Tips for Meal Planning with ADHD
A wonderful person in our Facebook group recently expressed her struggles for meal planning with ADHD. This was something that I had seen quite a few times mentioned in other groups, so I wanted to share some tips that may help.
Personally, I have never been diagnosed with ADHD, but I am learning that I heavily lean towards this. My son was recently diagnosed with ADHD as well, and it is forcing me to look more into my own habits.
Keep in mind that everyone who has ADHD does not always process things the same way, so you may have to try out a few different tips to see if one works for you.
P.S. Even if you don’t have ADHD, these tips may help you create a meal plan and stick to it as well!
10 Meal Planning Tips to Try!
You also don’t have to follow all of these tips, I would start with one for a week or two, and then try another, and so on.
1. Visual Meal Planning
This helps because most people with ADHD are visual learners. This is one of the reasons I started including pictures of the ingredients on each recipe because it helps people be able to “visualize” how to make the meals! Try creating your own “vision board” with your meal plan and see if that helps.
2. Small Steps
Planning a whole week, 2 weeks, or month is just too overwhelming for most. Try breaking it down into smaller chunks like 2-3 days at a time. You can also include step-by-step lists of your meal plan to make it easier to process.
3. Batch Cooking or Hyper Focused Meals
Most people with ADHD have the tendency to “hyper focus” and this can be related to certain ingredients or even ways to cook like using an air-fryer. So lean into those times of Hyper Focus and use them to your advantage. You can do this by batch cooking or make a whole week of meals using that cooking method.
4. Simplify your Choices
Decision fatigue is a real thing and affects lots of people with ADHD. So, make your brain work less by making lists of go-to meals with ingredients you always have, meals ready to eat in the freezer, and try rotating theme nights like Taco Tuesday and Pasta Wednesday! These can make it less stressful to remember what you already have at home or what you eat on certain days.
5. Timers & Reminder Apps
We just tend to forget or overlook details with ADHD, so embrace that and set yourself reminders on your phone, use a schedule app, or even set a timer while you cook.
6. Set up Rewards!
ADHD brains are usually hard wired for instant gratification so reward yourself when you do stick to the plan. I started eating a mini piece of chocolate every time I did the dishes and now, I don’t dread it as much as I used to!
7. Be prepared with Grab and Go Items
People with ADHD may struggle with impulsivity, if you know you have this tendency then work with it instead of against it. Make up some snacks, small meals, etc. that are ready to go at any time, so you don’t accidently use items needed for your meal plan.
8. Keep it Interesting!
ADHD brains can get bored easily, so varying the meals slightly while sticking to a basic formula can keep things fresh without the need for complex planning. Good Base meals can be tacos, rice bowls, pasta, etc. Meals where the base stays the same, but you can mix up the toppings, sauces, or even the seasonings.
9. Category Based Grocery Lists
You may wonder why I put the grocery list into different categories, and this is because it is easier and more efficient for me. My categories may not work for you and that is ok, switch it up to a category system that does work for you.
10. Plan B Meals
Sometimes we just have bad days and can’t focus, it totally just happens. Sometimes it is due to being overwhelmed or just totally out of mental energy. We know these days happen, so stock up on some easy no-effort meals for just in case!
ADHD & Meal Planning
I hope these can inspire you to try meal planning in a different way and maybe help you stick to your meal plans.
Another thing to remember is stop looking at your personal traits as negatives and start looking for ways to turn them into positives. Don’t work against your own tendencies but make them work for you.
Please let me know if you are going to try any of these tips….. Or do you already do one of these tips to keep you focused?
