by An unexpected spotlight has fallen on the 5% of school-aged children in the UK who have ADHD (orattention deficit hyperactivity disorder) after Joe Wicks appeared last week to have it caused by a poor diet. Here, Jess Joy – co-founder of the Instagram platform @IAmPayingAttention, empowered by her own diagnosis as an adult in 2021 – offers the important message lost in the pressured debate…
Whether you have your ear to the ground on ADHD issues or not, you’ve probably heard of Joe Wicks sharing his views on the condition which affects 2.6 million people of all ages in the UK. The 38-year-old PT used his popular pandemic-era physical education classes for kids to launch an equally successful healthy lifestyle brand, from workouts to cookbooks, but as a recently diagnosed – being aware of the misunderstanding that prevails in this space. – I’m afraid this is one area where he would need a bit of schooling of his own.
To bring you up to date, Wicks – also known as The Body Coach – told the BBC Radio 5 Live Headliners podcast that if he were a child in 2024, he believes he would be diagnosed with ADHD, and that his bad behavior was linked to school with him. to diet at home. ‘There is no doubt that the food I was eating was directly related to my behaviour,’ he said.
‘I’ve never been diagnosed with NHEA but I think today it’s this common thing that every child seems to be diagnosed with, and I think a lot of it can be put down to diet and foods that we are eating. So when I think about my diet it was cereal for breakfast, concentrated juice from the milkman, Sunny Delight, Wagon Wheels, sandwiches but jam, Nutella, very little nutrients – pure sugar.’
After backlash from ADHDers, space experts and major charities, Wicks hopped on Instagram to claim his words had been misunderstood. ‘The headline that came out of that was basically “Joe Wicks says poor diet causes ADHD”,’ he told the camera. ‘Now, I know that’s not factual, that’s not true – and I believe that. I would never say that.
‘It is a neurodivergent disorder, which affects the brain. Many factors involved. I believe that food has a huge impact. Whether you have ADHD or not, I think it really affects our mood and our ability to sit still and focus, and even our energy and our mental health, it has a huge impact.’
ADHD and children – food for thought
After listening to Wicks’ interview – along with his follow-up video – I truly do not believe his intentions were malicious. However, I think his lack of education – and understanding of the actual reality of many ADHDers – is obvious.
Over the years, studies have looked at whether there is a link between the condition and diet. For example, one 14-year study was published in Journal of Height Disorders suggested that the Western diet – with higher levels of fat, calories and sugar – may be associated with higher rates in children. buteven the researchers pointed out that this only showed a possible correlation, no that he was to blame.
As ADHD UK said in response to Wicks’ comments: ‘There is no single cause of ADHD. It is thought to be the result of an often complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors – with genetic factors accounting for 70% to 80% of the likelihood.’
Lost in all this, too, is that parents of children with ADHD may be limited in what they can feed them – it’s not as simple as serving a plate of vegetables. Even the aforementioned study authors noted that the link could be explained by how kids might want certain foods—in this case, less than nutritious items—because they provided comfort.
In fact, for those whose brains are wired like mine, healthy eating is often not as simple as it may seem to others. In addition to being diagnosed with ADHD, I am also autistic (research has found that up to 70% of autistic people also have ADHD) and my lifelong journey with food has been complicated to say the least.
Many autistic people rely heavily on ‘safe’ foods which happen to be ultra-processed, often due to their predictable nature. They also often do not vary in taste or texture, compared to other foods such as vegetables or meat which can vary greatly from batch to batch. To demonize processed or ‘unhealthy’ foods wholesale is to ignore that some members of society can become atheists – fueling themselves on something rather than nothing.
It can be improved through healthy eating – but it’s not that simple
Of course, a nutritious diet can provide mental and physical benefits. One of the reasons Wicks comments about ADHD and diet really caught my attention is that I try to avoid ultra-processed food whenever possible because of evidence that it may help the autoimmune condition lupus – which I was diagnosed with in 2014.
I also agree that some foods make us feel better than others – although ‘healthy’ foods may be a little different for me. I think they include ones that keep my energy up – unlike the days where I forget about anything but eating coffee until 3pm – that won’t leave me in physical pain, and that I can realistically manage as it works my brain. They are also ‘healthy’ foods for me which make me happy – not only because they can be tasty, but also because they contain key nutrients which are good for me and which I can bring myself to consume.
But this was difficult to implement. Cooking from scratch is a huge challenge for me – whether that’s struggling to find the energy, keeping my attention, going through the sheer number of steps involved or suffering from sensory issues. Plus, I didn’t always have the money for more expensive groceries, even if I knew they were better for me.
In recent years, especially since I’ve come to understand my neuro-divine brain, I’ve been able to find approaches to eating that help me nourish my body and meet my physical needs. Changing my relationship with food positively and sustainably. I tend to think in black and white about things – which is common in neurotic people – and I had to work hard to find a healthy balance.
But getting to this point required knowledge and ability that I didn’t always have. Realistically, not everyone has the energy or disposable finances to eliminate ultra-processed foods, and it’s not always possible for them. People like me – like me – don’t need to feel any more shame when they struggle to eat healthily than they already do.
I have the budget to provide some unprocessed alternatives these days and the energy to make them. However, if either of those things change I won’t be shaming myself for swapping out porridge, paired with fruit and nut butter, for a store bought protein bar.
The discussion Wicks created inadvertently got me thinking about ADHD too – and in particular the lack of empathy that sometimes occurs in conversations that focus on disability.
Regardless of all the changes I’ve made to my diet, I still have ADHD. I continue to struggle with concentration, memory and organization, and accidentally interrupting people during conversations. Sure, it’s given me some extra energy and slightly improved mental health, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still hard for me to manage.
Intentionally or not, I’m afraid Wicks’ comments feed into a narrative that the public is not neurotic. Enough, in a society that largely refuses to acknowledge our struggle. Like the rest of the disabled community, those with brains like ours deserve support – and their carers.
Empowering people to create positive changes in their diet requires self-compassion, and no one is going to fall in love with change. We need to spend more time understanding the neurodiverse experience here and now in 2024 rather than ‘where it comes from’.
