ADHD & Nutrition:
What You Eat Can Support How You Feel
If you or someone you care about lives with ADHD, you’ve probably noticed how unpredictable things can feel, focus comes and goes, energy dips, moods swing. What’s often overlooked is how much nutrition can influence these patterns.
There’s no one-size-fits-all “ADHD diet,” but research shows that certain nutrients and dietary habits can support brain health and help manage symptoms. At Brain & Mind Hub, we take a whole-person approach, looking at how food, mood and energy interact in everyday life.
Micronutrients Matter
Some nutrients play a key role in brain function and emotional regulation. For example:
- Omega-3 fatty acids may help improve attention and reduce hyperactivity.
- Zinc, iron, and magnesium deficiencies are common in ADHD and can affect mood, sleep, and impulsivity.
These nutrients aren’t magic fixes, but they’re part of the foundation for a well-functioning brain.
Patterns Over Perfection
It’s not just about individual nutrients, it’s about how you eat day to day. Diets rich in whole foods, lean proteins, fibre, and healthy fats (like those found in the Mediterranean diet) can help stabilize blood sugar and reduce inflammation, both of which are linked to ADHD symptoms.
Some people also benefit from elimination diets, removing things like artificial colours or certain allergens. But this isn’t something to try alone; it’s best done with guidance to make sure your body still gets what it needs.
Gut Health and the Brain
Emerging research shows that the gut-brain axis plays a role in ADHD. A healthy gut microbiome may support better mood, focus, and energy. That’s why we often look at things like fermented foods, prebiotics, and fibre when building a nutrition plan.
What We Offer
Our Dietitian, Renee works with clients to create personalised nutrition strategies that support ADHD, gut health, and emotional wellbeing. Her approach is warm, practical, and grounded in evidence. Whether you’re navigating food sensitivities, energy crashes, or just want to feel more balanced, she’s here to help.
Nutrition isn’t a replacement for therapy or medication, but it can be a powerful complement. If you’re curious about how nutrition might be affecting your focus, mood, or sleep, we’d love to support you.
Childhood stress, trauma and synapse loss
A new book release from Professor (Emeritus) Maxwell Bennett AO, Chair of TBMH Board of Directors, shows how our children are in jeopardy of growing up with mental illness and the consequences of this for their adult lives.
Max Bennett is an internationally-recognised expert in the field of neuroscience, having authored over 300 papers concerned with research on synaptic connections between nerve cells in the brain, and has written 14 books on synapses as well as on the philosophy of mind and brain.
His new book begins with the story of a child growing up in Australia, and this narrative forms the backbone of the book. Through subsequent chapters, the story of his development reveals to the reader just how much the environment we grow up in as children determines our capacity to enjoy life as we mature.
"I wrote this book in order to show how our children are in jeopardy of growing up with mental illness and the consequences of this for their adult lives. This can also help parents to understand and appreciate the extent of their responsibilities for the future happiness of their children."
Prof Bennett's extensive experience and credentials in this field include tenure as President of the Australian Neuroscience Society as well as of the International Society for Autonomic Neuroscience, the leading world group for the study of the nervous system associated with our emotional life.
Over the past 20 years he has driven the initiation and establishment of Institutes and foundations devoted to achieving the best outcomes in mental health for the Australian community. These include the Brain & Mind Research Institute (now Centre) at Sydney University as well as the Mind & Neuroscience Thompson Institute (now Thompson Institute) at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
He has brought synergy to the areas of brain and mind research and between disciplines in psychiatry, neurology and neuroscience, ensuring that they are embedded in outreach programs to the community.
"One of the key takeaways I hope to impart with this book is underscoring the extent to which our organisations, TBMH and BaMH, are equipped with the knowledge and methodology to ameliorate mental illness of both children and adults."
Our team of mental health specialists is dedicated to the relentless pursuit of excellence in mental healthcare and implementing the latest research and understanding into our approaches to deliver world-leading care for those who seek support.
Professor Max Bennett
