Diets!

Those of us who don't have autism are bombarded with diets. There is a new diet fad every few months it seems, all endorsed by celebrities to boot. There's Atkins, Dukan, Flat-Belly (yes - I own the book, no - I never followed it, aside from the fantastic suggestion of having dark chocolate with every meal - genius!), gluten-free for other reasons than celiac disease, paleo, the list goes on.
Some of these diets have great components and frankly, can't be any worse than the typical American diet of processed boxes of corn with some ground corn-fed meat in it. Ick.

The autism community is no different in that there are TONS of different diets that some on the almighty internet will swear that it has 'cured' their child.
Let me touch on a couple of the main ones that people use. I will discuss some of the others at a later date, and I'll also go into more detail on these.


Feingold

The Feingold Diet is commonly associated with ADHD and is based on the premise that food additives can cause behaviour problems in children. They have a great website here. This is a diet that is relatively easy to adjust to, after all, which parent hasn't said to a child "no, you can't have skittles, they make you bonkers", or words to that effect. For children when I was growing up, it was orange smarties (the chocolate-centered, sugar coated variety in the UK). Dyes and other additives are common in the American processed food diet. Feingold simply says try to remove those additives - give your child 'cleaner' food and their behaviour might improve. It often does.

There is research to support the interaction of food dyes, additives and behaviour problems and so to save me re-inventing the wheel, the Feingold site has listed them all for your reading pleasure here.
If you want to try a diet but aren't sure you want to commit to a more restrictive alternative, give this a go. The worst thing you will achieve is knowing that your child is eating better, cleaner food. Some parents report a big change in children when they aren't fed junk, especially related to hyperactivity and attention.


GFCFSF (Gluten, Casein, Soy-Free)

It is a big change from a western diet to switch to a diet that is totally devoid of all dairy, wheat and gluten-containing products (including most oats, rye etc) and soy.

Gluten is the protein found in wheat and some other grains and is a hard one to avoid. Think of a diet without bread and pastry. No doughnuts, cakes, cookies. Additionally, gluten contaminates every surface and appliance you use.
OK - so now I've created a bleak picture, let me reassure you. Gluten is replaceable in many things. You can find gluten-free products everywhere now, thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow and other Hollywood types touting how it's the only way to eat, as well as a huge rise in celiac disease diagnosis in recent years. You many still need to get a new toaster though if you want to be 100% compliant.

Dairy is also a tough one to avoid. No cheese, milk, cream. It also makes treats more difficult. Milk allergy is common in children with autism - our own son was allergic to milk. Again, these days, milk substitutes are everywhere. We personally like coconut and almond milk, but, you can find rice, hemp and other nut milks that are good too. They can be used in cooking and taste great and coconut milk ice-cream is to die for. Yum. Coconut oil can be used as a butter substitute in cooking and baking.

America grows soy as if it was going out of style. Additionally, most soy is genetically modified, and, frankly, that's also cause for concern in my house. Anyway, soybean oil is in EVERYTHING. When you buy vegetable oil, it's actually soybean oil. Our son's old allergist told us that 50% or more of people who are reactive to milk are also reactive to soy, whether or not it shows in a test.

So - why is this diet a good idea? Its use is based on the fact that during testing of some children with autism, when they checked their urine, they found odd metabolites (byproducts of digestion). It turns out that when some of these proteins are digested, they break into chemicals (peptides) that have a particular effect on the brain, mimicking opioids. The gluten version of this opioid is known as glidaorphin and the milk version is casomorphin.
Some children with autism are thought to have a 'leaky gut', where the gut lining is not comprised as it should be of particular microbial species, but, instead has 'holes', which allow proteins and fragments into the blood stream, where they travel to the brain and have a less than desirable effect. Opioids are addictive. If you have a child with autism that self-limits to only dairy and gluten-containing foods, the chances are they are indeed craving them.
These metabolites can be tested for - Great Plains Laboratory is one place that can conduct testing on a urine sample. Do not stop eating the foods until you have completed the test.

Fear not that this is another 'magic bullet' or Jenny McCarthy-derived fad - there is actual research being done on this diet. One centre researching this subject is based in the UK and you can find information right here. Additionally, many parents report their child does well on this diet, including my own.
(For the record, I don't have a problem with Jenny McCarthy. Whilst I don't find her super-appealing as an entertainer, I think parents (and healthcare providers) should take note of the fact that she has a child with autism and that child is doing very, very well. Additionally, the opioid theory of gluten and dairy was suggested 30 years prior to her son being diagnosed with autism.)

Our son has followed this diet for around 5 years. He is much healthier than he was prior to it, has no growth problems and also has manageable gut problems now. It was life-changing for him and us. Within a couple of weeks of us starting this diet he pointed with his index finger for the first time (at a cow) and said "moo". His constant bowel problems also dramatically improved overnight.
He was in early intervention for speech as a toddler and one day his speech pathologist came to me and asked what I'd done, since for the first time in the months she'd been coming to our house, our son had actually been interested in her and what she had brought. This was a couple of days after us starting the diet. She was blown away and simply said "keep doing it".


Why consider a diet for your child with autism? Does your child have ANY bowel problems? Are they not having formed stools or are they constipated? Is there undigested food in their stool? Are they spacey? Do they crave and self-limit to certain foods? Is their behaviour manic or weird, well, beyond what would be considered 'normal weird'?

There is no harm to trying a diet. Food is not going to poison a child, nor cause chemical changes in their brain. I always find it strange that a pediatrician will be so adamantly anti-diet intervention, but, will hand out Adderall and Risperdone like sweets - medications that have known serious side effects.

I always thought this way - if my child is getting better food and is able to absorb those nutrients, then, it will be good for their body. They will be healthier and their behavoiur might also improve. I had a child who was getting sick regularly, clearly something was amiss with his immune system and this seemed a sensible step to take. It's not easy, but, for many, it has a massive effect on the well-being of a child.

My other advice is to not try to replace foods too much. Many gluten-free processed foods are little better nutritionally than their gluten-containing originals. Try and go back to basics. Offer some chicken with veggies. Give fruit for snacks. Use unsweetened, natural nut butters for more protein. Keep the treats to a minimum and try to avoid giving high sugar alternatives. Keep in mind that kids sometimes are irritable for a few days, but, it gets better and then you will find they will be willing to try more foods. Don't force it - if they don't want to eat everything you offer, ask them to at least try one bite. Kids get hungry and they won't starve themselves. Use your judgment as a parent, but, avoid giving in and going to the food you are trying to eliminate as a way out. You will have gone back to square one.
If you don't want to do this 'cold turkey' (which we did, but it might not be the way for your family), then start introducing those substitutes gradually, then, when you do eliminate those foods, you already have some replacements in place.

The final word on this for today is this - if you think your child has allergies, or you have a history of celiac disease in your family, please ensure that you get the appropriate testing done in conjunction with your doctor prior to doing any diet changes. Talk with your doctor about your plans. A supportive or open-minded pediatrician can be a great ally in your journey.