You can find a deeper dive with more tips and advice in Nutrition for ADHD and Dyslexia by Dr Emma Derbyshire.
Around 1 in 20 people in the UK are diagnosed with ADHD, and about 1 in 10 live with dyslexia. Many experience both, and must work around challenges in a world that isn’t always designed with neurodivergent brains in mind.
These individuals often have to work harder to focus, concentrate and be productive at school or in the workplace. ADHD and dyslexic minds can often be in over-drive, so it is important that they are nourished!
As we head into the new year, here are five thoughtful tips from Nutrition for ADHD and Dyslexia to help fuel these brilliant minds
Start the day with water. The brain is about 60% fat and 40% water so needs to be adequately hydrated when learning or working. Sip small amounts and often and aim to drink a glass of water before even heading out for school or work.
Learn in short bursts and pair learning with a brain food. There is a technique known as the ‘Pomodoro technique’ which is a time management technique used to enhance learning. Studying and learning in 25-minute intervals with a 5-minute break in between and then a longer 15–30-minute break after 4 Pomodoro’s can help to improve focus and productivity[1].
In the 5-minute break pairing this method with a brain food such as a bowl of mixed berries, few cubes of dark chocolates, a snack pot of mixed seeds and dried berries, some kefir yoghurt with seeds/berries sprinkled into it and of course a glass of water could just well help to reinforce this learning approach.
Oil the mind. There really is something in the saying that fish is a great brain food. Back in hunter-gathered days eating oily fish and the omega-3 fatty acids that fish provides is believed to have contributed to the evolution of the ‘higher order’ of the brain.
Oily fish includes fish such as sardine, tuna and salmon and we should aim to eat about 2 portions a week. It you don’t eat oily fish then eating omega-3 enriched foods, using canola oil in marinades and salad dressing, snacking on walnuts and sprinkling seeds such as chia seeds into cereals, yoghurt or on top of soups can all help to get omegas into your diet.
The power of cinnamon. Research in the Nutritional Neuroscience journal[2] has found that cinnamon and certain compounds in cinnamon such as eugenol, cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic could help to improve aspects of memory and learning.
You can add cinnamon into the diet by sprinkling it into porridge, overnight oats, natural yoghurt, a smoothie or warm glass of milk.
Give yourself time and make the best use of time. Give yourself time to eat well and develop effective learning techniques. Eating well is a central part of learning, and we should be talking much more about this. Any mind needs to be adequately fuelled to perform at its best. Make sure you eat breakfast and have a glass of water at the start of the day, so you are fuelled right from the start.
We all lead busy lives so learning from a Podcast whilst travelling to school/work, reading if we have any ‘waiting periods’ and popping memory prompt flashcards into our pockets and looking at these regularly are all examples of ways to help embed information into our long-term memories and will serve us well in the end.
Nutrition for ADHD and Dyslexia: Unlocking the Potential for Learning and Wellbeing is written by Internationally renowned Dr Emma Derbyshire, Registered Public Health Nutritionist and formally trained Dyslexia Assessor.
Emma also has 10 years’ experience as an award-winning University academic so is familiar with teaching and learning approaches. Dr Derbyshire has dual expertise within the fields of pregnancy (in utero) nutrition and Public Health Nutrition. Emma is the also UK lead on the nutrient Choline and has driven awareness of this critically important brain nutrient
[1] https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/pomodoro-technique
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36652384/