ADHD, Gut Health and Your Nervous System: A Compassionate Guide with Dr Miguel Toribio-Mateas

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If you've ever felt shame about what you eat, how you forget to eat, or why your safe foods feel so necessary, this episode is going to be a genuine relief.

On this week's episode of The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast, I'm delighted to welcome back Dr Miguel Toribio-Mateas, clinical neuroscientist, applied microbiologist, nutrition researcher, Honorary Research Fellow at Cardiff University and Senior Lecturer at the University of West London.

Miguel has just published his brilliant new book, ADHD Body and Mind: A Compassionate Guide to Rewilding Your Nervous System with Neuroscience, Nutrition, and Gut-Brain Health, published by Jessica Kingsley/Hachette. His research has appeared in leading journals including the BMJ and BMC Psychiatry, and his work is known for translating complex science into something genuinely human and accessible.

This is one of those conversations that covers a huge amount of ground while never once feeling overwhelming. We talk about why the ADHD brain is wired for resilience and what that actually costs us, why the gut-brain connection matters so much for neurodivergent people, how to approach nutrition with compassion rather than perfectionism, and why your safe foods are not something to be ashamed of. We also get into the language of science, why terms like comorbidity matter, and how researchers like Miguel are slowly shifting the field towards a more neuroaffirmative approach.

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In this episode, we cover:

Why compassion and kindness are at the heart of Miguel's approach to ADHD, nutrition and the nervous system

How the ADHD nervous system forms in high alert, and what that means for resilience and hypervigilance

Why ADHD is far more than a dopamine deficiency, and how hormones, gut bacteria and the nervous system are all part of the picture

The gut-brain axis and why looking after your gut has a direct impact on your ADHD brain

Why the language of science still creates problems, including terms like comorbidity and healthy cohort, and how researchers are starting to push back

How to read ADHD Body and Mind in whichever way works for your brain, whether that's cover to cover or jumping straight to chapter nine

Why understanding the why behind your ADHD behaviours is the keystone to change, even when it doesn't fix things overnight

Miguel's approach to nutrition: keep your safe foods, add rather than subtract, and never shame what nourishes you

Why safe foods are doing an important job for your nervous system, and why being pushed out of your comfort zone too quickly never lasts

The circle approach to expanding your diet gently, starting from your anchors and building outward

Why a hot bath is an act of self-compassion backed by neuroscience, and why you don't need to get into cold water to support your nervous system

The self-kindness toolkit at the end of the book and what it covers

Chapters:

00:00 - Welcome and introducing Dr Miguel Toribio-Mateas back to the podcast

02:00 - What's at the heart of ADHD Body and Mind, and why compassion comes first

05:00 - Why the ADHD nervous system is wired for hypervigilance and resilience

08:00 - ADHD as more than dopamine: hormones, gut bacteria and the full picture

11:00 - The neuroaffirmative lens in academic research and why language matters