ADHD and Eating: Nutrition Support
if you're reading this late at night
Maybe you got to 4pm and realised you haven't eaten all day, and now you're starving, exhausted and grabbing whatever is closest. Maybe your medication has switched your appetite off, and you're forcing down a few bites or skipping meals without noticing. Or maybe it's the opposite: once the medication wears off, you can't stop eating. You might stand in front of the fridge with no idea what to make, or give up on the weekly shop before you've started. Perhaps you're a parent watching your teenager go through this.
It isn't laziness, and it isn't a lack of willpower. Planning, shopping and cooking are hard when your brain struggles with organisation, and nobody has shown you a way that works for you.
What's going on underneath
ADHD affects what's called executive function: planning, starting tasks, keeping track of time and switching between steps. Feeding yourself well involves all of them. Deciding what to eat, shopping for it, preparing it and remembering to do it at regular times is a lot to ask of a brain that finds each step difficult.
Medication can add another layer. Many people find that stimulant medication reduces their appetite, sometimes to almost nothing, for hours at a time. Then, as it wears off, hunger can come back hard, and eating can feel urgent and hard to stop. Either way, people can end up under-eating by day and over-eating by night, which is tiring and can leave you feeling out of control with food.
Some people with ADHD also find that restrictive eating or binge eating becomes a pattern. That deserves proper support rather than more rules.
How I work
I'm a registered dietitian with an MSc in Clinical and Public Health Nutrition (Eating Disorders) from UCL, working from North London. I don't treat ADHD itself, and decisions about your medication stay with your prescriber. My role is to make eating easier and more nutritious around your life and your medication. We start by understanding your routine, your preferences, your appetite and what's hardest for you. Depending on what you need, that might include:
- Meal and snack guidance planned around your medication schedule, so you can make the most of the times you do feel hungry
- Knowing what to eat when you don't feel hungry, so your body still gets the nutrition it needs
- Reducing the risk of overeating or bingeing when appetite returns as the medication wears off
- Simple meal and snack ideas based on the foods you like and the shops you can get to
- A weekly menu with a matching shopping list, so you don't have to plan from scratch
- Options that need little or no cooking, if cooking isn't for you
- Practical help for life transitions, such as moving into your first home or university accommodation, or fitting meals around a busy job
- Respecting your preferences, including vegan, Halal and Kosher diets, allergies and intolerances
Between appointments, you'll have daily coaching from me through a personalised app that helps us spot your patterns and triggers around eating, with practical help, motivation and accountability. Where relevant, I'll work with your GP, prescriber and wider team.
I needed a plan which was realistic and goes hand in hand with my lifestyle of being a busy mum and Aleeza has been able to help me achieve that.
Do you need a diagnosis?
No. I work with people who have a diagnosis and people who are waiting for assessment. If you'd like to explore assessment, I can refer you to trusted private colleagues who can assess for ADHD.
Who this is and isn't right for
May be right for you
This may be right for you if you have ADHD, or think you might, and you find it hard to eat regularly or well, whether that's skipped meals, bingeing, or simply not knowing where to start. It's also right for students, busy professionals and parents who want the planning made simpler.
May not be the right first step
It may not be the right first step if you're medically unwell, or your eating has become severely restrictive or is involving purging. In that case, please see your GP, and look at my eating disorder pages for the right kind of support.
For young people: I work with young people from 13. I support the young person alongside their parents or carers. For young people with restrictive eating or an eating disorder, I'd usually also need a GP, psychiatrist and therapist on board. I can refer you to trusted colleagues in the private sector if you don't have these in place.
What the programme looks like
My programme is a minimum of three months of one-to-one support with me. It includes regular appointments, daily coaching through the app and personalised meal and snack guidance, all tailored to what you're facing.
Changing how you eat takes time, and new habits need practice before they stick. So three months is a starting point, and it's likely that support will run longer.
She was also amazing with educating my Mum and working together with us as a team to support myself as well as my Mum with my new meal plan and cater to my strictly kosher diet.
take the first step
Your first step is an initial consultation, a 60 to 75 minute appointment (the length depends on age and diagnosis). You can tell me what eating looks like for you day to day, and I'll listen, assess and talk through what might help. Afterwards you'll receive a written report of my assessment, including my treatment plan.
You can see me online, or in person at my rooms in Finchley, North London: Health Space, 307 Regents Park Road, London N3 1DP.
Book your initial consultationA few questions you might have
Your first step
Initial Consultation
A 60 to 75 minute appointment where I listen, assess and give you a written report and treatment plan.
Book your initial consultationLong Term Support
The 12-Week Programme
Weekly one-to-one appointments, plus daily coaching between them, so you're never waiting a week to get unstuck.
Explore the programme