Food Organization

July 20, 2023

This post is part of a series that I will be sharing with you over the next couple months, based on the 5 week journal that I’ve created. If you don’t want to wait for each post to come out, you can download the journal here: The Seattle Sparkle Method to Get Organized and Stay Organized

As someone with ADHD, eating the right kinds of foods for my body and brain will make a huge difference in my ADHD symptoms. When I eat the wrong foods, I have really low energy, I get “hangry”, I’m more likely to procrastinate, I have a really hard time focusing, and I my sense of self-esteem drops dramatically. When I eat the right foods, I can think clearly, I feel confident, I’m not ravenous between meals, and I have the energy needed to keep up with my habits and achieve my goals. Food is a big deal for me. Do I eat right 100% of the time? No!! But I do go for long stretches eating right, and those stretches get longer and longer and closer together. As I get to know what foods are non-negotiable for me and I cut them out of my diet, I feel better and better. I should also say that I have Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune thyroid condition. When thyroid conditions aren’t under control, their symptoms can look a lot like ADHD symptoms. So for me, eating right is even more important, because I have both the ADHD and Hashimoto’s to manage.

I also want to point out that there are a lot of alternative health enthusiasts that say that someone can completely cure their ADHD symptoms with their diet and won’t need to take ADHD medication. This might be true for some people, but it’s not true for everyone. You be someone who cleans up their diet really well, but you still need ADHD medication, and that’s ok. Or you might need the ADHD medication to help regulate impulse control so that you can clean up your diet, and that’s ok too!

Are you curious about improving your diet as a way to help manage your ADHD symptoms? Keep reading.

Home Assignment
Declutter and organize the fridge and pantry, and any other food storage you have. Only keep food that nourishes you. Donate, trash or compost anything that does not give you high quality energy. Wipe down the fridge and pantry, and any other places where you store food.

Decide where you’re going to start- with the fridge or pantry, and start throwing out/composting anything that’s old, that you don’t like, or that doesn’t make you feel your best.
Clear off a table or counter so that you have space for sorting your food.
Once you’ve taken out the low hanging fruit, start pulling food out of either your fridge or pantry and grouping it with like items.
Wipe down the shelves.
Do you need containers to help group like items, or to decant grains or other snacks? Use temporary boxes or bags until you can get what you need.
Put food back in the fridge/pantry.
Would labels help you remember what goes where? If so, create those labels now.
Repeat these steps for the fridge or pantry.
Take out the trash.

Life Assignment
Some people can eat whatever they want, and it will not have any impact on their productivity or mood. I am not that person. I’m guessing you probably aren’t either! This is not a discussion about weight loss or body image. It’s about mental health. Your brain need the right fuel to help you get organized and stay organized. Do you know what foods work out well for you, and which don’t? If you suspect you have food sensitivities, macronutrient balance sensitivities, or glycemic load sensitivities, consider doing an elimination diet or cleanse so you can see what works. Consulting a nutritionist or getting nutritional testing may also be in order. Use today to give some extra thought to your diet, and commit to making a change, if needed.

Want more inspiration? Check out these other articles that are about food or food organization.

Meal Planning for Productivity

Aspirational Grocery Shopping

Refrigerator Avoidance

Organizing For Energy

ADHD Friendly Meal