Best ADHD Snack Ideas

Switching to the Eat to Focus lifestyle can be challenging for kids. To help ease the transition, we start with snacks, the most favorite activity of all kids.

Every kid loves snacks. It’s the most exciting event of the day, I always encourage parents to turn snack time into a fun activity while introducing new foods.

The idea is really simple.

When my daughter was 4 years old, we decided to travel back home to Macau to visit my family. On the way back to Honolulu, HI we’re waiting at the Hong Kong International Airport terminal. We’re exhausted from traveling. My husband and I just like any parents would just sat and chilled within sight distance of our daughter. Being her usual active self, she was running around climbing on seats and looking for trouble. As long as she didn’t walk over anyone, I’m watching.

The next moment was the scariest moment of any mom. She found the trash can. Not just any trash can. It’s the ones with the ashtray on top. I saw her reached up to her little hand up and grabbed something from the ashtray and put in her mouth.

I jumped up from my seat and dash to her as fast as I could possibly can. There’s no way I could have reach her quick enough to stop her. By the time I get to her, she has already swallowed that piece of garbage.

I have no idea what she ate.

What I know was the bacteria she ingested. For sure, she got sick days after coming home. I told the doctor what happened, and he did a stool test. It’s campylobacter.

In case, you didn’t get my point.

Your child will eat anything on their own terms when it’s fun and no pressure, even if it’s garbage. And I know my cooking tastes better than garbage from an ashtray.

But she rather eats garbage than my food, that hurts.

I can hear some of you saying, “My kid would never eat any of these foods.” 

Your kids “would not eat these foods” because they were never exposed to them. Even if you’ve tried before, how many times did you try before giving up?

It takes an average of 10-20 times before your picky eater may start to accept and enjoy a new food. 

Just have fun with your kids and focus on the quality time you’re spending with your kids. It’s okay if he or she refuses initially. That’s totally normal. Don’t force or coercing, just let them be part of the process.

Who cares if you waste a couple of bites of carrots or grapes or whatever?

Check out these 24 quick and simple ADHD-friendly snack ideas below.

PRO TIP: Have your kids help. Kids love to help. It gives them a sense of accomplishment and builds self-confidence. Let your kids use the carrot sticks or celery sticks as spoons to scoop out almond butter or sunflower seed butter, and lick the nut/seed butter off if they don’t want to eat the veggies. 

Snacks do not always have to be an afterthought. It could be as enjoyable as a meal.

I know how easy it is to grab a couple of packages of animal crackers, goldfish crackers, pretzels, and fruit snacks in case your kids got hungry.

Did you know some food cause inflammation and unnecessary immune responses that trigger ADHD symptoms, such as hyperactivity, lack of focus (or brain fog in adults), anger, mood swings, agitation, etc?

Don’t believe?

If your ADHD child also has asthma, eczema (atopic dermatitis), frequent ear infection, poops less than once a day, picky eater (not from medications) and sensitivity to cow’s milk, there’s are very big fat chance that your child’s ADHD symptoms is caused by food reactions.

The whole idea of Eat to Focus is to switch from eating fake food that not only have NO nutritional value to eat whole real food.

Now it’s time for you to make the change.

So you’re ready to get your child to eat some healthy and fun snacks?

Here are 24 Brain-Calming ADHD Snack Ideas Your Kids Love

Fruits and Nuts

  • Apple slices and nut butter (not peanut)
  • Blueberries and almonds
  • Banana slices and nut butter (not peanut)
  • Strawberries and macadamia nuts
  • Sliced banana with nut butter and unsweetened coconut flakes
  • Homemade trail mix (combine your favorite nuts, seeds, and dried fruit)

Veggies & Dips

  • Celery and nut butter (not peanut)
  • Carrots and nut butter (not peanut)
  • Bell pepper and guacamole dip
  • Carrots and guacamole dip
  • Cucumber and guacamole dip

Lunch Snacks

  • Unprocessed turkey slices with sliced jicama
  • Lettuce wraps with avocado and unprocessed turkey
  • Deviled eggs (use avocado in place of mayonnaise)
  • Cantaloupe slices wrapped in Prosciutto
  • Chicken salad (cubed chicken with mashed avocado) in a lettuce wrap
  • Sliced grapes and cubed chicken with mashed avocado

 

Dessert Snacks

  • Coconut milk yogurt with frozen berries sweetened with stevia or monk fruit
  • Peaches with coconut cream (whip coconut milk in the same way you’d whip heavy cream to make non-dairy coconut milk cream)
  • Power balls (nut butter, dried fruit, and coconut flakes, mixed together and formed into balls)
  • Fat bombs (coconut oil, cacao powder, almond butter, stevia, or monk fruit; mix well, pour in an ice cube tray, and freeze)
  • Strawberries and dark chocolate
  • Smoothie (frozen fruit, coconut milk, greens)
  • Chia seed pudding (chia seed in nut milk sweetened with stevia or monk fruit)

Now look at this list, and see how many of these ADHD approved snacks you can make.

I can hear some of you say, “my child would not eat that.”

Yes. Just by you saying that statement, you already made the decision for your child.

I’ve seen many picky eaters in my practice. I’ve seen it all, if you really think your child’s picky eater is so bad, he or she would have seen a specialist like myself.

Many times, parents created picky eating. If you offer your child broccoli once, and he or she refuses, and you concluded, “he does not like broccoli” and never offer broccoli again.

Do you rather be spending time with your child making these fun and yummy snacks together? Or do you rather take time off from work for the hundredth time to pick up your child from school for therapy or worse because your child’s school call to tell you that your child bit another kid and they’re calling the police on your 6-year-old?

The choice is yours.

Ok, there you have it…

I hope you find this information helpful. Let me know what you think and comment below.

Remember ADHD does not doom your child to a life of under-achievement. You know your child is bright, full of potential, and deserves the best. In fact, many of the world’s greatest discoveries and inventions were made by people with ADHD.

I helped my crazy wild child who could not read or write when she was little with the four pillars I laid out in the Eat to Focus book. She’s now a merit scholarship student studying premed at Loyola Chicago University.
So stay strong and keep believing in your child.
Check out the Eat to Focus book to learn about my story and the 4 steps that I used to transform my daughter and help her reach her full potential. This information may change your child’s future.
Download your free gift “15 Quick and Simple School Day Breakfast Ideas for Kids with ADHD” before you leave.

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Anna

Clean Eating Officer (CEO) at Malama Wellness + Hypnotherapy
I'm Anna, a passionate dietitian and hypnotherapist dedicated to helping parents of kids with ADHD unlock the transformative potential of healthy eating and holistic approaches. With years of experience in pediatric nutrition and a focus on mind-body connection, I provide personalized guidance and practical tools to support positive behavioral changes and nurture your child's well-being.
I'm Anna, a passionate dietitian and hypnotherapist dedicated to helping parents of kids with ADHD unlock the transformative potential of healthy eating and holistic approaches. With years of experience in pediatric nutrition and a focus on mind-body connection, I provide personalized guidance and practical tools to support positive behavioral changes and nurture your child's well-being.

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