Neurodivergence and Cooking: 7 Days of ‘Buddha Bowls’

Buddha Bowls are a great way to get healthy nutrition into your day when, as a neurodivergent, you struggle with meal planning, online shopping and cooking. These steps are individually difficult, but when combined, can be overwhelmingly challenging processes for many neurodivergent people. Some might grossly underestimate the amount of time it takes to cook or struggle to get started on a task, meaning that they are late to get started on the process and then late to get to eat, which impacts the quality of sleep. You might find recipes too difficult to follow, find cooking stressful, have varying tastes or textures depending on what week of the year it is, and have safe foods that then you quickly cannot stand.

I have always struggled with cooking. In my teens and early twenties, I found it particularly difficult to know what I fancied eating. At university, I was teased by my peers about how stressed I got deciding what to have for dinner. They were able to decide what they wanted to eat and pick out a recipe, buy all the ingredients and then make the meal in a reasonable timeframe and with limited effort. Whereas I didn’t even know where to start – I simply didn’t know what I fancied eating! This was the start of a life-long struggle of knowing what I wanted to eat, when I wanted to eat it, and making sure I had a healthy, balanced diet.

So, last month, I challenge myself to do a week of making a Buddha bowl every single day! The Buddha Bowl, also known as a Hippie Bowl or Macro Bowl, is a dish that has gained popularity in recent years for its healthy and visually appealing presentation. While there isn't a specific historical account of the Buddha Bowl, there are several theories including the plant-based, balanced and mindful approach to eating associated with Buddhism. The Buddha Bowl reflects these principles by incorporating a diverse array of nutrient-rich ingredients. It typically consists of a colourful assortment of cooked and raw vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and a flavourful dressing or sauce. The combination of ingredients can be customised according to personal preferences and dietary restrictions.

Another theory is that the Buddha Bowl is based on the anecdote that the Buddha would carry a bowl around with him and people would donate food to him throughout his day. So, at the end of his day, the bowl would be full and he would eat whatever was in the bowl. Similarly, parents give their toddlers a mixed plate/tray of foods for dinner or lunch to get them used to different textures, tastes, sensations and colours with regard to food.

As neurodivergents, we often find certain foods more pleasing than others and some days we can't stand the thing that we loved yesterday! I challenged myself to make seven Buddha Bowls and photograph them to show you how it's easy to throw together a meal with limited preparation, cooking and thinking each day. I used what I had in my fridge and cupboards!

Day One

I used homegrown rocket with homegrown baby broad beans as a base. These were both from my allotment. I added tomato, chopped red pepper, cooked quinoa and grated carrot and I topped it off with fresh parsley, balsamic vinegar and hemp oil, along with salt and pepper. This took less than 5 minutes to prepare because the quinoa was already cooked. Overall, a great start!

Day Two

I used the quinoa from yesterday and roasted some sweet potatoes and asparagus in the oven. I added (homegrown) pickled beetroot, grated carrot, and some sauerkraut and I topped it with fresh parsley and hemp oil salt and pepper.

This bowl took about 25 minutes to make because the roasted sweet potatoes and asparagus took a while to roast. However, I constructed the rest of the bowl whilst it cooked and also cleaned up the kitchen last it was roasting.

 Day Three

I used the final portion of quinoa as a base, along with kale, and I roasted some mushrooms and chickpeas in coconut oil for 10 minutes as a topping. I added sliced avocado, 2 sundried tomatoes and some homegrown, sprouted and microgreens along with fresh coriander and parsley. I rotated the kale for two minutes in a pan.

In total, this took me 15 minutes to prepare. Whilst the chickpeas and mushrooms were roasting in the oven, I prepared the rest.

Day Four

I used the rest of the kale and coconut-roasted chickpeas as a base. I added chopped carrot, sliced tomato, sauerkraut and a whole orange that was peeled and separated into segments. I topped it with pumpkin seeds, homegrown sprouted microgreens and sesame oil.

In total, this took 10 minutes to make.

Day Five

I used brown rice as a base and I added fried mushroom and red pepper, along with black beans that had been heated through. I then added chopped tomato and avocado and topped it with fresh, chopped coriander and salt and pepper.

In total, this took 10 minutes to make.

Day Six

I sprinkled the homegrown butternut squash with homegrown sage and roasted it until soft. I fried the tempeh in sesame oil. I then served them with avocado, tomato, grated carrot, brown rice and topped it with homegrown, sprouted microgreens, lime juice and fresh, chopped coriander.

In total, this dish took 30 minutes because of the butternut squash but if I had pre-prepared that, it would have only taken 15 minutes.

Day Seven

I boiled some buckwheat pasta whilst I fried red onion, garlic, red pepper, tomatoes and butter beans. I added the spinach to wilt it and served it with salt and pepper to taste.

Altogether, you can see that it can take various amounts of time to make a Buddha bowl and contain a huge number of different fruits, vegetables, pulses, beans, grains and shoots. It is up to you what you put on your plate! Your ADHD indecision may make cooking hard. Your dyslexia may make reading recipes and following instructions tricky. But, there are ways around it.

If you try it, I'd love to hear how you got you got on. Please let me know! If you are struggling to manage your neurodiversity, or have a chronic illness that is ruling your life, get in touch for a free discovery call. I help neurodivergent and chronically ill people conquer stress, burnout, overwhelm and disorganisation so that they can regain control of their lives. Harnessing the power of nature, I nurture clients back to thriving!