Specific Diets

Each of these diets has shown considerable promise in the treatment of children on the spectrum. My experience has shown that whichever changes the child responds to, even making some of those changes has a high chance of significantly impacting the child's comfort level and therefore ability to function. These diets provide a cuisine that is fresh, free of toxins and cater to each individual child's specific set of restrictions based on intolerances, allergies, yeast proliferation, and detoxification needs. There are many alternatives for flavor, texture and mouth feel to satisfy children with feeding issues.

Gluten Free Casein Free Diet: A gluten-free casein-free diet (or GFCF diet) eliminates intake of the naturally-occurring proteins gluten (found naturally in wheat, barley, and rye) and casein (found in milk). The Autism Research Institute and other advocacy groups recommend the diet as a treatment for autism and related disorders.
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The Specific Carbohydrate Diet: The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is a nutritional regimen used to treat a variety of chronic and auto-immune disorders including Crohn's Disease, Celiac Sprue, Ulcerative Colitis, Diverticulitis, Celiac Disease, Autism and Cystic Fibrosis. Commonly compared to the Atkins Diet and other low-carbohydrate approaches, the SCD eliminates all starches, processed sugars, and complex carbohydrates. Popularized by Elaine Gottschall's book Breaking the Vicious Cycle, the diet is specifically designed to alleviate signs and symptoms of many of these chronic conditions. However, Gottschall makes it clear that if one is thinking about following the diet, one must do so with what she calls "fanatical adherence," meaning that it should be followed to the letter for best results.
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The Anti-Yeast Diet: The Anti-Yeast Diet is often utilized alongside other diets to help reduce the inflammation and discomfort caused by Candida.

The Anti-Yeast Diet is included in Dr. Kenneth Bock's Healing Program's list of specific diets. On the diet he writes:

"This diet, which can be done at the same time as the GF/CF diet as well as the anti-food reaction diet, and the other appropriate diets, is somewhat difficult for some people, but not very complicated. The difficulty of this diet is reduced drastically if you're child is already on the GF/CF diet, because may yeast-promoting foods contain gluten and casein. This diet also goes hand in hand with the anti-hypoglycemia diet, because the same general restrictions apply to both."
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The Anti-Hypoglycemic Diet: The Anti-Hypoglycemia Diet is included in Dr. Kenneth Bock's Healing Program's list of specific diets. On the diet he writes:
"Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is very common among children with 4-A disorders (autism, ADHD, asthma, and allergies), particularly those with autism and ADHD. Many of the symptoms of hypoglycemia are consistent with those of autism and ADHD, including poor cognitive function, irritability, propensity to tantrum, spaciness, lethargy, physical weakness, confusion, and inability to be consistently articulate. Therefore, I believe, as do other practitioners of biomedical treatment for autism and ADHD, that those hypoglycemic symptoms often mimic, amplify, and trigger symptoms of autism and ADHD. Thus, the symptoms of hypoglycemia can sometimes contribute to misdagnoses of autism and especially ADHD, particularly when they are combined with symptoms of the other physical problems that so often afflict children with autism and ADHD."

"High-starch foods, such as potatoes or corn, can also be disruptive to blood sugar levels, because pure starch sprints through the system almost as quickly as pure sugar."
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The Paleolithic Diet: A focus on raw and lightly prepared foods as done over thousands of years, utilizing soaking, slow cooking, broth, meats with bones. High vegetable content, minimal grains except for fermented.

The Paleolithic diet (abbreviated Paleo diet) is also known as the caveman diet, prehistoric diet, Stone Age diet, or hunter-gatherer diet. It is the diet of wild plants and animals that various human species (see Homo (genus)) habitually consumed during the Paleolithic period (the Old Stone Age), a period of about 2 million years duration, ending about 10,000 years ago, when Homo sapiens, invented agriculture. The modern version of this diet uses domesticated sources in lieu of the wild sources of the original hunter-gatherer diet.
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The Ketogenic Diet: The ketogenic diet is a very high fat diet that relies on inducing a state of ketosis. It is most commonly used for the treatment of pediatric epilepsy, to lose body fat, and is also under early research for the treatment of cancer (see External Links). The diet typically provides 3-4 grams of fat for every 1 gram of carbohydrate and protein combined. A likely ketogenic diet comprises about 88% fat, 10% proteins and 2% of carbohydrate energy.
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The Feingold Diet: The Feingold diet is a food elimination program developed by Ben F. Feingold, MD to treat hyperactivity. It eliminates a number of artificial colors and artificial flavors, aspartame, three petroleum-based preservatives, and (at least initially) certain salicylates. There has been much debate about the efficacy of this program. Some mainstream medical practitioners deny that it is of any value, while other medical practitioners, as well as many people living with ADHD and parents of children with ADHD, claim that it is effective in the management of ADHD as well as a number of other behavioral, physical and neurological conditions. The debate has continued for more than 30 years, involving not only consumers and physicians, but scientists, politicians, and the pharmaceutical and food industries.
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The Low Oxalate Diet: Oxalate is a highly reactive molecule that is abundant in many plant foods, but in human cells, when it is present in high amounts, it can lead to oxidative damage, depletion of glutathione, the igniting of the immune system's inflammatory cascade, and the formation of crystals which seem to be associated with pain and prolonged injury.
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The Body Ecology Diet: The Body Ecology Diet shows you how to restore and maintain the important "inner ecology" your body needs to function properly and to eliminate or control the symptoms that rob you of the joy of living.
Body Ecology Diet

The Weston Price Diet: The Weston Price Foundation is known for its positive stance towards the traditional consumption of saturated fats, as well as its efforts to provide scientifically founded clarification about fats to the public.
The Weston Price Diet