ADHD & Sugar: Here’s what’s really going on & how you can quit.

Do you feel like binge eating sugar & carbs is ruining your life & causing you to gain weight? Yet you just can’t seem to stop yourself?

Here’s the thing, those of us with ADHD have a shortage of dopamine, the neurotransmitter that plays a part in reward & motivation, and it’s that shortage of dopamine that leads to struggles with self control, impulsive eating & not recognising hunger cues (ie forgetting to eat and then overeating later in the day! A problem familiar to many with ADHD).

The link to sugar comes more specifically to the way ADHD brains process sugar differently to those without ADHD. Research has shown that glucose metabolism is significantly reduced in half of the areas of the brain, including areas that control attention & impulsivity. This means there is less energy in those parts of the brain.

Because these parts of the brain have less energy they send out distress calls demanding more glucose (hello chocolate bar!) and that’s when you start craving the carbs and sugar, to quickly turn it into energy. The problem is you don’t have enough dopamine or enough energy in the needed areas of the brain to say no. Hence why you find yourself munching on that entire family size Cadbury’s bar or having pasta again for dinner instead of salad.

Sugar also boosts serotonin & dopamine levels which the ADHD brain is already low on and is craving too. When you eat sugary foods & carbs you get a hit of dopamine & serotonin that make you feel better, and who wouldn’t want that!

So do you see how ADHD can impact the food choices you make and therefore your health & weight. It’s not simply a case of a lack of willpower. It’s crucial you understand that part, and it’s why I’m so passionate about talking about ADHD and the link to physical health & weight. If you don’t know about these connections between how your brain is wired & the food choices you make then you will end up constantly going round in circles of being “good” and eating well only to “lose willpower” a few weeks later.

Looking at all that, it’s easy to feel like you’ve been defeated! I know I certainly felt like that at first! But by understanding how the ADHD brain works and what it’s actually asking for, then you have a much better chance of giving it what it needs in a way that doesn’t harm your physical health & waistline.

So How do I Stop Eating Sugar?

It’s not going to be an overnight fix, you’ve likely tried that before and it hasn’t worked. I don’t recommend cutting out sugar cold turkey. It rarely works, can be dangerous in some cases and just makes you miserable.

Instead I use the same mantra I use with all my ADHD clients..

Stop focusing on what you can’t eat and focus on all the delicious food you can.

With my ADHD health coaching clients I don’t focus on cutting out sugar, or anything else for that matter. We simply look at what healthier & still delicious alternatives are out there and how we can make them a part of everyday life.

Making small changes.

Starting a whole new diet come Monday is setting yourself up for failure. It’s unrealistic to ask yourself to change your whole lifestyle and years or even decades of habits overnight. Instead, focus on the tweaks you can make.

For example – now you know that you want that chocolate bar because you are low on dopamine and serotonin and you need a boost – what other ways could you quickly boost your dopamine levels?

Adding in more complex carbohydrates to your diet.

As part of your small changes you can start adding in more complex carbs. What are these? There are two types of carbs – simple and complex.

Simple carbs convert into glucose very fast! And unless you have high activity levels any unused glucose gets stored as fat, mostly around your middle.

Complex carbs convert into glucose slower and give you a steadier release of energy, avoiding spikes in blood sugar levels – which ultimately leads to a crash that leaves you craving even more sugar!

Simple carbs are foods such as white pasta & rice, pizza, fruit juice, baked goods and bread to name a few.

Complex carbs are foods such as fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and beans.

Try switching over to wholegrain or brown rice or pasta. Even better is to use cauliflower or broccoli rice instead of white rice. You can buy these in the frozen section of most supermarkets in the UK and in the US so they are prepped for you and require no extra effort. If that’s too big of a leap, try 50% cauliflower or broccoli rice and 50% rice.

If you use meal delivery services, look for options with vegetables, sweet potato, beans or quinoa instead of meals based just on pasta and rice. 

Complex carbs will give you the energy you need without all the highs and lows, diabetes risk, sugar cravings and mood swings.

Gradually reducing your intake of unnecessary simple sugars.

For example by switching from soda drinks to flavoured or plain sparkling water. You still get the fizz but without the sugar spike. You can also try making more meals from scratch, starting with just 1-2 meals a week. Cooking doesn’t always come easily when you have ADHD so make sure to get a copy of 10 Quick & Easy Recipes for ADHD Women.