Deciding what to eat when you are tired

Some people take the choice out ahead of time. They keep a short list of meals that need no deciding, they pick between two things instead of many, or they ask someone else to choose. These ideas come from guidance pages and from people's own accounts ^[1][2][3]. Below are the ideas, a small table of options, what studies say about decisions, and a few sentences you can say.

What can help when choosing what to eat feels impossible?

Some people make the decision once, at a calmer moment, and then reuse it. You can pick the ones that suit you and leave the rest.

• A default list: a few meals that need no deciding ^[1][3].
• Two or three weekly menus that take turns ^[1].
• Two options instead of many ^[2].
• Someone else choosing ^[1][2].
• A coin or dice for choices that will not matter much ^[1].
• Food that is already made or quick to heat ^[3][4].
• Cooking extra on a weekend and reheating it later in the week ^[3][4][5].

If tiredness is the bigger picture, different kinds of tired and a day with very little energy cover more.

Why can a simple food choice feel so large when tired?

Studies have looked at decisions in general, so what follows is a wider picture.

For autistic adults, findings are mixed: some decision tasks look alike across groups and some differ, and the authors of one study name more careful deciding as a strength ^[6][7]. In a questionnaire study of 38 autistic adults and 40 adults without autism, the autistic adults reported more problems with decisions and said they sometimes avoid them ^[8].

For adults with ADHD, a 2026 study from Israel (abstract) found that adults with ADHD rated their confidence in preparing food lower than adults without ADHD, and that executive function scores were statistically linked to that gap ^[9]. Executive function means the skills used to plan, start and switch.

Lab tasks are not everyday choices like meals. The idea that decisions use up a limited reserve, called ego depletion, was tested in two large multi-lab studies that found little or no effect ^[10][11]. Researchers still discuss what that means for the term "decision fatigue". Pages written for adults with ADHD describe decision fatigue as something many people feel ^[1][2].

What is a default list and how is it made?

A default list is a short set of meals you already know how to make. When the choice feels large, the list is where you look first.

Some people write it at a time when they have more energy, not in the moment ^[3]. It can sit on the fridge or in a phone note. ADDitude also suggests a grocery list tied to the same meals ^[1]. A published idea is a "Top 10 dinner list", though that page does not show the details ^[12].

How can options be cut to two?

One guest on an Understood podcast, a surgeon who studies decision science, suggests trimming options and choosing between two ^[2]. That is an expert's opinion about decisions in general, not about food.

For a meal, it can look like "toast or soup" and nothing else. Some people write the two on a note ahead of time. Some people ask a person at home to name the two.

What can you say so someone else decides?

Guidance for adults with ADHD mentions asking family to take a decision, and not managing how they carry it out ^[1]. Another suggests asking someone who is not emotionally invested in the result, in an example about mentoring, not meals ^[2]. The sentences below are Mindum's own. You can change the words until they sound like you.

When you are at home and cannot choose:

"Choosing is too much right now. Could you choose dinner tonight?"

When you would still like a say:

"Could you give me two options? I will pick one."

When you want to leave the choice entirely with the other person:

"Anything you choose is fine with me."

When you would cook if the choice were made:

"If you decide, I will cook it."

What if hunger signals are late?

Some people notice hunger late, so the meal is already urgent when the choice arrives. Not noticing hunger, thirst or the bathroom until late covers that. Alarms and reminders for mealtimes are among the ideas there ^[3][4]. When starting to cook is the hard part, autistic inertia looks at that.

What can stay ready in the kitchen?

Guidance from a dietitians' association suggests keeping snacks within reach and in individual packs, and having pre-chopped or frozen vegetables, microwave rice and stir-fry kits ^[3]. Healthline also mentions shelf-stable snacks ^[4].

A 2025 review says autistic adults appear to select food based on sensory perceptions, and that studies of adults are few ^[13].

Guidance for supporters from the National Autistic Society and NHS Autism Central says many autistic people prefer foods that look and taste the same each time ^[14][15]. The National Autistic Society page also describes a visual menu with the next meal time shown, and set snack times ^[14]. The page describes preferring the same foods as common among autistic people.

About this article

• The ideas come from guidance pages (ADDitude, Understood, the British Dietetic Association, Healthline, the National Autistic Society and NHS Autism Central) and from studies on decisions and on eating. The table, its examples and the sentences you can say are Mindum's own wording.
• The autism studies and the ADHD studies are separate. Several are read as abstracts, as marked in Sources.
• If meals keep getting skipped or eating has become hard, a clinician who knows autism or ADHD can look at that with you.
• The guidance pages for supporters are written for family and carers, and the National Autistic Society page is from 2020.

Sources

1. ADDitude (Dennis M). ADHD Decision Fatigue: 6 Ways to Simplify Daily Choices. Updated 8 May 2025. additudemag.com/adhd-decision-fatigue-tips. Accessed 16 October 2026.
2. Understood. Decisions, decisions: ADHD and the trap of analysis paralysis (podcast page, host Cate Osborn, guest Dr. Mark Shrime). 24 February 2026. understood.org. Accessed 16 October 2026.
3. Guerin R. Adult ADHD, not "just a trend". British Dietetic Association, 18 March 2025. bda.uk.com/resource/adult-adhd-not-just-a-trend.html. Accessed 16 October 2026.
4. Choi S. How to not forget to eat with ADHD. Healthline. Medically reviewed by Bethany Juby, PsyD; page dated 24 April 2025. healthline.com/health/adhd/how-to-not-forget-to-eat-with-adhd
5. Understood. ADHD and avoidance (podcast page). 28 July 2026. understood.org. Accessed 16 October 2026.
6. Vella L, Ring HA, Aitken MRF, Watson PC, Presland A, Clare ICH. Understanding self-reported difficulties in decision-making by people with autism spectrum disorders. Autism. 2018;22(5):549-559. Abstract only. doi:10.1177/1362361316687988
7. van der Plas E, Mason D, Happé F. Decision-making in autism: a narrative review. Autism. 2023;27(6):1532-1546. Abstract only. doi:10.1177/13623613221148010
8. Luke L, Clare ICH, Ring H, Redley M, Watson P. Decision-making difficulties experienced by adults with autism spectrum conditions. Autism. 2012;16(6):612-621. Abstract only. doi:10.1177/1362361311415876
9. Stern A, Sharfi K. Food-Preparation Skills of Adults With ADHD and the Mediating Effect of Executive Functions. OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research. Online 4 July 2026. Abstract only. doi:10.1177/15394492261459937
10. Vohs KD, Schmeichel BJ, Lohmann S, et al. A Multisite Preregistered Paradigmatic Test of the Ego-Depletion Effect. Psychological Science. 2021;32(10):1566-1581. Abstract only. doi:10.1177/0956797621989733
11. Hagger MS, Chatzisarantis NLD, Alberts H, et al. A Multilab Preregistered Replication of the Ego-Depletion Effect. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 2016;11(4):546-573. Abstract only. doi:10.1177/1745691616652873
12. Quinn P. Meal-planning guide for ADHD families. ADDitude, updated 13 January 2025. Download page only; the strategies themselves are behind a sign-up. additudemag.com/download/meal-planning-system-adhd-families. Accessed 16 October 2026.
13. Remón S, Ferrer-Mairal A, Sanclemente T. Food and Nutrition in Autistic Adults: Knowledge Gaps and Future Perspectives. Nutrients. 2025;17(9):1456. Abstract only. doi:10.3390/nu17091456
14. National Autistic Society. Eating: a guide for all audiences (written for supporters; last reviewed 14 August 2020). autism.org.uk. Accessed 16 October 2026.
15. NHS Autism Central. Eating (aimed mainly at parents and carers; no date shown). autismcentral.nhs.uk/guidance/eating. Accessed 16 October 2026.

By Mindum. An app to track and regulate emotions, energy, and focus.