Aug 11
Our ADHD brains are driven by interest, not importance, meaning that boring tasks can feel almost physically painful to us. On the flipside, when we find something that sparks our interest, we have the power to become unstoppable forces. Pastry chef and food blogger, Rebecca Eisenberg, felt this spark with cooking and baking, and, to even her own surprise, turned it into a full-time career through her blog The Practical Kitchen.
Not only does Rebecca’s ADHD give her insight into how to structure her recipes in a way that will keep neurodivergent brains focused and engaged, but she also considers it to be the driving force behind making her business sustainable: “The amount of work that goes into a food blog, I don’t know that I could’ve sustained it without my ADHD really driving me to learn more and to do more and to just be excited about it even when it’s really hard.”
Join us this episode as Rebecca Eisenberg shares her best tips for managing ADHD in the kitchen, her personal approach to simple meal planning, and how she works around her ADHD by working with it.
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"I think I had a very flat idea of what ADHD was. I thought of it as the hyperactivity and the sort of scatterbrainedness, like leaving my wallet places or not being able to find stuff. I didnt think of it as how quickly my brain worked or why I was drawn to certain environments or the hyperfocus nature of it."
- Rebecca Eisenberg
"I try to be aware of the fact that the things that work for me because I love cooking and baking may not work for someone who’s just so over it. Because if you’re not interested in it, your ADHD will fight you every step of the way."
- Rebecca Eisenberg
"Figure out what your important thing is."
- Rebecca Eisenberg
- Rebecca discusses her experiences with ADHD as a child, including struggling with paying attention and completing homework.
- Rebecca shares her experience with ADHD, including her tendency to get lost in books and struggle with tasks that feel overwhelming.
- Rebecca struggled with time management and asking for help in college due to her ADHD, despite having a more organized high school experience.
[25:49 - 42:03] Food Industry
- Rebecca's creative work in food and video production is beautiful and successful due to her eye for aesthetics, which she developed through her film and video major and personal interests.
- Rebecca shares her journey from working in digital content to starting a food blog, despite initial hesitation and a lack of experience.
- Rebecca uses Alexa devices to help manage her ADHD in the kitchen, setting timers and reminders for various tasks.
- Rebecca shares her meal planning system, which involves a whiteboard and grocery list, and emphasizes the importance of finding a system that works for your brain.
- Rebecca suggests using a food processor to chop ingredients for cooking, as it can save time and effort.
- Rebecca organizes her kitchen by keeping only what she needs and using a Roomba to help with cleaning.
IInstagram: @the.practical.kitchen; @ryeisenberg
Twitter: @practicalkitch
Blog: The Practical Kitchen | Creative Recipes & Baking Blog
