Food, Creativity, and Feeding Yourself with ADHD

Food can be joyful. It can be creative. And it can also be a lot.

In Episode 2 of ADHD FM, I dive into what it really means to cook, eat, and feed yourself when you have ADHD. From forgetting meals entirely to hyperfixating on the same lunch for weeks, from kitchen mishaps to moments of genuine pride, food can be both a challenge and a source of deep satisfaction.

I share how my relationship with food shifted after being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, especially while navigating medication, appetite changes, and the constant mental load of remembering to eat. As a chef and food coach, the kitchen has always been a place where my ADHD brain feels at home. Messy, creative, fast paced, and rewarding. And still, even with a real love of food, feeding myself every single day can feel overwhelming.

This episode also features a conversation with Catherine Smart, writer, recipe developer, and host of Not From Concentrate. Catherine talks openly about living and working with ADHD, the shame so many of us carry around food and productivity, and why creativity is often the missing ingredient in making food systems actually work for busy brains.

Together, we explore practical and compassionate ideas like using visual cues in the kitchen, embracing organized clutter, investing in condiments that make meals exciting, reducing food waste without striving for perfection, and letting hyperfixation meals be helpful rather than something to judge. We also name something that feels incredibly validating. Feeding yourself every day requires a surprising number of decisions, and it is okay if that feels hard.

At the heart of this episode is permission. Permission to stop shaming yourself. Permission to order takeout sometimes. Permission to make food fun again. And permission to trust that your ADHD brain is not broken. It just works differently.

If you have ever wondered why eating feels harder than it seems like it should be, this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen to Episode 2 of ADHD FM wherever you get your podcasts.