ADHD, food and the whole-body connection

Well, that was a stunning conversation with Doctor-of-Psychology-to-be Sophia Dawson on The WHOLEistic Psychology Podcast. In this episode, entitled “ADHD, Food & The Whole-Body Connection”, we chatted about ADHD beyond the usual diagnostic checklist, looking at it as a whole-body experience that shapes how we think, feel, eat, move and relate to ourselves.

Sophia and I talked about the gut-brain connection, emotional regulation, disordered eating, microbiome health, protein, healthy fats, colourful plant foods and my PHOCUS framework, which I created as a flexible, ADHD-friendly way of thinking about nourishment without rigid rules or shame.

At the heart of the episode is a simple idea I keep coming back to: food can support ADHD bodies and minds, but only when we begin with capacity, self-kindness and the reality that our nervous system will have different needs every day. Some can be met with food, but others can only be met with context. And that, invariably, requires a big dollop of self-kindness, and a generous sprinkle of self-acceptance.

I hope this episode feels like a warm cup of something good on a cold day.

With love,