Chocolate and the ADHD Brain: Why It’s So Enticing (But Not a Cure)
It’s UK Chocolate Week - a celebration of all the joy, craft, and creativity that chocolate brings. For me, chocolate has always been more than a treat. As someone with ADHD, it’s been a source of focus, clarity, and a little dopamine boost, helping me navigate busy mornings and the whirlwind of thoughts in my head.
Over the years, that fascination turned into a calling: making chocolate from bean to bar became my way of channeling energy, curiosity, and creativity into something meaningful.
The Science of the Craving
Chocolate is extraordinary. It’s full of compounds that make our brains light up in small but satisfying ways:
Caffeine and theobromine - gentle stimulants that can help with alertness and focus.
Sugar and fat - instant energy and that comforting hit of dopamine.
Phenylethylamine - often called the “love chemical,” though its effects in chocolate are mild.
Flavanols - antioxidants that may support blood flow and brain function.
Anandamide - a natural compound that interacts with our brain’s pleasure system.
My own research shows that dark chocolate actually contains comparable amounts of caffeine to tea, depending on the percentage of cacao. I’ve always been sensitive to caffeine in tea - it doesn’t take much to get my brain functioning better, and each morning I rely on at least two cups of tea to get my thoughts and focus steady-ish! It’s no wonder chocolate has always been nearby, and dark chocolate specifically was something I would seek out from a young age.
Folks with ADHD have brains that often run on lower baseline dopamine, so those little boosts can feel extra rewarding. Our brains are literally wired to seek out what feels interesting, stimulating, and satisfying.
The Reality Check
It’s important to say this clearly: Chocolate is not a treatment for ADHD.
In my experience, chocolate brings focus and clarity, and yes, a welcome hit of dopamine. But it doesn’t do much for the other sides of ADHD: emotional regulation, self-doubt, and the ever-present imposter syndrome. What it can do is provide small, grounding moments, little bursts of energy and joy that make the day flow more easily.
Finding Flow
Making chocolate has been a way to channel ADHD energy into something tangible and meaningful. Before chocolate, it was knitting, before that baking - always something to keep my hands and mind occupied. There’s something so grounding about the repetition of chocolate making - roasting, cracking, grinding - yet endlessly fascinating in the nuances of flavour and texture.
It’s a perfect balance of sensory pleasure and precise focus, which might be why so many neurodivergent makers find flow in crafting.
Chocolate Week reflection
This Chocolate Week, I’m taking a moment to appreciate what chocolate has meant in my own life. For me, it’s never just a treat - it’s moments of focus and creativity. Making chocolate from bean to bar has been a way to channel my energy into something meaningful.
So as you enjoy chocolate this week, I hope you take a moment to notice the little joys it brings - the flavours, the textures, and perhaps even a touch of focus for your busy brain!
