle?
👉 Do you forget meals? Binge at night? Hate meal prep? Drop a comment below and let’s talk!

📩 Want more ADHD tips? Subscribe & hit the bell! 🔔

📌 Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro: Why ADHD & Nutrition Matters
02:30 – Why ADHDers Struggle with Food
06:45 – The 3 ADHD Eating Patterns
10:20 – The Science Behind ADHD & Sugar
15:40 – ADHD & Appetite Suppression from Meds
20:55 – The Best Foods for ADHD Brain Function
25:30 – Do Supplements Actually Help ADHD?
30:10 – Quick & Easy ADHD Meals
35:45 – Where to Start If You Want to Eat Better

#ADHD #ADHDFood #ADHDTips #ADHDStruggles #Neurodivergent #ADHDHealth #ADHDPodcast #ADHDBrain #ADHDEatingHabits

Melissa's Contact:
Email: melissa@likemindcoaching.com
www.likemindcoaching.com

Brianna's Contact:
Email: info@understandingadhd.ca
www.understandingADHD.ca

Follow Us On Instagram

Transcript

[00:00:00] Brianna: Welcome to hypercast.

[00:00:01] Brianna: welcome to Hypercast. Welcome back. I'm Melissa Llewellyn Snyder. I'm an ADHD coach and educator. 

[00:00:08] Brianna: Hi, I'm Brianna Morton. I am also an ADHD coach and a therapy intern specializing in ADHD 

[00:00:14] Melissa: Today, we're going to talk about ADHD nutrition. It's a topic that I feel there is a lot of mystery and misinformation about, but we are really lucky. 

[00:00:23] Brianna: we have the most amazing guests on our show today. Like truly we were chatting a little bit before and we are just nerding out about all of the like ADHD and food stuff.

[00:00:32] Melissa: welcome to Anika Angelo. very excited to have you here.

[00:00:35] Annika: Thanks so much for having me on. It's going to be such a fun time talking about science and nutrition and ADHD. Basically my three favorite passions. 

[00:00:43] Melissa: Well, tell us a little bit about yourself, Annika. Annika. Annika.

[00:00:45] Annika: I am a Midwest native, I love the Midwest. A lot of just great things are happening here. And one of the great things is there's a lot of research on the Midwest. ADHD. I ended up getting my master's in health psychology.

[00:01:00] Annika: and in there I was learning about behavioral nutrition and that is where I decided to concentrate my expertise into behavioral nutrition slash neuronutrition. So Neuronutrition is an emerging field where it mary's three different fields at once, psychology, neurobiology, and nutrition.

[00:01:20] Annika: The brain, like, the actual workings of the brain, then our perception of those workings of the brain, and then also nutrition and how that impacts all of that. And now I'm just communicating about the science that I've

[00:01:33] Annika: learned and continue to learn. 

[00:01:34] Melissa: it may not be uncommon for us with ADHD to have problems around food, 

[00:01:41] Brianna: yeah, so like there's at least three different types of eating behaviors that I see with people with ADHD. the main ones is actually binging. So overeating or eating for stimulation. So that is where actually the majority of people with ADHD experience. I don't know if there's any research on it, but I feel like people who are more combined or more hyperactive tend to fall more into this avenue of eating. The second one is forgetting to eat throughout your day and then binging later on. That is also a very classic experience, mainly because eating is hard with ADHD. And then when we restrict throughout our day, we tend to overeat at night. So that is the second one that I tend to see. And then the third one is Basically, you just have a really hard time with eating. And even if like you get throughout the end of the, your day, you still don't like really feel like eating.

[00:02:34] Annika: And so you just end up under nourishing yourself. So those are like the three main areas. And I also have a theory that people more inattentive tend to experience that last one. 

[00:02:46] Brianna: 1 of the things that comes up a lot is what do I eat? Because, like, you're saying if you are troubled in areas of eating, whether it's binging or forgetting, and then, all of a sudden, you're like, shaky and you're also struggling with executive function just to get food in your mouth is hard.

[00:03:02] Melissa: But what should we be eating as people with. With ADHD 

[00:03:06] Annika: I think like that's exactly where we want to learn. What is our body asking us? Like, that's the first question. Because. It's one thing to get the basics down of ADHD eating, but it's another to understand when to be eating these things. So like you said, say you haven't been eating, now you're feeling super shaky, you feel like your brain fog is kind of, crazy right now. The best thing to do here is actually eat sugar. That's going to be the one thing that's going to improve your executive functioning so that you can create a meal and it also helps bring your blood sugar back to a little bit of a homeostasis for a little bit while you make some food that's going to help you. The other thing is, like, timing of your food. that's the hardest thing for me and I study this, right? Like, I talk about this every single day on social media platforms. And I still have trouble with it. Making sure that I'm actually eating three meals a day. Ideally with snacks.

[00:03:58] Annika: That is the gold standard for ADHD nutrition. Like, scheduling your eating times. Like, make sure you are eating breakfast. Make sure you are eating lunch and dinner. Ideally some snacks in there. So, the reason for this Because, you know, with ADHD, we need reasons for why to do this, otherwise we're like, no, 

[00:04:16] Brianna: you so much

[00:04:17] Brianna: for understanding that. Okay. Keep going with your reason.

[00:04:20] Annika: the reason is our brain doesn't process glucose as effectively as the neurotypical population.basically, what this means is that there, okay, so there was a study way back in 1998 that looked at people with ADHD and their glucose metabolism in their brain. they found that the people with ADHD had an 8 percent worse metabolism of the glucose, which essentially means that the brain wasn't using the glucose effectively, slash, like, it was maybe there, but the brain just wasn't using it in the way it needed to. So when we see something like that, one of the only things that we can do besides medication is nutritional interventions and also like

[00:05:03] Annika: exercising. That's the other important one, right? Yep. Uh, so the nutritional intervention for that is consistent eating if the brain isn't using it, we need to make sure that we're giving it enough juice to use 

[00:05:18] Melissa: you're saying sugar. I know for myself,I often feel better after eating a piece of fruit than eating a cookie. is there a difference in what we're putting into our bodies? Like, I mean, even if we're using it as a primer, so we can, we can get our brain functioning or get our body moving just to be able to make that meal.

[00:05:34] Annika: You're right. there are better forms of sugar for us. Like, at the core, carbohydrates are sugar, right? We have three different types of carbohydrates. we have starches, sugars, and then also fibrous carbs. So, fibrous carbs, especially the fruit ones, because they also have a higher sugar content, are probably, like, our better options because the fiber helps slow down the blood glucose response so that we can actually, like, hopefully have more of a stable response when we're trying to make that extra food to improve our executive functioning. if you're like feeling extreme and you like, you really need that blood sugar to go up. fruit is a great option, especially the fruits that are more easily absorbed. So like juice fruits, fruits that have a lot more like juice in it because that like, Goes faster, essentially, 

[00:06:25] Melissa: my husband's a type 1 diabetic, so we often keep like, glucose packs around and nut butters with sugar in them. And of course, like, fruit juices, sometimes even juice boxes, because those are really great, quick hits of, 

[00:06:38] Melissa: of. Sugar

[00:06:39] Annika: And like, and it's also a more health promoting type of sugar, because it is giving you a ton of polyphenols, lots of antioxidants, lots of vitamins, so you're doing good things for your body. Also, there's a lot of fruits that have actually been associated with improving insulin sensitivity over time. 

[00:06:58] Melissa: I was reading through your online bio and one of the things you kind of talked about restrictive diets and I appreciated you doing that because I have a personal belief that diets aren't good for you . That lifestyle changes are, but, but going on a diet, restricting carbs, restricting different things in your diet.

[00:07:17] Melissa: There's no way that long term, any of that could be good for you. 

[00:07:19] Annika: Oh no, definitely not. Especially for anyone with a mental health condition. So what we see is having a mental health condition, or having a, even a predisposition to a mental health condition, increases your likelihood for an eating disorder. And that means if you have ADHD, we want to be super mindful of not getting into disordered eating habits. And that means restrictive eating patterns. It's kind of complicated because a lot of people with ADHD feel like if they don't take away the foods from themselves, they can't control themselves over it. That's where 

[00:07:53] Annika: working with a dietitian is super important. Specifically, an eating disordered dietitian, who knows ADHD? 

[00:08:00] Brianna: yeah, that combination is super important because like it's the all or nothing thinking right if like I can either have all of this or none of this and then that restriction leads to further problems. There was a case I heard of where, woman had, uh, AuDHD. So autism and ADHD and anorexia and they went to a dietitian who just tried to treat the anorexia and they're like, Oh, like try cottage cheese and like, no, I have textural issues. Like I'm not going to eat the cottage cheese or like try this, eat this. You need to be eating these foods.

[00:08:28] Brianna: And then that triggered the like PDA the pathological demand avoidance And they're like, well, now I'm not going to eat it because someone told me to eat it. And so they had no understanding of how to actually get this person to eat the food. And the eating disorder occurred as a result of this highly restricted food diet and people telling them what to eat 

[00:08:45] Brianna: So having a combination of understanding and knowledge about nutrition is super important. 

[00:08:51] Annika: Yeah, it's such a key. And then like also having a person who understands why even is medication important for some of that. Because if you have a provider who is like saying, you can do all of this, like lifestyle interventions is like the best thing to do. And ignoring how medication can actually allow you to do those functions.

[00:09:15] Melissa: I know that, uh, a lot of ADHD medications are actually appetite suppressants. Could you talk a bit about that? 

[00:09:22] Annika: definitely a big reason I'd say for a lot of people who end up binging at night, just more so that they don't realize that their ADHD, the ADHD medication is a appetite suppressant. And so they go throughout their day thinking Oh, I don't need to eat. I'm not hungry. I have enough energy. And they continue to go throughout their day, and then at night they're like, Oh my gosh, this has worn off. I'm now currently realizing that my body is in a state of excessive hunger. And then they treat that then instead of treating it throughout the day when we actually needed it.

[00:09:56] Annika: It's sort of like caffeine, you know? we can have caffeine that is also an appetite suppressant and think that we don't need breakfast, but then it doesn't actually help our functioning. when we 

[00:10:07] Annika: look at studies with. Eating breakfast with caffeine versus only caffeine for breakfast we see decreases in performance. that is why eating your breakfast is still important even if you feel like you don't need to.

[00:10:21] Brianna: So that leads into Melissa's question, which like, I know that protein is very, very important for ADHD brains, everyone's brain, but specifically

[00:10:32] Brianna: for the executive function and the pieces that we struggle with. Is there anything that we can Consume either vitamins or food, I know some people can't eat all the things.

[00:10:43] Brianna: there are supplements available that could counteract some of that, that are fed that like avoiding a restrictive food intake or some of that delayed eating type of thing just to eat throughout the day that even if you don't want to.

[00:10:57] Annika: I feel like the most important thing is intuitive eating, but also not at the same time. So, 

[00:11:06] Brianna: buzzword. You said the buzzword. For those of the listeners who don't know what intuitive eating is, could you briefly explain it? 

[00:11:12] Annika: intuitive eating is the act of listening to your body and understanding what is it asking me and honoring those. Cravings, while at the same time, understanding if those cravings are good, like the cravings that you actually want to honor or Not, 

[00:11:27] Brianna: And for people with ADHD who have low proprioception and might not know what their body is needing

[00:11:31] Brianna: or feeling, like, how does that work?

[00:11:34] Annika: Yeah. And like, that's where the honoring your body, but also treating it like a toddler.

[00:11:39] Annika: Like, uh, the best example would be, say you know you need to eat, but your intuitive eating thing is saying if you're not hungry, you don't have to eat. But then you're like, wait, I've not eaten for 12 hours. it doesn't matter if I'm not hungry. Honoring my body means eating now. And honoring your body even more is eating three times a day, even if you don't really feel like it. Even if it's just a small amount of food. Because at the end of the day, it is going to improve our executive functioning because we exist with food. 

[00:12:14] Melissa: I have a strong belief in something I call ACS, always carry snacks. Just like a toddler. Like you 

[00:12:19] Melissa: keep snacks in your purse for a toddler. I keep snacks in my purse for myself. So I mean, how often are you out and about and you lose track of time and then you're, you get like slight signs for, especially if you're on medication, if you get slight signs of hunger, it usually means that you're way past the point of 

[00:12:35] Annika: Yes. That is exactly the other thing. Like, learning how to understand your body's signals is so hard with ADHD, especially for those who tend to be more on, like, that odd ADHD side, for some reason. Or the inattentive ADHD that is also more pronounced for some reason. Because more likely we're just in our heads more. yeah. Figuring out when you are feeling hungry, that doesn't mean you're hungry, that means you're starving. So what are those other cues that you can learn? And honestly, for myself, I have none. My cue is that I have to eat between 8 and 9 a. m., between 11 and 2 p. m., and between 5 and 8 p. m. Because if I don't, I will get hungry 

[00:13:22] Melissa: we talked a little bit about like the importance of protein, but what does that look like? Like, we can talk about numbers. We can talk about, you know, scientifically what, what it should be, but. For someone who doesn't know 

[00:13:33] Melissa: What does the high protein meal that will support the ADHD brain look like first thing in the morning?

[00:13:39] Annika: So, for me personally, I swap out a few different types of protein breakfasts. 

[00:13:43] Annika: my two options are an egg type of protein. Morning breakfast thing and then a smoothie type. So I find both of those really helpful.

[00:13:53] Annika: So I make an egg bake, uh, and it lasts me the whole week because then I can just like cut it into little servings, throw in the microwave I protein in the morning That is super great 'cause you can also add a lot of vegetables, a lot of, all of those other things that are good for us. Resistant starches through hash browns.

[00:14:12] Annika: Those are really good And then the other one, like I said, was a smoothie. I rotate a few different smoothies. Uh, usually it is either a, fruit based smoothie or a chocolate peanut butter based smoothie. But either way, they both have a lot of Greek yogurt, because that has a lot of good protein.

[00:14:30] Annika: And I don't, I don't like Greek yogurt other ways. I think it tastes gross. But in smoothies, I tolerate it.

[00:14:36] Melissa: That's really honest. I like that one way, but no other way. 

[00:14:40] Brianna: The Canadian hack to this is to add maple syrup. 

[00:14:44] Annika: Okay, that's valid. I also add maple syrup to all of my smoothies because it just tastes amazing, but it has

[00:14:50] Annika: to be like, the real maple syrup.

[00:14:52] Annika: It's 

[00:14:54] Brianna: I highly advocate real maple syrup and not frickin corn syrup 

[00:14:59] Melissa: in my world, there is a fifth food group. It is called the mobile food group. Anything I can keep in one hand and continue doing with the other is great. Always a boon. I like to keep things like jerky on, like in my pantry that I can grab and take with me and, and yes, it goes in 

[00:15:15] Brianna: pepperoni sticks, uh, little Babybel cheeses or Balderson's cheeses that you can get at Costco. We were speaking about toddlers earlier, they have like, like applesauce pouches 

[00:15:27] Brianna: with the resealable lid. Oh, speaking of the yogurt tubes, I only eat those frozen. 

[00:15:32] Brianna: like freezy pops. 

[00:15:34] Annika: it's still a way for you to get some protein in your day.

[00:15:37] Melissa: I, I'm a, I'm a vegan, so talk about vegetable proteins, but I like to eat things that are like dinner or lunch, like for breakfast. 

[00:15:45] Melissa: Soknow, 

[00:15:47] Brianna: very German of you.

[00:15:48] Melissa: I know. Thank you. I like anything lentil based and I can eat that any time of day.

[00:15:53] Annika: You sound like my mother in law. I love that. 

[00:15:55] Brianna: also, a side note. You were talking about toddlers and then you were talking about like those little finger foods. That is the second thing to make sure that we do with ADHD.

[00:16:06] Annika: treating ourselves like toddlers. What do toddlers like to eat? They like to eat finger foods. is one of the best things we can do if we have ADHD, because it lets us actually finish eating our plate. Because it's like less overwhelming than like a huge meal, right? Like, you can be like, oh, okay, it's like little things, I can just, I can just eat them. That's okay. 

[00:16:24] Brianna: that is one of my favorite things to do when I'm feeling like very over stimulated or I have to like work on something just to have food near me that I can eat at like, so like grazing type of behavior. I'll have like carrots or hummus

[00:16:36] Brianna: Yeah, like just having like a little snack plate next to me while I'm working on something. Because sometimes I'm hyper focused and I don't want to stop.

[00:16:43] Brianna: I do not want to stop and make time for lunch. And so just having snacks on hand is so helpful.

[00:16:48] Melissa: When I'm getting ready to work, I surround myself in snacks and like a bottle of smoothie juice and three bottles of water.

[00:16:55] Brianna: I do a lot of weightlifting and that's, that has, was really like complicated because that meant eating more often, eating more protein.I felt like my eating was already good, but. When you get busy and you need to have certain nutrients in your body, it, the ADHD made it harder. taking meds that made me feel like I didn't need to eat was even harder, but I would know by like noon that my body was totally wigging out because I just want to fall asleep and a pile of exhaustion. 

[00:17:24] Melissa AI: one of the things we really struggled with already is exercising. regulated exercise isn't something we're good at keeping with.

[00:17:31] Melissa AI: And if we feel exhausted and not energized and getting the benefits from exercise then what's the point of continuing? 

[00:17:38] Annika: Yeah. I mean, I just kind of think about how, even for myself, like, I, now, finally, after years, have somewhat of an exercise routine.

[00:17:52] Brianna: Congratulations.

[00:17:53] Annika: Thank you. I mean, having that external motivation is such a key, let's be honest, but there's definitely days where feel exhausted already, but then you think about what is actually happening. When we exercise, what's actually happening is our neuroplasticity is improving. our ability to focus better create new pathways in our brain learn and have a better working memory improves with exercise. it also improves the metabolism of different nutrients in our body. we want to make sure that we're nourishing ourselves throughout the day before we do it. So like fuel to do the exercise instead of exercise And then, I don't know, feel like you don't eat after, because I, for me personally, after I exercise, I don't feel hungry, so eating before exercise is such an important thing I don't know if that translates to all y'all,

[00:18:46] Melissa: the thing is sometimes like after exercise, it's good to make sure you have protein if you've done a really, really hard workout. And. Carbohydrates as well, you could actually lose glucose stores, if you've exercised a lot, that's the kind of thing that just makes you feel dead.

[00:19:00] Melissa: there is an exercise high. There is, there is extended attention because of the good hormones, the good chemicals raising in your 

[00:19:07] Annika: Oh, we love endorphins!

[00:19:09] Annika: Oh my goodness, those are such good things for us.

[00:19:12] Brianna: I grew up playing soccer and so the stereotypical, soccer moms bringing orange slices or watermelon slices. So when I exercise, I normally have snacks on hand because that was the pattern built in childhood. Even though I'm not hungry, there are snacks and I want the snacks because everyone else is having the snacks. And so whenever I go to the gym, like I have like a bag of nuts or an apple for afterwards, the snacking in association with sports has come. very naturally to me because I grew up with it. 

[00:19:41] Brianna: if you don't drink water, if you don't eat the right foods, how is your body supposed to thrive? How's your brain supposed to thrive? 

[00:19:46] Melissa: How are you supposed to even think? 

[00:19:48] Annika: you know, when we do like trauma work, we want to make sure that we are learning how to feel safe in our environment, like our brain. But we also need to learn how to make our body feel safe, because when our body doesn't feel safe, 

[00:20:01] Annika: then how are we supposed to feel any better?

[00:20:02] Annika: And that's the same thing for ADHD. Food, sleep, hydration, exercise, all of those things are the ways that our body knows are safe. 

[00:20:14] Brianna: You've done it again. You've said the buzzwords again. So like, essentially, like the body keeps score type of thing. And so we can't be our best selves if we are not creating a safe environment for us. there is a huge link between ADHD, autism and trauma, because Either we're more vulnerable and we are experiencing trauma at a higher rate or simply the existing as a different person in this world is traumatizing 

[00:20:42] Brianna: if you're not creating that safety for yourself, how can you expect your brain to be functioning at its best?

[00:20:46] Annika: Yeah. 

[00:20:47] Brianna: Can we talk about supplements 

[00:20:50] Melissa: What other supplements could we be taking? Obviously, I'm not going to say should because you need to talk to either your doctor or a dietitian or nutritionist before you start taking random vitamins. what could you ask your doctor about

[00:21:04] Annika: Yeah, so there are a lot of studies out there, and almost every single study finds that Supplementation doesn't work unless you have a deficiency. unfortunately, a lot of people are saying, Hey, you should buy my supplement. Uh, a lot of ones out there specifically are magnesium, uh, that people say helps ADHD, and then also people talk about their omega 3 supplements. Those ones are super typical that we see in the online space to help your ADHD. However, when we look at the studies, they won't, unless you've tested and you have a deficiency. So that is the first step that we always want to do. There are a few nutrients that. are great to test to see if you have a deficiency because they might actually help your ADHD. there's quite a few of them, gonna be honest, but the top ones that I would personally Say to test for magnesium, that is probably one of the best ones. We want to make sure that we are doing a red blood cell test and not the serum test. The reason for this is that the red blood cell test actually shows you if you have a real deficiency, whereas the serum test doesn't necessarily show that. It might also be called the ERC magnesium test. It kind of depends on like your location, but your physician should know what you're talking about.

[00:22:22] Brianna: some people do improve their symptoms with an iron supplementation if they are severely deficient So we also want to test for iron but also ferritin 

[00:22:30] Melissa: if you own a uterus and regularly bleed, perhaps that is another

[00:22:35] Brianna: thing that you could go like, if we're recommending things like all people go or all ADHDers go get your magnesium checked. And if you are a uterus owner, then possibly get your iron checked 

[00:22:45] Annika: Yeah, so that would be a second one. A third one would be your omega 3s. 

[00:22:49] Annika: 

[00:22:49] Annika: homocysteine levels, they are typically elevated in people with ADHD. The likely reason here is we just don't tend to eat a lot of B vitamins because B vitamins are in foods we tend not to eat a lot of. So, 

[00:23:03] Annika: as in, uh, plants. Actually, one of the best ones is potatoes. So, that is a win for potatoes. Specifically, like, white potatoes. 

[00:23:14] Brianna: there are other ones, too. Seeds tend to be higher in vitamin Bs. Do we eat a lot of seeds? No.

[00:23:21] Annika: So, we should. That is one of the the five, like, areas that we want to focus on with ADHD.

[00:23:28] Brianna: I know a lot of ADHD years or autistic people who like take the seeds off because they don't like them getting stuck in their teeth or the texture 

[00:23:34] Annika: Oh, it is hard. It really is like learning how to at least like try to find the ones that work for you It's like flax seed. That's a great just seed because you can grind it up

[00:23:44] Melissa: You can like sprinkle it on stuff. 

[00:23:46] Annika: Yeah, you can also use it to cook which is fun I use it to make granola actually instead of like an egg to make the granola I use a lot of flax instead like ground flax huge fan. Nutritional yeast. That's a great source. throw it in with your mashed potatoes. It makes them a little cheesy.

[00:24:03] Melissa: There's this lovely product called Bragg's amino acids. Um, 

[00:24:06] Annika: I just razed off of that. 

[00:24:08] Melissa: it's like this salty, almost soy sauce, like a liquid that has amino acids in it that you can spray on all of your food and it makes it Better tasting, especially if you have ADHD and don't have time to cook it adds flavor to something that may have zero flavor. 

[00:24:25] Annika: But yes, those are great options. And then actually cereal. Cereal, fortified cereals, fortified, really anything fortified is good for us.

[00:24:33] Brianna: And

[00:24:34] Brianna: Anika is not talking about Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Captain Crunch or any of the, like, the sugary cereals. 

[00:24:39] Melissa: yes, technically a lot of those ones, tend not to have a lot of fortification. I know that a lot of people tend to be afraid of fortification. That is something we don't need to be afraid of, honestly speaking, because it's actually what's helping us stay healthy. 

[00:24:55] Melissa: it's great to have all this information, right? but where do you start? Because. It's great to have the information, but sometimes just knowing where your starting point is, that is the hardest thing 

[00:25:06] Annika: yeah. I mean, we just have to like, look at our life and be realistic about it. Let's just give myself as an example, right? So, realistically, Annika, two years ago, basically didn't eat anything. If I did eat something, it was chicken tenders, french fries, things like that, frozen meals, all the time, if I ate, right? And so, like, that was my baseline. If I wanted to go from that to where I'm at right now, immediately, that would have been impossible. I would have set myself up for failure. So the first step if you're at that point where I was is just to learn what is the balance plate for ADHD. So the balance plate for ADHD is the easiest way I can say it is half of your plate, make it look like it has protein in it. And then on that second half. Two thirds of that second half, have that as some sort of fibrous carbohydrate. So, let's talk about fruit, vegetables, add some maybe seeds or nuts. And then the last half, or the last third of the half, it's hard without a visual, hopefully people understand what I'm saying, that last part, just joy.

[00:26:23] Annika: What is going to make you feel happy?

[00:26:24] Melissa: I like, I like that a lot. 

[00:26:26] Brianna: so important, because I'm not going to drink bottles of fish oil, I'm not going to eat, cottage cheese, I'm not going to, completely remove everything in my life and only have, like, flax seeds and chia seeds and, like, I'm not a bird, right? So

[00:26:38] Annika: Yeah. 

[00:26:39] Brianna: getting enjoyment out of my food, I'm not going to be eating it.

[00:26:42] Annika: that's the key. Like, we want to make sure that we want to eat the food, because if we don't want to eat it, then we're not going to eat it.

[00:26:49] Melissa AI: a documentary I was watching and the nutrition person was saying, like, Make a list of your top 10 favorite foods that are nutritious buy those 10 foods and mix and match them in your meals, your nutrition will increase.

[00:27:03] Melissa AI: because you're more apt to eat the foods that you like to eat instead of forcing yourself to eat the trendy food or the food that you should be eating. 

[00:27:10] Annika: Yeah. Because we have to make sure that we're actually wanting to eat our food. And also we do want to make sure we're eating some starchy foods. starchy foods are, alongside fiber, the types of foods that our gut really likes. especially resistant types of starches, resistant starches are the starches that we get when we cool down some of those starchy carbohydrates. So if you eat potatoes, like if you made like some french fries, let them cool down a little bit before you eat them. Or, even better, get them frozen first. then cook them, and you already have additional resistant starch. if you make rice, white rice is totally fine, that's great! Take that, put it in the freezer for a little bit, then have a ton of rice on hand, in portions, like that's already a great idea. And then you can throw them in the microwave, and you already have more resistant starch. Happier for your gut bugs.

[00:28:04] Melissa: Interesting. I

[00:28:06] Annika: But yeah, like, that's the core. we want to make sure we understand what is an actual balanced plate and what are actually good portions for us. That's like where working with a dietician is super important, because they already know this, and they can help you go on that track a little bit better. 

[00:28:20] Melissa: we can get. Foods that are easy to prepare foods that aren't as processed, but you could still make them quickly things that you can get from the grocery store that may take you like 10 minutes and it's still like whole grains.

[00:28:32] Melissa: Good for you that you could mix and match. 

[00:28:34] Brianna: I was on a journey for several months to find foods that I could make quickly that didn't make my body feel bad. 

[00:28:41] Melissa: Like, I found, whole foods makes these, Bagged things that are whole grains mixed with lentils.

[00:28:45] Melissa: They're kind of the base for a grain bowl. And then if I have quick making like spinach or some tomatoes or peppers or zucchini, quick vegetables, I can have a meal in under 10 minutes. that makes a big difference when I need a big injection of nutrition and protein 

[00:29:00] Annika: creating some pantry staples that are easily accessible but still Promoting what you want to promote for your ADHD personally, I do have a lot of those types of food, too I get a lot of bagged rice that is like the 90 second microwave rice Like, seriously, that is so helpful. Aldi, I love Aldi so much. they have quinoa versions, they have whole grain versions, they have like multiple different types, that's like a great base that we can use. It has a lot of good fiber. It has a lot of good starch. 

[00:29:32] Annika: Another thing I keep in my pantry is canned meats. Specifically, I keep canned tuna, canned, uh, chicken, and then also canned salmon in my pantry at all times. So I can just, like, grab a can of tuna, whenever I'm feeling like I can't make anything, pair it with some frozen peas, some Greek yogurt, some lime, some other spices, if I have the time. Depends on what I have, but And that's a really quick meal. Uh, another one that I have is Those types of freezer meals that you can add vegetables and fruits to. Trader Joe's. I love Trader Joe's. But specifically their gnocchi is really good.

[00:30:13] Melissa: Oh, my husband loves their gnocchi . 

[00:30:15] Annika: Yes! It's so good! However, it's just carbohydrate, right? Pretty much just carbohydrate. but it's really easy to add things to it. we will add some chopped kale into there. We will add some frozen pre cooked chicken, chopped up chicken. That's actually a great resource. ones you can like microwave for 90 seconds. the microwave is like our best friend. Or just throw it in the pan, like with the gnocchi. And then, also, we can throw in some chopped veggies in there, too, or a spritz of lime, some cilantro you can get creative, uh,those are, like, some of, like, the base things that I have, and then I always have Greek yogurt on hand, 

[00:30:56] Melissa: I keep organic frozen vegetables in the freezer because it's nice to have fresh, but at the same time, how often do I just let them sit there? Then they rot. And then I go to the refrigerator 

[00:31:07] Annika: Yeah.

[00:31:08] Annika: Yeah. 

[00:31:09] Brianna: I'm a huge fan of like one pot meals. make something in the instant pot or the pressure cooker and make a huge batch of chili or curry 

[00:31:17] Brianna: if you put all your vegetables, all your protein, all of your flavor into one dish, and then you don't have to, get this in a side dish, and this, and this, and

[00:31:24] Brianna: pull out a million liters from your fridge, because you just have, one pre portioned bag that you pull out of the freezer, put it in the microwave, and you're done, that is the most beautiful thing. 

[00:31:32] Annika: I like that. That kind of reminds me of what I call the four S's, and the four S's are the best ways to make sure that you get all the fruits and vegetables that we should get. So, sandwiches, that's one. Stir fries, a second. Soup. And then, what was the last one? 

[00:31:52] Brianna:  Oh, salad! because you can just add so many things to them, and it's one meal.

[00:31:58] Annika: So It 

[00:31:59] Annika: doesn't 

[00:31:59] Melissa: interesting. 

[00:32:01] Annika: And you can, yeah, and you can change it all the time. You're not constrained. 

[00:32:04] Melissa: I have this little cookbook that you can write your favorite recipes in, and we have like 2 pages of. Quick that you can make, mayonnaise, a little bit of salt, curry powder, or paprika, in a combination of things. it just makes it interesting.

[00:32:18] Melissa: if I put it on something, or pair it with some vegetables, it gives it flavor without having to make a massive meal or, 

[00:32:25] Melissa: labor for a long time. 

[00:32:27] Annika: 

[00:32:27] Annika: sauces are clutch.

[00:32:29] Annika: I make this green sauce sometimes. It has jalapeno, pepper, lots of lime, lots of cilantro, white beans to give it some

[00:32:37] Annika: protein. Yeah, it's great. Uh, what else does it have? Spinach. 

[00:32:43] Melissa: Very nice.

[00:32:44] Annika: yeah. It makes an amazing sauce. 

[00:32:46] Annika: As a person just entering adulthood, I am slowly entering the world of sauces and nuts and seeds. I saw the funniest, like Instagram reel Oh yeah, I just turned 30. And now all of a sudden my pantry is filled with nuts and seeds. I was like, Oh yeah, that checks out. 

[00:33:01] Brianna: they're so good for you. They have all the right kinds of fats and everything that you could possibly need.

[00:33:06] Melissa: Trader Joe's has a great selection of seeds and nuts, but also Costco has a great selection of seeds if you keep them in your freezer, they keep for a while I have a bag of pine nuts. I just feel like it's always there for me when I, when I need them. 

[00:33:20] Brianna: So basically our number one tip for ADHDers is to get a chest freezer or like an additional stored freezer. 

[00:33:26] Annika: But also put a list of what you have in there 

[00:33:28] Melissa: yeah. 

[00:33:29] Brianna: Anika, do you have any like, just last tips that, that would help our audience when it comes to food and nutrition, 

[00:33:37] Annika: Like, going back to that plate, right,Let's bring it back to there. That's our first step, understanding what is the balanced plate for ADHD. The second step is learning how to incorporate those foods. So, I try to make it like a game. How many different fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, plants, in general, so, the herbs, the grains, anything that grows from the ground, including, you know what, coffee, that is a, that's a plant, cocoa powder, that's a plant. It's really fun 

[00:34:09] Annika: figuring out how many different plants can we get into our day, make it a game. So for me, I make these protein balls. And they have so many different plants in it. So it has, I mean, it has chocolate, because I love chocolate. But it has pumpkin seeds. It has chia seeds. It has flax seeds. It has, soy milk.

[00:34:30] Annika: So that's another plant. And it also has peanut butter. So peanuts, that's another plant. Honey, that's not a plant. So I guess I can't count that. Maple syrup. We could debate, that's a plant.

[00:34:42] Brianna: these are plants.

[00:34:44] Annika: Yeah. Right. Like we can debate. Awesome. That's like seven plants. Like, that's, oh, also oats. 

[00:34:51] Annika: So that's eight 

[00:34:52] Annika: plants right there. If our goal is to get 30 different plants in our week, we're already almost one third of the way there. Just by one protein ball. You know?

[00:35:01] Melissa: That sounds awesome.

[00:35:02] Melissa: for someone who has issues with peanuts, I will switch out for sunflower seed butter or for cashew butter. 'cause I, I can eat tree nuts, just do a one-to-one match and it usually works out well.

[00:35:13] Annika: oh yeah, it usually does. what types of vegetables can I add to this dish? make it fun, make it interesting, and that's going to help you down the road. Mm So making it kind of like a game. And then also following the general guidelines for what is something we really want to aim for.

[00:35:31] Annika: aim for at least one fruit a day, one vegetable a day. If you like fruit, that's okay. Just do two fruits instead of a vegetable. I know vegetables are really hard for people. But at the end of the day, fruits have basically a lot of the same types of nutrients. It's It's ideal if we're eating vegetables as well, but it's okay just to start off with fruit. And then if you're doing like one fruit, one vegetable, try your best to also add in at least one seed or not. If you can do that, like you got it. So like that's the base, The third goal would be to eat. a fatty fish every week if you're not Vegan. because that has our EPA and DHA omega 3s, which are the ones that actually improve our brain. So, super important. adding a fatty fish a week, adding in a bean every week. You can hide it, like what I did with my, my sauce. Figure out ways to hide it if you don't like it.

[00:36:25] Annika: And then potentially add, instead of just one vegetable a day, try adding two vegetables a day. And then do the same with your fruit. And then your seeds. Try to do at least one type of seed. And then continue building on there until you just have it as a habit. 

[00:36:41] Melissa: I really appreciate your take on. nutrition, because it seems kind and compassionate and adaptive to the person. So many diets they're restrictive. There's only one way you can do things. it's not about how the person can do things in their lives in a way that works for them.

[00:36:57] Annika: So thank you for. Showing us a way that this can be, kind of compassionate and exciting, and we can gamify it a little bit too. Oh yeah, it's, it's super fun. I will admit, it gets boring after a little bit. prep yourself for that! But hopefully by then it'll be closer to a habit. And give yourself grace for when the habit stops being a habit. Know that you're not going to be able to do this forever. Bye! fall off a lot, seriously, so much, and I know all of this, So of course if I'm doing this, what are the odds everybody else is?

[00:37:31] Melissa: Brianna and I often talk about that. Like, yeah, we are ADHD experts, but you know what happens? We live with ADHD, so we still have struggles. It's not like it goes away. 

[00:37:41] Annika: Knowledge only gets you so far, and then reality hits. 

[00:37:44] Brianna: I

[00:37:44] Brianna: wish education could solve all my problems because then I'd have zero problems and we'd all have PhDs.

[00:37:52] Annika: thank you so much Anika for being with us today. Uh, we've really appreciate it. It's been, it's been a nice, relaxing, fun talk about nutrition because I feel like this, this topic can be very heady or very boring or very scary for some people because there's a lot of emotion attached to food. 

[00:38:07] Annika: Oh yeah. So much emotion. And learning how to integrate that emotion into our food is important. 

[00:38:13] Melissa: We talked a lot about nutrition today, specifically related to ADHD. We busted some myths, uh, i. e. taking supplements isn't going to help you unless you need the supplements. So talk to your doctor about that. But basically just intuitive eating, is the takeaway, learning how to notice in your body, what you need when you're hungry, your hunger cues, and then finding foods that fulfill those needs As Anika said towards the end finding a balance between those foods and just trying to add one thing in at a time, gamify it if you can, but the best thing about nutrition is that

[00:38:52] Brianna: eating is one thing that we have control over when it comes to our ADHD and taking that power can vastly improve your life and how your brain functions.

[00:39:05] Melissa: remember to keep things that you can eat in your freezer, in your pantry, in your purse.

[00:39:10] Brianna: Anika. Where can we find you? 

[00:39:12] Annika: I do most of my education online. So the main platform that I use is Instagram. My secondary is YouTube. And you can find them both under the platform, New True Mind Coach.

[00:39:22] Annika: So N U T R I M I N D, Coach.

[00:39:25] Melissa: Great. If you need any further ADHD services, you can find me at likemindcoaching. com. 

[00:39:32] Brianna: you can find me at understandingadhd. ca.

[00:39:36] Melissa: Thank you so much, everyone. Until next time. Bye.

[00:39:39] Annika: All right. Thanks. Bye. 

Bye.