Neurodivergent adults, including those with ADHD, may face challenges because of their executive function. What is executive function?

We all have a set of underlying core abilities that enable us to function in life. Some are automatic - like our flight/fight response in urgent situations. Others are consciously made; we plan, make decisions, and react to a stimulus. A key part of the intentional self-regulation, or the deliberate decisions we make, is executive function (Holmstrand, 2016).^[1]

This includes skills such as planning, time management, memory, and organisation. These skills are critical for daily life, both in our secular work and at home.

Someone with ADHD will have difficulties with executive function. “Executive functions are vulnerable to perturbations in the cholinergic, noradrenergic, serotonergic, and dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems”. Basically, that means that the messaging systems in parts of our brain that deal with executive function are dysregulated in ADHD. (Rabinovici et al, 2015).^[2] Other circumstances such as autism, dementia, brain injury, and multiple sclerosis can result in impaired executive function - it is not unique to ADHD - but it is one of the big challenges of having ADHD. Stress can exacerbate the problem, and the stress of managing ADHD, work, and family life can take its toll.

In practical terms, this can make meal planning difficult. Buying food, planning ingredients for recipes, following multiple steps in a recipe, time management, prioritising events - all of these things can make changing to a new way of eating difficult and feel overwhelming.

So, how can we make it easier?

Use tools available such as Cookbook Manager or other similar food apps, where you can keep recipes in one place, and generate weekly meal plans and shopping lists automatically.

Online food shopping is less distracting and lower input than shopping in a supermarket, especially important if you have sensory sensitivities. It's also easier to set up regular orders, reducing the load of decision-making necessary each time you shop. Depending on where you shop it may be slightly more expensive, but take into account the 'cost' in terms of time and energy of going to the supermarket, and you'll find it's more than worth the difference.

Reminders (in an app or calendar) can help so you don't miss the order deadline. Once you have a regular order set up, planning and ordering the food for the week will only take 10-15 minutes.

Cook once, eat at least twice is a good motto to maximise your efforts. For example, baked oats is a great breakfast and lasts in the fridge for four days: one lot of preparation = four easy breakfasts that taste like pudding :)

One pot cooking is easier as it means you're not juggling lots of pans and having to keep an eye on multiple timers. So look for recipes that are either all baked on tray in the oven, or in a pan on the hob. These recipes tend to have fewer steps as well, making it easier to concentrate for a shorter time.

Frozen herbs are great: there's no waste, they last for ages but are fresh on defrosting, and keeping a stash in the freezer means there's always something on hand to brighten up a meal. I always have chopped frozen garlic in my freezer.