Nutrition for ADHD

How Can Nutrition affect the Neurodivergent (ADHD) Brain?

The ADHD brain lacks dopamine and serotonin as well as having irregular epinephrine (adrenalin) and melatonin. Dopamine and epinephrine are neurotransmitters that effect levels of drive, motivation and focus. Serotonin contributes to feelings of wellbeing, peace and calm. Melatonin helps to regulate sleep/wake cycles. As you read this, light bulbs may be going off as you begin to understand your experience better. Nutrition can be used to support the manufacture of these hormones and neurotransmitters! Other nutrients such as omega 3s and B vitamins can be used by our incredible bodies to support cognitive performance, sleep and attentional control.

Above normal level cravings for sugar, coffee, carbohydrates and alcohol are common in those with ADHD but avoiding these and using carbohydrates and coffee correctly can enhance focus and mood.

Read this with grace and compassion for yourself. If you are a parent of ADHD children, resist any feelings of mum/dad guilt. Yes, sugar is everywhere and a treat and its okay to find a balance. Go easy on yourself, we see you, we know you are doing your best xx. There are, of course, strengths to ADHD but this guide will assist you in optimising the strengths while helping you to develop awareness of and mitigate the drawbacks of this wildly fascinating neurodiverse condition.

Helpful Behavioural Tools

Behaviour that exasperates symptoms such as stress or excessive social media is its own animals and addressed in another resource. The following focuses on how to help good nutrition behaviours stick:

  • Meal prep in advance. Schedule time for this and make it part of your routine to assist with disorganisation and arming yourself against the temptation of junk/fast foods.
  • Consistent meal times: As protection against the decisions from lack of executive control
  • Avoiding distractions while you are eating: Enjoy what you are eating more and achieve satiety.
  • Exercise! Everyone needs it but the brain and mood boosting benefits are especially felt in that sharpness over fog, that focus over distraction, that elation over jitteriness that can be the ADHD experience.

What should be avoided?

  • Excessive sugar and gluten will exasperate the negative effects of ADHD, lowering mood, affecting sleep, disrupting the gut-brain axis and decreasing your cognitive performance.
  • Alcohol: is a depressant which negatively effects mood and sleep as well as so many other things.

Nutrients to prioritise

Tryptophan: Found in duck, chicken or as a supplement, it is the building block of serotonin to assist with sleep and mood.

Tyrosine: Found in hard cheese (most abundantly in parmesan), red meat or as a supplement, it is the building block of dopamine to assist with drive, focus and motivation.

B vitamins: Found in eggs and meat or most potently as supplements they enhance sleep, focus and energy levels.

Omega 3s : Found in oily fish such as salmon, smaller amounts in walnuts and chia seeds. They enhance mood and cognition. Aim for 1000mg+ of EPA and 500mg+ of DHEA/day.

Time your carbs: Save them for dinner to enhance the release of serotonin for better sleep but to avoid this sleepy feeling and enjoy enhanced focus during the day.

Use coffee wisely: Wait 90 minutes till after waking and consuming a reasonable amount to keep your epinephrine in a nice arc. This will support your focus levels during the day and lead you to a nice, sleepy feeling by bed time. Avoid excessive consumption.

Your gut: Eat fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha and miso to fortify your beneficial bacteria and support an optimal, gut-brain axis.

Other beneficial supplements

Lions mane is known to enhance cognition

Reishi mushroom can promote feelings of calm in the mind and relief from anxiety.

A final, feel good note
Not often discussed are the incredible superpowers of the ADHD brain. These superpowers are expressed when stress is low, when you have purpose and passion for what you are doing. Learn more about the hyper-focus, enthusiasm, creativity and general vibrant spirit that can be trademark ADHD. If you can make the most of this condition whilst avoiding the worst, there is absolutely nothing to stop you from joining the ranks of other ADHDers such as: Alexander Graham Bell, Agatha Christie, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein to name a few. Take heart, take responsibility and let positivity and self-love fuel you on to greater things.

Find a nutritionist and personal trainer to support you, whatever your goals or unique needs may be.If you need someone on your team then reach out. I would love to help!

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Porterhouse Steak over Leak and Bok Choy

Simple sings and a low, slow heat gives leak and bok choy ample time to harmonise. Top with a seared porterhouse, mooing at just the right volume or a touch more cooked and you are golden. Not only does this celebration of whole foods melt in your mouth but it will nourish you to higher energy levels, better sleep and healthy hormones.

The series on boosting iron levels continues with a perspective on grass fed, organic and pesticide free meat:

An extra $5 dollars for a steak of higher quality is an investment but something we talk ourselves out of often. Oddly, a 2nd or 3rd $20 cocktail can be bought without thought. You do you, living life balanced and joyfully but with perspective and knowledge of how you want to feel and what you want more.

Ingredients:

  • 2 x 200g porterhouse steak (sirloin if you are reading this from NZ or the UK) of the best quality you can afford.
  • 3 bok choys
  • one leak
  • 1 knob of butter
  • salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  1. A room temperature steak will cook best so perhaps think about this half an hour before you start cooking if possible.
  2. Slice leak and boy choy into inch-ish thick pieces and allow your knob of butter to melt in the pan over a low heat. Add the vegetables, dash of salt and pepper and stir for between 8-10 minutes or until softened and sweetened to your own liking.
  3. Get your second pan on a high heat and render off the fat of the steak by holding the fat onto the pan, it will sizzle nicely and become the perfect cooking fat. If you have opted for grass fed then you are getting an extra dose of omega 3s and other fat soluble nutrients.
  4. Depending on your cookware and the thickness of your steak, 3 minutes a side is ideal for rare, an extra couple of minutes for medium and well done would be 10 minutes/side. It is a science and hard to crack given the variables. The guide below is tried and tested.

The How Cooked Is My Steak Guide:
You can use your hand to tell! Without burning yourself, gently prod the steak to feel how firm the flesh is. Compare it by checking how firm the pad under your thumb is using the guide to the left.
So while touching pinky to thumb, check how firm the pad under your thumb is, if your steak is the same firmness you know your steak is close to rare etc.

Macros: The above recipe serves two. The macros are per serve and do not include any additional carbs. Potatoes or rice would do well on the side should you need to carb it up.
368Kcal 40gP 20gF 10gC

Getting your required nutrients in doesn’t have to be super tricky and is a brilliant way to self-care. Invest the time into learning what you need to thrive and then enjoy the process of finding ways to make that happen. If you need a nutritionist on your team then reach out. I would love to help!

Reach out to a nutritionist

Miso Beef and Eggplant Stir Fry

A delightfully minimalist dish that demands so little of your time whilst dosing you up on iron, zinc and magnesium to get you feeling your best! Delicious and presentable, the eggplant, kale and thin strips of beef soak up a load of flavour.

This would go with noodles, rice or most other carbs you have knocking about your pantry so feel free to use what you have available if you have not hit your carb goals for the day.

Ingredients:

  • 400g beef strips (or slice your own cut of rump/sirloin
  • 4 massive leaves of kale
  • one medium eggplant
  • The sauce:
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp miso
  • 1 tsp oyster sauce (if you have it)
  • 2 chopped cloves of garlic
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp coconut sugar (maple syrup or honey will do so nicely)
  • sprinkle of salt

Method:

  1. Slice your eggplant into wedges, so into thirds first and then those thirds into quarters. Sprinkle with salt and leave aside to sweat. After 5-10 minutes, pat away the moisture with a paper towel.
  2. Drizzle the eggplant with the olive oil and add to a pan on a low heat.
  3. While the eggplant is cooking slowly, chop the garlic and add the remaining sauce ingredients to a small jar with a tbsp of hot water. Shake said jar until all has blended together. Chop kale into manageable (not a mess getting it from fork to face) pieces.
  4. Once soft, remove eggplant from pan and set aside, turn the heat up and add beef strips to your (preferably non-stick, non-toxic pan or add a little extra olive oil). The strips won’t take more than four minutes, so pour sauce in after 2 minutes, aim for an even coating and then add the eggplant and kale in. Turn heat to medium and toss/stir for another 2 minutes.

Macros: The above recipe serves two and the macros are per serve and do not include any additional carbs. To turn into a meal, add a cup of cooked rice or noodles
349Kcal 40gP 15gF 15gC

Getting your required nutrients in doesn’t have to be super tricky and is a brilliant way to self-care. Invest the time into learning what you need to thrive and then enjoy the process of finding ways to make that happen. If you need a nutritionist on your team then reach out. I would love to help!

Talk to a nutritionist

Cholesterol

What is it’s role in the body? Why is it important to keep in balance? Read on to feel empowered with knowledge on how to look after yourself with optimized cholesterol levels.

The problems associated with high cholesterol are to do with the limit of blood flow. Essentially the arteries become clogged up with fatty deposits and the blood flow can become restricted. This results in the blood not being able to flow as easily to get to where it needs to go. There are no outward symptoms of high cholesterol and this can only be checked by a blood test. Cholesterol is still an important molecule in the body that is used to synthesise hormones, build cell membranes, support your body’s metabolism and digestive processes as well as build and repair tissue. So you want to hit the goldilocks spot. The following are lifestyle and nutritional interventions you can integrate to get things back in balance. I strongly advocate for doing your own research and engaging a good doctor who has your best interests at heart. Follow the best advice if prescription medication becomes a necessary option.

Have you checked up on your thyroid?

Your thyroid regulates many metabolic processes in the body. When the body is not producing adequate thyroid hormones due to stress, nutritional deficiencies, genetics, disease or other factors this affects the liver. The liver is what processes excessive cholesterol, removing LDL (the kind you don’t want lots of) from your blood.

You can support healthy thyroid function with exercise, correct nutrition (ensuring adequate iron, zinc, vitamin d, selenium, iodine etc) and cutting down on stress where possible. (Not always easy but be as gracious and compassionate with yourself as you can be and reach out to your support network to assist you in this goal as you can assist them in theirs).

Eat to balance your cholesterol

As discussed above, eating to ensure your body has all the necessary ingredients to produce thyroid hormone is key.

Enjoying a diet made up mostly of whole and unprocessed foods is your best defence, search out the foods that will deliver the most nutrients. The following list gives you a bit of a idea of what to hunt for at your local grocer.

  • Foods high in fibre:
  • Oats, berries, oranges, legumes (chickpeas, lentils, beans)
  • Good fats (high omega 3 value)
  • grass fed butter, grass fed & higher welfare meat, macadamias, brazil nuts, walnuts, avocado, EVOO, chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, salmon, sardines, mackerel, organic free range eggs (look for a bright orange yolk to indicate high omega 3s)
  • Anti-oxidant rich foods
  • Dark green leafy vegetables, blueberries, tomatoes, grapefruit. Think strong, vibrant colours, the fruits and vegetables that call to you from the shelves of market stalls and veggie shop shelves.
  • Avoid:
  • excess caffeine, alcohol, sugar, processed foods, refined grains, conventional dairy products.
  • Example of a day’s menu:
  • Breakfast: oatmeal with berries, seeds, nut butter and collagen protein
  • Lunch: Smoked salmon over a bounty of fresh cut, salady vegetables and a scoop of hummus
  • Dinner: Stir fried beef with a serve of rice, overflowing with delicious, fresh colourful vegetables.

Benefits of exercise

Regular exercise can raise HDL cholesterol which is the beneficial kind that you want streaming about your body.

  • Call a friend or family member and go for a hike or walk.
  • Take your kids to the park and run around with them.
  • Book your partner and self into a yoga or pilates class.
  • Aim for 2-3 resistance based (strength training) sessions a week.
  • Find a new sport where you can connect with others and get outside.

Exercise is so important not just for optimizing the metabolic processes of your body but also your cognitive functioning, stress relief, hormones, cognition, digestion, sleep and mood! So find something you love and get amongst it!

Further reading:

If you are after someone on your team to help you balance your cholesterol, hormones or assist you in achieving the full picture of health. Reach out and share your goals, I would love to help!

Get in contact

Smokey Slow Cooked Beef w Smashed, Herbed Butter Beans

Say hello to an iron boosting special with more of these red meat recipes to come!

Iron plays a critical role in the body as the foundational material to many hormones and other systems. How does this work? One example: Chronically low iron= lack of thyroid hormone= high cholesterol, weight gain, mood imbalances temperature disregulation etc.

Low iron can feel like sluggishness, anxiety, dizziness, inability to concentrate and is certainly an issue worth fixing so you can feel at your best.

So what can you do?
Enjoy a balanced diet that celebrates an ethically sourced bounty of diverse nutrients! Starting with this delish trip to the med.

Ingredients:

  • 250g grass fed, organic beef (buy the best quality you can afford :), this one steak fed two)
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 tin white beans (w a light drizzle of olive oil and pinch of oregano to sauté or garnish with)
  • 1 head of brocolli
  • 1 onion
  • The saucy base:
  • 1 tin of tomatos
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 knobs garlic
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • salt and pepper to taste.
  • Garnish with:
  • Parsley if you have it knocking about which will also help stimulate your digestive system to getting the most nutrients out of this meaty dish.

Method:

  1. Slice your steak into thick, chunks and lightly sear of in a pan with salt and pepper to taste. Whilst this is frying off, chop your onion and add to the pan, fry off a little longer and then chop carrots and add all to your slow cooker.
  2. In blender (if you have one, otherwise all sauce ingredients can simply be popped into the slow cooker) blitz all the ingredients from the sauce base list and, once smooth, pour into the slow cooker.

4. Once the ingredients are happily mingling and stirred together, set the slow cooker to low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours.

5. When all is close to ready, boil a litre of fresh water and cut your broccoli into florets. Blanch the broccoli to desired cooked-ness (3 minutes is a safe bet). The simply drain the can of white beans, mash without too much care to form or detail and add to a pan with your herbs, bit of salt and drizzle of olive oil. Allow to warm up (or crispen if you wish) before arranging on a plate along side the greens and helpings of smokey stew.

Macros: The above serves two, the macros are per serve. Eat to thrive.
397kcal 13gF 32.6gP 38gC 

Creamy Tahini Oats w Raw Honey

Part dessert, part breakfast. This sweet carby bomb will restore you post work out.

I used steel cut oats for their chew factor and a locally sourced, raw honey featuring nutritious bits of comb.

Seeing the first figs on the shelves at my local feels like that first hint of autumn, a wondrous reminder to enjoy the thick blanket of green on the trees before the colours change and days cool. Take a moment to simmer in the season, smell the honey, then dig your spoon in.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup steel cut oats
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tsp raw honey
  • sprinkle of cinnamon
  • salt to taste (note that it takes the bitterness out of the tahini and really lifts the dish).

Method:

  1. Adding one cup of uncooked steel cut oats and 2 cups hot water to a pot, I set to boil for a minute and then reduce my heat to medium for a further 7 minutes or until softened to my liking.
  2. Once softened add a pinch of salt, you may need to add a little water here, depending how it has reduced down. Stir through well.
  3. Scoop into a bowl and drizzle the tahini, honey and the fruit you find your grocer or farmer market.

This bowl worked super well alongside a savoury brunch board for two, like dessert after the protein and vegetables were taken care of. Eat for your needs, to sustain, nourish and share in the moment with the people you love.

Macros:

The above makes 1 serve of the bowl, the macros described are per serve and do not include anything off the super delicious brunch board.

Each: 230cal 10gP 6gF 34gC

Mushroom Hummus Bruschetta

Another way to enjoy hummus. If you have not had warm hummus yet, nows the time to change your life for the better.

Get a hit of vegetables that also delivers on creamy and delicious, pair it with sourdough toast for the chew factor our ancestors crafted thousands of years ago.

Ingredients:

  • 1 palm sized sourdough roll, cut in half or a slice of sourdough (support a local baker and buy fresh if you can).
  • cup of chopped mushrooms
  • handful of chopped cherries
  • handful of spinach
  • 1/3 cup hummus (see recipe button below)
  • knob of butter
  • pinch of mixed herbs
  • salt and pepper to taste
Hummus recipe

Method:

  1. Slice mushrooms and add to a medium-hot heated pan with your knob of butter. Allow to brown 5 minutes whilst your flip occasionally before adding a pinch of mixed herbs, salt and pepper.
  2. Chop cherries tomatoes in half and add once mushrooms have lost some more of their moisture (about 7 minutes in).
  3. After about 3 minutes, once the tomatoes have soften and browned a little, turn to a low heat, add a handful of spinach and the 1/3 cup of hummus.
  4. Pop your sourdough slice or roll down to toast to your liking while the veg mixture is combined and warmed in the pan.

5. Once your toast has popped, arrange on a plate and pour your vegetable mixture over it. To be enjoyed as is! You are so welcome to add a couple of eggs or sardines for a better protein balance.

Macros:

The macros described are per serve and with one standard serving of sourdough

Each: 422cal 14gP 18gF 51gC

This is perfect as a dinner if you have met your other protein requirements. The carbs will send you off into a lovely sleep and replete your muscle glycogen (energy stores) to help you recover from workouts! If you knock out the toast and opt for 1 egg instead you would save 100calories, protein quantity would be the same.

Cherry Creatine Gummies

You may have seen these on the shelves of your local supplement store and wondered why?

Creatine has a load of benefits! From enhancing cognitive function, mitigating the effects of a poor nights sleep as well as enhancing the aesthetic and performance of muscle. Creatine is one of the best researched supplements and so worth investing in.

The other key ingredient; gelatin contains peptides than can restore gut lining and improve digestive health.

These gummies were tasty! Super fun to make a batch to share at your local gym.

Ingredients (for 20 serves):

  • 1 cup of 100% natural, sour cherry juice
  • 4 table spoons bovine gelatin
  • Desired serve of creatine (3-8g per serve depending on your goals and body weight, this recipe is for 5g/serve=100g in this recipe)
  • 1 tsp raw honey (optional)

Method:

  1. Heat the juice in a saucepan on a low heat, just to warm as this will help the gelatin dissolve, you don’t want to cook the juice.
  2. Once warm, turn of the heat and slowly add the gelatin, mixing until dissolved and then add the honey. Once it has cooled, add desired dose of creatine and mix well till all clumps are gone.
  3. Pour into moulds, food-grade silicone is best for getting the gummies back out. They will need to be covered, popped into the fridge and allowed 2-4 hours to set. Slice into desired serving sizes if not using individual moulds.

Macros per serve:
32kcal 6gP 1.4gC

If you are up for learning more about nutrition or enhancing any aspect of your fitness and health, push the button and get someone on your team!

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Further reading and resources:

Bagchi, D., Nair, S., & Sen, C. K. (Eds.). (2019). Nutrition and enhanced sports performance : muscle building, endurance, and strength (Second edition.). Academic Press, an imprint of Elsevier.

Abrahams, M., O’Grady, R., & Prawitt, J. (2022). Effect of a Daily Collagen Peptide Supplement on Digestive Symptoms in Healthy Women: 2-Phase Mixed Methods Study. JMIR Formative Research, 6(5), e36339–e36339. https://doi.org/10.2196/36339

Hernández-Ledesma, B., Martínez-Villaluenga, C., Hernández-Ledesma, B., & Martínez-Villaluenga, C. (2020). Peptides for Health Benefits 2019 Volume 1. MDPI – Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.

Salted Maple Tahini Smoothie

Ingredients:

Base:

  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 cup roasted cauliflower
  • 1 cup soy (or other) milk
  • juice of one lemon
  • 1tsp tahini
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1tsp cinnamon powder
  • pinch of salt
  • Optional boosters:
  • 1 tsp maca
  • 1 tsp lions mane mushroom powder
  • 5g creatine
  • Then simply blend until creamy

Smoothies are an excellent way to sneak in extra nutrients! If you are short on time but high on energy and mental demands then make sure you are nourishing and refilling your cup with enough goodness to see you through.

Further reading and resources

  • Maca powder: reduce blood pressure, increase, energy and sex drive and improve cognition.

Garber, J., & Cohen, S. (2019). Nutrition 2.0: Functional Foods. Prepared Foods.

  • Lions mane: Improve cognition, mood and sleep, reduce anxiety.
  • Friedman, M. (2015). Chemistry, Nutrition, and Health-Promoting Properties of Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s Mane) Mushroom Fruiting Bodies and Mycelia and Their Bioactive Compounds. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 63(32), 7108–7123. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.5b02914
  • Creatine: Improve cognition and sports performance.
  • Ellery, S. J., Walker, D. W., & Dickinson, H. (2016). Creatine for women: a review of the relationship between creatine and the reproductive cycle and female-specific benefits of creatine therapy. Amino Acids, 48(8), 1807–1817. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-016-2199-y
  • Hoffman, J. (Ed.). (2019). Dietary supplementation in sport and exercise : evidence, safety and ergogenic benefits. Routledge.

Sticky Peanut Lime Noodles

I prepped way to many noodles! With a lunchbox load left over in the fridge and a craving for something fresh I whipped up the sauce of my Thailand holiday dreams.

Left overs are a gift! They are a treasure to be used to save you time, money and the planet. With a little creativity great things can happen!

  • Ingredients for 2 sides
  • 1 cup of rice noodles (or whatever noodles you happen to have knocking about, ensure they are cooked al dente and ready to go.)
  • 2tbsp peanut butter
  • 1 bunch of coriander leaves
  • juice of one lime
  • 3tbsp soy sauce
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 thumb sized piece of ginger
  • 1tsp oyster sauce
  • 1tsp mixed spice
  • to be garnished with lemon grass, sesame seeds, red chilli and lime slice (note that these are optional and not crucial the flavour integrity of this dish).

Method

  1. Leave your noodles to the side if they are cooked or prepare two serves of noodles as the packet instructs.
  2. Peel the skin from the ginger and garlic, free the leaves from the coriander and finely chop together. Place them in a 300ml(ish) jar.
  3. Place soy, spice, oyster sauce, peanut butter and lime juice into the jar with the other ingredients. If you can completely seal the jar, do so and shake all ingredients together until they have more or less mixed. You can otherwise whisk with a for till a clumpy combination has formed.
  4. Pour the sauce into a non-sitck pan with your noodles at a medium-high heat and mix until the sauce has reduced and is sticking to your noodles. Ensure it is heated through to your liking. Garnish, serve, enjoy!

The above makes 2 serves. The following macros are per serve:

Per serve: 201Kcal 24gC 9gF 46gP

To the left you can see I added some roasted cauliflower, sliced tomato and a humble tin of tuna to turn it into a meal. These additions are not included in the above macro nutritional information. Yes, it could absolutely be turned into a salad, the noodles taste great once they have gone cold so stir in your protein source and vegetables if that is what you are craving.

If you are looking for a nutritionist who lives in the real world then reach out! I would love to help you find balance, energy and a lifestyle you love living.

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