ADHD Diet & Nutrition

Build a Better Relationship with Food to Benefit Your Brain

The ADHD brain needs healthy, whole foods and nutrients to perform at optimal levels. But ADHD can sometimes impede healthy eating, leading to a chicken-or-egg quandary (literally). Learn more about how food impacts ADHD and how to give your brain what it needs, but sometimes resists.

By Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D. Verified Updated on October 21, 2024
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Is Healthy Eating Difficult with ADHD?

A healthy relationship with food is part of a healthy lifestyle. At the same time, ADHD is associated with unhealthy eating patterns, a relationship that may be due to symptoms that impede and impair individuals’ ability to make healthy decisions around food.1 Lower levels of dopamine may also play a role; some individuals may seek stimulation in foods, especially dopamine-boosting ones like simple carbohydrates and foods high in refined sugars.

Executive dysfunction associated with ADHD is another factor. Planning meals, making decisions around food, and paying attention to food consumption can be overwhelming to a brain with poor executive functioning. Another impacted skill is self-awareness; differentiating between feelings of hunger, boredom, anxiety, and satiation can be a challenge.

Despite these factors, improving your relationship with food is possible.

[Free Download: Brain Food: Healthy Eating Tips to Counter ADHD Symptoms]

The Basics: Foods and Nutrients to Go For

  • Protein. Protein is a satiating macronutrient that helps maintain stable blood sugar levels, which is important for regulating appetite and energy levels. Find protein sources that you easily incorporate into your meals.
  • Complex carbs. Vegetables, fruits, barley, and quinoa are great sources of long-lasting energy that won’t deplete rapidly like simple carbs (corn syrup, sugar, etc.) do. Complex carbs also tend to be richer in fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are part of a nutritious diet. When possible, opt for complex carbs over simple forms.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids are found in tuna, salmon, nuts, olive oil, and in supplement form. Some studies show that Omega-3 supplementation is associated with small-to-medium improvements in ADHD symptoms.2
  • B-vitamins found in legumes, whole grains, beans, seeds, spinach, and avocado are considered super foods that cut down on sugar cravings, too.
  • Antioxidants. Foods high in antioxidants — like kale, beans, and many berry varieties — protect the brain from oxidative stress, the “waste” produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells.3 Diets high in processed and fast foods are positively associated with increased oxidative stress. 4

[Read: Healthy Eating Habits for Impulsive, Dopamine-Starved ADHD Brains]

Mindful Eating Tips

Mindful eating — as opposed to mindless eating — is the practice of paying full attention to the experience of eating, using all your senses to notice the taste, texture, smell, and appearance of food, as well as how it makes your body feel. It involves being as present as possible during meals, eating slowly, and recognizing physical hunger and fullness cues.

  • Minimize distractions: Eat without distractions like TV or your phone to focus on your food
  • Use a journal or an app to track how different foods make you feel in the moment, hours later, and the next day.
  • Practice deep breathing before each meal.
  • Eat as if you need to describe every aspect of the meal to someone who has never tasted that food before.
  • While eating, put the utensil down every time you take a bite. Pick it back up when you finish chewing.
  • Try not to get more portions until you finish the first. Keep food off the table as a way to assess if you really want to get up for the additional helping. Seat yourself accordingly – try facing away from the food.

Behavioral Strategies

  • Add a variety of colors: Incorporate different fruits and vegetables into your meals to boost nutrient intake.
  • Structure your evenings with activities to avoid boredom, which causes us to gravitate to excess food for stimulation.
  • Make a list of alternative stimulating behaviors and keep it ready for referral.
  • Practice good sleep hygiene. Sleep deprivation is a major contributing factor to other health issues.
  • Carry a water bottle throughout the day to stay consistently hydrated.
  • Stick to a schedule: Eating at consistent times helps maintain energy levels and prevents overeating later.
  • Look for easy replacements (zero calorie soda instead of regular) if the goal is to cut down on sugars or calories.
  • When eating out, ask for half the meal “to go.” Look at nutrition information for restaurants online to inform your order.
  • Start small: Add one more serving of veggies or fruit to your daily diet and gradually increase from there.
  • Read nutritional labels and make it a habit. The fewer ingredients you recognize, the less healthy the food is.

The content for this article was derived from the ADDitude Expert Webinar “Eat This, Not That: Healthy Eating Habits for a Healthier ADHD Brain” by Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D. (podcast episode #332), which was broadcast live on November 10, 2020.

Healthy Eating: Next Steps

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View Article Sources

1 Pinto, S., Correia-de-Sá, T., Sampaio-Maia, B., Vasconcelos, C., Moreira, P., & Ferreira-Gomes, J. (2022). Eating Patterns and Dietary Interventions in ADHD: A Narrative Review. Nutrients, 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14204332.

2Hawkey, E., & Nigg, J. T. (2014). Omega-3 fatty acid and ADHD: blood level analysis and meta-analytic extension of supplementation trials. Clinical psychology review, 34(6), 496–505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2014.05.005

3 Baroni, L., Sarni, A., & Zuliani, C. (2021). Plant Foods Rich in Antioxidants and Human Cognition: A Systematic Review. Antioxidants, 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10050714.

4 Aleksandrova, K., Koelman, L., & Rodrigues, C. (2021). Dietary patterns and biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation: A systematic review of observational and intervention studies. Redox Biology, 42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2021.101869.