And nutrition matters in every rung. Miss one or two and the ladder gets a little wobbly. Miss three or four, and the entire ladder can fall apart.

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It’s not about diabetes, diet culture, or cutting out carbs, or living on lentils. It’s about understanding why a…

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My book, Nutrition for ADHD, discusses many of the very real struggles that come with ADHD, so I wanted to start right here, by taking a moment to celebrate the flip side. Because having an ADHD brain can be an extraordinarily wonderful gift.

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1. Even when the idea seems completely ridiculous, we’re still willing to give it a go if it catches our imagination. Build a mud and bottle house? Sure! Walk across Europe? Fabulous, when do we leave? We see endless possibility and adventure where others find reasons not to try.

2. Our hyperfocus is phenomenal. When something grabs us, we don’t dabble, we dive so deep that we end up knowing more about it than people who’ve studied it for years.

3. We are relentlessly, unstoppably curious. And that curiosity is the engine behind some of the most original thinking in the world.

4. So much innovation happens because of ADHD brains. We make connections between ideas that other people simply don’t see because our brains aren’t travelling the same well-worn paths.

5. When the obvious solution isn’t working, we’re often already three lateral moves ahead, trying something that never even occurred to others. We think around corners.

6. Resourceful is our second name. Plans change, things go wrong, chaos descends and we improvise and adapt faster than almost anyone because we were never that attached to the original plan anyway.

7. The unconventional is nectar to us. The ADHD brain is deeply uncomfortable with “because that’s how it’s always been done” which makes us natural disruptors, reformers and pioneers.

8. When we care about something; a cause, a person, an idea - we are passionate in a way that can be well and truly contagious and inspirational.

9. People with ADHD are seldom boring company. The spontaneity, the tangents, the unexpected connections, the willingness to be silly. We can be such fun. Properly fun.

10. Empathy is our middle name. Many ADHDers have are very sensitive to how others are feel.

11. Our sense of justice is highly developed . We notice and feel when something is unfair and we find it very hard to stay quiet about it.

12. If an ADHDer loves you, they’re all in. (We may forget your birthday, lose the mittens you leant us, and fail to reply to texts... but we still absolutely love you!)

13. When everything is falling apart and everyone else is frozen, our brain finally has the urgency and novelty it needs to operate best so that’s when we thrive. We’re the person you want when things go wrong.

14. Being under pressure is like rocket fuel to us. Deadlines, emergencies, last-minute pivots, some of the best work ADHDers produce happens in the final hour before it absolutely had to happen.

15. Growing up in a world never designed for your nervous system takes incredible resilience. So yes, ADHD brings its share of headaches. But it also brings a vibrant, unstoppable way of experiencing the world—and that is well worth celebrating

16. Partly because we’ve had a lot of practice at failure but also because the ADHD brain is just less attached to the idea of doing things the safe, approved, guaranteed way we are seldom afraid to fail and try again.

17. We have started things (businesses, projects, movements, conversations) that have changed things. Because we couldn’t not, because the idea was too loud to ignore and the gap was too obvious to walk past, and it’s made lives better for countless millions.

So yes, ADHD can indeed be a headache, but it can also be a blessing worth glorying in. You are a truly an amazing human being! Celebrate it.

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Does anyone else’s panic or anxiety seem to come out of nowhere? I don’t know what is wrong with me...

On the surface, ADHD and anxiety can look very similar. That’s why you can walk into a GP appointment with undiagnosed ADHD… and walk out with anti-depressants, only to find it doesn’t help. So you load more anxiety on top by worrying that you’re even more broken than you first imagined. If this rings a bell, join the club.

A while back I had a “bad patch”. Chronic anxiety with crippling panic attacks. My doctor put me on Prozac and my world went a little numb, but it didn’t fix things and it took a while to figure out what was happening.

Transpires I had reason to be grateful for the hellish experience because when my foster daughter arrived with anxiety and panic attack some years later, and then my own ADHD daughter began to struggle with them when she moved abroad I understood.

So, when someone posted the above in a Facebook group, asking for help it reminded me of what I’d shared with my own daughters.

It often happens, I explained, when you have been carrying chronic stress for a long time.

The types of stress I am talking about here are not the “I have twelve guests for Christmas dinner and I’ve left it too late to order the turkey” kind of stress. That sort of stress has an end point. You pivot, get excited about going vegan for Christmas, cook beans and rice, you serve, you get through the day, it’s done, your body stands down.

What I mean is the Chronic Stress that seems to come without an off-ramp. The kind that doesn’t resolve. Ongoing money worries. A relationship that’s constantly on edge. Caring for someone and never quite getting a long enough break. Job insecurity that drags on for months. On going health uncertainty with no clear answer. Unresolved trauma causing grief or rage. (It can even be something as “simple” as an approach to life or a world view with which you struggle.) Suffice it to say, it’s less an event, and more a permanent state you’re living inside.

It’s the sort of stress that never really lets your body stand down, because as far as your nervous system’s concerned, the threat hasn’t actually passed. It’s still out there, today, tomorrow, and the day after that. And that’s what keeps your amygdala in charge for weeks or months at a time, rather than for one stressful day or week or two.

Now, and this is just an analogy, but it’s helpful way to picture things. When you’re living in that type of stress for too long, even though you might believe you’ve been managing “just fine”, it’s as if that cortisol and noradrenaline and all the other excess stress hormones get forced into storage in a holding bubble. But eventually that bubble, simply through existing too long under pressure springs a leak and a tiny rush of pressurised stress hormones spurt out into your system, triggering... a panic attack. It often seems to come out of nowhere when there’s nothing around you that’s obviously caused this raging panic, which can make it feel all the more scary.

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How do you fix it?

Actually, there’s lots you can do to get better at managing that stress. Some of needs to be unravelled which can be tough and it can be a whole lot easier if you’re working with a professional or with someone you trust.

You can also help matters by making this stress holding bubble inside you a little stronger and less likely to spring leaks. Exercise helps quite quickly. Less quick but still extremely effective is improving your diet (magnesium, vitamin B, C, D and many more), supporting your blood sugar (a big trigger for anxious feelings) and improving your gut health. Meditation is also extremely powerful but is another slow burner because it can take time to layer up that protection, but for many it’s well worth the investment.

And work on figuring out what helps YOU relax. Studies show that for some, even a short while spent reading a good book (probs not a high stress horror!) can help reduce cortisol levels by over 60%. And doing hobbies you enjoy that engage the DMN (Default Mode Network) are again, helpful in reinforcing that bubble. Acts of kindness are also extremely powerful as is a gratitude practice.

Best of all, not only to these reinforce the bubble, they can help lower the stress hormone levels that fill the bubble to begin with.

So, while you might not always be able to resolve that source of chronic ongoing stress, you can absolutely make it easier to carry.

Why this recipe is so great

⏱ Prep time: 5 minutes
🔥 Cook: None
🧹Low mess: One board, one knife, one plate

🩸 Blood sugar balance: Strong
🔥 Anti-inflammatory: Strong
🫀 Gut supportive: Strong
⭐ Star nutrients: Tryptophan, Tyrosine, Vitamin E, Zinc, Magnesium, B6
🧠 Best for: Focus, mood stabilisation, and sustained mental energy

💪 Protein: ~30g for entire dish 🌾 Fibre: ~8g for entire dish

It is one of the most dopamine-supportive lunches you can make without cooking anything. Turkey is extraordinarily rich in tyrosine and tryptophan, the direct building blocks of dopamine and serotonin. You’re literally feeding your brain its favourite raw materials.

No chopping beyond slicing a tomato. No cooking. No timing. No decisions beyond "how much pesto is too much pesto" (is there such a thing?).

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It is also one of the most iron-rich plant-based meals you can put together without touching a hob. Lentils, kale, pumpkin seeds, and edamame all in one bowl. (Iron matters for ADHD because low iron is directly linked to lower dopamine production.)

Why this recipe is so great

⏱ Prep time: 5 minutes (makes 2 portions or 1 generous one)
🔥 Cook: None
🧹Low mess: One bowl, one jar for the dressing
🍱 Batch-cook friendly: Keeps for 3 to 4 days in the fridge

🩸 Blood sugar balance: Strong
🔥 Anti-inflammatory: Strong
🫀 Gut supportive: Strong
⭐ Star nutrients: Iron, Zinc, Magnesium, Folate, Plant Omega-3, B vitamins
🧠 Best for: Sustained focus, dopamine support, gut health, low-energy days

💪 Protein: ~38g for entire dish 🌾 Fibre: ~27g for entire dish
(Per lighter half portion: about 19 g protein and 13–14 g fibre)

This is an assembly job, not a recipe. It is hearty, deeply savoury, genuinely filling, and a brilliantly brain-supportive meal for a difficult day.

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I’m genuinely a little bit excited about this recipe because every single ingredient is pulling its weight for the ADHD brain, and the whole thing came together in the time it took to get the news headlines.

Sardine Pâté. Stay With Me.

I know. I know. But hear me out, once you understand what’s in it and why, you might also find yourself being enthusiastic about a tin of sardines.

The base is simple: sardines, hummus, cottage cheese, nutritional yeast, and chia seeds, blended together and served on a slice of high-protein bread with red pepper, cherry tomatoes, and fresh parsley alongside.

That’s it. Ten minutes, maximum. And what it delivers nutritionally, particularly for an ADHD brain, is genuinely impressive.

Let’s Talk About What’s In It

Sardines. A single tin gives you around 25g of complete protein, a rich hit of omega-3 EPA and DHA (the most evidenced supplement for ADHD, now coming directly from food), vitamin D, B12, selenium, calcium from the bones, and (this is the bit that surprised me) CoQ10. Sardines are one of the very few foods that naturally contain CoQ10, which supports mitochondrial energy production. For an ADHD brain running on stimulant medication, that matters.

Hummus brings more than you might think. Yes, there’s fibre and plant protein, but the chickpea base provides slow-release carbohydrates that prevent the blood sugar spikes that ADHD brains are particularly sensitive to. The tahini adds calcium and healthy fats. And there’s B6 and folate in there too, both dopamine cofactors.

Cottage cheese is here specifically because of its amino acid profile. It’s rich in tryptophan (we need this to make serotonin) and tyrosine, (we need this to make dopamine). It’s also a casein protein, which digests slowly, meaning it releases amino acids steadily rather than in one rush.

Nutritional yeast is one of those ingredients that sounds like it belongs in a health food shop circa 1987, but stay with me. Two tablespoons give you B vitamins (including B12, rare in plant foods), zinc, magnesium, selenium, and around 8g of complete protein. It’s one of the very few plant sources that provides all essential amino acids. It also contains chromium, which supports blood sugar regulation, and beta-glucans, which feed the gut microbiome. It adds a savoury, almost cheesy depth to the pâté that makes the whole thing taste considerably more indulgent than it has any right to.

Chia seeds are in here for fibre, but also for their omega-3 ALA content, which complements the EPA and DHA from the sardines. They also contain magnesium, calcium, and form a gel in the gut that slows digestion and further stabilises blood sugar.

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I have a wonderful client who came to me recently with a very specific, and very relatable, problem. (And yes, she’s given me permission to share this!)

She’s ADHD. She’s newly on Mounjaro.

For her this has meant she has little appetite, but absolutely NEEDS to get high-quality protein into her diet (a non-negotiable for both her ADHD and her GLP-1 medication). She also desperately needed fiber because both medications were causing significant tummy troubles.

Crucially, because she hates cooking, she needed something simple. Something she could cook once, portion up, and just reheat each morning without thinking about it.

So, challenge accepted!

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A client came to me recently with a very specific problem.

Little appetite. Hates cooking. But desperately needs protein, for her ADHD and her GLP-1 medication. Plus fibre, because both her Mounjaro and her ADHD meds were wreaking havoc on her gut.

Oh, and it had to be veggie-based. And simple enough that she could cook it once and reheat it all week.

Here’s what we built. 👇

The breakfast:

A batch-cooked bowl of steamed edamame, broccoli, carrot and sweetcorn (with a little butter and olive oil) alongside a milky coffee with collagen stirred in.

She cooks it twice a week. Each morning she reheats a portion in minutes.

No chopping. No decisions. No friction.

(If you know anything about ADHD, you’ll know that last part isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s essential.)

Why it works:

✅ ~26g protein per serving (edamame is a complete plant protein)

✅ ~11-12g fibre (critical for gut motility on both Mounjaro and stimulant meds)

✅ Fat from butter/olive oil unlocks the fat-soluble nutrients in the veg

✅ Collagen + whole milk together form a near-complete protein source

✅ Batch-cook removes the morning decision-making that ADHD makes exhausting

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What happened after 8 days?

Days 1–3: Some bloating as her gut adjusted. (Expected.)

Day 4: Digestion improved. Energy lifted. The sluggishness from constipation began to ease.

Day 8: She decided to keep doing it. That’s the win!

At this point we introduced supplements.

We waited deliberately, so we knew the food was working before we added anything else.

The stack:

→ B-Complex (dopamine synthesis, depleted by stimulant meds)

→ Omega-3 EPA/DHA (the most evidenced supplement for ADHD)

→ Magnesium bisglycinate (deficiency is widespread in ADHD) (Should be taken at night but she knew she’d forget to take it :) )

→ Vitamin D (mood, immunity, ADHD symptom severity)

→ Vitamin C (dopamine → noradrenaline conversion)

→ Zinc (directly impacts how well stimulant medication works)

→ CoQ10 (mitochondrial energy — vital when eating less on GLP-1s)

This breakfast solves several problems at once: Protein for neurotransmitters and muscle preservation. Fibre for a gut under pressure. Batch-cooking for a brain that finds mornings hard. And a supplement stack that layers onto a food foundation that’s already doing real work.

The best nutrition plans aren’t always complicated, they’re just well thought through.

I have ADHD. My partner doesn’t.

Over the weekend we had friends round and there was a lot of laughter about the Scrub Daddy sponge that had been lying on the floor in the corner of the kitchen for three days.

My ADHD brain had seen it. But it never managed to divert enough neurotransmitters to actually picking it up. I know that at least twice I actively decided to deal with it (I’ll pick it after I put the washing-up away) and then again (I’ll do it once I have put the potatoes in the oven). By the time I’d done these, the sponge had ceased to exist in my mind.

My partner, meanwhile, sees it every single time he walks past. The sponge. The shoes by the door. The unwashed coffee cups. The laundry in the machine. He sees all of it, constantly, and his rage metre oscillates between frustrated and incandescent.

So there he was, appealing to our guests for backup. His position: these things aren’t his mess, they’re not his job, and if he keeps picking up after me I’ll never learn. (At 60, I think I’m rather past learning. But he lives in hope.)

I’d love to know where you sit on this one.

If you’re the ADHDer, how does your partner cope with the chaos? Do they pick up the sponge, or do they leave it as a small, passive-aggressive monument to your executive function?

If you’re the partner, are you the one seething quietly, or have you made peace with the sponge?

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When I was writing the book there was a lot of ‘stuff’ that I had to spend loads of time trying to figure out if it was too much info to include (thus producing the dreaded overwhelm.) One that I left out was the fact that there are two types of dopamine. Tonic and phasic.

Think of tonic dopamine as the steady, baseline level of dopamine that constantly flows through your brain. It’s like the ambient chatter of the crowd in a stadium before the band comes on stage.

In a neurotypical brain: The baseline crowd noise is at a perfectly healthy, medium volume. Because the background level is steady, the brain feels content, alert, and capable of handling ordinary, low-stimulation tasks (like doing taxes, washing dishes, or reading a long email).

In the ADHD brain: The baseline crowd noise is turned way down. The stadium feels practically empty and dead silent. Because this baseline is so low, the ADHD brain physically feels under-stimulated, bored, and restless. It feels a deep, urgent itch to “fill the silence.”

Phasic dopamine is a sudden, explosive spike of dopamine released in response to something exciting, novel, or urgent. It’s like the main act bursting onto the stadium stage with flashing lights, pyrotechnics, and blasting speakers.

What triggers it? Gaming, scrolling, eating something yummy, doing something risky or dangerous, panic over a deadline, or hyperfocus on a new hobby.

In a neurotypical brain, the background (tonic) and the spikes (phasic) work well together but because the ADHD brain has a chronically low baseline (tonic) level, it has to constantly hunt for spikes (phasic) just to feel awake.

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It's also one of the most nutrient-dense hot meals you can make for the ADHD brain. Chorizo brings a serious hit of B12, zinc and iron. Chicken delivers the protein your brain needs to manufacture dopamine from scratch. Brown rice gives you slow-release energy and magnesium, keeping blood sugar and mood steady for hours. Kidney beans add iron, folate and plant protein. Tomato and parsley give vitamin C. And the Cajun spice is not just for flavour. Smoked paprika contains compounds that may support brain antioxidant function.

• One pan, one decision, one wash-up

• Brown rice = no blood sugar crash for hours

• Gluten free using simple ingredients that won’t trigger gut irritation or brain sluggishness.

• Kidney beans double the iron and folate

• Scales perfectly and it tastes even better cold or reheated the next day, covering your next meals with zero effort.

A Dopamine Crunch Hack: If your brain craves a variation in texture, crush a handful of plain, gluten-free tortilla chips and scatter them over your bowl right before eating. The extra crunch provides great sensory feedback that keeps an easily distracted mind engaged with the meal.

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After 8 years in development and 18 months of writing, my book Nutrition for ADHD is finally live on Amazon. (I honestly cannot believe I’m typing that.)

Why did I write it? When I was diagnosed with ADHD at 56, I went straight into deep research mode trying to understand my own brain. And despite being a qualified nutritionist, I learned something that was never mentioned in my training: neurodivergent brains have genuinely different nutritional needs from neurotypical ones. Our entire operating system runs differently. This was mind-blowing. Until this point it was if I’d been trying to operate a PC using an Apple manual.

I discovered brilliant research, but much of it was incredibly hard for my ADHD brain to read. Dense, dry, and often so boring... So, to help myself understand, I started translating the heavy science into something more usable for my clients, and for me. That became this book.

Jargon free, scannable, visual, and actually enjoyable and easy to read. I needed pictures, colour (and that essential dash of humour). And to bring all the knowledge together I included recipes that put everything together. Recipes that clearly explained why each ingredient mattered (otherwise ADHD brains would just leave stuff out).

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And now it’s online and available to buy! (Link is in the comments below)

Who is this book for?

• The late diagnosed adult wandering around thinking, “How in the hell?”

• The parent of ADHD kids trying to figure what on earth to feed them.

• The ADHD coach wanting a real-world resource for their clients.

• And for anyone who has ever looked at healthy-eating advice and thought: “That sounds great, but my brain absolutely does not work like that.”

What early readers are already saying:

Started reading last night. Wow what a book! Learning lots so insightful...thank you ~ Pam C

Yesterday I read 28 pages in one sitting which I think says something in itself 🤣 ~John H

Wow. This book is GAME CHANGING. ~Kat

I don’t know what to say other than this is just brilliant and exactly what I’ve needed for years ~John W

This is a phenomenal book - I skimmed it in one go and now will be going back to digest it. ~Bianca

The way the book is written is great and very easy to dip in and out of. ~Tanya

The book is very easy to read. I was worried that my brain would switch off, but it is genuinely interesting because it is so rare to find such comprehensible information about how our brains and bodies work, specifically in relation to ADHD. ~ Janine

Feeling so inspired and loving that there’s such detail in the recipes. ~Sue T

I’ve looked at plenty of nutrition books and ADHD articles over the years, and I usually put them down within minutes, fully intending to return and never doing so. This one is different. It’s written in a way that’s easy to read for anyone, broken into sections you can genuinely pick up and put down without losing the thread ~ Piera.

If you know someone with ADHD who might find a book like this helpful, please feel free to share this with them.

Why this recipe is so great

• High in protein - to support dopamine and steady energy

• Delivers protein, omega-3s, zinc & magnesium in one bowl

• Completely gluten-free - Gentle on the neurodivergent gut, preventing systemic inflammation and sluggishness.

• Good for blood sugar balance - because it combines protein, fibre and healthy fats

• Ready in 10 - Can make it so fast your brain doesn’t get a chance to get lose interest and wander off.

• Makes great leftovers - prep once, eat twice

Lower levels of nutrients including folate, B vitamins, iron, zinc and omega-3s have been observed in people with ADHD, and this salad targets almost all of them. Zinc helps regulate dopamine and can help reduce hyperactivity and impulsivity. The pumpkin seeds alone make this worth making regularly.

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Ingredients for one

2/3 cup (150g) cooked rotisserie chicken, shredded

3 tablespoons edamame beans
(frozen are fine, just defrost in a microwave or hot water)

2 good handfuls shredded red cabbage

1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds

Some chopped cilantro leaves
(as much as you like)

_____________

The dressing

1 tbsp natural peanut butter

1 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari)

1 tbsp lime juice with grated lime zest

Splash of warm water to loosen

_________________________

Optional extras to add to the dressing: Only add these if you have them, like them, and can be bothered: chilli flakes, chopped mint, sesame oil, a little ginger and or garlic paste. Add some, add all, your choice.

Steps

1. Put the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice and zest, and water into a bowl and mix until you have a smooth runny paste.

2. Add the shredded chicken, cabbage, defrosted edamame and cilantro. Stir well.

3. Top with pumpkin seeds and eat when you’re ready.

The top brain friendly nutrients found in this bowl

Magnesium: Pumpkin seeds + edamame ( the calming mineral)

Zinc: Pumpkin seeds (dopamine regulation)

Iron: Edamame + pumpkin seeds (dopamine production)

Vitamin C: Red cabbage + lime (unlocks iron absorption)

Folate (B9): Edamame (neurotransmitter synthesis)

Healthy fats: Peanut butter (nutrient absorption and helping you feel full for longer)

The standout nutrients beyond protein are magnesium and zinc (both primarily from pumpkin seeds), iron and folate from the edamame, and Vitamin C from the red cabbage and lime juice which is critical because without it, much of the iron from the edamame would simply pass through without being absorbed. Pumpkin seeds are exceptionally rich in magnesium, iron, zinc and manganese, making that single tablespoon punch well above its weight.

Why are these ingredients so important to the ADHD brain?

Nutritional yeast — extraordinary for B vitamins. A single small serving delivers thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), B6, and B12, many at several times your entire daily requirement. It also has a nice cheesy sort of flavour, and is also a great source of zinc and a useful little protein boost. (2g here.)

Chicken (The Dopamine Foundation): Chicken is incredibly rich in an amino acid called tyrosine. Your brain physically cannot make dopamine or norepinephrine without tyrosine. Eating chicken acts like handing your brain a fresh delivery of raw materials to build the chemicals responsible for motivation, memory, and drive.

Pumpkin Seeds (The Zinc & Magnesium Heavyweights): Pumpkin seeds are an ADHD superfood. They are loaded with zinc, which regulates how your brain uses dopamine and directly impacts attention span. They are also packed with magnesium, which acts like a natural brake system for your nerves—calming physical restlessness, lowering stress hormones, and reducing executive anxiety.

Peanut Butter (The Steady-Burn Fuel): Peanuts are full of healthy fats and Vitamin B3 (niacin). B vitamins are crucial for turning the food you eat into actual brain energy. The combination of protein and fat in peanut butter slows down your digestion, ensuring the nutrients enter your bloodstream at a steady, reliable pace rather than a chaotic spike.

Lime Juice (The Iron Key): The citric acid and Vitamin C in fresh lime juice unlock the non-heme iron in the seeds. Iron is a non-negotiable co-factor for the enzymes that manufacture dopamine. Low iron equals low dopamine, which equals a frozen brain.

Fun, unusual, and brain-friendly tips

• The Sensory Stimulation Trick: If your brain is feeling incredibly foggy and under-stimulated, add a pinch of chili flakes or a dash of hot sauce to the dressing. Sensory inputs like spice or strong textures (like the heavy crunch of this slaw) send immediate “wake up” signals to the brain, which can help break an executive function freeze.

• The Jar Hack: If you want to make this for lunch tomorrow, put the dressing at the very bottom of a jar, stack the chicken on top, and put the slaw at the very top. Keep it in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat, just shake the jar upside down. The slaw stays perfectly crisp, and you don’t have to wash a bowl.

You don’t need to read this bit ⬇️⬇️⬇️ lol, it’s just a blurb about my book, and what some people have had to say 😊😊😊😊

If these recipes are useful, you might love my book Nutrition for ADHD. If you’ve ever wondered why your brain works the way it does and what you can do to help it, this book was written for you. It’s the full picture, laid out in plain language, without any of the guilt or the overwhelm.

Some amazing comments from people who’ve received the book pre-launch!

There’s a picture of a squirrel on page 6 which made me happy. If it continues in this vein I think it will be a cracking read. ~Mich

Loving the book @Jen Moon. Feeling so inspired and loving that there’s such detail in the recipes. I will be working harder at drinking water from today!! ~Sue Todd

Jen Moon started reading last night. Wow what a book!, learning lots so insightful...thank you ~ P. Caven

I absolutely love the science behind the food. You make it so easy to digest (terrible pun not intended) and the recipes look delicious. I can’t wait to try some out. ~ Janine J.

Haha: “And it’s certainly not another long list of things you should be doing.” Love the book already! ~ Aline

I’m impressed with what I’ve read so far. Yesterday I read 28 pages in one sitting which I think says something in itself 🤣 ~John Heaton

I was a bit worried when I saw how many pages there are but its very easy to read, clearly formatted for the ADHD head and full of “Oh really?” ~Piera

Wow. This book is GAME CHANGING. ~Kat

It’s fab. You make it so easy to read and understand. Great explanation as to the why something is important without going round the houses to get there! ~Sue

I don’t know what to say other than this is just brilliant and exactly what i’ve needed for years ~John Walker

For me. I’ve been living life by trial and error. With ADHD brain and also autism. And one thing I (finally) figured out 6 months ago is that I have to have a protein shake first thing in the morning. When I read about protein in the AM, I was like 🤯. I wish someone had known to tell me that before I was almost 40 years old!! There are so many great things that I read so far that I’m like “yup. This is 100% correct, and going to help someone.” ~K S

I’ve just downloaded and excited to read it, my teen has just been diagnosed and I’m doing whatever I can for her. I’ve watched her struggle for years managing her emotions and this feeling that she is different…I watched my brother do the same and him and both his teens got diagnosed last year! I just know this book is going to help not just with food but understanding! ❤️~ Kate

The format of the book is really great Jen and I’m really enjoying the content. I’m learning so much! Thank you 🙏 ~Mich

Thank you Jen! This is in fact very helpful ❤️🙏 ~ Taylan

This is brilliant @Jen Moon thank you! ~Sue

The 5 copycats link is also interesting! And the recipes, love it 😍 Also the link with the hormones is info I want/we need to learn more about, so thank you Jen!!! ~Aline

Yes absolutely please add those motivation pages!!! This is a phenomenal book - I skimmed it in one go and now will be going back to digest it. ~Bianca

I think the way the book is written is great and very easy to dip in and out of. ~Tanya

• The chicken gives your body the protein (amino acids) it needs to build dopamine

• The spinach adds iron and magnesium, minerals that help dopamine actually work once it’s made

• The hummus brings in zinc, which regulates dopamine levels

• The walnuts add omega-3 fatty acids, which build the brain cell membranes that dopamine travels across

• And the nutritional yeast ties it all together with the B vitamins that make the whole system run

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Nutrition for ADHD by Jen Moon launches on Amazon on 9th June — and I am equal parts terrified and absolutely buzzing about it.

So many of us with ADHD have spent years (decades, even) just guessing, trial and error, surviving, getting it wrong more often than right. Wondering why the simplest things feel so impossibly hard, and just assuming it's… us.

It's not us. It's information we were never given.

I've had my launch squad reading early copies this past week and the feedback has genuinely floored me. One reader told me they'd only just figured out at nearly 40 years old that morning protein makes a significant difference to how their brain functions. Nearly 40. That's not a personal failing, that's a gap in the information available to us.

Another said it was the first time they'd ever read something that made their ADHD feel like a real, valid brain difference rather than just a list of things they couldn't do.

That's what Nutrition for ADHD is about. Not just food. Not just recipes. But understanding what's actually going on in our brains and bodies written in a way that ADHD brains can actually read, absorb, and use.

📖 Nutrition for ADHD — launching on Amazon, 9th June.

If this sounds like something you or someone you know has needed for a long time, follow along, I'll have the link ready on launch day.

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Think about the last time you were stuck. An “I’ve got stuff to do but I can’t make it happen” state. Maybe it was a mild case of staring blankly at a disaster of a kitchen, or perhaps a full-blown emergency where your train leaves in an hour and you’re still at home, frozen in front of an empty suitcase.

What got you out of it?

Chances are it wasn’t a plan, a lecture, or ‘self-discipline’. It was more likely a small, accidental spark: a song on the radio, a text from a friend, or a cuddle from a pet. A moment so insignificant, yet it caused an internal shift that triggered a tiny spike of norepinephrine or dopamine. You, without even being aware of what had happened, just got unstuck and did the thing.

The point is, when norepinephrine or dopamine are being disobliging all too often it means you can’t start. For example, a sock. Most people see a sock lying on the floor and this triggers a small chain of events: see it, register it, pick it up, put it away. The whole process takes seconds, needing zero mental effort.

For ADHDers however, the chain breaks at step one.

We see the sock.

That’s it. That’s where it ends. And we only see the sock in an abstract sort of way. A vague, absent part of us knows that action should follow, but that part is so muted it might as well not exist. Others imagine we’re avoiding the sock, or being lazy, or difficult. We’re doing none of these. We just have no relationship with the sock. The information is there, but the care? Nope, nah- uh, nuthin’.

What forges that connection with the sock, the meal that needs making, the laundry, the unanswered text? Norepinephrine and dopamine.

It’s norepinephrine that makes us aware of the sock; it flags that the sock exists, keeps our focus on it, and it helps us act on that focus. Dopamine makes us want to pick the sock, it tells us action is worth the effort and gives us the fuel to follow through. We need both: one to notice, one to act.

In ADHD, because the dopamine and norepinephrine signalling is so patchy, the messages telling us to see the sock and deal with the sock are too weak to be acted on. So the sock continues it’s life on the floor, gathering dust bunnies for company.

To get it picked up, many of us use urgency. We leave sock there until thirteen minutes before our guests are due to arrive. Then the sudden flood of norepinephrine and stress hormones forces us into action and we find we can pick up the sock and put it away (mildly bewildered at how we managed to not to do it for the last seven weeks).

Or we use novelty. We buy a lovely new sock organiser and suddenly tidying is sufficiently exciting and interesting to trigger a fresh supply of dopamine. We find ourselves tearing around the house foraging for stray socks.

Or, and this one’s very ADHD and very counterintuitive; we make it harder on purpose. Instead of just picking up the sock, we decide “Right, I’m not just doing the sock, I’m reorganising my entire house.”

We’ve unconsciously turned a 1-second task into a ‘proper’ project, because the tiny task was too boring to generate any dopamine, but a big meaty challenge is interesting enough to start. The sock gets done as a by-product of our bigger quest. (Providing we don’t plummet into burnout halfway through.)

But what happens when urgency, novelty, or challenge isn’t an option? There are only so many times you can invite guests over, buy new organizational goodies, or rearrange your home.

The answer is probably obvious: instead of waiting for life to do it by accident, you deliberately bump up your dopamine and norepinephrine. We already do this unconsciously, of course, with those free-range quick fixes from earlier (the scrolling, the snacking, the arguing). The trouble is, the brain’s homemade solutions can be harmful in the long-term. The trick is choosing healthier levers on purpose. For example:

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5 Ways to Bump Up Dopamine

These work by creating tiny, immediate, certain sensory rewards, not big, distant future goals.

1. The “one-match” rule – Light a single candle or match. Watch it burn for 10 seconds. That’s it. Dopamine responds to small sensory rewards with a clear beginning and end. (No cleaning required yet.)

2. Micro-timer for absurdly small wins – Set a timer for 45 seconds and without overthinking it, ask yourself what you tidy off the floor in that time, or how many spam emails you can delete, or how many pieces of cutlery you can wash…. Stop when timer ends. The completion itself (not the result) releases a tiny dopamine pulse.

3. Name 3 things you already did today: Even if it’s just: “Opened my eyes, picked up my phone, breathed.” Dopamine is released during the anticipation of a reward, but it also spikes upon the conscious recognition of a completed deed. Force your brain to register a win.

3 ways to bump up norepinephrine

1. Move your body first - sharply. Physical movement is the fastest norepinephrine spike available. Don’t wait to feel like it, and don’t give yourself time to think about it. Do 10 star jumps, run on the spot for 30 seconds, or do a quick 45-second bounce on a rebounder. A rapid burst of movement raises autonomic arousal, cutting through mental paralysis.

2. Cold is a direct, powerful norepinephrine trigger and studies show cold water exposure can substantially raise it. A cold splash to the face, cold hands under the tap, stepping outside into cold air, or a brief blast of cold at the end of a shower. It’s a jolt that snaps you out of the flat, foggy state. (One caveat: this is about alertness, not endurance, keep it brief and comfortable, not punishing.)

3. Smell something sharp (not pleasant necessarily) – Peppermint oil, eucalyptus, coffee grounds, even a whiff of vinegar. Strong olfactory input directly activates the locus coeruleus (brain’s main norepinephrine source).

But, I want to address the elephant in the room first.

You say, “I want to get the mental energy together, at least enough to make a healthy dinner.” I beam and say, “Yay! To power yourself up, do something dopamine-boosting first.” And I give you the above list. And your ADHD brain immediately thinks “patronising cow” while replying: “Lovely. I also don’t want to do that.”

In my book I talk about what to do when you don’t want to do the thing that helps you do the thing. Best of all the first approach which can be so helpful, involves the exact type of creative thinking that ADHD brains enjoy and absolutely excel at.

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