Why Your ADHD is Making “Healthy Eating” So Hard - The Truth About Cravings, Fixations, Overeating, and Food Dyes with Rebecca King, RD

Fellow dietitian, Rebecca King and I (Abbey Sharp) both have diagnosed ADHD so we understand the daily struggles of having a neurodivergent mind and trying to eat well. Rebecca (aka @adhdnutritionist) specializes in an anti diet culture approach to ADHD nutrition management, helping ADHD’ers stop binge eating, learn meal planning skills, identify food triggers and improve their relationship with food. In today’s episode we discuss we cover: Forgetting to eat or lack of appetite leading to overeating or binging at night Tips for simplifying the steps of meal prep that make it too overwhelming to start How to deal with food hyperfixations and avoiding getting the ick Alternatives to sugar and other foods for dopamine Why ADHD and eating disorders are so co-morbid How “intuitive eating” works for ADHDers The most important nutrition tips for ADHDers Unique hacks for helping us thrive with ADHD Facts and fiction on common ADHD “no-no” foods - do you need to cut out sugar, food dyes, preservatives, dairy and gluten? Check in with today’s amazing guest Rebecca King, RD: Follow on Instagram: @adhd.nutritionist Book: How to Eat Well for Adults with ADHD Course: Intuitive Eating for ADHD Small Group Coaching Program Disclaimer: The content in this episode is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is never a substitute for medical advice. If you’re struggling with with your mental or physical health, please work one on one with a health care provider. If you have heard yourself in our discussion today, and are looking for support, contact the free NEDIC helpline at 1-866-NEDIC-20 or go to eatingdisorderhope.com. References: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1981-03606-001 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022347695705414 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30986731/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33066852/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4777329/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32220366/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22176942/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15613992/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20551163/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9573786/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17825405/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15155391/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6331488/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8401786/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8401786/figure/nutrients-13-02598-f003/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3747333/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3747333/ https://adc.bmj.com/content/99/Suppl_2/A204.3 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •✨ Reach Your Weight & Health Goals — Without Dieting! Pre-order The Hunger Crushing Combo Method, Abbey’s revolutionary additive approach to eating well. Learn how to boost satiety, stabilize blood sugars, reduce disease risk, and improve your relationship with food — all while getting the best nutrient bang for your caloric buck. With 400+ research citations, cheat sheets, evidence-based actionable tips, meal plans, and adaptable recipes, The Hunger Crushing Combo Method is the only nutrition bible you’ll ever need. 👉 Pre-order today! 🛒 Where to Purchase: Amazon Barnes & Noble Amazon Kindle Apple Books Google Play Kobo Apple Books (Audiobook) Audible abbeyskitchen.com/hunger-crushing-combo • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •✉️ Subscribe to My Newsletters: Abbey’s Kitchen Newsletter 📘 Check out my FREE E-Books: Hunger Crushing Combo™ E-Book Protein 101 E-Book 👋 Follow me! Instagram: @abbeyskitchen TikTok: @abbeyskitchen YouTube: @AbbeysKitchen Blog: abbeyskitchen.com Book: The Mindful Glow Cookbook • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 🎧 Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen — and leave us a review! It really helps support the show ❤️ 💬 If you liked this podcast, please like, follow, and leave a review — and let me know who you’d love to hear about next! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Speaker 00

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• 0:31Speaker 01

  It's the impulsivity piece. It's the executive function piece, too. Being able to connect not just with hunger, but also with fullness. It's like all the factors of ADHD just kind of create almost like the perfect storm or disordered eating behaviors.

• 0:52Abbey Sharp?

  Welcome to another episode of Bite Back with Abbey Sharp, where I dismantle diet culture rules, call it the charlatan spinning the pseudoscience, and help you achieve food freedom for good.

• 1:07Abbey Sharp?

  Today's episode is for my friends and family with ADHD, or the family of neurodivergent folks who want to support us because we are going to be talking all about nutrition for ADHD. If you've been a longtime Abbey's Kitchen subby, you may have heard me talk about my own experience getting diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood. In fact, it's only been like 18 months since I got my diagnosis, and it's probably been one of the most relieving and validating experiences of my life. I have spent so many of my years feeling embarrassed or ashamed by all of my little daily struggles and quirks.

• 1:50Abbey Sharp?

  The impulsivity, the inflexibility, the extreme sensitivity, the overreaction, and the tunnel vision have all brought me so much shame and anxiety because I had no explanation for them other than that I was wrong or bad. But getting a diagnosis has alleviated so much self-judgment and has truly boosted my self-compassion and confidence in myself. Not to mention, it's allowed me to reframe my struggles as superpowers, knowing how hard I've worked to get where I am today. And most importantly, it's allowed me to get the help that I need via therapy and medication

• 2:31Abbey Sharp?

  to truly thrive. It's been undeniably one of the best things to ever happen to me. But since joining the neurodivergent community, I've been privy to a lot of myths and misinformation about diet and ADHD that can further complicate ADHDers' relationship with food and perpetuate stigma. So today, I've got my fellow neurodivergent RD on the line, Becca King, to help us demystify eating with ADHD. Becca, AKA ADHD nutritionist as she's known by online, specializes in an anti-diet culture approach to ADHD management, helping ADHDers stop binge eating, learn meal

• 3:13Abbey Sharp?

  planning skills, identify food triggers, and improve their relationship with food. Even if you or your kiddos don't have an ADHD diagnosis, but you're struggling with forgetting to eat and then binging, you will likely find a ton of helpful tips in this episode. Quick disclaimer here, this content is never a replacement for personalized healthcare advice, and we will also be talking about eating disorders, so feel free to skip this if it's not supportive to your journey. Also, of course, on a brighter note, I would love if you would please, please leave, bite back, a review for this episode and the podcast at large, and also if you could subscribe or follow wherever you get your podcasts, because it really, really does help me out as a new podcast.

• 4:04Abbey Sharp?

  Becca, I am so excited to chat today.

• 4:07Speaker 01

  Yes, me too, Abbey.

• 4:09Abbey Sharp?

  Okay, so this is totally top of mind for me right now, because I feel like I'm trying to catch up on learning everything there is to know about ADHD as a new diagnosy.

• 4:20Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 4:21Abbey Sharp?

  So I'm just like balls deep on the neurodivergent literature on the regular. When were you diagnosed?

• 4:27Speaker 01

  I was diagnosed at 19 years old, so like going into my, or kind of like beginning of my sophomore year of college. When I got diagnosed.

• 4:36Abbey Sharp?

  Yeah, obviously, for all of its challenges, I truly believe that, you know, a lot of our ADHD traits can also be superpowers in a lot of ways, when, you know, harness with intent. Um, so just as a quick little neurodivergent affirmation, what is your favorite part of having ADHD?

• 4:53Speaker 01

  Oh, I think I have two, honestly. My ability to like problem solve and see things in a way that maybe other people don't see them. Um, and then being able to hyper focus and like, I love being able to just like get in the zone and like, I love like, especially with like research and nutrition and things, like getting in a rabbit hole and just like, going is just so enjoyable to me.

• 5:19Abbey Sharp?

  I know, I love it too. I love the hyper focusing.

• 5:23Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 5:23Abbey Sharp?

  For me, I feel like I'm a really empathetic person and, you know, to my demise, sometimes I, I feel like I'm a very good friend and people feel very comfortable talking to me because I'm kind of so open in that way. Um, but yeah, there, there are so many wonderful things about having an ADHD mind.

• 5:42Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 5:42Abbey Sharp?

  Now, obviously, as two dietitians with ADHD, we also do know that ADHD can make kind of quote unquote, healthy eating difficult in a lot of ways for a lot of people. So I really want to go through some of these kind of unique challenges that, that we have and, and also just talk about some solutions that you have because you're an expert in this. So, um, I want to first talk about forgetfulness because it's obviously super common for folks with ADHD to kind of get distracted or like you said, hyper focused on a project and we're in the zone, we're in the rabbit hole and we just kind of don't feel that, those hunger cues until we are so ravenous that we binge or overeat. Can you describe that typical pattern that you often see?

• 6:26Speaker 01

  Yeah. So one of the bigger patterns I see is I call it kind of like the ADHD binge restrict cycle where you might like eat, you might have, might have breakfast, maybe, or eat something in the morning. And then, you know, you're kind of usually really busy for a lot of my clients, they're super busy, you know, going through their day and they just. Forget to eat like it's just not on their radar because they have so many other things in their brain that feel more important and like tasks. I need to get these things done because we're usually, you know, I'm behind on all these things. I need to be doing these things. I need to be busy and eating just doesn't feel like a priority. And so usually it's like I'm not eating or I'm waiting until you know, I'm I hit like a wall and I'm ravenous. And then it's like, what's the quickest, fastest thing I can eat? And usually those aren't always the things that make us feel our best, or maybe the things we wouldn't

• 7:11Speaker 01

  have chosen if we weren't super, super hungry. Um, and so that can obviously set up some kind of, you know, in can very inconsistent eating patterns. So it's kind of like all or nothing. A lot of times it's like I'm eating nothing and then I'm eating everything. I call it the hunger monster that comes out like.

• 7:28Abbey Sharp?

  Oh, yeah, we all feel that sometimes. And obviously, you know, that hunger monster also comes into play for those of us, you know, taking stimulant medications in the morning, which can, you know, lower our appetite. So we don't eat as much in the day and then we like rebound and overeat at night when our appetite does come back.

• 7:47Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 7:48Abbey Sharp?

  Do you have your clients engage in like mechanical feeding? And maybe you can just kind of like explain what that might look like?

• 7:54Speaker 01

  Yeah. So I caught it's kind of like, I think of it in like intuitive eating, kind of like that practical hunger piece of like eating when you might not be hungry, but logically you know, you need to eat because I've heard people, you know, like if I just ate intuitively, I wouldn't eat all day and then I would binge at night. And I'm like, well, logically, I know you know, that doesn't feel good.

• 8:12Abbey Sharp?

  Exactly.

• 8:13Speaker 01

  So yeah, we might want to make lunch or we might have to explore alternative eating patterns so that it might not look like the, oh, I eat three meals and a mid morning snack and a mid afternoon snack and maybe an evening snack. It might look different. Like I have some clients who eat a larger breakfast and dinner and we kind of have like little, almost like mini meals or snacks throughout the day. So that way they can still eat, but it doesn't feel like this big task. Because sometimes when you look down when you're medicated and like you're have like a ba- like a regular sized meal, it just looks like way too much food and your brain is like, nope, ew, gross, I'm not eating. Finding some alternatives. I mean, alternative like foods or safe foods even like foods, you know, hey, ninety nine percent of the

• 8:55Speaker 01

  Time I can tolerate this or a good percent of the time. I know I can tolerate this and eat this on my meds. Like I have certain foods I keep on hand and prioritize always having some of them in my house. So that way, if I'm not hungry, but I'm like, you know, it's it's time to eat. Like you need to eat something, I can get that down and that. And I'm like, oh, I actually notice I feel a little bit better afterwards. Imagine that. And so even I'm not hungry, like physically hungry, sometimes I can tell that I need to eat. So.

• 9:22Abbey Sharp?

  Yeah, I think it's really important because, you know, when we're talking about intuitive eating, people automatically think it's just the, you know, eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full diet. And again, for for folks with ADHD who also often struggle with interceptive skills.

• 9:37Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 9:38Abbey Sharp?

  That feels like, okay, I can't do that. Like that feels like an impossible task.

• 9:43Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 9:43Abbey Sharp?

  Because again, if we were to just rely on our hunger cues and we aren't hungry in the morning because of our stimulant and we are hyper focused and all these things are kind of acting against us.

• 9:53Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 9:53Abbey Sharp?

  Then we're not going to get the fuel that our body needs that we know helps us actually, you know, perform our best throughout the day.

• 10:01Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 10:02Abbey Sharp?

  Um, especially if we are kind of struggling with a lot of the kind of ADHD symptoms, whether it's forgetfulness or, you know, difficulties with, um, you know, being able to sit down and pay attention, things like that.

• 10:15Speaker 01

  Even decision making, like being able to make choices can be harder, like so many things.

• 10:20Abbey Sharp?

  So many things are harder when you aren't, your body is not fueled, when you don't, your brain doesn't have adequate energy. So I, I think it is kind of combining that the, you know, the intercept of skills. But of course, your, your own, the data that you have collected over the days and the months and the years on what actually makes your body feel good and what actually fuels your body. And that piece is so important. So, um, I know, like for me, one of like the little things that I always do when I, you know, to make sure that I'm getting that, the, the fuel I need, even if I'm not kind of in that like hunger zone is habit pairing. So like, I know, like, you know, I pair, like I, I'm never going to forget to take my, to drink.

• 11:05Abbey Sharp?

  Drink my coffee because that is like such habits I'm never ever ever going to forget that. So I know like while I'm making that coffee, I'm going to make myself my bowl of my breakfast like. So it's just creating those little habits, the things that you know you're gonna do um in your day. With preparing a meal, with preparing a snack and just getting it ready.

• 11:25Speaker 01

  Yeah, I do that with my dog. I'm like when I take my dog out in the afternoon, I come back in and I make lunch. And because I know I have to take her out and so it just makes the transition like that transition from. Work, it gives me a little buffer, take her outside, we walk, come back in and then I make lunch and it just makes life easier that way.

• 11:44Abbey Sharp?

  Exactly. I think that's a great tip. And this also plays into some of our challenges with, you know, executive dysfunction. So neurotypical folks might not ever have to like really think about this, but. There are a lot of steps involved in just like making a sandwich from, you know, recognizing hunger. To getting yourself into the kitchen, to identifying the kind of sandwich you're going to make, getting all the ingredients together, et cetera. And like all the healthy eating tip lists would be like meal prep, meal prep, meal prep. Meal prep does not work for a lot of us. Like I don't want to eat leftovers for five days. So like what's what's our alternative?

• 12:27Speaker 01

  Um, and I just want to say like when I was in my internship to be a dietitian, I had so much shame because I was like, I'm going to be a dietitian and I don't know how. Like I can't get myself to meal prep, you know, what's wrong with me? And I like, and I was like, wait, but I'm still feeding myself. There is alternatives. That's when I finally I was like, I don't really have to do that just because other people do it like. And if it works for you, amazing like. But I find some things that help like batch cooking. So maybe like batching, like cooking ingredients versus. Or parts of your meal versus like actually compiling the meal together. So maybe you cook up some chicken, maybe you. You know, roast some potatoes or maybe you chop up veggies so that they're prepped and ready and you can throw them into whatever you're cooking.

• 13:10Speaker 01

  So that way it you don't have to eat the same exact thing every day and you. You know, have parts of the process or some of those steps taken out of the process. For me, I try to, if I batch cook things, it's the parts of cooking that I don't, that feel like they take up too much time or energy while I'm making it. So it's like protein for me is a big one, like I will air fry up some chicken tenderloin things. So I have them and I can put them in pasta or I can put them on a salad or in a wrap or whatever. And they're ready to go and I don't have to.

• 13:38Abbey Sharp?

  Yeah, I do the exact same thing. Any other great ones?

• 13:42Speaker 01

  Who, another one, like I find this works great for people like who, like if you make a dinner and if you go to work the next day, kind of thing, like making dinner and just having that as lunch the next day. If you're okay with kind of like repeating a meal, but you don't want to repeat it every single day of the week. That's a good way to like, kind of make it easier on yourself. That's what I did a lot when I was in my internship. Was like, I'll make dinner, I'll make an extra portion, pack it up and bring it, you know, bring it to the hospital with me for lunch the next day.

• 14:08Abbey Sharp?

  Yeah, I know for, for myself as a mom, I feel like just the idea of even meal planning can be very overwhelming. And so like having theme nights has been so helpful for me. Because I just know, like, you know, just one less decision, like rather than I have to like think about the world of recipes. So I could possibly make on a Tuesday night, I just have to think, okay, it's, it's pizza night. What are we putting on our pizza? Or, you know, like stir fry night, like what protein am I using for the stir fry? Am I doing noodles? Am I doing rice? There are like fewer decisions that I have to make, which is so key. When I'm already kind of run down at the end of the day. So I feel like that's really helpful too.

• 14:52Speaker 01

  Yeah, I find theme nights work great for families. The other thing I'd say is like automating some of your meals. Which like to me, I like, I call automating is like, there's certain meals or like a couple of meals that I will rotate through, especially for like breakfast and lunch. So again, fewer decisions, like there's like two or three breakfasts. And like different versions of those, like oatmeal or like some version of toast and eggs. And I kind of. Have either or of those because I don't like I've made those things so many times I don't have to think about it. Um, so it just takes out and if I really want something else, I'll go get it. Like if I want a bagel in the morning, I'll get a bagel still. Um, but it just makes it a little bit easier.

• 15:28Abbey Sharp?

  Yeah, I think this is a really important point, you know, coming from two dieticians here when we have become used to seeing all of these influencer what I eat in a days where they are preparing these, you know, very elaborate, beautifully presented, beautifully styled meals. They're cooking from scratch, three meals a day, plus making desserts, plus making snacks. And it's like, you don't have to do that in order to, you know, eat a healthy, balanced diet.

• 15:57Speaker 01

  Cause that's their full time job.

• 16:00Abbey Sharp?

  That's their full time job. And who knows if they're only doing that, that one day that they feel like, you know, like I, I, I don't have the bandwidth to be in the kitchen 24/7 making my, you know, my kids cereal from scratch. So it is okay. Don't absolutely do not feel guilty about taking shortcuts. About using the bagel and using the rotisserie chicken and using the, you know, the, the microwave rice and things like that. Like those are all great tools in the toolbox to get a healthy meal on the table. Um, and we should not be feeling guilty or ashamed of those things because we do them. I do it. I live for that.

• 16:39Speaker 01

  I know. So I know. I'm like so many dieticians do it. And when we're like, it's okay. They're like, what? I'm like, what? And then they do it and they're like, oh my gosh, I love, like, I'm actually making food at home now. Like I'm, you know, not relying on like, I'm not ordering DoorDash every night or, you know, having to go out to eat, which like it adds up. It's expensive, you know? And so it's not, you know, so it's like, cool. I can do these things. And, and I don't have to spend all, you know, hours in the kitchen, preparing something that's still going to be nutrient dense and, and tasty and delicious. So.

• 17:11Abbey Sharp?

  Absolutely.

• 17:26Abbey Sharp?

  Yeah, so this kind of brings me to like food hyperfixations because you know a lot of us, we get hung up on this like specific meal or snack and we eat it every single day until we get the ick, right?

• 17:37Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 17:40Abbey Sharp?

  Cycle of us going through this. It's such a like it's such an ADHD running joke that like, oh, this is my food hyperfixation. I'm gonna eat this for six months and then never eat it again.

• 17:51Abbey Sharp?

  Do you have any like tips for us folks who have a really hard time like deviating from like a very, very specific snack? Or a handful of meals of food?

• 18:00Speaker 01

  Yeah. One thing I find helpful, if it works for you, like great. It's just kind of knowing like at some point that snack or meal is you are probably gonna get the ick from it. So like being prepared for when that comes because you're gonna still have to eat when you get the ick. So one thing I find helpful with my clients is like making a sensory profile of kind of like what are the tastes? And the textures and the aromas that I like, or is there any like styles of cuisine? Or ways that I like to eat foods? Like, do I prefer to eat things? You know, like I really like eating out of like dishes that I can eat out of a bowl? Things like that. So kind of brainstorming some of those things and for my clients, having that like a little visual of that.

• 18:45Speaker 01

  It's helpful that they can refer back to of like, you know, I'm over this, whatever it is, you know, I'm, I can't think about that food. But let me look and see if there's anything else that maybe, hey, like for me, sometimes I go on kicks with like buffalo sauce. Or I want buffalo sauce on every single thing that I eat. And that started from like a buffalo chicken salad. And then I was like, I'm gonna get sick of this salad. So I was like, okay, I'm gonna put it in a wrap. And then I started doing like loaded baked potatoes that were like buffalo style. And then like chicken wings, things like that. So that way it was like, I still got to have the thing I really wanted, which was the buffalo sauce. But I got to, I kind of incorporated it into different things so that I wouldn't get bored.

• 19:26Abbey Sharp?

  I love that. You know, full, this real talk. This like literally just happened to me. I I'm pretty good at like switching up my like daytime meals. But I I find at the end of the day, my bedtime snack, it's like I have no executive functioning skills at that point. My vivance is not vivant though. And I can't think of like, I I just can't thi- I can't bring myself to like think of anything new.

• 19:49Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 19:50Abbey Sharp?

  And I got I got the ick from my my my go to bedtime snack. And I was like, I don't know how to feed myself. So I found that, you know, thinking about it earlier on in the day when I did have, you know, those skills. And like planning being like, okay, I know I'm not gonna want this snack anymore. I know I'm not gonna want my like, you know, my my Greek yogurt parfait. So what can I plan right now when I've got the skills, when I've got the time, when I got the energy? That I know is gonna like also hit the spot, that it's also gonna be satiating, that's gonna also like make me feel good and get me through the night without getting hungry early, you know, waking up early hungry. And I think it's just like, you know, I found that if I plan it earlier on the day.

• 20:35Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 20:36Abbey Sharp?

  Um, I I'm just, I'm, it's ready for me.

• 20:38Speaker 01

  Yeah, it's just kind of like, yeah, getting it, thinking about your future self, right? Like, what would

• 20:43Abbey Sharp?

  Love it. Yeah.

• 20:44Speaker 01

  Future me be happy with. Um, which is also help if you're not motivated to do something. If it's like, I don't want to do this, like, well, would future me be glad? I, you know, put some of those dishes in the dishwasher. So tomorrow, there's no dishes in the sink kind of thing. Um, helps a lot.

• 21:01Abbey Sharp?

  Love that. Yeah. So obviously, you know, general dopamine seeking and stimming also very common traits for us ADHDers. Who we basically have like dopamine dysregulation going on. So I'm curious, you know, how does that typically play out for a lot of us when it comes to eating and nutrition?

• 21:21Speaker 01

  Yeah. So this is kind of the other, another eating pattern I see a lot, especially for folks diagnosed later in life, or if they're not medicated, where they're kind of like always eating almost, or that's what they feel like. They're like, I'm grazing all the time. I'm not hungry, but I I I feel like I need to eat, like I need to do something with my hands or my mouth, like. And or I I there's this very specific taste or technique, I just want to crunch on something. Um, or like the fizziness of soda or carbonated water or chew gum.

• 21:53Abbey Sharp?

  Totally.

• 21:54Speaker 01

  Sugar, like sweets in particular carbs are really like quick, easy source of dopamine. So a lot of it's by eight H tiers like sugar. It makes perfect sense because it is a way that we're kind of self medicating. Um, so I think that I try to not demonize it because I don't think it's helpful to be like never eat for stimulation because that's just completely unrealistic. Um, but kind of finding some ways to like try to be a little bit more connected to like the sensory experience of eating because that helps us get stimulation. Um, as well as like, yeah, and that also connecting to that. I find like you get a little bit more satisfaction and it's a little bit easier to like stop eating versus like, oh, I'm completely

• 22:37Speaker 01

  disconnected from this food and I'm just, you know, typing and eating and I, you know, not really getting to actually enjoy some of it.

• 22:44Abbey Sharp?

  Right. Yeah. No, I think also kind of like, you know, finding some other kind of dopamine booster is so important.

• 22:50Speaker 01

  Yeah, there is this, it's called a dopamine. So it's kind of like a visual for all the things you can do for stimulation. I'm sure if you Google, you Google it, you can find a bunch of examples, but it's kind of like, yeah, visuals. So that way you don't have to think of in the moment. I'm bored. So I'm just going to go get something to eat. It's like, okay, no, I'm bored. I'm understimulated is what that probably means. So like, let me, what else can I do that might be more fulfilling and get my brain that dopamine. And if nothing else sounds good, like obviously go give yourself permission to have, have something to eat. Um, but like finding some other things like I keep, um, I don't have them in my hands right now, but I have like little magnets that I fidget with, um, called stim mags. Those are great. Um, so like when I'm on work calls, having

• 23:35Speaker 01

  like fidget with me or when I'm watching TV, um, having something in my hands is super helpful because TV is usually not stimulating enough for ADHD brains. So we need to do something else. So it's like, why a lot of us.

• 23:47Abbey Sharp?

  All the thing.

• 23:47Speaker 01

  Yeah, we're like usually like eating and on our phone and watching TV. And if someone's with you that doesn't have ADHD, they're like, can you please pay attention to the show? You're not even watching it. And you're like, I, I actually am.

• 23:59Abbey Sharp?

  Yeah, I'm watching it, but I have to also do all these other things. Otherwise, I just will wanna die.

• 24:04Speaker 01

  Yeah, it's like, it feels like I'm like crawling out of my skin if I just watch TV.

• 24:08Abbey Sharp?

  Yes.

• 24:08Speaker 01

  So um, having other things or like movements are really good source of stimulation too. So like going and going up being outside. So um, I walk my dog a lot and listen to music and um, that kind of stuff. And it just um, I think making or trying to be intentional about making time in your day for things that are stimulating activities. Um, and things that bring you joy too, really helps um, for myself. And a lot of my clients are like, oh, this is like actually making time for this means that I'm not going for that quick, easy. You know, whether it's like snacks or food or you know, your phone, whatever it is, it's like, oh, I don't need that as much.

• 24:50Abbey Sharp?

  So, so great.

• 24:51Speaker 01

  So, cause yeah, doom scrolling, online shopping, all those things that are like, they're, they're not the most fulfilling sources of dopamine. Like on your dopa menu, they'd be a dessert. They'd be like, they're easy to overdo, but they don't leave you like, oh yeah, I just like, you know, when I finish going for a walk or a run, like I'm, I can go do things and it's a lot easier. But if I doom scroll for, you know, an hour, I'm not like, oh, I'm so motivated to go do something. So um, on their dopa menu, you have like the little starter section is like quick little ways you can get stimulation. So like um, I think of it as like, if you had to sit down for a call, what could you do in five minutes to kind of get yourself ready for that?

• 25:31Speaker 01

  Um, your mains are gonna be things that like provide more stimulation, but require more time and energy. So like a walk would be a good example for that. Um, your sides would be fidgets or things you can do to help you pay attention when you're doing another task. Um, your desserts, like I said, quick, easy things of fruit dopamine aren't very fulfilling a lot of times. Um, your specials would be things you can't do all the time. Um, but they're um, maybe really big sources of stimulation. They require a little more time and money. So like traveling, um, maybe.

• 26:04Abbey Sharp?

  Roller coaster!

• 26:05Speaker 01

  Yeah, roller, oh, that's a good one. I don't think anyone's put that on. I do, we do a dopa menu in my group calls.

• 26:11Abbey Sharp?

  You definitely can't just like live on a roller coaster, unfortunately.

• 26:14Speaker 01

  Yeah, exactly. It's like, oh, I can't do that all the time.

• 26:20Speaker 01

  And then the last little sections are like late night snacks, which I think of those is like ways to unwind from too much stimulation. Because a lot of ADHDers are always like, I need stimulation, I need stimulation. I'm like, sometimes we actually don't need stimulation, especially in the evening time. Like, we actually need to like, you know, start to decompress a little bit. So finding things to actually help us relax versus wind us up and, you know, help us keep going is probably gonna keep us up late. And most of us already struggle enough with sleep, so.

• 26:50Abbey Sharp?

  Yes, we do. Now, the dopamine seeking can also cause a lot of binge eating behaviors as well.

• 26:56Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 26:57Abbey Sharp?

  As we're kind of like using food as our sole source of dopamine. And there is a huge overlap between ADHD and eating disorders. So like, thirty percent of people with ADHD will develop an eating disorder. And between twenty to fifty percent of people with an ED also meet the criteria for ADHD.

• 27:16Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 27:17Abbey Sharp?

  What's, what's going on here?

• 27:18Speaker 01

  It's kind of like a combination of some of most, a lot of the things we've been talking about. So like, it's the impulsivity piece. You know, it's not being able to like not in the moment be like, oh, I'm walking through the kitchen and there's, oh, there's cookies on the counter. And all of a sudden, I'm just eating all the cookies in it before I even think about it. It's the waiting until we're really ravenous. It's the executive function piece too. And being able to connect not just with hunger, but also with fullness. So some of my clients, they might recognize that they're full and they're eating for stimulation. But they don't care because they want, they, they're, they still want more of, of that dopamine.

• 27:57Speaker 01

  And so it's kind of, it's like all the factors of ADHD just kind of create almost like the perfect storm for like disordered eating behaviors. Cause a lot of times it's not necessarily intentional. Like there are, like, I, I don't, I still think ADHDers are still subjected to diet culture and we're not immune from it. So that definitely still plays a role. But there's a lot of times where there's still just like, you might have completely rejected diet culture, but you forget to eat all day and then end up binging. And you're like, this is, that's how I was in grad. I was like, I don't understand why I can't stop binging. This is so annoying because I'm not dieting, I'm not really restricting, but I just actually wasn't eating enough on my medication.

• 28:39Speaker 01

  And I had to learn like you need to eat more than what like, what it feels like is, is enough on my medication. Because I'm still ravenous when my meds were off, which means I'm not eating enough. So yeah, it's kind of untangling to like the diet culture and ADHD and kind of being able to understand like, what's more ADHD related and then what's more related to diet culture and some things with ADHD. It might be like, okay, I might need to take like a little bit more of like a harm reduction approach with things. Because it might be that there are parts of ADHD that are going to get in the way of things. And so I need to figure out how I can kind of reduce some of those disordered eating behaviors, but they still might be there. And being kind to ourselves about that.

• 29:21Abbey Sharp?

  Totally. Yeah. And I mean, there's also just, you know, you think about comorbidities with, you know, anxiety and higher, you know, eating and sensory sensitivities and like the perfectionism, low self-esteem, especially when it's, you know, you haven't really been diagnosed and there is this kind of belief that internalizing of you always being wrong or bad or.

• 29:45Speaker 01

  Not good enough.

• 29:46Abbey Sharp?

  Just, just a lot of the criticisms that and the microaggressions that we have had to kind of endure all of our life.

• 29:53Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 29:54Abbey Sharp?

  I know that's what happened to me. Again, I wasn't diagnosed until I was thirty six. So I spent my whole life feeling that there was something wrong with me. And I feel that that played into a lot of, a lot of that, that the tendencies toward, you know, eating disorders.

• 30:11Speaker 01

  For sure. Yeah. And it's, I will add too, for folks who are in larger bodies, like there's, there's a lot of intersections between ableism and, and anti-fat bias. And I will say like if for folks in larger bodies, they might actually experience more ableism. Because of their body size, which is awful. So there's just, yeah, it's like a lot of those messages of imagine hearing that in from in multiple areas of your life. Like you're just not trying hard enough. You're lazy. You don't care. And you're like, no, I actually do. Thank you very much. I'm trying really hard. You know, to

• 30:43Abbey Sharp?

  Really hard.

• 30:44Speaker 01

  Yeah, like I'm trying really hard to to, you know, eat nutritious foods or make my own foods or do all these to go grocery shopping, all these things I'm trying. But sometimes my ADHD is getting in the way.

• 30:54Abbey Sharp?

  Yeah, and that actually leads me to talking a little bit more about kind of the intuitive eating, the mindful eating piece. Because, you know, as as we've discussed, in a lot of cases, we do need stimulation at meal times. Like, we do kind of need to, like, watch a show or be playing with something or, you know, setting alarms to eat or eating when we're not particularly hungry. And all of these things that seem at odds with intuitive eating and mindful eating and every we've heard about intuitive eating.

• 31:22Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 31:22Abbey Sharp?

  But you're an intuitive eating, you know, certified counselor. So how do you encourage folks with ADHD to kind of get started with those mindful eating and intuitive eating principles?

• 31:34Speaker 01

  Yeah. So one thing I find is like figuring out, like I call it your Goldilocks spot with stimulation. So like, how much is enough for you, which will be different for all of my clients. So like personally for me, I watch like a show that I've seen a million times, like The Office or Parks and Rec. It's kind of, you know, like background noise. It's not something I need to like, it's not my new favorite TV show that I don't want to take my eyes off of kind of thing. So that helps me like I can still like be aware of my food or I'll listen to music. So kind of having like more auditory stimulation for me. So I can still like visually engage with my food and see how much I'm eating. You know, that kind of thing, like being able to check in and be like, okay, let's pause a little bit.

• 32:20Speaker 01

  That's one thing, a three bite check in, which is something that Evelyn Tripoli recommended. But I was like, how do I help people who like, you know, need actually like feel like they need to eat with distractions? You know, how do I help them start this? And it was like, yeah, do a three bite. Check in, you know, check in at the beginning of the meal with your hunger and your fullness, the taste and texture of the food. Do that again somewhere in the middle and somewhere at the end. So there's at least touch points of mindfulness instead of just like sitting down to eat and you know, and just, just eating and not even thinking about it. That can make it a little bit more manageable. For some of my clients, I usually tell them like, hey, maybe start with a snack instead of a meal. If they're like, I really do wanna try to eat without distractions. Like, let's start with a snack because that's not gonna be

• 33:05Speaker 01

  as long of a time. Like, the first time I tried to eat without distractions was at lunch and I was in my internship and I was sitting in this courtyard trying to eat and I was like, it was like a nails on a chalkboard experience. I was like, what do people think about when they're, they're just sitting here and eating? And I think I maybe lasted like five minutes and put my AirPods in. And I have the most enjoyable eating experience after that. And it wasn't like it wasn't mindful. I still enjoyed the tastes and the texture and like the experience of eating that food. I just needed something else. Eating with other people can be a way to get stimulation too, like um, cause there's someone you can talk to. Um, but when you're sitting by yourself, it's just like, it's sitting in my apartment.

• 33:44Speaker 01

  Yeah, me and my brain don't need to just sit there and eat, cause it's not, I will just eat really, really quickly because I'm sitting there thinking about all the other things I need to do. Yeah, I'm like, alright, well, we gotta get back to work. We have to go do this next thing. So then I eat really fast and that's, that's not enjoyable. But if I have, have something I can listen to, I can slow down, I can savor my food, enjoy it. And then it's not this like, kind of just, almost dysregulating experience to eat with not enough of distraction. And like, even my whole family, like, looking back, I'm pretty sure most of my family has ADHD. And, um, and it's just like, yeah, we never,

• 34:21Speaker 01

  I don't remember ever eating a meal where there wasn't TV or music on in my house and like, at all. Like, there was always some extrasensory input. And there still is, um, when I go to my parents' house and eat, there's always some extra stimulation there.

• 34:37Abbey Sharp?

  Yeah, I always try to tell people all the time that, you know, the principles of intuitive eating are not going to be like perfectly applicable to every single person every time.

• 34:47Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 34:47Abbey Sharp?

  Um, you know, the bones obviously are still going to apply, like we can still reject diet mentality and still, you know, respect our body.

• 34:55Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 34:55Abbey Sharp?

  And that might mean like sometimes respecting our body might mean eating in the absence of hunger cues.

• 35:01Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 35:02Abbey Sharp?

  And it might mean, you know, like, I think that's really important to know that, what works for our body may not be what's kind of written as gospel in stone.

• 35:14Abbey Sharp?

  And being flexible with that, right? You know, ultimately, it's about self-care and self-care is fueling your body with what it actually needs.

• 35:21Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 35:36Abbey Sharp?

  So one thing I, you know, I talk about a lot here on the podcast is about how wellness culture typically perpetuates this like healthism, pervasive belief that your health outcomes are 100% within your control.

• 35:51Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 35:52Abbey Sharp?

  And so we know there's obviously so much misinformation online about diet secure, you know, ADHD, which was BS because ADHD is like 75 to 90% genetic.

• 36:03Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 36:03Abbey Sharp?

  And yet, you know, we still, you know, we don't fully understand neurodivergence. And, and obviously that's because we all present differently on a spectrum and, you know, there's just so much advice out there about avoid this, cut this, go carnivore, do intermittent fasting. I will go into more detail on that later on in this episode, but is there any nutrition tip or nutrition recommendation that most of us could benefit from?

• 36:33Speaker 01

  I would say. This eating regularly, so eating every three to four hours, which like to me is kind of like before I even talk to my clients about the like what piece I that's where we start. That's kind of like our foundation of let's get you eating regularly first because most of my clients have inconsistent eating patterns. So it's like, let's start there. And for a lot of them, like, oh, my gosh, I feel so much better even just doing this. Like, I haven't really cha-change any of the foods that I'm necessarily eating, but I'm just eating more regularly instead of, you know, eating, you know, waiting six hours or seven or longer to eat, you know, they're like, oh, this actually feels a lot better. And so eating more regularly, protein is a big one that I actually find makes a big

• 37:18Speaker 01

  difference, especially from like the satiety perspective. And because ADHDers, again, we like carbs. So like, we might not always think about protein and we might, you know, just naturally lean more towards, you know, foods with carbs. Not that the we still need carbohydrates, but just making sure that we're incorporating protein and regularly because proteins also provides the building blocks for our neurotransmitters like dopamine. And there's some specific amino acids that there's some research that's like, hey, these might be helpful with like with dopamine production, like tyrosine is one of them. So it's like just eating protein rich foods is a great way to get those amino acids because I've seen people be like, oh, you can supplement with that. And like this, there's no actual

• 38:00Speaker 01

  studies to show you need to supplement with it. So just eat protein because that's a lot more affordable.

• 38:06Abbey Sharp?

  It's basic stuff, right? Like, people love to overcomplicate nutrition.

• 38:10Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 38:11Abbey Sharp?

  You know, I read this meta-analysis and the best diet for neurodivergent folks was found to be like a Mediterranean style diet. So that's one that's rich in veggies, fruits, legumes and fish.

• 38:22Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 38:22Abbey Sharp?

  And then lower in red meat, refined carbs and sugar.

• 38:25Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 38:26Abbey Sharp?

  But in other things, like protein is incredibly important because it's the building blocks of our neurotransmitters.

• 38:32Speaker 01

  Yeah. It's just not it's just not as like exciting for our, especially for ADHD brains. We're like, let's do that fad diet because it's it's flashy and it's new and, you know, And it's kind of usually they're kind of extreme. So like it's that dopamine or it's like the, the like thirty day fix, right? Ooh, okay, I only have to eat like this for thirty days and then, and then I'm done. So it's like, oh, I can do that. Um, but then we kind of were like, oh, dude, this isn't, isn't as like exciting and you know, fun to do the things that we've all heard a bajillion times over and over and over again. So.

• 39:08Abbey Sharp?

  Of course, I know. It's just never, it's never, nutrition science is just never very sexy.

• 39:14Speaker 01

  At the end of the day, and then you get the bro, like, yeah, all the bros who are, and like the wellness people who are like, here's all these other crazy things. And you're, no, that's, that's not it.

• 39:23Abbey Sharp?

  Oh, for sure, for sure. Do you have any quick or, you know, specific final tips or like secrets or hacks? That have really helped you or like have helped your clients in helping them thrive with ADHD?

• 39:37Speaker 01

  Oh, oh, that's a really good question. Um, a couple, there's probably a couple of things. One, one from like a meal planning ish type of perspective is having a whiteboard on your fridge.

• 39:50Abbey Sharp?

  Love that.

• 39:50Speaker 01

  That one is really helpful because you can use it however you want. So I have clients who use it in different ways, but like, if you open the fridge and you always look at it and you're like, there's nothing in here, but it, your fridge is full. Putting things you need to eat on the whiteboard helps. Or like, hey, what meals did I pick that I'm gonna cook this week? Write them on the whiteboard. So you remember like, oh yeah, I bought the ingredients, you know, to make chicken fajitas. So let's write it on there. So I don't forget why I bought the chicken and the peppers and the onions and the tortillas and all that stuff. Or saying, you're like, oh, we don't have anything. Let's just get DoorDash. And like, no, we have stuff. Um, so that I find is really helpful. Making food as accessible as possible, like figuring out how to lower barriers. So you can eat regularly.

• 40:34Speaker 01

  You can do these things that like, for all, a lot of my clients, they've all dieted for a really long time. They all know. They all are like, I know what I quote unquote should be doing, but I can't do it because of, you know, X, Y, and Z, you know, I, because they're usually trying to do everything in a very neurotypical way. So it's like, hey, let's take those shortcuts. Let's make food, let's even just leave. Food, let's take a little snack bin in your office. So that way you don't even have to leave your office and get distracted. And you have something quick and easy. I'm a big, like people demonize, I process food so much and it is so helpful for neurodivergent folks, especially if you have sensory sensitivities, they're safe foods and they still get us nutrition. And they make eating accessible for people with with executive dysfunction.

• 41:19Speaker 01

  So like being okay with using those foods, I find is makes such a big difference for for a lot of my clients. Fed is best is like a very common thing. A lot of people in the neurodivergent community say, and I think that's especially true that like, if we're eating, that's what matters and like getting getting the nutrition in is what matters, making sure that we're fed. And not feeling bad about doing it in a way that works for us. You shouldn't have to feel like it's a full time job to to nourish your body.

• 41:47Abbey Sharp?

  Amazing, amazing takeaways and tips. And thank you so much, Becca, for joining me. That was so helpful, so validating of my own experience. And for everyone who's listening, I'm of course going to be leaving links to all of Becca's content and

• 42:04Speaker 01

  Oh, good.

• 42:04Abbey Sharp?

  You've got a course as well.

• 42:06Speaker 01

  Yes, yes, I have a 10 week coaching program as well. So I usually have one every couple of months. So if you are looking for like ADHD specific support with intuitive eating, that would be a great program for folks. So.

• 42:20Abbey Sharp?

  Perfect. Yeah, we'll leave that as well. Thank you again.

• 42:23Speaker 01

  Thank you.

• 42:27Abbey Sharp?

  Okay, I loved that so, so much. And as I briefly touched on with Becca, you know, wellness culture often teaches us that if we just try hard enough, that we will never suffer from any health problems. And despite the overwhelming hereditary nature of neurodivergence, there's still a big, big movement to like squash it out with the latest diet fad. So I wanted to go through what the research actually says about some of the most common cited ADHD triggers and whether or not you should cut them out.

• 43:08Abbey Sharp?

  Number one, sugar. The connection between sugar and hyperactivity has been an ongoing academic debate. And while some studies have found no association between sugar and ADHD symptoms, others suggest that excess sugar may “turn up” certain ADHD symptoms. So one study found that the more sugar already hyperactive children consumed, the more destructive and restless they became, while as another study found that high-sugar diets seem to increase in attention in some kids with ADHD. What’s likely happening here is basically like a transient blood sugar spike and crash

• 43:50Abbey Sharp?

  that neurodivergent folks might just be more sensitive to. But that doesn’t mean you need to like, fully go keto. In fact, simply dressing up naked carbs or high-sugar foods with sources of protein, fiber, and healthy fats can help to stabilize blood sugar levels and minimize risk without overt restriction.

• 44:14Abbey Sharp?

  Number two, food dye. There is a lot of talk about banning food dyes right now. And while I generally think that the concern is overhyped and is probably designed as a red herring to distract us from much bigger public health issues, there may be some benefit to minimizing impact for some folks with ADHD. According to a 2004 analysis of 15 studies, artificial food dyes did slightly increase hyperactivity in children, but in other research, they concluded that the effects seemed to be genetically or perhaps neurologically determined, and not all kids were affected.

• 44:54Abbey Sharp?

  Another Aman analysis estimated that food dyes negatively affect only 8% of kids with ADHD. Now personally, I’m pretty confident that I’m part of that statistic. And unlike carbs or even sugar, for example, food dyes don’t really add anything remarkable to my day-to-day life, and they’re also pretty easy to avoid without scarcity mentality or deprivation. But I will never say no to like, a birthday cake because of a little red 40. And if you don’t notice any specific differences in your symptoms when you eat food dyes, I really see no reason to cut it out.

• 45:36Abbey Sharp?

  Number three are preservatives and other additives. We are currently in a heavy anti-additive era. But this narrative has really always had a stronghold in the neurodiversion community, and the most well-studied additive other than food dye is probably sodium benzoate. In one study, they found that when sodium benzoate plus food dye was given to children, their parents noted an increase in ADHD symptoms. But interestingly, there was actually no detectable differences in the lab. In the end, the authors estimated that eliminating additives might reduce the percentage of kids diagnosed as quote-unquote "hyperactive to the point of impairing

• 46:19Abbey Sharp?

  performance" from 15% to 6%. But it's really hard to kind of tease sodium benzoate away from like food dyes or other additives, because they often coexist in the exact same foods. As for the laundry list of other additives that you'll hear you need to eliminate, the research is even less compelling, if it exists at all. I actually only found one study on MSG, and it was in rats. Aspartame, even at crazy high levels, seems to have no effect. And while every single website seems to suggest that you need to cut out nitrates, I couldn't find a single reference to support that.

• 47:01Abbey Sharp?

  Obviously, when we're talking general nutrition, even for neurotypicals, it's probably advantageous to limit our consumption of highly, highly-processed foods, which often come packaged with all of these allegedly problematic additives. But in a lot of cases, especially for us neurodiversion folks, I don't see the benefits outweighing the risk of a full-out militant ban.

• 47:26Abbey Sharp?

  Next, let's talk about dairy. So based on the very limited research that we do have, it does seem that neurodivergent folks are just more at risk for various food sensitivities and intolerances. We aren't sure why this is, but it's likely related to systemic inflammation, variations in immune system responses, and the strong communication between the gut and the brain, and vice versa. And since dairy is just one of the most common food intolerances, and not just in neurodivergent folks, but in neurotypicals too, it obviously makes sense that folks with intolerances will see improvements when they cut it out. So in one very small study, researchers compared 27 different possible food triggers

• 48:11Abbey Sharp?

  in 16 kids with ADHD, and 11 out of 16 of those kids saw an improvement in symptoms when they cut out dairy. And it's a similar story when we talk about gluten, where some, but certainly not all, neurodivergent folks will simply just be more sensitive to gluten. One small study found that kids with ADHD showed improvements in hyperactivity symptoms when they went gluten-free, but other research hasn't been so convincing. So it's very clear that not all neurodivergent folks need to, or even should, cut out dairy or gluten, or really, anything for that matter. So no different than with neurotypical folks

• 48:54Abbey Sharp?

  who have some potential food sensitivity-induced symptoms, this requires a lot of trial and error, and definitely an individualized approach. And most importantly, as I'm about to discuss, an ongoing risk-benefit analysis. So as Becca and I chatted through earlier, there is a massive overlap between neurodivergence and eating disorders. Both conditions share common genetic risks, thought patterns, comorbidities like anxiety and depression, and neurological changes. So we need to keep this elevated set of risk factors top of mind because there is a really great chance that it will become physically

• 49:36Abbey Sharp?

  Or emotionally way more damaging to cut out all these potentially problematic foods than to not. Like for an adult with ADHD who's constantly forgetting to eat until they're starving at lunch, grabbing that yogurt cup at Starbucks, even if it's not sugar or dairy free, might be the key to preventing a midday binge. Likewise, if we are struggling to muster up the executive function skills to prepare a basic sandwich for lunch, having to read the ingredient list of every single bread in the grocery store out of fear of some potentially alleged bad additive is likely to tip the scales on our executive function and capacity. That could be the difference between providing

• 50:20Abbey Sharp?

  your brain with fuel that it needs to think clearly throughout the day and not eating anything at all because of the crushing food anxiety that you're experiencing. And that reads to me a lot like an ED, like orthorexia. So for a lot of us, it would just be counterproductive in the big picture of health to obsess over every aspect of our diet. Fed is best, and that goes for us adults, too. And speaking of Fed, I better get myself a snack before I get kind of caught up on my next project. But whether you're applying this information to yourself, your kid, or just looking to better understand your neurodivergent loved ones, I hope this episode was as helpful

• 51:03Abbey Sharp?

  for you as it was for me. Again, thank you to Becca King for working with me on this episode. And a big reminder to please rate and review and leave me a comment on this episode. It really does help me out as this is a new podcast. Signing off with Science and SaaS, I'm Abbey Sharp. Thanks for listening.