diet and autism

Leave a comment Posted on April 23, 2016July 4, 2017 Autism

Diet – what impact has change in diet had on the signs and symptoms of Autism , ADD and ADHD?

Autism, ADHD, ADD and Diet

A couple of days ago I was having a chat with an old college buddy. He mentioned that he had become intolerant to gluten and that his doctor had put him on a gluten free diet. He then mentioned that he noticed that it had significantly improved his mild symptoms of ADD. To be fair I didn’t know he had ADD.

Now over the years a lot of research has been done on the relationship between bowel disorders and autism. And there certainly seems to be some kind of relationship. This research was certainly interesting!

So I thought I would open it up to my readers and find out if they felt diet had had any effect on their signs and symptoms of ADHD, autism and ADD. Firstly it would be great if you could take the poll below.

Second could you use the comments section below to tell us a bit more about your story! You might want to consider some of the following questions but everything you have to say is of great interest!

a) What was the original diagnosis of you or your loved one?

b) What diet did you try/use and on whose advice?

c) How effective were these diets?

d) Would you recommend this to others?

Thanks very much for your help!

6 Comments Posted on May 29, 2014 Autism, Patient Talk

The Strange Case of Autism, PETA and the Missing Dairy Products.

Dairy and autism

In the UK at the moment we are on school holidays which means that because I’m looking after the children at the moment blogging is of necessity light.

But there are somethings I do think it worth bringing to the attention of my readers. In yesterday’s Daily Telegraph blog section a rather strange article called “The scaremongering witchdoctors of Peta are trying to link autism and dairy products. There is no link“. The article is penned, or should I say pixeled, by a bloke called Damian Thompson who is the Editor of the Telegraph blog section.

The gist of the blog post, as I understand it and correct me if I am wrong, is that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is suggesting that their is some evidence for dairy products having a link with autism.

Now this is not a total new one on me (diet and autism, it is often said, are commented) but I can really tease out the argument from Thompson’s article. Which is why I am writing this post in the first place.

Does anyone have any more information of the subject?

For example have you found eliminating dairy products from you or a loved ones diet have had any impact upon the various ASD related behaviours.

I ask because I’m genuinely interested. Our son John is not big of milk and cheese. He likes the occasional cup of milk and has a cheese sandwich a few times a month. White bread of course!

Please share share your thoughts and experiences about dairy and autism in the comments section below.

Thanks in advance.

Leave a comment Posted on May 2, 2014May 2, 2014 Autism, Diet, Patient Talk

NEAT Kids – Nutrition Exercise and Therapy for children with developmental and behavioral challenges – a guest post from Jessica Tomkins

NEAT Kids

Welcome to our latest guest post in our series of autism and ASD/ASC related blog posts. Today Jessica Tomkins introduces us to a very interesting work in progress which we think many of of interested to a lot of parents with children who have been diagnosed on the autistic spectrum. Tomkins writes:

“NEAT stands for Nutrition Exercise and Therapy for children with developmental and behavioral challenges, and the mission behind NEAT Kids is to target every aspect of a child to help them reach their optimal wellness.

Everyone who is a part of NEAT Kids are big believers that it starts with proper nutrition and exercise and as a result different therapies will fall into place!

We also use the latest scientific research to help support our cause. We have an accredited Occupational Therapist, Exercise Specialist, and Human Nutritionist on board, all to make sure we are providing the finest information to our followers!

Our Facebook URL is: facebook.com/NEATKids, and the website and logo are currently in the making 🙂 ”

So watch this space for more information

Leave a comment Posted on March 20, 2014March 20, 2014 Autism, Patient Talk

Feeding your child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? Please help The Irish Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Research (ICAN) with a survey

Irish Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Research

Have you experienced difficulties with food with your child? Maybe feeding problems have not been an issue for your child? The Irish Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Research (ICAN) in National University of Ireland, Galway are interested in hearing about your experiences with feeding issues with a child or adolescent aged 3 to 17 years with autism. We are interested in understanding how feeding problems affect a child’s gastrointestinal symptoms, sensory problems and behaviour problems. Even if your child doesn’t have these symptoms, we can still learn a lot from your information on why some children have these symptoms and others do not.

Please click below to learn more.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_idSZPwZVjCQMD5hRl3fkvzzdzmX3T0AJaxoPbRnLWk/viewform

You may also be interested in a previous blog post on this very subject https://patienttalk.org/autism-and-challenging-behaviour-part-four-eating-and-diet/

Leave a comment Posted on March 3, 2014September 1, 2018 Autism, Diet, Patient Talk

Making Changes for Autism Spectrum Disorder through Gluten Free and Casein Free Diets – A guest Post from Karmel Ungerleider-Abrams of Progressive Nectar

Karmel Ungerleider-Abrams

Take charge and rescue a loved one from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) through diet. ASD is an all-encompassing term for a group of complex disorders of brain development. For many children with ASD a Gluten Free (GF) / Casein Free (CF) diet can assist with symptom management.

Why go Gluten-Free?

Many children with autism have food allergies/sensitivities due to digestive or immune system dysfunction, especially if there is inflammation of the gut. If foods that are symptomatic for a child are digested you may see behavior issues and or physical issues arise until the gut is healed.

Many children crave dairy and/or wheat because certain peptides can bind themselves to the opioid-receptors of the brain leaving them craving more—like a morphine drug addiction. This seems to occur because the body is unable to breakdown the peptides completely. You may find the following issues due to this abnormality function; sleeplessness, inattention, self-abuse and abusive behaviors.

Find Experts and Resources to help.

By working with your medical provider and nutritionist, you can discuss a food elimination diet assisting your child moving towards a GF/CF lifestyle. Many studies have recommended removing dairy from the diet first for a week, and then eliminate gluten closely after. You will probably see results more quickly from removing dairy. It may take longer to notice a change after removing gluten from the diet, as it can linger in the body for up to seven years after elimination. Please note when removing dairy from the diet, calcium and vitamin D supplements are necessary. There are many organic whole foods that contain calcium and vitamin D on their own which can be worked into the diet. A great place to start is by viewing the UCSF Calcium Content Food List. Also there is a calcium calculator provided at the International Osteoporosis Foundation site.

Change is not easy, but worth the results.

Changing a diet is not easy, but there are resources and fun creative ways to present food!

Coconut Almond encrusted chicken strips

We here at Progressive Nectar—your recipe resource for food sensitivities—love to get creative and play with our food. Check out a few links below to recipes your children may fall in love with.

Burger Loaded with Veggies

Gluten-Free Almond Coconut Fried Chicken Strips

Chicken Apple Sausage and Greens

Green Pasta Sauce (Almond Basil Pesto)

Chocolate Avocado Pudding—Non Dairy

If you haven’t tried going gluten-free, try it for thirty days and see how your family feels. Feel free to use Progressive Nectar us as a resource for culinary inspiration along with your local and online Autism support communities.

About the author:

Karmel is a food writer and Co-Founder of Progressive Nectar Publishing—producingprogressivenectar.com, a recipe discovery site focused on gluten-free and special diet lifestyle. She lovesgluten-free cooking, snowboarding, mountain biking, volunteering at the South West Charter School and living in Portland, Oregon with her family and dog Boo.

Other Resources:

Summary of Dietary, Nutritional, and Medical Treatments for Autism – based on over 150 published research studies By James B. Adams, Ph.D. Director, ASU Autism/Asperger’s Research Program

Autism Society- Oregon Chapter

National Autism Association

Autism Speaks

Feingold Diet