Although ADHD is generally considered a childhood disease, some may receive the diagnosis for the first time as an older teenager or adult. Symptoms commonly thought to be associated with ADHD in children, such as excess movement and hyperactivity, are less common with adults. However, adults with ADHD will often recognize they have a harder time than their friends or co-workers to plan and organize tasks, control impulsive thoughts and actions, or pay attention for long periods of time. They may also have an overall feeling of restlessness that can lead to a lower quality of life if the ADHD is not managed correctly.
So what should you do if you receive a late diagnosis of ADHD and didn’t learn management strategies during the formative childhood years? Thankfully, there are many strategies to improve nutrition habits to thrive with ADHD ~ this series of blog posts shares my top 3!
1. Develop a routine for meals and snacks.
What you should do: The top recommendation for any aspect of ADHD management (medications, behavioral therapy, exercise, etc.) is to develop routines and learn to stick to them. It can be challenging at first, so I recommend getting out a calendar (electronic or paper), decide what time meals and snacks will be each day, and write it down. Activities on some days will be different, especially between work days and non-work days. But with some planning and effort, eating around the same time each day can be accomplished. The goal is to eat within 30 minutes of your normally scheduled meal or snack, so that your body knows when to expect food and when not to.
Why you should do it: Researchers found that people with ADHD were more likely to skip meals because they “grazed” so much they never truly felt hungry. At the same time, they ate more total calories but got less nutrients like calcium, iron, and vitamins because the quantity of the food eaten was higher but the quality of the food was lower. This type of mindless eating is not good for weight management or chronic disease prevention.
For more tips, stay tuned to the blog for the next 2 days, and check out chapter 7 of my book “Nutrition Management for Children with ADHD”, available on Amazon, Kindle, or here: https://www.createspace.com/7056720
So what should you do if you receive a late diagnosis of ADHD and didn’t learn management strategies during the formative childhood years? Thankfully, there are many strategies to improve nutrition habits to thrive with ADHD ~ this series of blog posts shares my top 3!
1. Develop a routine for meals and snacks.
What you should do: The top recommendation for any aspect of ADHD management (medications, behavioral therapy, exercise, etc.) is to develop routines and learn to stick to them. It can be challenging at first, so I recommend getting out a calendar (electronic or paper), decide what time meals and snacks will be each day, and write it down. Activities on some days will be different, especially between work days and non-work days. But with some planning and effort, eating around the same time each day can be accomplished. The goal is to eat within 30 minutes of your normally scheduled meal or snack, so that your body knows when to expect food and when not to.
Why you should do it: Researchers found that people with ADHD were more likely to skip meals because they “grazed” so much they never truly felt hungry. At the same time, they ate more total calories but got less nutrients like calcium, iron, and vitamins because the quantity of the food eaten was higher but the quality of the food was lower. This type of mindless eating is not good for weight management or chronic disease prevention.
For more tips, stay tuned to the blog for the next 2 days, and check out chapter 7 of my book “Nutrition Management for Children with ADHD”, available on Amazon, Kindle, or here: https://www.createspace.com/7056720