ADHD and Eating Disorders with Brittany Modell MS, RD, CDN
ADHD + a complicated relationship with food = a recipe for disaster. Am I right?
If you’ve ever found yourself forgetting key ingredients at the grocery store or using snacks to calm your brain from its chaotic circus act. If you're nodding along and thinking, "Yep, that's me," then listen up.
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In this episode, I’m joined by Brittany Modell, a registered dietitian and certified intuitive eating counselor who knows exactly how overwhelming it can be to juggle all the things, especially when ADHD makes remembering groceries or even meals feel like an Olympic event.
We're diving into the deep end of what happens when ADHD and eating disorders collide. We’re talking impulsivity, perfectionism, emotional dysregulation, and, of course, the classic ADHD tendency to turn mundane tasks (like cooking or meal prepping) into avoidance.
Brittany Modell, MS, RD, CDN is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, and founder of Brittany Modell, Nutrition and Wellness, INC, a virtual weight-inclusive private practice specializing in the relationship with food and body image, eating disorders/disordered eating, chronic dieting and eating with ADHD/Autism.
Brittany helps her clients break the cycle of chronic dieting by cultivating a healthy relationship with food, reconnecting their mind and body, and re-building body trust. She specializes in eating disorders, disordered eating, body image, and eating with ADHD. Brittany takes a self-care approach and focuses on all aspects of health and wellbeing, including food, movement, body image, stress management, and sleep.
Brittany has been featured as a Health and Wellness speaker at the American Heart Association, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Warby Parker, and the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House and has been a guest on various podcasts such as Diet Starts Tomorrow, Love Food, Sorry For Apologizing, SucessFULL With ADHD, Speaking of Hungry, and The Dude Therapist.
Brittany graduated from Columbia University with a Masters's degree in Nutrition Education and completed her Dietetic Internship at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH), where she applied medical nutrition therapy in an acute care setting.
In this episode, we're talking about:
How ADHD complicates eating disorder recovery, including emotional dysregulation, impulsive eating, and organizational challenges.
Practical strategies like body doubling, task breakdown, and low-barrier meal options to help manage food routines.
The potential complications of ADHD medication in eating disorder recovery, particularly appetite suppression.
The struggle to develop interoceptive awareness (e.g., recognizing hunger) and ways to improve it.
The role of nutrition in managing ADHD symptoms, focusing on omega-3s, protein, carbs, and micronutrient deficiencies.
The importance of flexibility, routine, and consistency in addressing ADHD and eating disorders.
So, if you’ve ever wondered why food and body image are particularly tough to navigate with ADHD or how to keep it all together without completely losing your mind, this episode is for you.
Tweetable Quotes
“When someone struggles with something like ADHD, eating disorder recovery can get really, really complicated for a variety of reasons.” - Rachelle Heinemann
"Self-compassion is a practice, it's not something you experience once or twice, and all of a sudden you have compassion for yourself." - Brittany Modell
"ADHD looks different for various people." - Brittany Modell
"Food is powerful, but food is not the end-all, be-all... it can play a role, but my brain's not going to change because I ate differently." - Brittany Modell
"This is general information. This is not one size fits all." - Brittany Modell
"Routine is really important, and it's hard because people with ADHD tend to struggle with routine, but they can thrive when they have it." - Brittany Modell
Resources
Grab the Replay of the Resistance in Treatment Webinar
Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit!
Related Episodes
Episode 143. Normal Moms and Disordered Eating
Episode 131. Real Nutrition Information Minus the Shame with Claire Chewning RDN
Episode 120. Disordered Eating VS Eating Disorder, Which Is It?
Episode 119. Eating Disorders Don’t Have a Look
Episode 113. Highly Sensitive People and Eating Disorders
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Hey there! I’m Rachelle, the host of the Understanding Disordered Eating Podcast. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I work with clients to make sense of life’s messy emotional experiences.
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