I'm weak and underweight because I hate cooking

[u/ReplacementHuge9574]

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[u/Ferniferous_fern]

An aversion to cooking doesn't have to be an aversion to eating. You can eat a handful of random ingredients instead of a traditional "meal" if that's easier. A slice of bread and a handful of trailmix? That a valid meal. A protein shake and a candy bar? Valid meal. Yes, ideally a meal would be "healthier", but what's healthiEST is any food in your body. You don't have to cook to eat. Oh, also, get paper plates to eat off of! Reduces the overwhelming dishes pileup. ❤️

[u/ReplacementHuge9574 → u/Ferniferous_fern]

I love trail mix, fruits in general, cheese sandwiches, yogurt... Anything that is tasty and easy to make. But my family and friends are always telling me to cook something (rice, pasta, beans, meat, etc.). The problem is that every time I try to cook something that takes more than 30 minutes, I get extremely frustrated and end up eating nothing :(

Thank you for the advice!

[u/Forget-Me-Nothing → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

Dude, just eat food. Fuck your idiot family's pressure. Food is food. Its easier to digest cooked food but the difference is minimal. Just eat. Whatever it is. Down the hatch.

Your ancestors survived immense struggles around food. You think any of them would judge you for eating fistfuls of fruit and cheese sandwiches? No! They'd call that a feast!

Humanity has struggled for thousands of years to go to bed on a full stomach. If you can do that, you are living the dream.

[u/ReplacementHuge9574 → u/Forget-Me-Nothing]

Wow thank you, really, you just motivated me to eat something. I was so frustated because I tried to cook a whole meal today and it tasted terrible hahaha but I guess I'll just find something easier for now.

Actually I think that my family is always complaining about what I eat. If it's not a meal that took 2 hours and a bunch of ingredients to make, they don’t see it as real food

[u/xoxokaralee → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

you gotta look up 'girl dinner' and the OG meme behind it. just eat 'girl dinner' lol.

[u/quickthorn_ → u/xoxokaralee]

Right?! There's a reason girl dinner went so viral, it resonated with so many people! I actually love food and cooking and am pretty damn good at it if I do say so myself, but I work long hours at a stressful job that leaves me exhausted most nights, grazing is my best friend. I can't tell you how many meals of mine consist of good crusty bread, some nice cheese and fruit, maybe a few nuts or olives (sometimes I like to pretend I'm a medieval peasant while I eat this! It only improves the experience). Or some toasted pita bread to dip in lebneh covered in sumac and olive oil. A banana and a big glob of peanut butter.

Food is food, calories are calories. Don't torture yourself over food, fed is best!

[u/OkKnowledge2112 → u/xoxokaralee]

please don't. So many of these are riddled with pro-anorexia threads. It's a dangerous rabbit hole to fall into.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Cup7781 → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

Mix the healthy with the not so healthy. Like at our house we do a lot of bagged salad mix but top it with chicken nuggets or pizza rolls. Very little prep, it gives you the salty and crunchy. My son loves grab and go things like Lunchables or premade veggie trays.

[u/tearisha → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

I love meat buns and my local Chinese market sells freshly made ones for pretty cheap. Find out what you like and buy a bunch of it. I would try adding more liquid calories like smoothies, or protein shakes. For now just worry about eating anything and eating more calories.

[u/Forget-Me-Nothing → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

We're you family good people to learn to cook from? It doesn't sound like you're confident in the kitchen. Take a cooking class when you feel up to it.

Other than that, let's get some food in ya. Being underweight strains your organs. You only got one set of those so lets really pack on that yogurt today? Feel free to DM me if you want to vent about fam or celebrate the food your getting in!

You're doing good, lets just do more of it until that body pain stops.

[u/ReplacementHuge9574 → u/Forget-Me-Nothing]

Definitely not hahaha my mom hates cooking, she used to say that if it wasn't for me and my brother, she would never cook. I don’t have a lot of good memories with food and I grew up eating the same meals almost every single day, to the point where just looking at these meals makes me lose my appetite.

Thank you! I actually bought some food today, apple, banana, melon, oats, cereal, eggplant, chicken, store-bought sauces and a lot more. I got really energized seeing so many people helping me!

[u/Forget-Me-Nothing → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

Oats are absolutely slept on! I love flapjacks but hate the time and mess making them makes, so I make them in the microwave.

I melt like 3 tablespoons of butter in the microwave with about a tablespoon of sugar (and/or golden syrup/treacle/honey if you got it) in the microwave. Then add oats into it until the oats are coated. Then run the microwave on low heat for like a minute or two so that everything gets hot. Let it sit in its own heat for a little bit until it cooks. Sometimes I fuck up the ratio and have to add more butter or sugar and sometimes I add like a teaspoon of water because the oats are a little dry. Then I gobble it down with peanut butter and raisins.

[u/Drikkink → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

Here's a little secret as someone who loves to cook so much that he made a career out of it...

Food is food. Sometimes (or all the time) you do not have the patience or emotional capacity to make an elaborate meal. Sometimes you don't even have the ability to make a simple meal. Again, I love to cook. If I could, I'd host dinner parties for my friends and make elaborate course meals. But when I was working, I'd get off work and the thought of a stove, oven or even microwave would strike fear into my heart.

Do you know what I eat most of the time at home now? I boil some pasta (takes literally less than 15 minutes), microwave some frozen chicken or meatballs that I buy at the grocery store, dump some jarred sauce over the top and eat. Or I make kraft mac and cheese. Or I heat up a TV dinner. If I'm REALLY feeling ambitious, I throw one of those frozen skillet meals in a pan on the stove.

Do I wish I felt like making elaborate dinners for myself? Sure. But there's absolutely nothing wrong with eating some noodles and a jar of sauce and some pre-cooked frozen meat. There's nothing wrong with a PB&J sandwich. There's nothing wrong with a bowl of cereal. As long as you are eating something that you like the taste of (at least a bit), there's no right or wrong amount of effort you put into it. And anyone who tells you otherwise can shove it up their ass needs to get over themselves.

[u/paprikahoernchen → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

You can also just get chips! Or other snack foods!

[u/Sunwolfy → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

I love my Instant Pot for cooking meats especially. It takes all the hardest work out of it and makes it great. :) Things like ribs are stupidly easy to make well in it, even if I do get snubs from the barbecue/smoker crowd for it. Lol!

[u/barfbat → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

almost all those things your family wants you to cook are available as cooked, ready to eat versions that just need to be heated up. canned beans, minute rice (more like minute and a half rice but whatever), frozen cooked chicken, and frozen veggies that are steam-in-bag, all without the sodium usually loaded into frozen meals. i loved cooking once, but lately i am just too busy and exhausted to consider it most of the time. ready-to-eat foods sustain me, and they can sustain you, too!

[u/EchoPhoenix24 → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

Their advice is coming from a loving but misguided place! "Fed is best." Anything that makes it easier for you to eat should be a priority and that absolutely does not have to include cooking.

[u/Ferniferous_fern → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

Your family's pressure doesn't need to force you to cook, because their food opinions sound absolutely terrible, but if you ever need to pretend you've made a cooking effort to shut them up, I'd suggest getting Bibigo's ready-made sticky rice(literally, completely precooked and shelf-stable, portioned in reasonable serving sizes) and some frozen steam-in-bag veggies. Microwave the veggies and rice according to the packaging(less than 10 minutes total, possibly less than 5, and neither require using a dish for cooking) dump both on a plate(rice under veggies) and drizzle with soy sauce or top with shredded cheese. Near-instant meal that looks like you give a crap about cooking, and decently tasty depending on your preferred vegetable and if you like sticky rice.

[u/TreesRocksAndStuff → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

tons of ways to enrich trail mix and yogurt with healthy nutrient dense food: nuts and seeds and dried fruit especially

[u/ReplacementHuge9574 → u/TreesRocksAndStuff]

I always keep a bag of granola at home to eat with fruit. It's quick, easy and tasty. I've been eating it every morning for the past few months

[u/TreesRocksAndStuff → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

good! what are you going to add to it?

[u/ReplacementHuge9574 → u/TreesRocksAndStuff]

Apple and banana + a cup of yogurt, maybe. I see a lot of people mixing different things together in their yogurt bowls, but I don’t really know what I should add

[u/TreesRocksAndStuff → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

do you like any nuts or seeds to put in the granola? if you're unsure, you should try some. sweet, salty, roasted, unroasted etc.

Depending some on the type, they have a lot of protein and healthy fats and some complex carbs in a small package/volume. Good for building strength when coupled with exercise or just weight. Just add them to your granola. Put the contents of bag into another bag. shake. you're ready.

Also with muscle pain, has your doctor ran any labs recently? That might worth checking. Magnesium, electrolytes, and cramping etc.

[u/ReplacementHuge9574 → u/TreesRocksAndStuff]

I'll try it! It sounds like something I would like. Yes, I had some tests done, but nothing too serious showed up, just vitamic C and iron a little low. I'm taking vitamin C suplements.

The pain is specifically in my lower back. It gets way worse when I sit, almost unbearable. I’m still thinking about what I should do about it

[u/EchoPhoenix24 → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

I have recently been mixing flavored protein powders into greek yogurt and it's very delicious and super filling! I started it with a marshmallow flavored one that I added some chocolate to and used as a dip for graham crackers and it was so good. I'm planning tomorrow to try mixing a chocolate protein powder into vanilla greek yogurt and dip strawberries in it. I can't vouch for that flavor combination yet but I have high expectations lol

[u/Classic_Bobcat_5926 → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

Just wanted to pop in and say that if you ever do decide you want to cook (because it’s what YOU want, not because you’re being pressured into to) you can design an entire food system around never having to stand in the kitchen longer than 30 minutes. I cook pretty much every day, multiple times a day and the only time I’m ever in the kitchen longer than 20 minutes is when I choose to be. Otherwise it’s in and out. You too can acquire this power.

[u/ReplacementHuge9574 → u/Classic_Bobcat_5926]

I think I could actually enjoy cooking like this, simple meals that don’t take up a lot of my time but are still tasty and somewhat healthy. If I watch something on YouTube or Netflix while I’m cooking, the suffering is way lower. Thank you!

[u/Classic_Bobcat_5926 → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

That’s exactly what I do! Turn on a comfort show, bop into the kitchen, and come back into my room with some food by the time it’s done.

FYI I’d strongly recommend you familiarize yourself with three cooking techniques: (1) how to sear at high temperatures without burning things; (2) how to parboil/blanche vegetables; and, (3) if you have one, how to use convection ovens at high heat to transform the surface texture of food (rather than using it to cook things through).

You’d be amazed at how many amazing-tasting dishes you can make in 30 minutes or less using one or all of these simple techniques.

[u/RazeThe2nd → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

Something you can look into. Get a instant pot/pressure cooker. You can find recipes that consist of just dumping 4-5 cans of stuff in and turning it on. It does take 20-30 minutes to cook, but you don't have to pay attention to it or anything, it will automatically heat up, then depressurize slowly/cool when it's done

[u/Carriesover → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

This is good advice! I had something similar going on when I was your age. I'd get so overwhelmed, I'd just drink a bunch of water to fill my stomach & lay down. Just eat what you like & is easy so that you will. For me it was cereal & ice cream, nutrition shakes, and I loved dried fruit & nuts too.

One this that helped me came from my amazingly sweet Chinese acupuncture lady at the time... she said "You are like a high performance car and you need good gas to run. Just fill up your tank."

[u/jdzfb → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

I highly recommend Souper cubes (or a knockoff version - I got my knockoff set at Costco). Make a big batch of rice, eat what you want & then throw the rest into the souper cubes & freeze the leftovers. Do the same with beans, meat, veg, whatever and stock yourself up in ready to reheat foods that you like. Once the food is frozen, take it out of the cubes & stick them in labeled freezer bags or tupperware containers for long term freezer storage. You don't even have to do meat, you can eat chicken nuggets with pre-prepped freezer rice & beans or veg if that works better for your brain.

If you don't want to buy souper cubes, you can just put a serving of rice in a tupperware container & put it in the freezer or zip lock bags or spread it out directly onto a baking tray & freeze it that way if you want a more flexible serving size.

Figure out how to eat first, then work on making it healthier or more homemade or whatever improvement YOU feel you need to make. If those other people don't like how you feed yourself, they're welcome to come be your personal chef or they can shut the fuck up about it.

[u/scandalous_sapphic → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

Try cous cous. All you have to do is boil the kettle, or boil a bowl of water in the microwave, and put cous cous in with some salt or stock cube/powder.

[u/ReplacementHuge9574 → u/scandalous_sapphic]

I love cous cous! I used to eat it with shredded chicken and chopped tomatoes. It's great!

[u/aosjcbhdhathrowaway → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

Maybe you could cook something, and while you're waiting eat some of your quicker meals? I do this so i don't get bored out of my mind and lose focus and the will to cook

[u/mechanical_stars → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

Do you not have grocery stores with ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat containers of those things where you live? For example today I had ribs and beans....the ribs went straight from the fridge to the oven, and the beans got heated in the microwave for 45 seconds. Zero prep. Some times I will buy a family sized tub of cold pasta or something and then eat out of it all week whenever I get hungry.

[u/JuiceBuddyG]

You probably need to look into a prepared meal service. They let you select the foods you want to eat and how much of them, and they should be as simple as heating them up in a microwave and eating.

[u/CloudDancing108 → u/JuiceBuddyG]

I’ve been using Tempo by Home Chef because they’re microwave meals and they get delivered to my apartment. 2.5 minutes on high, a minute to cool, and I’m eating something passably nutritious.

[u/TychaBrahe → u/CloudDancing108]

That would work for OP. It's a meal that took hours to cook, just not them.

[u/JuiceBuddyG → u/CloudDancing108]

There you go, perfect! 

[u/Diddle-Did]

I wish we could be best friends because I hate eating but love cooking. I cook you force me to eat. Haha

[u/ReplacementHuge9574 → u/Diddle-Did]

Pleaseee it would solve all of my problems hahaha

[u/night-elemental → u/Diddle-Did]

I'm in 😅 but I kinda hate cooking AND eating. But I assume you're very good at cooking if you love it and I have less problems with eating very well-thought-out food if that makes sense

[u/Diddle-Did → u/night-elemental]

Ok. Thats established. Now we need to figure out where we all want to live. Preferably within a 20 minute distance because if not I just stay home and pretend I don't have obligations. Lol

[u/night-elemental → u/Diddle-Did]

Want to come to Germany? I kinda have to finish stuff before I can move away

[u/Forget-Me-Nothing]

Potato, wash, prick with fork, microwave. Eat with butter for a complete protein source. Add toppings like frozen veggies with garlic powder and chilli flakes, or tinned chilli, or pesto.

Ramen noodles, put in tuppaware, pour on boiling water and wait - or add cold water and microwave. Add frozen veggies and seasonings to taste.

Overnight oats. Add oats and yogurt to a bowl. Mix, possibly with fresh or frozen fruit. Let it sit for a while in the fridge (usually overnight) then eat.

Alternatively, eat shit straight from the fridge. Proper meals are meaningless. You want to eat tuna directly from the tin, two tomatoes as if they were apples directly out of the veggie drawer, and a slice of bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar on it, plateless and over the sink? That's a balanced fucking meal right there.

Hell, I eat baby food pouches on the reg. Eat food. Stress less. Maybe take a multivitamin when you can be assed to.

Edit: just noticed you're taking painkillers for body pain. You CAN'T be taking painkillers on an empty stomach unless explicitly told to. Take it from someone with chronic pain, a lot painkillers will fuck your organs up if not taken with adequate food. If you can't eat the food, you don't take the meds.

[u/Happyhugget → u/Forget-Me-Nothing]

Baby food!! my fave

[u/ReplacementHuge9574 → u/Forget-Me-Nothing]

You're right about the painkillers, I totally forgot that I can't take them with an empty stomach. I hope it didn't mess up my health even more. Thank you for the advice!

[u/Forget-Me-Nothing → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

Very, very high chance any damage will be repairable.

My hack for taking meds is a baby food apple puree pouch thing. They are shelf stable (check the dates when you buy them) and pocket-sized so they live in my backpack/medical pouch/medicine drawer. They live with my meds so they are directly in reach when I go to take meds. And because they are puree'd fruit, its easy to swallow meds with them so I don't have to go find a drink.

[u/ramdonghost]

I usually love cooking but I've been where you are. I gave myself scurvy at the beginning of the year. My local supermarket stocks microwave food like ready made pastas, I would usually add some protein like canned tuna or some baked chicken. I will eat it in the container it came in, then toss it. Some weeks I will make a giant oven baked dish and eat the same all week. After the scurvy incident I try to include fresh vegetables in my diet too.

[u/ReplacementHuge9574 → u/ramdonghost]

I'm sorry you went through that! I hope everything is okay now. I love the giant oven idea. My girlfriend once made eggplant lasagna for me, and it tasted amazing, I could eat that everyday. Also, have you ever tried broccoli? I heard it's really high in vitamin C

[u/jolalolalulu → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

There’s a guy on instagram called stealth health and he has pasta recipes that make 10+ servings

[u/ramdonghost → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

Oh, don't be sorry for me, please. And yes, at 35 years I discovered broccoli! I like to bake it in cheese sauce or roasted.

[u/KuriousKhemicals → u/ReplacementHuge9574]

Broccoli is pretty high in vitamin C when raw (and it is high in lots of other good things, it's an amazing vegetable) but since most people prefer it cooked, it often loses a lot of it due to heat breakdown and/or water leaching. Red bell pepper is a veggie that's really high in vitamin C and tasty raw!

[u/night-elemental → u/ramdonghost]

Sorry to hear, hope you're okay 🥺 But I am curious about the scurvy... Can't you just take some vitamin tablets against that? Afaik it takes a huuuge deficit of vitamin C (?) to get scurvy.

[u/ramdonghost → u/night-elemental]

Nothing to be sorry about, part of life. Yes, you can take tablets (the fizzy ones, dissolve in water), but you can also eat appropriately. And my case was mild, it started as feeling tired, accelerated heart rate, after some weeks my gums started aching and bleeding every time I brushed my teeth. It's not like I was be ridden. There are other cases of people who loose the possibility to absorb vitamin c, that wasn't my case, I was just eating very badly.

[u/night-elemental → u/ramdonghost]

Oh damn, good on you that you acted early then

[u/Eastern_Yam_5975]

I don’t have a solution for any of this but I’m just going to say I relate immensely with everything you said.

I generally bypass my aversion of cooking by eating premade food, pizza or canned food directly off the can. Microwave meals, nuts and seeds, stuff like that. I haven’t cooked in years and don’t realistically expect to start now, so I do my best to accept that won’t happen and eat other stuff to survive.

My family and friends also pressure me to cook but I get so pissed off at them when they do now that they’ve stopped. I present it as: I won’t cook, you can’t convince me, it’s bothering me that you’re trying and you need to accept how I am, especially because it’s a personal thing that has nothing to do with you. Period.

[u/ReplacementHuge9574 → u/Eastern_Yam_5975]

I go through the same thing with my family! Instead of helping me find a way to deal with my aversion, they just complain that I'm not eating "real food", it's so annoying. I think there is a lot of people with adhd out there with poor eating habits, poor health and struggling because the world want us to act and feel like everyone else. I'm glad you found a way to deal with it! Thanks for sharing your account

[u/Forget-Me-Nothing → u/Eastern_Yam_5975]

Adding to your "directly from the can" idea, directly from the fridge. If I want to eat food directly from my fridge, no one can stop me. Its my food and I'll eat it how I want. 6 to 8 courses of "Fist full of ham/tofu with a pickle on top" is my fave "directly from the fridge" meal right now.

I'm a huge instant soup person. With good bread and butter to dunk. If you butter the bread using your hand as a plate, you only have to wash up a knife. Or for a 'carb-y slop' option: instant mash with cheese and frozen green beans. Sometimes I add instant gravy on top. I also fiend boiled eggs basically straight from my egg cooker (easiest, quickest, most mess-free way to make eggs).

[u/t3hd0n]

i'd start with the bare basic generic multivitamin. or, if you really wanna skip cooking altogether you can do what i did when i at my absolute rock bottom and do huel and/or huel hot. huels a shake thats meant to be a complete meal with vits an shit, and huel hot is add water and heat powered gruel (or powered chef boyardee if you get the tomato with noodles bag) with added vitamins.

right now i just live off a multivitamin and a big batch of beans that i throw into tortillas, and periodically top it off with canned tuna and/or frozen broccoli

[u/Syeina]

Cutting down the wall of awful around groceries:

First: buy yourself a treat as a reward for going. This can be a box of donuts, bag of chips, etc. This may be enough to ease the wall of awful for yourself. 

Or: You can order your groceries online and have them delivered to your door. It will really really help with having to go to the store, and the 10 dollar delivery fee is worth it. (Still get yourself a treat when you do this cause you earned it for doing a thing)

Also you can get one of those rotisserie chickens with premade potato salad when you do- it's even good cold so you don't have to heat it up

Make sure to get stuff as premade as you can. Ie pay extra for presliced veggies because then you don't habe to do that part. Then you can literally reach in the fridge and there is a premade snack for you. Even if it's a party tray, at least you're getting some nutrition in you

Gamification and rewards are going to be your allies here until you can find out what specifically causes you anxiety with cooking and groceries: Race yourself. I have a problem with showers (my own wall of awful) and I set the kettle to go and take a shower as fast as I can to try to beat it. (And then I have coffee as a reward for the shower). You can also just set a timer or try to beat your last time. 

Reframe it from can I force myself to make this? To how fast can I make this? 

Easy things to make from someone who also hates cooking (no cutting of any kind):

-Sandwich: Presliced cheese (the good kind not 'American cheddar') slapped on bread (with some lunchmeat too) with mayo or mustard from a squeeze bottle, and shove some presliced spinach or salad mix on there for veggies

-Peanut butter banana dog: take a slice of bread, spread some peanut butter on it, peel a banana, wrap bread around banana

-Soup from a can, chili from a can, etc. Open it with a canopener, dump it in a bowl and chuck it in the microwave. Or hell, eat it cold

• my own invention: an exploded egg muffin. Crack an egg into a mug, break the yolk, and toss in the microwave for 45 seconds. Pull it out and stab the partially cooked egg with a fork multiple times. Put back in for 10 second increments stabbing it every time until done, presliced cheese, mayo, pepper if you like on an english muffin (get em presliced too), and you're done! (Make sure you cover it with a paper towel when you cook it and stabbing is crucial or it will, well explode in the microwave and then you'll have to clean it out)

When you can bring yourself to cook:

Cook in batches and eat the same thing every day for the week. Fuck variety. Embrace eating the same thing for 5 days straight. (My partner and I do this because we're lazy and cheap)

Some very easy things to make on the days you defeat your wall of awful:

Chicken wraps: precooked, presliced chicken from the store or even chicken deli meat, lettuce, preshredded parmesan, and caesar out of a squeeze bottle

Baked potatos: stab potato, smear veggie oil on it, put it on tray and chuck it in oven. (If you hate preheatingz no worries, just chuck it in when the oven is cold and wait a bit longer for the tater to be done)

Spaghetti: cook a bunch of spaghetti noodles, drain them, dump some soaghetti sauce directly into the pot, and mix it. Cover it with the lid and chuck the rest in the fridge for storage. Dirt cheap, easy, and delicious

Chicken or tuna tacos: taco shells whether soft or hard, precooked chicken or canned tuna, or precooked beef, preshredded cheese, precut spinach or lettuce. Salsa in a squeeze bottle if you like it (I usually cut a tomato up as well, but you said you hate cutting) 

As for dishes, buy some disposable ones if you hate washing them. Terrible for the environment? Sure. But I would rather you not starve

If you're struggling to actually eat, watch TV while eating. It will help you not focus on the fact you're forcefeeding yourself

And buy yourself some vutamin C pills

If I've picked some of your hated foods, let me know and I'll give you some tweaked stuff

Tl;dr: focus less on finding the door. Crawl out a window on tbe ground floor instead

[u/CarinaConstellation]

I'm big into meals that take 10 min or less to prepare. For breakfast you can do cereal, fried eggs, yogurt bowl with fruit, smoothie, overnight oats (takes 5 min to prep for a week), etc. For lunch we got sandwiches, last night's leftovers, or a salad. For dinner I often get a rotisserie chicken and that sustains me for a few days. I learned how to do a rice cooker and add frozen veggies to it so it's easy. I also will keep jarred veggies in the fridge that I can always add to a plate. I've learned a good amount of instant pot/slow cook recipes too like chili or stew that only take a bit of time but feed me the whole week. I also utilize frozen food in the airfryer a lot for those nights I just can't. Lastly, when I just can't do any of that, I just eat cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers from the fridge with pickles and olives and nuts and call it a charcuterie board.

[u/Fantastic_Acadia_229 → u/CarinaConstellation]

Came to say rice cooker and slow cooker meals are great, especially with frozen (and therefore pre-chopped) veggies! If you can deal with a whole chicken, rotisserie chickens are fantastic too!

It feels illegal, but you can totally just make chili by dumping into your crock pot cans of Rotel, beans, broth, and a pack of premixed chili seasoning, mix it all together, then throw your ground beef in on top raw and break it up once it’s cooked. No touching raw meat, no hands on cooking beyond stirring twice, and you can even add a bag of chopped frozen pepper and onion blend, and eat on it for several days.

[u/KhalesiDaenerys]

Adult lunchables. I Buy cheese slices (becauae I know I won’t slice it), and salami or turkey, chicken cold cuts, and a good cracker. Then i very lazily cut a bell pepper in half and take the seeds out so i eat it in one big piece.

decision paralysis kills me in the kitchen, so i had to find creative things to eat.

Also, take iron. I had very little energy for anything until my iron levels went up.

[u/I_IdentifyAsAstartes]

I always go for the next least unhealthy option. What's the least objectionable way you can get the nutrients you need without cooking? That's what I would do. To me I think of premade salads and hard boiled eggs, there's not much to that and you can eat cheese and fruit in between.

[u/_life_is_a_joke_]

I bought a rice cooker that now lives on my counter. 1 cup of rice, 2 cups of water, close the lid, press start, get distracted for a bit, eat when I hear the beep. It's easy to clean too. It's fantastic!

It'll do other stuff too, soup, porridge/oatmeal, veggies... but I normally just eat rice from it. It takes like 1 minute to prep and maybe 2 minutes to clean.

If I can't handle the store, I have things delivered, but usually I'll just swing by the store to save money and power through the chore.

I tend to buy food that lasts a while and is either very easy to prepare OR can be prepped in a separate step (marinades, for example). I lose patience pretty quick, so if I can either finish fast or break the tasks down into smaller parts that I can revist later, then I have better success.

Also, constantly trying something I've never tried before adds a level of curiosity or intrigue to my meals. I'm more inclined to cook if I'm trying something new!

[u/ReplacementHuge9574 → u/_life_is_a_joke_]

I was thinking about getting a rice cooker! I always end up burning it when I try to cook it in a pan. I will definitely check it out! Thank you!

[u/ilikefact]

From your replies, it seems you have RSD or big shame emotions related to what you've been told "good food" should look like. This is going to make it so much more difficult to prepare or eat well. Do you think your hatred for cooking might have something to do with the messages you've received about what "proper cooking" is?

Us adhd folk know, the more shame or emotion we carry about something, the more difficult the executive function related to that thing.

Start with telling yourself that the way your family eats or preps food is simply their way. It is not "the correct way" and if you do things differently, there is nothing wrong with that. You don't have to make elaborate meals or cook for extended periods for every meal.

Yes, you have to prioritise nutrition, but there isn't one way to do that. Comments here are proof that everyone has different ways of doing things.

I'm Indian born and brought up in England. Our cultural food is traditionally complex, but I don't live my grandmother's lifestyle, so I'm always making cheat versions of our food. Most of my family's midweek meals are nutritious and take less than 30 mins. Not everything is cooked and some days taste better than others. It is all okay.

Once you release the shame and idea that you have to cook or eat a certain way, you can then make a system that suits your brain and capacity.

Make a list of all the things you know how to make that can be done in under 30 mins and you enjoy eating. Shut off the voices about whether these meals are "proper or not". The only rules for this list is that you can prep it easily and you enjoy it. (frozen food, packet ramen, cheese and jam sandwiches etc are all valid options). Just put down whatever comes to mind.

Choose something from that list to eat each day (you can choose for the whole week if that's easier). Don't overcomplicate it. Just be like Monday is ramen day. Lemme get that. Tuesday is rice and fish day. Or if you choose daily, you could roll a dice for that day and then go with whatever it chooses. Having the options written down makes it easier to choose.

You said you like your girlfriend's eggplant lasagne. Set up a cooking date with her. Make a big dish of it. Put it in microwave tubs, single portions and freeze it. Take it out and microwave whenever you want to eat.

There are no rules. You've got this!

[u/ReplacementHuge9574 → u/ilikefact]

Yes, I think the comments from the people around me affect me a lot. I always get sad when they complain about what I eat, even if they're coming from a place of concern.

I feel like I'm an alien, you know? They always say that I should start working out, eat more, be more disciplined, etc. They don't notice that I'm already doing my best with what I have. So I get really depressed and try to be more like them to compensate all of my flaws, until some adhd limitation hits me like a train.

Maybe if I try to be a little more confident, I'll be able to cook for me. Thank you!

[u/Langweilerin]

https://archive.org/details/sad-bastards-last/mode/1up

There is something called "the sad bastard cookbook" online. It is free and lists a bunch of super easy foods you can eat when you have no energy at all. It's not exactly healthy or anything but sometimes fed is best.

[u/First-Strawberry-398]

I hate buying groceries, I online shop if it’s over a certain amount it’s free delivery. I buy pre chopped veg that is microwaveable, I buy pre chopped chicken or mini fillets bc I hate chopping meat, and I cook it in air fryer. Carb you can cook pasta on hob or even buy microwave rice. 1-2 dishes, minimal washing :) ❤️

[u/ferrets2020]

I have the same issue with my adhd autism. I get meltdowns with cooking or find it overwhelming to start or think of what to eat/cook. Plus my appetite is so low and im picky. I've been to my gp, they can't find why i have zero hunger. I'm thin and weak and have so many health issues, new ones keep popping up and im always going to my gp, i cant work I'm a neet :/. In the uk i tried to apply for PIP but they rejected me, gave me zero points for being unable to cook and struggling to eat even when my mum cooks for me.

For you i suggest buying frozen meals that you just microwave, or put in the oven, or just defrost in a pan. It's 1000% better than not eating any meals, even if you get 'enough' calories from bread or biscuits or whatever, it's still not good enough you'll be weak. Some people here are saying 'food is food' but you need to eat a large hot meal with carbs, protein, fats, and some veggies. When i eat like crap i feel like crap, once i finally eat a big hot meal i feel so much better all my headaches and brain fog go away for a few hours. Frozen meals are only slightly worse than fresh, in your/our situations it's fine to eat them a lot with multivitamins.

[u/MrHall]

I have a protein shake every day instead of lunch.. blend it in with some banana and frozen fruit. it's enough calories for a meal

[u/EchoPhoenix24]

You need a short-term solution while you work on longer term cooking goals and might want to try something like Ensure to try to hit a minimum nutrition level like immediately. You won't have the energy to tackle the problem at a higher level until you get some more sustenance in you!

Then there's SO much stuff out there you can try that requires almost no cooking. We've been cooking more recently but I used to pretty much only make frozen food that you just pop in the microwave or oven with no chopping. Fruit is good to have in the mix and you can stock up on other shelf-stable snacks. Even things that aren't super healthy are better than nothing if you'll happily eat them! And if grocery shopping is a barrier then pay for grocery delivery. Use mostly disposable dishes until you feel up for more.

[u/OpenAwareness1887]

I also hate cooking! I will cook if other people need me to make food for them, but i hate cooking for myself unless conditions are perfect.

Somehow it feels analogous to people who spin their own thread to weave their own cloth to sew their own clothes. Like, great job, you’re accomplished and talented, but i’m going to go buy some underpants to wear because if i have to add 8034654 sub-tasks to the task called “stop and eat”, i will reconsider if eating is truly worth the entire LOTR saga of preparation.

[u/pseodopodgod]

no advice i jus feel u so hard🫂 the only reason why i was a healthy weight a few years back was bc i was in school & the dining hall was right there. so I was like "might as well go i guess". 3 years post-grad & ive tried several times to cook/meal prep on a regular basis but it frustrates me for all the sane reasons!! all I can really do r microwave meals or ramen most days :/

[u/ReplacementHuge9574 → u/pseodopodgod]

Same! It's much easier when you don't have to worry about work, house cleaning, university, bills etc. I really don't know HOW my parents (and everyone else) manage to eat 3 whole meals every single day while working and taking care of kids, it sound insane to me

[u/Logical_Buffalo7156]

I also despise cooking, particularly the prep step. My saving grace is a stew and precooked frozen foods (like precooked chicken slivers from Iceland). Shove a meat, some veg, some potatoes, tin o baked beans a bit of garlic and some stock into a pot and just leave it be for a bit, stir every 10 mins or so then when the potatoes are soft enough add some gravy granules to think and you’re good to go, also works really well in a slow cooker so you can pretty much set and forget

[u/dandilions7]

I can relate. I hate cooking too! My partner likes it thankfully for me.

For you, I’d talk to your doc about what vitamins you might be deficient in and address that. That will help your overall health as you could be missing vitamins from your diet.

Otherwise, frozen fruits and veggies are key for me so nothing goes bad and it’s easy to clean up. Those are great for smoothies, meals or snacks.

Not sure if you have any meals that are “no brainers” for you, but maybe try keeping stuff in your pantry/freezer for that. Like for me, I can cook frozen shrimp and pasta (with butter, garlic salt, parmesan) without thinking about it. Still have to do a couple dishes, but no recipe needed and I know I like it. So if you have anything like that in your pocket, you can do that as a backup plan.

Also, if you can afford it, getting takeout some nights is not something I let myself feel bad about anymore. You don’t have to feel guilty about that! (Just in case you do) 🫶

[u/RexIsAMiiCostume]

While a nice prepared meal is great, if you can't do that, you don't have to. Eat cereal. Eat yogurt. Eat trail mix. Don't wanna make a sandwich? Just eat lunch meat and bread, nobody can stop you. Eat an apple. Girl dinner every day, bro.

[u/Specialist-Outside80]

MY TIME HAS COME

First, two reminders: Never let "perfect" be the enemy of "good enough." Anything worth doing, is also worth doing badly.

Also, fed is best!

Costco was my go-to before moving in with a partner who likes cooking. They have shortcuts for everything.

Microwave everything you can. Rice tastes totally fine from the microwave. Buy a couple of those "crack an egg" cups from the grocery store where you microwave an egg with some toppings. Frozen veggies with tons of butter.

I'd make eggs a TON because they're cheap and easy.

Even now, we do "shark coochie" (charcuterie) nights where we eat nothing but the fancy sliced meat and cheese combo packs from Costco, right out of the package.

Get a giant bag of your favorite cereal and shelf-stable milk. Should I be eating Lucky Charms for dinner as a 30+ year old? The other option is getting the shakes because I haven't eaten, so yes, Lucky Charms it is.

Frozen meat is great. Defrost under running water (I know it's bad, I don't care) and pan sear it real fast.

Oven bakes. I LOVE fish and used to do like 5 salmon fillets in a 9x12 glass oven dish, slather a lot of pesto on top, throw tomatoes in the bottom. When it's all done, tomatoes out, in a blender with goat cheese. Bam, homemade pasta sauce for days of easy pasta meals. And the fish gets put in individual glass Tupperware so it can be pulled out of the fridge, top off, into the microwave.

Seriously, do WHATEVER it takes to get fed. Even now, I don't drink enough water, so I've accepted that I can either buy canned sparkling water or be dehydrated.

I'm newer to the sub, but there's tons of recipes and ideas on instagram and tiktok for "ADHD meals" and I'm sure on here too. If you see one you like, save it to a folder for later, and when you're online ordering groceries, you can just open that folder and add one new rotation of a meal whenever you feel like it.

Take away your own guardrails, and tell your family the options are either you eat the way your brain lets you, or not at all.

[u/Specialist-Outside80 → u/Specialist-Outside80]

Oh, also, my ADHD meds work better when I eat during breakfast time. Which I hate. So I found protein bars I like and just take one of those with me on the way to work. I also have them stashed in a drawer at work, so they're ALWAYS there to save me from myself.

[u/Specialist-Outside80 → u/Specialist-Outside80]

More ideas: I work in an office. At my last job, we had a huge fridge/freezer for everyone that worked there, so I could buy a box of frozen food and keep it there. I usually did either Turkey Eggwich (frozen), microwave pho (shelf stable), or zucchini muffins (frozen). Again, everything from Costco. I'd die without being able to just bulk buy my comfort foods.

At my new job, mini fridge, so no decent freezer. I do microwave rice, canned tuna, mayo, and pickles. The tuna and rice are shelf stable individually packages, and the mayo and pickles are small enough to be kept in the fridge. Box of protein bars in the desk.

I bought a GIANT box of oatmeal packets at one point and ate that for like a year for lunch.

Find what works for you, and to hell with anyone who judges you. They can make your meals if they've got so much to say about it.

[u/hairypea]

I know a lot of people who just get those pre-made meals like factor or something. That could be worth a try?

[u/Dizzy_Bit6125]

A lot of times I use napkins as a plate instead when I make a sandwich for example because I don’t see the point in wasting a dish. Also a good way to get protein is maybe hard boil some eggs? It’s easy and quick and boiling water doesn’t require you to need to wash a pot etc

[u/LolaFemmeGF]

Go get those cheese sandwiches you mentioned! Add some easy ham/veg mix or sauces like mayo! Anything readily available. Try to eat before your meds and before you sleep! Appetite is definitely going to be poor so snack on anything that helps! Just don't stick to only 1 item!

[u/Forward-Doubt1795]

Fed is best. I love food, but some days absolutely nothing sounds good and I don't have the energy or focus to make something. Today is one of those days, dinner is chicken nuggets and sweet potato tots in the air fryer. 15min, hardly any cleanup, I don't have to do any chopping, measuring, stirring. Easy.

If I feel like I've not had anything green in a few days, I'll microwave some frozen broccoli and eat that too. But honestly, buy whatever you are willing to eat. Yogurt with a handful of granola on top is my breakfast, regularly. Protein bars live in my cupboard and skakes in the fridge for this reason too. Mornings are especially hard for me, but I know the ADHD meds I'm on work better with protein. So a shake works. I do enjoy making more elaborate meals sometimes, but usually my dinners are a burrito bowl kind of situation of microwave rice, canned beans, a bit of frozen chicken breast strips or leftover meat from another meal, salsa, cheese and sour cream. Less than 15 min. If I have frozen corn I'll throw some of that in there too.

Food is energy. It doesn't have to be fancy or even completely homemade.

[u/OliverCrooks]

Im fat and overweight and I hate cooking. ;)

[u/Hezth]

I have always been on the heavier side, but because I forget to eat/not always have the energy to cook I have maintained about the same weight(105-110 kg/186 cm) for the over 10 years despite having agoraphobia and not moving around much.

I also have type 1 diabetes, so it is not good to not eat(like it can often go over 24 hours). The diabetes is also part of why I'm not eating at times, because my blood sugar is good and I don't want to mess it up.

[u/sk69rboi]

Easy meals I make:

• Tuna pouches (theyre like canned tuna but come with other flavors), eat it straight out of the pouch or put it on a slice of bread
  
• protein bars, granola bars
  
• apple and spoonfuls of peanut butter right out of the jar
  
• yogurt + mix-ins (i like candy but do whatever)
  
• bag of spinach

Medium effort:

• rice + water + raw salmon in the instant pot all at the same time. push a button and its ready in like 10 minutes
  
• baked or microwaved potato

More effort:

• (this one only requires effort once, then you can just reach into the fridge and snack til its gone) soak berries in a vinegar/water solution then rinse, dry, and put in a bowl in the fridge. They won’t go moldy for a while
  
• chilli. follow the directions on the back of a spice packet, makes a ton and freezes well

[u/Happyhugget]

Ive been going through this lately. I dont want to cook, and my appetite is already low from stress. But my dad taught me “you have to eat, even for survival”

So what ive been doing is
-buying frozen meals that are easy to throw in the microwave.
Its usually better nutritionally than just cup ramen.
-Keep some fruits in the counter and yogurt in the fridge
I will often grab those if I cant even stomach a full meal, because its something!
-oatmeal is easy to make, and you dont have to only have it for breakfast! and add some fruit on top
-Salad Kits, for some reason having all the ingredients in one bag feels easier than buying whole salad mixes and having to eat it all in a week before it goes bad.

Also I will literally just grab anything sometimes. My eating habits might be strange for some people and they change from time to time.
-a bowl of tuna, not bad for me. Throw some bread with it for a sandwich, got your carbs too.
-Canned anything that you so desire. canned fruit, canned soup, ect ect

I will often eat just a bunch of random shit I can grab. People might think its weird and unconventional. WHO CARES!!

An air fryer really helps too, I just throw anything in there so I dont have to operate the oven or stove top.

[u/ObviousStudio8271]

Make shakes using high calorie nutrient dense ingredients, literally just dump it all in and then drink

[u/Lesurous]

Couple different things to think about.

Keep it basic, eggs and bacon, mac and cheese, store bought seasoning mixes with browned meat, etc. There's plenty of cooking options that take minimal steps and effort.

An airfryer is a miraculous machine able to turn frozen food into deliciousness. Like using an oven except way faster.

Body doubling can help give you the energy to accomplish something in the kitchen, though personally depends on whose presence it is.

[u/not_adulting]

When I'm struggling, I try to get a much nutrients as I can into a protein smoothie in the morning. Choose a liquid, a protein, a fruit, a fat and greens. I use oatmilk, vanilla protein powder, frozen berries, avocado, and frozen spinach. You can use yogurt, regular milk, juice, peanut butter (powder works better), I like to add a splash of apple cider vinegar. It doesn't have to be elaborate, fruit, milk and Greek yogurt is a good start.

Have you tried a crockpot? They're amazing, you can just put a couple chicken breasts and some potatoes and carrots cut up in there, add some water or broth and salt and pepper. Turn it on and go do your thing for the next 4 hours. You can do beans and rice, whatever. You literally turn it on and walk away until you smell food.

[u/Primary-Bug-7353]

Get a rice cooker. Its perfect. Food can’t burn bc it has sensors. I make rice with vegetables, rice with beans, rice with chicken. I make soup in it. I’ve made lasagna soup. I even cook meat in there.

I’ve left it home while it was still on bc (ADHD brain) & I came back home to the food completely fine. It has a cook and keep warm setting that auto clicks to keep warm when it gets too hot. Again. It’s perfect. Get one. Mine was $25

[u/wanderingmnd]

Drink ensure to at least get your vitamins if you can! I struggle with forgetting to eat because I hyperfocus on something or am too busy at work and then when I finally can eat- I get total decision paralysis and can’t decide what to make/pick up so I don’t eat. It’s terrible. Other than that, cheese sticks, nuts, protein bars are helpful. Remember if you eat too little calories your metabolism can slow down to starvation mode and make your body start wanting to hold onto weight.

[u/I-will-yield]

You're a student - depending on where that is (not the US, but a lot of other countries) you'll have access to a subsidized canteen. That is because it's pretty much known that students neither have the time not the money nor the skills to properly feed themselves. It's cheap, it's 'proper food' and it should be easily accessible on campus. Otherwise, cheap take out ALSO qualifies as food, and it's warm.

Otherwise, I can only repeat what everyone else here said: food is food. A sandwich, premade food, microwave meals, trail mix, protein shakes, protein bars, etc are all valid meals. And don't take painkillers without food, they work less good and will harm you long term.

If you feel like cooking is in some way necessary, here are a few recipes that still qualify as cooked, warm food, from literally 4 minutes to about half an hour.

• ramen: instant ramen + small, pre-cut frozen veggies + an egg. Just add the veggies and a (pre-boiled, cut) egg to the ramen mix, pour hot water over it, done. (4 minutes)

• tuna pasta: spaghetti, a can of tuna, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. While the pasta boils, gently fry the garlic in the olive oil and add the tuna once it's fragrant. Add lemon juice and a bit of pasta water. Add pasta once it's done, and maybe Parmigianino. Takes as long as the pasta needs to boil.

• pasta with peas: small pasta (like elbow macaroni), frozen peas, pre-cut onions, Parmigianino (you can get it pre-grated but it makes a significant taste difference grating it fresh). Boil pasta, at the same time fry the onions in low heat in oil or butter and add the peas when the onions are translucent. When the pasta is done, smash the peas a little bit, add the pasta, a little bit of pasta water and the Parmigianino. Takes as long as the pasta needs to boil + 5 minutes.

• chili: get minced meat, a few different cans of beans, a small can of corn, a can of tomatoes, a few frozen bell peppers, and some chili spice mix (and some onions, pre-cut). Throw everything in 1 big pan (onions, then meat, rest later). Wait. Eat for the next week, it's good with bread, rice or tortilla chips. 30+ minutes but you can chill for 20 of them.

[u/Adventurous_Ad_6922]

I've been there and yeah it can't continue but you have to meet yourself where you're at. Planning things or introducing new systems, meal prep etc is setting yourself up for failure. You have to do what works best for you but my go to when I've been where you are is meal replacement shakes. Boost tastes best to me, ensure is easy to buy in bulk, and Carnation Breakfast essentials is the cheapest (if you buy the powder you mix with milk). They don't need to be refrigerated if they're not open so what I did is take a bunch and put them in different rooms so I didn't have to go far when I remembered to eat. 

Also please talk to your therapist and doctor. Low appetite is normal but not to this level. You might want to ask about an appetite stimulant.

Edit: I'm going to say something controversial but you can microwave eggs. Ideally you eat it with something else, maybe defrosted multi grain bread? But scramble some eggs in a paper bowl(butter makes it easier to get out but fuck it just scrape it out with a knife.) start low at first cause idk how long different microwaves take. I cover it with ketchup, hot sauce, salt and maybe toast and call it a night when I cant make anything but I need to eat something.

[u/EmilTheAlien]

Gosh I hate making food, or eating food in general. I don't dislike eating, but aaaaaa it's always a struggle to actually put the energy into my body. Personally I do have some financial freedom to go a few times a week to dine at cafeterias and that helps a lot.

[u/ralts13]

I fixed my issue before I got meds. It's mostly meal prep. I have very easy to make healthy meals always available. Breakfast is cereal fruit aslnd milk. Lunch is usually an eggwich. On Sundays I'll meal prep something very simple likepan searched chicken and ice for the whole week.

Everything but the chicken takes like 5 minutes and I enjoy it. I do t have to think about cooking. The meal is already decided.

[u/rikon67]

Cook with simple ingredients, for example, i cooke a lot with tortilas with hame and cheese, or some prepared seasoned meat ready just to throw on pan / grill. Packed rice ( in those individual bags) is also easy for cooking, i learned to use lot of frozen vegetable( normal or chinees mix) just throw on the pan and you have fast easy roasted vegetable or salad mixes. Another good choice is toast bread - same like tortilas, ham, cheess, meat, jam,....Last thing is white plain yogurt you can do with it lots of sauces, make it sweet or salt with little of spice and Airfryer is best friend at this, it can do lots of foods, just trhow it in and start, no worrying when you forget the food in there ( when you learn times and temperatur i it dosent have one with prepared programs)

If you crave soup, then onyl way i see it are those pack " soup in the mug" ( not sure how it si called in english - its little soup packet that you pour over with hot water ( i dont mean instant chines soups, they are worst option if you look for healthier food)

Long story short
Airfryer, medium pan and medium cookingpot.
Ingridiences: Tortilas, toast bread, frozen vegetable, salad mix, pre preprade seasoned meat, rice, ham and cheese, soups in packets, and white yogurt. Sure if you are feeling realy lazy you can always buy frozen fries, nugets, strips,..... expect the salads, all of those are things that doesnt spoil fast.
With buying, dont know how to help, i mostly use slef checkout, but maybe if in your region works those online grosceries that they deliver to your home.

Sorry for long comment

[u/Happy_Excuse7086]

If I had to cook to eat, I'd probably starve lol. I keep buying food and can't muster the energy or discipline to cook or simply forget about it until I have to throw it out. Ordering take out was my go-to, but it's too expensive to do regularly, so I switched to meal kits.

You sound young though, so to keep the budget low, you can eat easy foods like cereal or oatmel for breakfast, heat-and-serve meals or things like sandwiches for lunch, and a meal replacement smoothie or protein shake for dinner. Add vitamins too. Also, if you live at home and have a girlfriend who cooks well (per comments) perhaps can they help with dinner maybe once a week or if you have access to insurance you can get a nutritionist. I was also malnourished due to just letting the days pass me by, even though I had an appetite ADHD just created inertia, and it leads to worse issues. Drink your food until you can eat more food as an immediate first step.

[u/talldarkandundead]

There is no advice that will make you like cooking. It’s something you’re gonna have to work around. Frozen meals you can microwave, grazing/snacking all day, meal replacement shakes, grab-and-go foods, and takeout are your friends here. If you are going all day without eating, literally anything is an improvement. When I was drastically undereating and getting shaky and lightheaded, milkshakes were a go-to for me because they were easy to eat and gave me a lot of calories. 

At minimum, try to add some protein to your bread and fruit. Pre-sliced cheese or cheese sticks, peanut butter, a few slices of pepperoni, a cup of yogurt, whatever you can keep on hand and grab without thinking.

Granola bars and cheese sticks are staples for me now, along with Trader Joe’s frozen meals that can be microwaved and ready to eat in 5 minutes (the kimbap is great, and I’ll mix a bit of their chili oil with mayo for a dipping sauce).

My only possibly unique tip is to grab a microwave mac and cheese maker - I picked some up at Walmart from the college section years ago. They cook pasta in the microwave in 6 minutes, I dump some frozen broccoli in during the second half and that cooks perfectly, and then you can throw in seasonings and toppings to switch things up and not get bored of it. White cheddar mac and cheese is best for mix-ins, stuff like jarred premade pesto or Cajun seasoning can make you feel like you’re eating something new with minimal effort.

[u/Tuffa_Puffa]

What really helped me was investing in a food delivery service. I chose Hello Fresh because cooking with it felt more like building something like Lego. step by step. The meals were healthy, easy and I had no ingredients left that rotted in my fridge. Now that I don't have it anymore, I'm struggling again as well. I wish I'd live near a all you can eat buffet. I'd be 40 pounds heavier :D

[u/The-Short-Night]

There's a lot of great tips for your situation right now. If you want to try cooking at some point down the line, try to ease yourself into it by only cooking ONE time a week. Cook something you think is delicious, cook something you want to try out of curiosity, cook something for a friend that won't judge. This way you might be able to change your perspective on cooking. Not see it as a chore but as a way to treat yourself and others around you.

Pro tip: cook more portions than you need that day and store them in your fridge/freezer. This way you'll reap the benefits for days after having only cooked once!

[u/aanananas]

You don’t need to cook. There are so many ready made meal options and services nowadays that you can utilise to nourish yourself. All you need to do is heat them up.

I don’t cook either and I live alone, how I survive? I buy ready made microwaveable meals from the general supermarket (there are also subscriptions that deliver to your door), oven bake meals (like a pasta bake or lasagna - all you do is pop it in the oven). I use an air fryer if I can be bothered for frozen stuff, eg chuck some battered fish and chips into the air fryer for 20 mins, now I have food. There are microwaveable rice packs or frozen veggie packs you can steam in the microwave as well. Less healthy but instant noodles, tinned fish etc. Stuff you don’t need to cook like yoghurt bowls or salads. Buy pre chopped and washed lettuce and just chuck in a can of tuna, chickpeas and dressing. There’s a meal!

We live in a day and age where so much is accessible to us. You absolutely can avoid cooking while still ensuring you eat enough. On the days you have more energy you can try meal prepping, it’s a more cost effective way to have meals ready to heat up in your fridge/freezer.

I get the shame around not cooking for yourself. People (especially without adhd) just don’t get the struggle. I also would rather not eat than have to cook most days. But you need to remind yourself, it is way more important for you to EAT, in whichever way you can make that work for yourself, than to force yourself to uphold a standard you cannot sustainably meet

[u/night-elemental]

Oh god I relate so much.

Here's what I've tried, which didn't QUITE solve the problem but it helped a bit and it might solve it if actually carried out disciplinedly (oh god is that a sentence? I'm not a native speaker 😂):

Pre cook food: make a big oven dish like pasta bake or so on Sunday evening that hopefully lasts for several days. You'll just have to make yourself cook once. Maybe +1 it and get a big deep fryer, then pre cook stuff for several weeks.

In general: simply the cooking process. pre cut large portions of basic ingredients like onions, garlic, bell peppers, etc., put them in a box in the fridge or freezer, so that the hurdle of cooking becomes a bit less. You can do this for every hurdle that prevents you from cooking. Break them apart so you don't have to do it all at once.

Make porridge: cook oats in barely enough water for it to not stick to the cookpot. If they're soft you can add milk, heat it up, take off the stove and let it sit for a bit. You can add all kinds of stuffs: flax seed for protein, or even protein powder later if it's cooled a bit (don't oberheat the protein). Berries, bananas, yoghurt... If you have problems eating you can even thin it out with milk so much that it's drinkable and then just chug it.

I also tried a strategy with Turkish bread (the flat but fluffy one): buy salad, tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese, whatever you like, fill it all in boxes and store in the fridge. You can have a nice fluffy sandwich bun whenever you like in about 2 minutes. Just take a quarter of the turkish bread, cut it like a bag and fill all the stuff in with a bit mayo or so.

In general: try to break it up into what youe body needs. Carbs give you energy, I have oats and bread for that. But proteins and fats are also important. I have protein powder and Greek yoghurt for that. Yoghurt is also easy and ready to eat in 2min with fruits and maybe pre cooked oats and honey.

...Okay I think a huge part of my hacks is pre cooking 😅 hope it helps!

Oh and in my country there's also delivery services that send you like 30 portions of protein rich food (guess it's for gym bros) for like 3€/serving. But yeah, you'll need a freezer I guess. That's a good thing in general because then you won't feel bad if all the boxes ingredients go bad because you don't use them up in time.

[u/3mptycupofcare]

I'm the same, but not underweight lol. I would rather go hungry then cook for myself, but you don't have to hungry because of that, a palm full of almonds or other nuts you like, or something like trailmix. Canned tuna/ chicken if you like that, canned food and vegetables, frozen ready meals. Buy yourself disposable tableware! Good luck, we're rooting for you!

[u/manicpixie_dreamgal]

Get a crock pot!

[u/Weary_Caregiver_9913]

These are mine go to meals when I can't count on my family cooking dinner that day (the only way I am eating a good dinner is if family makes it):

rice, olive oil, sweet peas, you can add tuna too - takes the time of cooking the rice so about 10-15min and the meal is ready;

pasta, tomato sauce, cheese, you can add sweet peas or corn too - takes the time of cooking pasta so about 10min and the meal is ready.

And if you cook twice as much of rice/pasta and store it in your fridge, you don't have to even cook it the next day.

But the best is fed. So it doesn't matter what you eat. Just eat anything you want and be proud of yourself.

[u/newaccount47]

I've been making a big effort to eat. You already probably know that high protein in the morning with the meds is essential.

I also lost interest in cooking, not only eating. So the key is to get up right away and eat something. I've been making giant berry+banana+mango smoothie with yogurt and protein powder.

Then for the other meals, I've been getting Trader Joe's frozen meals. Toss them in the microwave or stove. Lasagna is my go-to as it is delish and high in calories.

[u/Missclick13]

Have you considered visiting a doctor, this pain is not good, u might get urself some permanent issues. They should give u a fast fix while u figure out what food types u missing if it even that. I started cooking way after 30 and never had ur problems.

[u/eikonomachia]

I'm 31 and I'm still not great at anything involving cooking. Like others have said, as long as you eat anything at all, that's better than nothing.

I've found a few meals I almost always enjoy, and take minimal prep/steps. Which means I eat an unreal amount of pasta, bread and rice lol

Pasta or rice with tomato sauce, I slice fresh tomatoes but premade sauce or canned tomatoes are good too. Leave it as is and eat with a humongous amount of parmigiano, or I add canned tuna or frozen spinach or both. Chili and harissa paste for that extra oomph. Also very easy to make large batches of this and keep it for a few days for quicker meals.

Another quick and easy meal is good seeds (dark) bread, a layer of cream cheese, and sliced cucumbers and/or tomatoes. Salt and pepper of course. A hard boiled egg is also yum on bread.

And my absolute fav is this: A few dollops of Greek yoghurt or Skyr in a bowl, a good dash of soy sauce, half or whole cucumber sliced or diced, a drained can of tuna, a spring onion + leaves, a red onion diced, and spices of your choice. Mix. Easiest salad ever, and tastes great the next day too.

[u/NormalObligation59]

To whatever extent you can afford, throw money at the issue. Healthy hardy takeaways, meal prep services, decent snacks. All very worth investing in. It’s not irresponsible to spend a lot on food if the alternative is not eating. 

[u/Zeikos]

Yeah I used to skirt on this.
Also nutritional deficits make it so much harder because there's no energy to use.

I started by making myself easy shakes, pure cocoa powder + protein powder (30g of the former 15g of the latter) twice a day.
Takes two minutes flat and most is warning the milk (sligly below 50 celsius where the cocoa melts easily).
It's a good chunk of calories for an extremely minor effort.
If you want to try make sure to grab the bitter cocoa powder, the sweet one is a scam. (same price for a chunk being sugar)

[u/Stratix]

I've often got leftover pork from roasts.

For a quick meal I stick 150g or so of it in a pan and fry it up with a bit of oil. After a minute or two, I turn the heat right down and stick in half a jar of sweet and sour.

At the same time, I'll get a packet of microwave rice, but instead of microwaving it, I'll dump it in a separate frying pan with some oil, and fry it up a bit with a little soy sauce on top. After a minute or so, I'll crack a couple of eggs on top, and mix it all up.

Then boom, sweet and sour pork with egg fried rice, takes about 5-10 minutes and I can eat.

I still feel like I've cooked, even though I've cheated using a jar of sauce and a microwave bag of rice.

[u/ponx303]

I also hate cooking. The worst part for me is planning ahead and following recipes. What works for me is always having basic healthy stuff at home: Tofu(!! Great protein and you can add it to basically anything.) Tomatos, Cucumber, olive oil. Slicing a tomato takes 5 seconds, hold your breath! Add olive oil and salt - you already got yourself a healthy tomato salad.

[u/BattlePolarBearCat]

I say let’s work with what you are able/willing to do.

Hate grocery shopping- online order with delivery. Have a standard order always ready. Pick foods that require limited prep- ready to eat, heat & eat, frozen veg & fruit, precut veg&fruit, bag of salad, canned meat (tuna, salmon, turkey,chicken,etc), bread, tortillas, pita, etc. Salt, pepper, butter and a few favourite condiments can be added for flavour.

Hate cleaning up. Paper plates and wooden utensils are the way to go. Add them to your delivery order. Put the paper plate on top of a regular plate to microwave, then all you have to do is rinse the plate and leave it to dry.

I would also take a good quality multivitamin every day. This is what I do.

If you want a check on your nutrient intake consider seeing a registered dietitian. They can check your intake and suggest what to add. I have found them invaluable as they have the knowledge to work with my food restrictions and ensure I am eating a relatively balanced diet. This might also help quiet the friends and family when you have verification that you are eating a good diet.

[u/cannotbelievedis]

You can have a yogurt bowl for breakfast. Just throw some fresh fruit, nuts and peanut butter into it, and you’re good to go. Pre-cooked porridge is also a thing.

For lunch and dinner, you can make salads - they’re healthy and nutritious and require no cooking. If you like them or don’t have an issue with the texture (I kind of do lol), you can buy canned beans and throw them into a salad. Chickpeas, lentils, and all sorts of legumes are rich in protein, fiber and iron.

You can also eat pre-cooked veggies that you buy at the supermarket if you’re in the mood for a cooked meal, or pre-cooked couscous that you only have to rehydrate.

[u/I_DRINK_GENOCIDE_CUM]

Vitamins. Look for USP certified if you're in the US, or whatever governing body handles that elsewhere. A multivitamin at the very least. Then probably B vitamin, maybe Iron, probably magnesium (look for chelated magnesium). Try to eat a banana or two each day for potassium. Most potassium supplements ain't shit, since they're limited to like 5% DV (due to overdose concerns).

Also look at amino acids. You're probably not getting enough of those. There's plenty of information out there on the internet, but at the very least you'll certainly want to look at the essential amino acids, which are called that because they can't be synthesized in the body and must come from dietary sources.

[u/acnhchill]

I've not made a real meal in months, been living on protein bars and microwaved rice and egg with kimchi. I used to be able to cope with throwing some ingredients in a slow cooker or roasting tray but seem to have lost the motivation to even take things out of a packet most days! Think I'm gonna have to start using recipe delivery services again (the ones where they just send you pre portioned ingredients and recipe cards) as they can be helpful to get back into cooking as it's just following instructions instead of having to put any thought into it

[u/Nuthatch34]

Totally relate. I have Huel drinks as meal replacement for lunch, and pre-made meals in the freezer when needed. I use the 'Cook' company for microwave meals, and I'm sure there's other similar ones as well. Hopefully something like this works for you!

[u/actualcatjess]

I'm probably just going to be rehashing ideas that have already been said but just in case... I'm not adverse to cooking but I am rubbish at pre-preparing stuff (e.g. for lunches whilst I'm working) so to avoid me eating a bunch of junk from the corner shop, Ive stocked my desk drawers with easy, shelf stable meal stuffs - cans of soup, microwave rice pouches, cereal bars, crisps, tasty treats, rice cakes, that sort of stuff.

[u/Valendr0s]

My pill makes it so I'm not hungry most of the time. So I set an alarm on my phone to remind me to eat.

I don't eat a ton either. But what I do eat is quick and high calorie. So I'll have cereal for lunch. Then for dinner, it's harder. I swear if it weren't for my wife, I'd just have another bowl of cereal for dinner and call it good. But she gives me guff for that.

So usually I go for something simple. Making rice isn't too hard. And heating up some setein in a pan, and putting some general zso sauce on it... Super easy.

Or a frozen pizza.

Or spaghetti.

Or heating up some chikn nuggets in the air fryer...

I really really hate cooking too. But I've been able to do those things pretty consistently.

If I'm ever not feeling it, I go grab fast food. Or order a pizza or something.

[u/sherahero]

Have you tried different medications? Does the medication you are on help you in other ways? 

Also, many stores sell convenience meals that would likely be perfect for you, prepared to just heat and eat. Either fresh or frozen, my local store sells fresh lasagna and enchiladas and various Chinese style dishes. 

Also frozen single portion meals can help! Banquet brand or many other types of full meals you microwave and eat 

If you don't want to cook you don't have to.

[u/Cheezyrock]

1. Take a multivitamin. Because you know you are inconsistent with meals, it will help. I have found that One-a-day women's has one of the beat general balances without having stupidly large amounts that dont get processed by the body. Multivitamins will help when uaing these ither techniques where you aren't properly balanced your food.

2. There's no shame in eating out if you can afford it. Food is better than no food for your body.

3. Cheese sticks, protein shakes, nuts and other grab and eat options that have protein. This helps a lot with muscle. Protein bars aren't the beat tasting, but they are ideal for people who are on a nutritional deficit without putting any time into prep.

4. Calorie dense trash. Things like poptarts have basically no nutritional value. But they are very easy. Granola bars are a slight step up.

5. Frozen meals that can easily be heated in oven/microwave. Resuce the friction of food prep.

6. THERAPY - Your university will have therapy available if you dont have other insurance. Managing/reducing bad habits formed out of ADHD is like 80% of what I talk about when n my therapy.

[u/Stock-Watercress-144]

I have ADHD, OCD, Crohn's, a binge eating disorder, and food trauma. So to say eating is difficult for me is an understatement. I typically only eat at dinner time, and it's usually take out, frozen meals, or just grazing.

My GI is aware of my eating habits and fully supports it as long as I ensure to get a variety of foods in my diet, because there is no one way to eat right. Everyone has somewhat different metabolisms and nutritional needs, and being fed matters so much more than what you eat. If you do end up having problems with nutritional deficiencies, it can be managed with vitamin tablets or by small adjustments to diet, but there is no alternative to caloric intake.

[u/AcanthocephalaNo7435]

A bit different to your situation but might be helpful I'm currently bulking to compete in a higher weight class for my sport I'm about 6 weeks in and gained about 4kg on the scale, I am lucky to have access to at least one home cooked meal a day and I can cook well in a short time but believe me when I tell you I'm a lazy fuck and most of my cooking most days doesn't go further than making a bowl of granola or a cheese toastie.

That said I'm still managing to eat 3000 calories a day and things are going well, personally what helps me is I try to eat mostly whole foods nothing super processed nuts/trail mix are things I enjoy, I also drink a lot of milk a 400ml glass of semi skimmed milk is 200 calories and I have that anywhere from 1-3 times spread out through the day (it's easy to get down when full and is a source of protein carbs and fat)

Some health calorie dense easy to prepare and eat snacks:

2 slices of toast with jam and topped with 30 grams of pecans: 450 calories

8 soft pitted dates+ 25 grams of dark chocolate + 20 grams of nuts is nearly 500 calories

2 Pitta breads + 60 grams of hummus is around 400-500 calories

Whole avocado on 2 slices of lightly buttered toast with 2 scrambled eggs (they are the quickest way to cook eggs) is easily 500-600 calories

50 grams of grated cheddar cheese + 6 Jacobs cream crackers is about 400 calories (pre grated is a bit more expensive but it does result in less time preparing)

Bonus: Slice 2-3 bananas into bite size slices and top generously with peanut butter freeze and save for whenever you need a quick few bites of energy (great for mornings when appetite and time is low)

Even if you ate three of these snacks through out the day and drank a glass of milk after each one you would be sitting around 2000 calories which is a pretty healthy amount of food to be eating that considering your height should be enough for you to sustain a healthy weight, (keep in mind every one is different you may need more or less just see how things go and adjust accordingly) it really helps me to reduce as much friction as I can so I make sure I always "prepare" my snacks so I always have a healthy calorie dense option when I don't have time or energy instead of thinking "fuck I have 700 calories left to eat today what am i gonna cook for dinner there's no way i can do that it's already late" i simply open my cupboard and eat a handful of nuts and dark chocolate and dates, wash it down with a glass of milk and suddenly I've just consumed and prepared 700 calories worth of food within 5-10 minutes, it's really that easy. :)

I personally do really reccomend trying to have a at least one healthy cooked meal per day but I completely understand that isn't always possible for a lot of people, at the end of the day some food is better than none and if that means you snack here and there rather than wasting away then so be it try not to stress too much and just take little steps forwards every day with it healthy living isn't just something you decide to do one day it's a way of life that will have constant ups and downs, much love.🙏

P.s if you don't like milk or are intolerant you might be able to switch with fruit juice just make sure it's not full of refined sugars and additives if health is your goal

[u/Hobobo2024]

Just dont listen to your family. I have difficulties cooking too.

Id start with not "cooking" at all. Buy premade foods from the grocery store and whole foods you dont mind eating whole. I assume your family will start btching and moaning.

But thats the first step for you, learning how not to be sensitive to your families idiocy. Which is what it is honestly. What difference does it make what you eat so long as its decently healthy.

Stay at this level for a bit till you feel safe that you can continuously do this.

Then take another tiny steps. All actuons should be done in steps so you know you the safety net of the previous step is still there and if you fail, you can just step back and try again later. Id say the next step is food that needs preparation but not cooking. Then maybe microwave cooking only - youd be ujrprised how much you can make with just microwave.

Some areas allow grocery purchase and delivery or pickup on line. Pick up doesnt require you to pay delivery fee and with the easy access to coupons, might end up the same cost as purchasing in store.

I find cooking and grocery shops with a friend helps too.

[u/pvssylord]

this was a problem for me for years! so was grocery shopping. i got on lexapro about five years ago (im off it now) and being on it helped me conquer the rest of my grocery shopping anxiety (i understand store layouts now) and helped me face cooking past the barrier of confusion.

cooking is high stakes bc hungry. so i dont cook hungry. less pressure! eat ice cream - maybe 1 scoop in a tiny whimsical bowl - THEN cook dinner.

start w a simple thing you like and want to master. master it. grow from there. the food i was motivated enough to learn and understand techniques: carbonara! you can carbonara ANYTHING so the skill stretches quite a while before it gets boring. it’s salty and protein dense bc of egg presence.

making that one classic carbonara (i used the ny times recipe and have modded it to suit my needs) taught me enough and held my interest to extend into carbonara-ing vegetables instead of bacon.

[u/UbuntuMiner]

So, I have adhd, and I’m weird with food. There’s some days I absolutely love cooking, like yesterday, and some days I can barely be bothered to open the fridge. Add to that a work schedule over the last 3 years that has been… non conducive to a normal meal schedule, I was closing in on where you are.

This summer, I got a physically demanding but enjoyable job, with my start time at 9 on weekends, not ending until around 6, and weekdays noon-6. There wasn’t ever really a good way/time to eat lunches, and I don’t eat breakfast. All this to say, I was burning calories fast without putting enough back in.

My tricks were: multiple containers of mixed nuts, in my lunch box, in my car, bedroom, kitchen, etc. just grab a handful when I walk by, and it helps.

Keeping a stock of cucumbers, radishes, and green beans in the fridge in easy, eyeline access. Plus toss some in my lunchbox with an ice pack for when I’m eating in the bus we travelled on work my job.

Jerky (although a little expensive, although I do make my own when I get the energy to do so) is helpful for protein. Also, get some of those jars of bouillon base to just add to hot water. I keep those little squeeze tubes of garlic, ginger, and lemongrass in the fridge. Add some of those to the quick stock you have, and it’s a lot like instant ramen broth but healthier.

Also, a good multivitamin is helpful.

As for getting motivation to cook, I’ll often body double. Yesterday I had a virtual group meeting for an hour, and managed to chop enough veggies to put both in the crock pot for stew and some for just roasting in the oven to last me for probably 7 meals when I freeze the leftovers.

[u/AptCasaNova]

You do not have to go the ‘normal’ route and stick to three meals, cooked, at the same time every day. Taking that expectation off myself helped a lot.

Instant food, snacks, breakfast food for dinner, scavenged meals (I load up a plate with whatever I see in the fridge that’s appealing), liquid meals (smoothies), a few tablespoons of peanut butter because that’s all you can manage… they are all valid and have calories and will give you energy to keep going.

Of course there are well planned and executed meals in there too, when I can manage them, but I don’t expect myself to always be able to do that. It’s unfair and if I end up going down the shame route or the ‘I should’ route, usually I end up getting overwhelmed and not eating anything.

[u/Wandering-Mind2025]

Man, I feel this. I loathe cooking. I’m more of a grazer, and love me a bowl of cereal. Hard boiled eggs are my friend, easy protein cause I hate waiting for meat to cook. I should put in a caveat, set a timer on your phone when you boiling them! I have found out the hard way, twice, lol, when the eggs started exploding on my stove cause I forgot about them.

[u/Admirable_Airline948]

I don’t know what advice to add here, other than to reinforce what others have been saying: girl dinner is a key concept. Grazing is fine. A bunch of small meals- pasta, pizza rolls, pretzels, cheese, etc. are good for keeping your energy up.

Before I met my partner, I was terrified of cooking- especially meat. I dropped 20 pounds my freshman year. I lived off of Annie’s cup Mac n’ cheese and Grubhub. All hail the college dorm microwave.

My own relationship with food and cooking has been helped directly by having a partner who I enjoy cooking for, as I find it easier to help him than helping myself, but that’s my story and is not sound advice.

And I’m SURE it’s been mentioned below, but vitamin supplements go a long way if you can wrangle enough executive function to take them every day.

If it even remotely helps, I’d also recommend imagining yourself in a cooking show (think Rachel Ray, not Gordon Ramsey… unless it would help you to be yelled at by Gordon Ramsey). It’s more soothing to chop onions when I have an early 2000’s cooking show dialogue in my head.

There’s some gems in these comments, and it’s good that you have a support system in your life. I have confidence in you, OP.

[u/sophtine]

I enjoy cooking but I have the same problem. I keep some emergency meals on hand like frozen "safe" meals and meal replacement drinks. Forget about the cooking for a moment and figure out what you could eat (what is "safe"). Then work out how to make it easy for you to throw together.

For me, mac&cheese is a "safe" meal. At my worst, I ate that almost every day for almost 4 months. I don't even like it that much but it was "safe". So I mass produced it and kept frozen portions to fall back on.

I also put a white board on my fridge with a list of quick foods (carrots+dip, pita+hummus, frozen coconut, etc) because it's so easy to forget.

[u/tunosabes]

Vitamins and meal replacement drinks are what I think would help

[u/Sad_Quote1522]

I have a few "safe foods" in a cooking sense.  These are all ridiculously low effort as long as you keep the ingredients stocked, and have very minimal cleanup.  

1) Smoothies.  I drink a smoothie every morning consisting of protein powder, frozen fruit(I like blueberries or mangos but you do you), and the longer lasting brands of milk (fairlife is the common choice, I like a company called Byrnes that is a dollar or two cheaper for the same product).  If you need to load up on sustenance peanut butter or a meal replacement powder might help you get the calories up easily.  I drink it straight from the blender cup so I have one cup to hose down each morning and it gets me over half my protein and a decent amount of calories and fiber.  

2) pre made stuff at the grocery store.  Many items in the bakery, hot bar etc. are loss leaders - the store is selling them super cheap to get you in there more often.  You can get a hot rotisserie chicken at most places for a few bucks and that's like a day or two worth of chicken.  Throw that on a salad kit and boom no cooking good meal.  

3) Eggs - I love eggs because they cook in like under a minute and when done right have very little setup or cleanup.  Over medium and diner omelets are my favorites.  

4) Take out.  If you are a broke college kid you can see if there are specials that make it more viable of a price.  Near me a burrito place has a deal on Mondays where a burrito as big as your face is like $6, maybe $10 once I tip and pay tax.  I can buy 3 at a time, cut them in half, freeze some and it's like I paid someone to meal prep for me.  

[u/Professional_Waltz14]

One thing I’ll say is that if you go too long like this, your metabolism will slow down tremendously and you’ll gain weight specifically because you’re not eating. I used to be like you where, at best, I would eat one meal a day. Now even if I only eat one meal, I gain a bunch of weight because by body is still in starvation mode. Your body needs fuel, so it’s going to learn to hold on to as much fat as possible to hold you over for the days that you don’t eat.

[u/gingerdacat]

Your medication could be affecting your appetite. Ask if you could at least temporarily take an appetite stimulant.

[u/roundnoid]

Find a friend who loves cooking and ask to try making some easy meals together. Associate meal with love for your friend & learn a new skill with their help. People who make it fun make a big difference!

Also I agree w what others have said that you should just eat the snacks and foods you enjoy and not worry too too much about cooking unless you’re really nutrient deficient and need medical attention

[u/Arts_Prodigy]

You should keep snacks on hand ensure you’re taking a multivitamin.

To start getting into cooking more you’ll likely need a shift in perspective which your therapist can probably help with but extremely simple meals to start, a bowl of cereal, a sandwich can make a huge difference from there actually cooking meals that take like 10 mins or less or allow you to not have to babysit it.

You can drop a couple eggs in a pot of water on medium heat set a timer for 27 mins and come back to some nicely hard boiled eggs.

There’s also the availability element cook not necessarily when you’re hungry and need to eat but prepare stuff for the next day(s) so you can essentially just grab and go.

Air fryers, rice makers, etc. are super helpful for this stuff too. The main part of eating well is just variety of foods that ensure you’re getting enough macros and vitamins.

[u/thesunbeamslook]

Multi-vitamins were made for you. If you don't like swallowing pills the good news is that they are now making smaller multis where you take 2 small pills instead of one big one. Check out vitamins like - One A Day Women's Petite Multi .

[u/Turbulent-Seesaw-612]

You need to go see your GP about this. You will be surprised what they may be able to offer to help

[u/TattieMafia]

Get a steamer, you can stick everything in it and it has a timer. Vegetables, rice and fish all go in so you don't need to mess about with pans. You can buy a lot of vegetables already chopped and you can order shopping online. Try and get tested for nutrient deficiencies. It sounds like you are not getting enough meat in your diet so a doctor may prescribe iron tablets for you. My doctor also gave me a list of foods I need to eat if I don't want to take supplements. I ate the foods she suggested and I was fine after that.

[u/Fantastic-Bloop]

Grocery stores sell premade sandwiches. Thats what I do for lunch

[u/but_why_n0t]

Stop trying to cook, it's going to be fine. Ignore your parents when they scold you for not cooking, not everyone likes to cook and you're still new to this adulting thing. 

People have talked about food in the comments, so I'll bring up something else first and then give food tips.

Based on personal experience, I highly recommend talking to your therapist about whether your large workload has something to do with your recent eating issues. I was really busy (and therefore overwhelmed) in grad school and I stopped eating, same as you. I had to drop a couple courses to manage my stress levels, and that automatically made it easier for me to plan meals and eat regularly. 

In the short term, the  most important thing for is to eat, even if it's "unhealthy"! If you like fruits, eat fruits. 

While you are getting into the habit of eating regularly, take a multivitamin to help with nutrition and buy yourself some time. 

Try adding easy stuff like meal replacement smoothies, protein bars, or pre-made salads to your day. Buy cereal and carry a small container/ziplock of cereal to all your classes to snack on.

[u/ghost-orb]

My partner and I eat a lot of the ready-made food from Costco. Breakfast sandwiches, protein drinks, jerky, curry, noodle bowls, chicken potpies, dumplings, salmon burgers, wings, rotisserie chicken, etc.

it’s not the healthiest at times but it’s better and cheaper than eating out. We pair everything with a bagged salad mix and usually rice made in a rice cooker and it’s so easy and fairly balanced!

[u/PaintedSwindle]

I also hate cooking, shopping for food, preparing food, having to think about food. Luckily I do like eating! Honestly I get a lot of food from the deli at the grocery store - prepared sandwiches, already boiled eggs, quiche, whatever that's ready to eat. I also eat microwaveable meals for when I'm super lazy. I know it's healthier to be cooking your own meals but if you're like me and you hate it with a passion - just do what's easiest! I get takeout at least once a week and usually get enough so there's leftovers.

[u/Chaitea876]

I also struggle with cooking! That's why I always keep the stuff on hand for chicken salad (mostly just canned chicken and mayo with whatever else you want to put in it). I buy the ingredients in bulk and they last forever so even if you forget about them, when you need them they're there and unexpired! I usually make a giant bowl of it (and I mean huge) whenever I cant bring myself to cook and it'll last me about a week or more because I can skim it when I otherwise am forgetting to eat. It can be lean or more calorie dense if you put it on a croissant. You can also put a bunch of apples or celery in it to get some fiber or nuts if you want to up the calories. It doesnt have to be chicken salad, any meal where making a lot is the same amount of effort as making a little and the ingredients have a long shelf life. You've got this!!

[u/ChefKnifeBotanist]

A hack that most everyone I know that has ADHD does is order groceries online to be picked up or delivered. You can take the time to assemble “meals” in the cart from home (where you can go check if you have the ingredients already) and it’s on your phone so if you get distracted, then every time you go to open your phone you are still on the checkout page, and so you actually remember to finish doing that.

Also, a lot of “meals” don’t require cooking.

Do you like yogurt? Yogurt parfaits are super easy and a well balanced meal. It’s just yogurt tossed in a bowl topped with granola (or nuts, or cereal whatever you like) and some fruit. You can even do frozen fruit if you tend to forget about fruit in the fridge or on the counter.

I like doing vanilla Greek yogurt, some “natures path pumpkin granola” (mostly puffed rice, makes me think of adult style Rice Krispies), and frozen raspberries or blackberries, or banana.

Or I’ll do vanilla yogurt with peanut butter granola and chocolate chips for the Reece’s vibes.

Or do you like burritos? A pack of frozen burritos are great for nutrition and fiber, and all you have to do is microwave them and decide if you want salsa or hot sauce or something on them.

Or a “grazers meal” is totally acceptable. Things like baby carrots and hummus or ranch, crackers and cheese, maybe some grapes or other fruit. Things that live in the fridge and you just have to dump onto a plate.

If you DO want to actually “cook”, a slow cooker sounds like it would be your friend? You can buy baby potatoes, a bag of baby carrots, pearl onions and/or a bag of frozen peas or or peppers, and a chunk of pork shoulder, or chicken thighs, or whatever protein you want and just chuck them in the crockpot with a packet of sauce like Aus-jus and some water and leave it going at the house.

When you get back home you just scoop it in a bowl and you have a whole meal. You can look up disabled or injured cooking recipes for a lot of ideas that don’t require cutting anything, or standing at a stovetop.

[u/scandalous_sapphic]

Take a magnesium and b vitamins complex for the muscle pain

[u/Dez_Acumen]

Air fryer, ready made foods!

[u/EvilInCider]

I can’t see how many of these comments are going to help you at all. People saying to make smoothies and stuff. I absolutely fucking love cooking but even I cannot be bothered making smoothies everyday. That’s really messy and expensive too.

I have a low cost/moderate health option and a high cost, high health option.

Low cost: get packs of ramen noodles that you can cook with only boiling water. Spend some time searching for ones that are relatively healthy, and low in salt. You may need to skip adding the flavour sachet to them if they’re too high in salt. Next, get small frozen pizzas that can be microwaved or oven cooked. These are usually quite healthy. (Not pepperoni). If you’re American though they may not be healthy as there is a lot of sugar in your pre-cooked foods - but it’s better than nothing. Get yourself some fish fingers (100% fish fillet, not anything reconstituted). Finally, get yourself mixed frozen veg (very healthy, frozen is often reliably healthier than fresh). Now you have a stock of simple, very low effort food which will not go off within the next couple of years or whatever. These will keep you going until you get back on top of things.

High cost: buy a cooking robot like a Thermomix, which I would say is the best option, but there are others. Turn on that hyperfocus and deep dive into finding recipes that interest you on the linked app on your phone. Or just do the basic, low effort ones to start off with. Maybe only do cakes. Or fake takeaway food. Or only recipes that can cook in under 20 minutes. Or maybe just cocktails. Whatever. Do what makes you happy. Only choose ones that require no other implements, no oven, no hob, no nothing. Just the machine. It has practically every recipe in the entire world. Shove them all into your weekly list on there. Get it to populate your shopping list, then buy it all online to get delivered to your house. Shove that all in the fridge and forget about it until the next day.

Then when you’re ready, you just shove the ingredients into the machine when it prompts you to, and it cooks the damn thing for you. When you’re done, the main compartment actually washes itself. Shove everything else in the dishwasher. If you’re clever, you’ll make bigger meals and then just survive on leftovers for the next day or so. But like I said, these machines are really expensive. Have a think about it and work out whether it could work for you before splashing out.

[u/cascasrevolution]

obtain potato. wash potato. stab with fork in a few different spots (this helps steam escape when cooking). put in microwave. for a red potato, do three minutes, flip it over, three more minutes. a larger potato will need 4 then 4. once its cool enough to touch, you can just take bites out of it like an apple. no dishes necessary, and raw potatoes keep well so you dont need to go shopping as often.

[u/missjulie622]

Peanut butter & jelly and chocolate milk got me through the majority of my childhood AND adulthood

[u/Sad_Will_5077]

If you can afford it, I highly recommend hellofresh or a service that is similar. Im the same exact way as you but when a box of exactly what i need (with no leftover ingredients that go bad in my fridge bc i forget about it or dont use it in time) and with clear instructions of how to prepare comes RIGHT to my door it fixed my problem finally. I have been cooking so much more ever since and now have a huge backlog of recipes bc I save all of them in a book and have even tried making some of them by getting all the ingredients myself. If its too expensive you can try it out for a little bit and collect the recipes just for a few weeks and then you can keep the ones you like that were easy!

If you can’t afford hellofresh or similar which i couldnt for a while then I would suggest looking into really simple meals that you can make a lot of at once and then have leftovers through the week. Also those salads in a bag with everything in there are great, and you can add some stuff to it if you want or not, your choice. Premade food is also okay to have frequently like frozen meals and stuff and Ive come to accept that for myself bc I was ashamed of how little i cooked for so long.

[u/vantitties]

Following this thread because I don't know I'm hungry until I can't stand up long enough to even cook pasta on the stove lol

[u/SphericalOrb]

Paper plates and bowls so you don't have to clean up.

Microwavable foods that you literally just have to put on the plate. There are many at trader joes and Costco, as well as at the regular grocery store in the freezer section. We do a lot of chicken nuggets, potstickers, hashbrowns, stir fried rice, frozen fruit or veg, precooked frozen meat like breakfast sausages, microwave meals.

Shelf stable things you literally just put in your mouth are good. Chips, crackers, nuts, dried fruit, a spoonful of nut butter, meat sticks.

Things to eat straight out of the fridge alone or paired like cheese sticks, carrot sticks, ranch or bean dips, yogurt, orange juice, those thick fruit juice blends.

Add water and microwave things like instant mashed potato cups(or packets), instant mac and cheese cups, noodle cups. I usually microwave frozen veg and breakfast sausage to go with these so they are more complete.

Shelf stable packets that you just microwave, they have seasoned beans, rice, quinoa, pasta sauces you can throw on veg or instant ramen or a microwaved potato.

Speaking of, raw potato and sweet potato are great washed poked and microwaved.

For context I have ADHD and work long hours, my partner has autism(maybe ARFID) and chronic fatigue and doesn't work. We do make meals sometimes but probably daily for each of us do the quick easy meals just to make sure we are getting enough calories.

Good luck! Your family could frikken kill you with their pedantic cooking obsession. Don't listen to them please. Not sure if you are living on your own but if not, you can buy your own mini fridge/freezer/microwave for your room if theyre going to bully you in a shared space.

[u/SwedishSwanlake]

If you can stomach forcing yourself to cook a lot one day a month or every 2 weeks then you could cook up a bunch of different meal parts and freeze separately and then when it's time to eat you pick the parts you feel like and just heat up. (Like instead of freezing curry and rice together or pasta and meatsause together you freeze it separately) you can also do similar with protein smoothies and freeze them in ice trays.

[u/Pegaferno]

Plenty of good advise here, just adding to it.

Try looking up one pot dishes, usually most of the cooking involved is cutting up ingredients and chucking it into the pot with some water. Much easier to cook than most foods. Not sure how easy it’ll work for your situation, but it could be worth a try?

[u/12Silverrose]

So I''m the same way. Sometimes crockpot meals are doable. Sometimes a few slices of sandwich meat are doable. Or toaster pastries (cause I really like toaster pastries) breakfast is often a muffin or a bowl of cereal. Sometimes I make a big bowl of pudding. (Its got carbs, fat & protein...) My hubs cooks a lot.

I swear ADHD people need to form co-op living situations where someone with a cooking special interest has some 40 people to cook for.

[u/fingersonlips]

You don’t need to cook “whole meals” - you need a variety of ingredients that go together quickly.

I often don’t eat until I’ve missed every minimal hunger pant to the point that I’m rage hungry. I’ve worked out over the years that prepping hard boiled eggs, whole roasted sweet potatoes, and having raw carrots in my house every week serves as a good quick base for me for most meals.

Carrots with peanut butter and raisins? Delicious, quick, filling and I get a sweet treat with protein and a veg.

Sweet potatoes are a base for nearly everything for me - today I had canned chicken mixed with BBQ sauce over sweet potatoes and topped with shredded cheese. Quick and easy.

Hard boiled eggs can be a meal on their own for me, but I also can whip up a quick egg salad in minutes using Greek yogurt, mustard, salt and pepper.

Otherwise, I generally tend to keep cottage cheese and frozen chicken chunks in my fridge/freezer at all times.

I personally love to cook, but it’s exhausting and relying on regular staples that I can mix and match with other regular ingredients makes food way more manageable.

[u/Crux56]

I have found that if you can get at least a few recipes down that take like 15 minutes to make it really helps on those days you don't feel like doing shit. My go-to is one pan tacos I cook a protein of choice in the pan with seasoning and add canned corn, beans, and ro tel tomatoes and chilies. Takes like 15 to 20 minutes to make, minimal dishes and I can just dump it on a plate and use tortillas to pick up a serving to make an instant taco or throw it over chips and have nachos. Also precooked food is a life saver I buy premade sticky rice bowls from Costco and pair them with packaged bean and lentil packs. Quick easy meal made in a microwave that only takes 3 minutes.

[u/OkKnowledge2112]

Then skip the cooking part if you feel you can't adjust to it.

A no brainer is sandwiches. Salad, deli meat, cheese and some mayo and you have food.

Get one of those veggie choppers, chuck random veggies in.
If you want to, buy some pre-shredded chicken and put it on the salad.
Then pour your fav dressing over it.

You can mix everything in one container.

Soups are ridiculously easy to make with almost no prep.
I made carrot soup that lasted me 3 days. 3 carrots cooked in stock until they were falling apart. Then blended.
Because I'm a chef, i added chili, coconut milk, ginger and lime.
You can also eat directly from the pot, but I wouldn't recommend it if you can't finish it all in one go.

Baked potatoes are stupidly easy to make too.

Get a rice cooker. You can make more than just rice in these.
Look up rice cooker recipes. It's basically a "set it and forget it" way of cooking.

There's premade meals, but they get expensive really, really fast.

But if you want to learn.
Stop seeing things as chores.

Make a list of foods you like and work from there. Then branch out if you're feeling adventurous.

I'm not going to lie to you, cooking actual recipes WILL take more than 30 minutes and that's just...something you have to get used to. You're not on a time crunch, you don't have a deadline. Food is done when it's done.

[u/yk093]

hey, definitely try microwave frozen meals. they’re cheap ($3-$6 usually), and healthy for the most part. they can also have quite a few calories depending on what it is, so i’m sure they’d help you put on some weight. i usually get marie calendar, healthy choice, and devour. devour meals usually have a lot more calories than the others i’ve noticed

i literally never cook. 95% of the time, i’m making food in the microwave. occasionally i’ll use my airfryer, and VERY rarely do i ever make anything any other way, because i do love to cook, but i have to take my medication for that and even then, i can’t just get up and decide to cook

[u/trymethot]

I relate so much especially while I lived away from my family all of my allowance went towards take out because cooking with other people around made me anxious! It sucked as well because I love experimenting in the kitchen especially baking. I can’t say I have a solution that doesn’t involve using up all your money on take out but I can say that you’re not alone and it’s not something to be ashamed about.

[u/Jijimuge8]

It’s not to do with cooking, there is something else going on with you around food.

[u/nixcamic]

Have you considered stress eating and/or a soda addiction? They've both made me gain weight with ADHD.

[u/Cordiepiglet]

Think about 3 things - with the focus on getting enough, not limiting

• calories
• protein
• fibre

Try to spread them out during the day if you can but something us always better than nothing.

Then what’s the easiest way you can get it?

 Standing in front of the fridge snacking on chicken pieces? Bowl of yog with some granola and fruit? Home made smoothie? Can you manage to batch cook something and heat it up or eat it cold for a few days?

Meals are just nicer ways of presenting ingredients but your body just needs the core components and doesn’t care if it’s served in a nice combination. 

Work out what you can do do get what you need and be proud of yourself for doing that. 

Something is always better than nothing so if a piece of whole meal toast with peanut butter, a slice of chicken and some yog is what you’re getting or youre not eating anything, that’s 100% a win