06/11/2025
Looking after your health and nutrition is important — but if you’re neurodivergent, you already know that eating “like everyone else” isn’t always realistic.
Whether you’re autistic, have ADHD, ARFID, sensory sensitivities, executive function challenges, or a mix of all the above, food can be complicated in ways most people don’t understand.
It’s not about laziness or bad habits.
It’s about brains wired differently — which means eating needs to be supported differently too.
🍽️ WHY EATING CAN BE HARD WHEN YOU’RE NEURODIVERGENT
✅ Executive function & meal timing – You may forget to eat, delay meals for hours, or suddenly realise you’re starving at 4pm.
✅ Sensory differences – Texture, smell, colour, temperature, or even the sound of food can make or break whether it’s safe to eat.
✅ Decision fatigue – Too many food choices = shutdown, avoidance, or defaulting to the same meal every day.
✅ Low interoception – Hunger/fullness cues don’t always register, so eating feels random instead of body-led.
✅ Energy budget – Cooking, shopping, washing up, even chewing can feel like too many steps when you’re already overstimulated or masking.
So no — “just meal prep” isn’t helpful nutrition advice.
🌈 WHAT BALANCED EATING CAN LOOK LIKE (FOR YOU)
Instead of forcing yourself into someone else’s meal plan, focus on what’s workable within your brain and body.
That might mean:
Eating the same breakfast every day if that reduces stress
Using frozen, pre-cut, pre-cooked, or packet foods to save energy
Building nutrition around safe foods, not against them
Using supplements supported by a dietitian when intake is limited
Choosing food that’s easy to assemble, not cook
Eating with timers, visuals, or “body check” routines instead of hunger cues
You don’t need to eat perfectly — just consistently enough for your needs.
✅ YOU CAN STILL ADD VARIETY — BUT ON YOUR TERMS
You don’t have to eat everything to eat well.
Full blog ➡️ https://feedyourfuturedietetics.com/nutrition/eating-well-as-a-neurodivergent-person-why-typical-nutrition-advice-doesnt-always-fit/
Also link to blog in bio above 👆🏻
