Why Feeding our Bodies is so Hard on our ADHD Brains. — ADDept (2024)

The Real Reason Feeding our Bodies is So Hard on our Brains [2023 Update]

Cooking with an ADHD brain can be extremely challenging due to the intense executive functioning demands involved, causing frustration, stress, and, ultimately, burnout. Understanding what about cooking makes it so hard allows us to develop brain-based strategies to ease the struggle.

Ever tried to whip up that mouth-watering meal your fam has been drooling over— you’ve got pots and pans juggling on the stove, trays in the oven, and a dish mountain that could rival Everest in the sink?

Then, lo and behold, someone dares to waltz in and pop a question. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about.

THE AUDACITY, RIGHT?

Suddenly, it's a proper meltdown moment, straight out of an 80's Cathy cartoon:

Or maybe none of this rings a bell because the very thought (let alone the action) of cooking strikes such terror into your heart, that you'd rather live on a steady diet of ramen, Chipotle burrito bowls, and cereal.

Why is cooking so tricky with an ADHD brain (even if you love it)?

To understand what's at play here, we need to review exactly what's up with the ADHD brain and what’s going on with it when we try to do our very best Julia Child impression.

The ADHD Brain and Executive Functioning:

Remember how we've talked about how ADHD is a sort of hiccup (who are we kidding, it's more like a whole belch) in the realm of executive functions?

Executive functions are like the maestro of the brain's symphony. The maestro's the big cheese, right? They're juggling everything from getting the show started and stopped, keeping everyone in tune, deciding who needs to pipe down or step up, scheduling rehearsals, guessing how long the concert will last, and smoothly switching gears between movements. Basically, they're keeping everyone playing in harmony.

Executive functioning maestro's are just as busy as the conductor of the world’s biggest orchestra. They’re in charge of:

• Planning tasks/ activities of the brain

• Starting/ stopping

• evaluating progress

• Slowing down/ speeding up

• Switching Tasks/ activities

• Time Estimation

• Focus and attentional control

• Emotional Regulation (1,2)

For our ADHD brains, the maestro's got less fuel in his tank than he needs to get us through our day. Each task we take on, each distraction we fight or have to come back from, each big emotion we have to wrangle drains his tank. And when he runs out of fuel, he falls asleep at the podium, letting the band march off to their own beat. And chaos ensues. Each part of our brain playing when, how, and if they darn well please.

It’s why I can (and do) annihilate half a pan of brownies at 9 pm but wouldn't dream of it at 9 am. My conductor's tapped out, and I've lost all fight against my sugar-craving demons. (3)

The Executive Functioning Tasks of Cooking:

So, what’s all that got to do with cooking?

It’s not just that our maestro’s exhausted at the end of the day (the exact time we usually take on this herculean task). Because even at full-throttle energy, cooking paints a daunting picture for our maestro. Why? Let's check out the various tasks involved in cooking:

Did you catch that?

These two lists of tasks of our executive functioning system and tasks of cooking are twins, like two peas in a pod! Essentially, cooking is one humongous trial of each and every item in our executive functioning artillery.

Overwhelm, Stress and Overstimulation: Emotional Dysregulation in the Kitchen

Now, ADHD brains tend to fall to extremes. Some break out into hives, just considering that level of stress and tension. Other ADHD brains thrive under this pressure- feeling their brains turn on and engage amid the chaos. But, even if you’re athrill-seeking, pressure-loving, culinary warrior -that's still alot of heat for one kitchen, right? You’re system is still pushed to it’s max.

What happens when a system’s pushed to its max? Well, it means that it’s just one more request, noise, decision, or task away from:

• Confusion

• Stress

• Irritation

• Rage

• Exhaustion

So, can you blame us when the door swings open and little Joey comes waltzing in asking for aglass of milk, or the phone starts ringing off the hook, or your partner begins to mount afull-scale expedition into the pantry, and it’s suddenly meltdown o'clock?

How to Tame the Culinary Chaos:

There’s a catch, though, right?!? Doing that is yet another thing to do on an already long list of things to do, which is where our 9ADHD-friendly Hacks to Calm the Culinary Chaos comes in. Check it out!

Do you love or hate cooking? What does it do to your brain? Share your experience in the comments!

Sources:

1. Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual review of psychology, 64(1), 135-168.

2. Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Watter, S., & Hewitt, J. K. (2000). The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex cognitive performance. Psychological bulletin, 126(4), 682-718.

3. Muraven, M., & Baumeister, R. F. (2000). Self-regulation and depletion of self-regulatory resources: Does preactivation really reduce self-control? Journal of personality and social psychology, 78(3), 544-557.

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