Neurodiversity is an umbrella term for a wide range of styles of brain processing such as autism, ADHD, dyspraxia, and dyslexia. For some people, there will be more than one ‘label’ present.
Many neurodivergent folk, women in particular, are diagnosed later in life rather than in childhood, and face challenges with day to day living for years that they may not realise are related to their neurodivergence. Eating and/or drinking can be one of the daily issues which if not identified can lead to wellbeing issues. Here are some basic hacks that every neurodivergent person should be equipped with in order to eat and drink well:
1 Set up a “hydration station”: sometimes a neurodivergent person, particularly an autistic individual, may struggle with interoception issues; this key sense allows us to interpret sensations in the body, such as whether we’re thirsty, hungry, or have hurt ourselves. Not knowing that we are hungry or thirsty or have hurt ourselves can have a knock-on impact on our mood and health over time. You could set up a “hydration station” to have an easily accessible bottle of water within eyeshot, and if you need to commute, make sure you have a drink to take with you.
2 Make time visual: neurodiversity can sometimes come with executive functioning struggles – skills every person has, that enable us to execute tasks. If this sense is impaired, it can have a knock-on impact, such as burning food when cooking and struggling to complete recipes. Think of making a sandwich and all the steps, all of which have to be sequenced to get to the final stage, it can feel like a lot! Making time visual can help, such as using a kitchen timer or the timer on your phone, or even specialised apps such as Tiimo to help plan out your tasks. It can keep you on track if you’re prone to stopping tasks part-way through and can also help you to avoid overcooking.
3 Get the physical adaptations you need: it can feel like society thinks that we must all achieve the same expected standard, or we are somehow “giving in” to whatever can cause us to need help. This is an outdated view and can be harmful, sometimes we all need help to carry out tasks. Think about physical adaptations that can be made in the kitchen. This could be getting a jar opener, weighted cutlery, or a plate separator. A jar opener is about £2 online, but it saves the huffing and puffing of unscrewing a lid, and it supports those who struggle with motor skills. Weighted cutlery may also do the same, and a plate separator is ideal if you have sensory issues, as it separates food into categories. These are cheap adaptations to create a state of equality in the kitchen.
4 Designate a meal to a shelf in your fridge: take a shelf in your fridge, and designate it to a meal type (breakfast, lunch, dinner). Allow yourself to set up for the following week with the designated ingredients per shelf, for all meals. It saves space, can help with feelings of overwhelm, you can “grab and go” if you need to leave suddenly, and this form of meal planning is also a great way to budget.
5 Set reminders: a smartphone can set daily reminders to act as prompts, such as to eat, drink, take medication, etc. Having a designated mealtime will mean there is less chance of forgetting to eat, and it can be used to help manage other things, such as if you need to take medications with food. If you’re a young adult who is living by yourself for the first time, and struggling to maintain a routine, or if you have caring responsibilities that take up a lot of time, it’s important to put fuel in your tank regularly to have enough energy to stay on top of things.
We are all different and we all have our own unique needs and require different accommodations. Eating and drinking well is something we all deserve, and we can ensure that by choosing to take the time and effort to make the kitchen a more accessible space.
