Nutrition and Executive Function: Why Neurodivergent Adults Struggle to Eat Healthy
- Eric Kaufmann
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
Learn a simple way to improve your diet and executive functions without overhauling your entire life.
🔎 TL;DR
Healthy eating isn’t just a nutrition challenge. It’s an executive function challenge.
Weak executive functions make healthy eating harder, and poor nutrition can further weaken executive function skills.
When we’re overly hungry, we’re more likely to reach for quick, convenient foods instead of balanced meals.
Keep it simple: fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables, one quarter with protein, and one quarter with whole grains.
Hi Friend,
Ever open the fridge, stare at mostly stocked shelves, and realize nothing sounds good?
Or maybe it’s been a long day at work. You get home with absolutely no desire to cook the fajitas you planned on making, so you order DoorDash instead.
Eating healthy can feel ridiculously difficult.
And yes, we know nutrition matters for our physical health. But have you ever considered its impact on your ability to plan, focus, regulate your emotions, or manage procrastination?
Nutrition plays a huge role in brain health. And because executive function skills rely heavily on the prefrontal cortex, what we eat can impact our ability to think clearly, make decisions, and follow through.
Many of my clients think they struggle with healthy eating because they don’t know how to do it.
But most neurodivergent adults don’t need to know exactly how many grams of protein are in a chicken thigh, weigh their blueberries every morning, or start an intense diet.
They need a system that simplifies shopping, preparing, cooking, and eating.
Today, that’s exactly what we are exploring.
In this article, you will learn why healthy eating is difficult for neurodivergent people, the types of foods that support brain health and executive function, and a simple framework to make eating well feel less overwhelming.
Let’s dive in.
Why Neurodivergent Adults Struggle With Nutrition
Healthy eating supports executive function skills like:
task initiation
planning
working memory
emotional regulation
sustained attention
But those same executive function skills are required to:
meal plan
grocery shop
prepare food
remember leftovers exist
resist impulsive food choices
eat before becoming ravenously hungry
This creates a frustrating cycle.
Weak executive functions make nutrition harder. Poor nutrition can make executive function harder.
But that’s just the beginning.
Planning to Eat Can Feel Complicated
Eating healthy often requires:
deciding what to eat
creating a grocery list
buying ingredients
preparing food
All of those require planning.
So if planning is a weaker executive function skill for you, it makes complete sense that deciding what to buy at the grocery store each week feels overwhelming.
Cooking Can Feel Overwhelming
Eating is not as simple as putting a fork into our mouths.
It’s actually a fairly complex little project.
First, we need to shop. Then, we need to decide what to eat when we are hungry. Next, we have to cook. Then we can finally eat.
But it’s not over yet.
We still need to clean up.
Not so easy, right?
Preparing chicken and vegetables requires far more activation energy than ordering DoorDash.
Eating Requires Working Memory
Working memory is our ability to hold information in mind and use it in action.
If working memory is one of our weaker executive function skills, this can lead to:
forgetting groceries exist
forgetting leftovers exist
forgetting we intended to meal prep
realizing we’re starving at 2 P.M.
And when all of that happens, we end up reactively eating whatever feels easiest in the moment.
Or not eating at all.
Time Management and Task Switching
Many neurodivergent adults don’t intentionally skip meals.
We simply lose track of time.
We get pulled into work, hyperfocus on a project, bounce between meetings, or become so absorbed in a task that we don’t notice our hunger cues.
Suddenly, it’s 4:00 P.M.
We’ve had coffee, maybe a snack, and not much else.
At that point, our brain isn’t thinking about balanced nutrition. It’s thinking about survival.
When we’re overly hungry, we’re more likely to reach for foods that provide quick energy, like sugary snacks, fast food, or highly processed meals.
This is one reason healthy eating can feel so difficult for neurodivergent adults.
The issue often isn’t nutrition knowledge. It’s time management, planning ahead, and noticing when our body needs fuel before we reach the point of exhaustion.
What People Get Wrong About Nutrition
These are some common misconceptions that keep people stuck:
Mistake #1: Believing healthy eating is complicated
Podcasts, books, and influencers can make us feel like healthy eating comes with a long list of strict rules.
No sugar.
No processed foods.
Perfectly balanced meals.
Meal prep every Sunday.
Maybe that works for some people.
But in our busy lives, it’s not always realistic. Instead of recognizing that and making small adjustments, we set the standard too high, struggle to follow through, and then give up.
Mistake #2: Trying to overhaul everything at once
This is a common theme in the neurodivergent community.
We feel like we need to make a huge change right now.
New groceries.
New recipes.
New breakfast.
New lunch.
New dinner.
New personality by Monday.
It rarely works.
If you want to improve your nutrition, you don’t need to do everything today. You don’t need an entirely new diet.
Start small.
Micro-adjustments build momentum.
Mistake #3: Focusing on what to remove
When we focus only on what we need to remove from our diet, we naturally focus on the negative.
This can create guilt and shame, which often makes things worse.
Instead, focus on what you can add.
Maybe it’s:
one vegetable at lunch
protein at breakfast
a reminder to drink water
a balanced snack before you get ravenously hungry
This is a much kinder and more realistic way to begin.
What Foods Support Executive Function?
The food we eat affects our brain.
And while no single food will magically fix executive function, certain foods and nutrients support brain health, mood, energy, and attention.
These are some of my favorites:
Food | Nutrient | Benefit |
Salmon and other fatty fish | Omega-3s | Support brain cell structure and function |
Eggs | Protein, choline | Memory and brain health |
Leafy green and cruciferous vegetables | Vitamins E, K, and folate | Protects brain cells |
Blueberries | antioxidants | May improve blood flow to the brain |
Nuts | Healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals | Boosts energy |
Coffee | Caffeine | Blocks adenosine, temporarily improving alertness and focus |
Pro tip: coffee is not a meal!
I say this with love because I have absolutely tried to let coffee carry me through an entire morning. It does not end well.
A Simple Way to Improve Your Diet
As mentioned above, neurodivergent brains are often tempted to think we need to add all of these foods to our diet immediately.
But small steps are usually best.
So if you’re interested in supporting your executive function through nutrition, here’s the simple version:
Minimize highly processed foods when possible.
Add more whole foods.
Build balanced plates.
Not sure what to put on your plate?
Try this:
½ fruits and vegetables
¼ protein
¼ whole grains
That’s it.
No macros.
No food scale.
No calorie counting.
Just balance.
Minimum Viable Nutrition
If even that feels like too much, start smaller.
Here’s the simplest possible framework:
Step 1: Eat before you’re ravenous.
Don’t wait until your brain is in survival mode.
Set a reminder, create a routine, or keep easy options nearby.
Step 2: Add protein.
Protein helps meals feel more satisfying and gives your body steady fuel.
This could be eggs, yogurt, chicken, tofu, beans, fish, or whatever works for you.
Step 3: Add color.
Add one fruit or vegetable.
Not five. Not a perfect salad with seventeen ingredients.
One.
That’s enough to begin.
The goal is not to build the perfect diet.
The goal is to make eating well easier when your brain is tired.
Summary: Nutrition and Executive Function
Many neurodivergent adults believe they lack discipline around food.
But the real challenge is often executive function.
Healthy eating isn’t just about nutrition knowledge. It’s about designing systems that make good choices easier when your brain is tired.
So stop blaming yourself.
Understand your brain.
Lower the barrier.
Build simple systems.
Focus on consistency over perfection.
You don’t need a perfect diet to support your executive function.
You need a realistic system that helps you feed your brain with more care, more ease, and a lot less shame.
In service,
Eric
FAQs
Why is healthy eating so hard for neurodivergent adults?
Healthy eating can feel difficult for neurodivergent adults because nutrition relies heavily on executive function skills like planning, working memory, time management, and task initiation. Eating well requires meal planning, grocery shopping, preparing food, remembering leftovers, and noticing hunger cues before becoming ravenously hungry. When executive function skills are already stretched thin, nutrition becomes much harder. This creates a frustrating cycle where weak executive functions make healthy eating harder, and poor nutrition can make executive function even harder.
How does nutrition affect executive function skills?
Nutrition plays a major role in brain health and executive function because the brain relies on steady fuel to support focus, emotional regulation, planning, working memory, and attention. Certain foods, like protein, omega-3 fats, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats, help support brain function and energy levels. On the other hand, skipping meals, waiting until you’re overly hungry, or relying heavily on highly processed foods can make it harder to think clearly, regulate emotions, and follow through on tasks.
What is the easiest way to start eating healthier with ADHD or executive dysfunction?
The easiest way to improve nutrition with ADHD or executive dysfunction is to focus on simple, sustainable systems instead of trying to completely overhaul your diet overnight. Start with “minimum viable nutrition.” Eat before you’re ravenously hungry, add protein to meals, and include one fruit or vegetable whenever possible. Instead of chasing perfection, focus on lowering the barrier to healthy eating. Small adjustments, like setting reminders to eat, keeping easy foods nearby, or building balanced plates, are often far more effective than strict diets or complicated meal plans.
Related Articles:
References:
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About the Author
Eric Kaufmann is an Educational Therapist, Certified Executive Function Coach, and speaker. He is the Co-founder of UpSkill Specialists, an executive function coaching company that helps adults and workplace teams overcome disorganization, procrastination, and productivity roadblocks.
Want to learn more about 1:1 coaching? Click here.
Interested in hosting a workshop for your team or company on how to improve executive function skills in the workplace? Click here.
Looking for guidance on how to become an adult executive function coach? Click here.