E67 - ADHD, Executive Function, and Food

4.11.2026

ADHD Babes: The Podcast

0:00

57:46

Summary

ADHD Babes host Fallon and guest Ana Ramos discuss how ADHD shapes eating, from forgetting meals and decision paralysis to cravings, sensory sensitivities, and family food routines. Ana, who received an ADHD diagnosis at 40 and is also autistic, shares how cultural traditions, parenting, and practical meal planning have influenced her relationship with food. ADHD Babes host Fallon talks with Ana Ramos about ADHD, neurodivergence, and the everyday work of feeding herself and her family. Ana shares how safe foods, cooking with her children, cultural expectations, and practical supports such as alarms shape her relationship with food and cooking.

Host

Fallon

Guests

Ana

Key Topics

Fallon and Ana connect ADHD with skipped meals, time blindness, decision fatigue, and the challenge of initiating food preparation.

Rotating meal planner, reduce food waste, and separate monthly pantry shopping from weekly fresh-food shopping.
Novelty, dopamine-seeking, convenience, and changing cravings can influence food choices, while Ana’s Colombian cultural meals provide a familiar baseline.
Sensory sensitivities to taste, smell, and texture, and relying on a small rotation of safe meals and familiar restaurants.
Family expectations and childhood experiences shaped how food preferences were treated
She describes keeping familiar ingredients on hand and preparing chicken in an air fryer for a fast meal.

Handling criticism and cultural expectations, and building confidence over time.

Ana adapts how she teaches cooking, focusing on the desired result rather than insisting children follow one exact method.
Fallon and Ana discuss ADHD-related time blindness and distraction while cooking, including forgotten eggs, burnt rice, and toast.

Chapters

00:00 Meet Ana: late ADHD diagnosis and a neurodivergent family

04:50 Ana’s experience of forgetting meals

08:03 Meal planning, leftovers, and reducing food waste

13:52 Making cooking engaging with music and a rotating menu

17:18 How culture and family shape food routines

22:53 Sensory sensitivities and safe foods

25:35 Being labeled a fussy eater and finding family support

29:18 Different childhoods, parenting, and avoiding food pressure

31:03 Advocating for food sensitivities and safe foods

32:02 Ana’s dependable meals and quick chicken salad

34:03 Why lime belongs in the salad