Cooking with ADHD – advice from a mental health dietitian

We spoke to Jacqueline Galanty, specialist mental health dietitian and associate nutritionist, about her new book, The ADHD Recipe Book, and her tips for making mealtimes easier

Hi Jacqueline! What inspired you to write The ADHD Recipe Book?

I work with lots of adults with ADHD who are trying to eat better, and a pattern emerges quite quickly. When we start to talk it through, it usually turns out that they already have a good level of nutrition knowledge and the basic cooking skills they need, but actually making it happen is where things fall apart.

Recipe books can be really inspiring. They are often full of beautiful photos and interesting ingredients, which is great for a creative brain that thrives on novelty. But knowing where to start and translating that inspiration into a meal on a plate isn’t straightforward. So the book gets put on the shelf and forgotten.

A lot of recipes are set out in ways that unintentionally trip up an ADHD brain because there are hidden steps, complicated timings, or tasks that need sustained attention in a way that isn’t obvious at first glance. They really don’t need to be this way.

How does ADHD affect people’s relationship with food?

Executive function (things like planning, remembering and sequencing) can make food decisions, shopping, and cooking harder. Hyperfocus or difficulty noticing hunger can mean you suddenly realise it’s 4pm, you haven’t eaten lunch, and now you have very little in the tank for starting to cook. Medication can suppress appetite during the day, only for it to reappear very strongly later in the day. People often relate to the idea that plans get derailed easily and they default to whatever is quickest even when there was originally a plan.

What I often see is that people blame themselves for this, thinking it’s a lack of discipline or that they are “bad at eating well”. But once we work through what’s actually getting in the way, we can start to change the environment around food, which can make things much easier.

What’s your advice for someone when cooking feels impossible?

I think first off, don’t make cooking the requirement for eating! Energy and enthusiasm for cooking often vary. Some days you might feel really inspired to cook something interesting entirely from scratch. Other days, even the simplest meal can feel like too much. This is why it helps to have a flexible approach. Batch cooking on days where you have time and energy, and then keeping a few meals in the freezer or fridge for those low-energy days can be helpful.

It can also be useful to keep some simple staples in your store cupboard that can be assembled into a nourishing no-cook meal. For example, a source of protein such as eggs, tuna, or beans, a carbohydrate like microwave grains, jacket potatoes, or bread, and some vegetables, whether fresh, frozen, or tinned. Store cupboard flavourings like pesto, sauces, or dressings can add a bit of variety and interest. With these basics, you can put together a perfectly doable meal. On a day when you have a bit more capacity, you might cook one element and assemble the rest.

What simple kitchen strategies can make healthy eating much more achievable?

Reduce the number of decisions you need to make. Have five or six meals you know you can make rather than trying to reinvent something every night. Cook extra so dinner can become lunch as well. Use shortcuts without feeling guilty about it.

I also really like setting the stage before you need to cook. If evenings are difficult, get the ingredients out or the equipment ready earlier in the day.

And think about the tiny barriers that can derail you. The dishwasher needs emptying, the worktop is a mess, not knowing what to make. Remove one of those barriers and suddenly cooking seems that bit more achievable.

What makes The ADHD Recipe Book different to other recipe books out there?

The recipes are nutritionally balanced, but we’ve thought just as carefully about what happens before somebody actually eats them: choosing what to make, having the ingredients available, getting started, following the recipe without losing your place and managing time.

The recipes are deliberately straightforward, and the book includes practical strategies for reducing friction. Importantly, it isn’t based on restrictive ideas about nutrition. There are no forbidden foods and no suggestions that supplements or a special ADHD diet are going to ‘fix’ ADHD. It’s about nutritionally balanced, varied and enjoyable eating that supports long-term health, and finding realistic ways to help make that happen.

Find one of Jacqueline's ADHD-friendly recipes in our issue 115 here