Diet and Nutrition

Few things are as important for the health of a child on the autism spectrum as diet as it can drastically affect their symptomology and ability to process. Over time it can lay the foundation for which all other therapies are made possible and effective. Short term, it can provide relief from excruciating discomfort of gut dysbiosis and yeast overgrowth, and whole natural foods possess an extraordinary ability to restore proper metabolic function. There is a certain degree of flexibility in some diets more than others but attention to avoid dietary infractions could greatly increase visible improvements. Dietary infractions will happen, but there are ways to make preventing them easier, so that the biomedical model is more workable in the home. An organized approach to following through with this can lessen the parent's stuggle with implementing those diets. Being kept on an appropriate combination of diets can lessen the child's struggle in almost every area of navigating daily life.

Nutritional Therapy

Nutritional Therapy is the process of improving diet to it's highest level to positively impact physical and neurological function and restore metabolic balance. These changes can greatly influence the daily life skill functions of the child, their ability to learn, and their physical comfort.

In his book Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders, Kenneth Bock, MD suggests the following:

"Here's the simplest possible summary of nutritional therapy: Restrict gluten and casein for a few months, along with any specific foods that cause reactions, and be careful about yeast-proliferating foods, excessive carbs, and non-organic foods. That's all most kids require, and many of them don't even need to do that much. If you do all that and are still having lots of problems, consider the Specific Carbohydrate diet and the low-oxalate diet."

"Practically every child can benefit to some degree from these basic, commonsense recommendations. Even healthy kids often get healthier. Here's a nice side benefit: You'll inevitably begin to follow many of these new rules yourself, and when you do, you may feel better than you have in years. Wholesome, whole non-reactive foods are good for everyone."

What Are the Steps Involved?

The Healing Program, suggested by Dr. Bock, consists of four essential elements (nutritional, biochemistry, detoxification, and medication), each of which includes a number of therapeutic modalities. Remember though that there is no one-size-fits-all program. It is highly individualized, based upon clinical testing, symptoms, goals, and reactions.

What Are the Specific Diets?

Click here for a complete list of dietary options, each of which have been shown to be highly effective in improving the severe symptoms of children on the ASD spectrum. The final decision should be based upon the specific needs of the child.

Autism Diet Overview

From Julie Matthews of Nourishing Hope

Significant scientific data and overwhelming anectdotal analysis indicates a link between Autism symptoms and Diet.

The conclusions demonstrate that diet can have a significant effect on behavior, cognition, and autism/ADHD and their symptoms. DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!) practitioners believe that diet is the most important place to begin biomedical autism intervention.

The common symptoms reported to improved by diet are: stimming, language, attention, hyperactivity, learning, fatigue, aggression, self-injurious behavior, rashes, digestion, diarrhea, constipation, gas, and more. According to the parents polled by DAN!, after chelation, diet is the most effective intervention for children on the autistic spectrum – - more that any drug, nutrient, or other biomedical therapy.

For more information, please visit the Autism Issue of The Healthful Living Advocate.

Excerpt from upcoming book by author Nancy Guberti

www.coachforhealthyliving.com

1. Healthy foods must be eaten. This means that kids need to restrict their diets mainly to nourishing, nutrient-dense, non-processed foods. Ideally, whole, organic foods should be eaten, to increase nutrient intake and to reduce exposure to toxins. Children must exclude tuna; avoid any meats that have been treated with arsenic, hormones and antibiotics; and restrict foods with pesticides and herbicides.

2. Allergenic foods must be avoided. This includes foods that cause the sometimes more subtle reactions of food sensitivities and food intolerances. These allergenic foods can wreak neurological havoc. Allergy can be a direct or an indirect trigger of symptoms of autism, ADHD, and asthma. It can create problem throughout the body, and can cause serious metabolic malfunctions, including neurological dysfunction.

3. Yeast-proliferating foods must be avoided by some children, because excess yeast, or candida, acting as a fungus in the intestines, harms digestion and sends toxins to the body and brain. Many children improve immensely when yeast problems are overcome. Overcoming yeast overgrowth is often one of the first aspects of treatment.

4. Foods that contain gluten and casein must be avoided by the children who react negatively to these foods. This means no wheat, and no dairy products. In some kids, these foods cause serious neurological and gastrointestinal problems. Avoiding these foods can be very hard for some kids, because many children literally become addiction to these foods, through impaired digestive process that creates opiate-like substances that reach the brain.

5. Carbohydrates are limited for some kids, to stabilize their blood sugar, and to improve the health of their gastrointestinal systems. Low blood sugar can trigger and exacerbate some autistic and ADHD symptoms. This is very common. Unfortunately, hypoglycemia is such a mundane condition, and is so common among kids, that its power to cause problems is often overlooked.

A Word About Food Dyes
From The Feingold Association of the United States

Do you eat crude oil?

If you eat foods which contain synthetic dyes ("food colors") then the answer is yes. These artificial colorings - which are found in familiar supermarket food, medications, and some non-foods such as toothpaste and mouthwash - are synthesized from petroleum. They were originally made from coal tar oil, and are still referred to in the industry as "coal tar dyes". (Source: U.S. Food & Drug Administration)

What's wrong with a little petrol in my diet?

Scientists have found that many people are sensitive to these chemicals, which can trigger a wide number of behavior, learning and health problems. "Artificial flavors and colors have been associated with respiratory allergic disorders, with urticaria (hives) and angioedema, with lesions of the tongue and buccal mucosa, with digestive disturbances, with arthralgia and hydrarthroses, and with headache and behavioral disturbances, including hyperkinesis in childhood." ( Nelson's Textbook of Pediatrics, 1987)

If they were harmful wouldn't they be banned?

Most of the synthetic dyes have already been banned, and those few which remain have been found to trigger many problems in sensitive people. The food and Drug Administration has tried for many years to have Red Dye Number 3 baned, but has faced vigorous industry and political pressure from manufacturers. (commitee on Governmental Operations/U.S. House of Representatives, 1985)

Dyes which have been banned as health hazards:

• Sudan 1
• Butter Yellow
• Carbon Black
• Red 1
• Red 2
• Red 4
• Red 32
• Citrus Red
• Orange 1
• Orange 2
• Orange B
• Yellow 1
• Yellow 2
• Yellow 3
• Yellow 4
• Green 1
• Green 3
• Violet 1

(Source: Public Citizen Health Research Group)

Dyes still in use in foods*:

• Red 3 - Partially banned; causes thyroid cancer in animals; is also used as a pesticide, to kill fly's eggs (maggots) in manure piles. (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
• Red 22 - *Not Permitted in food, but found in many lipsticks; can be used as a herbicide, to kill marijuana plants. (Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture)
• Red 40 - Banned in Canada, but used in the U.S.; suspected of causing cancerous tumors in test animals.
• Yellow 5 - Widely used in foods and drugs; causes asthma and hives in some individuals; (U.S. Food & Drug Administration) triggers hyperactivity in sensitive children. (Lancet, Mar. 9, 1985)
• Yellow 6 - Can cause urticaria (hives), rhinitis, nasal congestion, bronchoconstriction, anaphylactoid reaction, purpura, indigestion, abdominal pain, vomiting. (Source: American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs, 1985)
• Blue 1 and 2 - Blue 2 has recently been approved despite continuing controversy. (Source: Public Citizen Heath Research Group)

Foods free of these and other harmful additives can be found in your supermarket; often the consumer need only switch from one brand to another. A nonprofit organization can help you avoid petroleum-based additives.

Contact:
Feingold Association of the United States
PO Box 6550
Alexandria, VA 22308