Dr Ned Hallowell is fond of saying that people with ADHD have Ferrari brains, the downside being that they only have bicycle brakes!
ADHD as such is a Mood & Energy disorder, with our moods and energy swinging up and down all day like a roller coaster, affecting our Motivation, Focus, Memory and our ability to handle varying demands placed on us. So ensuring we have an adequate supply of the right type of Fuel to feed our hungry Ferrari engines is essential.
Yet for a typical person with ADHD, they don’t get nearly enough, or the right kind of fuel to sustain them.
Let me give you a Real Life example
I was recently coaching a teenager who came home each day from school and slept – After which she wouldn’t get much homework done, also she couldn’t get to sleep that night.
Going through her Intake revealed the reasons why..
On a typical day she would eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast, then while at school she would eat nothing – except maybe some juice or water, then when she got home she’d have some chips!
She was basically trying to get through the Most Demanding part of her day with an empty tank!!! No wonder she crashed and slept as soon as she got home! This example sounds extreme, but sadly it’s not, I work with a lot of people for whom this is quite typical. They either don’t eat enough, or else they’re only eating simple carbs that burn up in a Nano second and give no lasting sustainable fuel for our bodies and brains.. This is especially true for us hyperactive ADHD types who are constantly moving!
So this is where Protein comes in. Think of Protein as ‘High Octane Fuel’ for your Brain, it’s essential for everyone but especially vital for us because of our Mood & Energy challenges.
Anything that brings a stabilising & energising effect helps ease our most challenging traits. In the example of my teen client, she’d had almost no Protein by 4:00pm everyday! But when she changed her diet and loaded up on protein earlier she found she was more focussed, more energetic, less stressed out and was eventually able to stop the after school crash/sleep and so slept better at night…
..So whats going on here? Why are people with easy access to food/ money going all day with barely any food, or the wrong types?
The reason why is also linked to their ADHD.
We’re famously Poor Planners and struggle with Time Management issues, so we’re in a constant rush/last minute panic. We’re also forgetful and can get so hyper-focussed that we tune out from our own bodily needs. Also any changes we need to make ( like dietary ones) that are in anyway vague, complex or multi-stepped will often remain undone.
To overcome these obstacles and ensure success in making the needed dietary changes all people with ADHD need 3 essential ingredients ( Steps) to make this work:
Steps: 1. A Clear-Specific Plan. 2. A Realistic Plan 3. Make it Habitual ( removing the need for constant planning on the go or re-remembering)
Even for myself knowing the importance of Protein in managing my Mood and Energy, I still failed to get enough most of the time! Because I hadn’t applied the 3 steps just mentioned. But once I knew Exactly how much protein to have and what that actually looked like with real food/ real world examples and had a plan on how to fit those into my routine... I was successful in making the changes.
This one change has made a BIG difference to my life including: Reduced cravings, better sleep, less physical restlessness, more stable energy flow, more productive and less moody!
I’d like to share EXACTLY how I did this so you can do it too!
Do not be tempted to skip this 1st step! Whether this is for yourself or for someone else, this step is essential for making this goal more Real, Do-able and much more Motivating. Because now you’ll know exactly what it is you’re aiming for, which is just what our ADHD brains need. Plus, once you do this step you never have to do it again ( unless you put on or lose weight of course)
Step 1. The Clear- Specific Plan-
Note: Do not be tempted to skip this 1st step! Whether this is for yourself or for someone else, this step is essential for making this goal more Real, Do-able and much more Motivating. Because now you’ll know exactly what it is you’re aiming for, which is just what our ADHD brains need. Plus, once you do this step you never have to do it again ( unless your weight changes )
-A person who’s growing needs 1.1g of Protein ( per day) for every Kilo they weigh ( a child, teen or adult who’s working out – or just 1g per Kilo if you aren’t ) Here’s a handy online tool for converting Lb’s to Kilo’s.
Example: I weigh 150lb which equals 68kg. So if I take my Kilos and multiply them by 1.1g ( I lift weights) Like this: 68 X 1.1 = 74.8 (g)
Now I have my Daily Protein Needs number which I round up to 75G.
Extra Bonus. Measuring yourself this way and ‘finding your number’ will also help you to finally make sense of Nutrition labels so you’ll be able to use them effectively.
Step 2 . Making it Realistic.
It’s essential if you want this change to stick that you make it a more realistic goal, ( especially true if you’re a teenager or a rushing- time- crunched -adult with no clear routines yet) I’ve found the best way to make it more realistic is to start where you are. So no need for any big changes at first! Now you have your Daily Protein Needs number you just need to figure out the Protein count in the foods you currently eat, and then just supplement the shortfall until you get better at knowing what foods to eat and when. To make that easy, here’s another link to a list of common foods and how many grams of protein they have in them.
Meanwhile, just to give you a quick snap shot of where you might be right now, here’s a few popular ones.
1 Egg = 6g, Salmon = 20g, Seitan = 18g, Chicken Brst = 30g, Protein Shake = 25g, Protein Bar = 20-25g.
How did you do? Are you getting enough? Again, don’t be tempted to skip this step, you only do it once! So take the time to measure the Protein grams in your typical day’s diet, or even a few typical days. Trust me! The specificity you gain from doing this will make all the difference to your motivation when you can see the reality of what you’re getting now vs what you ought to be getting.
You may even find that you are getting enough Protein ( Congrats if you are, you’re already half way there ) But you may discover that you aren’t having much Protein until later in the day, when the demands of the day are already behind you!
Ideally what we need is a steady stream of this High Octane fuel so we aren’t dipping & crashing (never to recover ) So front loading our protein intake and increasing the frequency of meals/snacks will instantly evens out our Energy and Mood, helping us be more Productive, Energetic and Responsive.
Step 3. Making It a Habit.
As I said earlier one of the main reasons people with ADHD are not doing this already is because of our challenges with Planning/ Motivation etc. That’s why we loooove short cuts! One of the most Famous ADHD success stories was Henry Ford – He invented the Assembly line ( the ultimate shortcut )! So if we want to be consistent we need to find a way to ‘Assembly line’ our Protein supply to make this change into a Habit. Also to help Motivate and clarify we need some specific examples…
…So Here’s a typical meal/ snack routine from my own day.
My Example day
Meal 1. Veggie juice and Protein Shake.
Meal 2. 80g Chicken with cucumbers, celery & olive oil
Meal 3. Salad with 80g of protein
Meal 4. Protein bar or repeat of meal 2
Meal 5. 80g meat with 2 veg & rice/potatoes.
Finally let me also share with you some quick ‘cheats’- ways to get your Protein without all the weighing and measuring so you can begin supplementing right away before you’ve even done any of the steps. Also I have some Habit making Tips to help make this change a consistent one!
Cheats & Success Tips.
- I kept the the weighing scale (usually used for baking) on my countertop for about a week to weigh my Protein portions. After a short time you can ditch it and more or less eyeball portions without the need for constant weighing.
- Reframe how you see ‘Meals’. More as ‘Eating opportunities’ than ‘Meals’. They’re really more like snacks/pit stops than meals. (Meal 2 and 4, like in the picture above, being small enough to serve on a side plate)
- The timing of the meals is important to keep energy stable. Eg. 1st meal of day to be eaten within an hour of waking and 2nd meal at around 10:30am. This took some getting used to! You won’t always be ‘hungry’ at first- that doesn’t really matter… You Fake it to Make it! Because with some ‘training’ your stomach will soon be ready to eat upon waking and hungry again at 10:30am!
Short cuts and Habit making tips ( Assembly line it)
- Prepare a Roast Chicken/Beef/Ham/ Fish or Vegetarian alternative on the weekends, so you have something quick to reach for all week long, for the smaller meals & lunches.
- Buy an easy to prep, good tasting ( esp for picky kids) Protein Powder for Shakes & Protein Bars for those rushing mornings ( here’s a link to my Pinterest Board with more ideas).
- Our family are big fans of Combat for protein Bars ( gluten free – though not peanut free ) and Harmonized Protein for adult shakes, as well as Combat flavoured powder for the kids shakes, no blender needed, just water and a shaker cup and a whole 25g of Protein a pop!
- –Make grabbing this stuff for the day a part of the breakfast routine – by tethering this new habit to an existing one ( the breakfast routine) you’re much more likely to be successful.
- Lastly be squirrel-like 🙂 ADHD pun intended !! And put some of the Protein bars/shakers with powder in your briefcase/purse/backpack/car and even office drawers to help you on those rushing, crazy – I – can’t- stop – to – eat – cos – I – don’t – have – time – days!
My hope is that these tips make the all the difference to your Mood & Energy that they have to me!
I’d really love to hear from you about your thoughts on this topic. So please post your opinions, stories, questions etc below, or on my Facebook/Twitter feed.