New Resources on GFCF (Wheat and Dairy-Free) Diets on the Autism.About.Com Website
If you are plunging into the GFCF diet, you probably have quite a few questions. What can I possibly cook without milk or wheat? How can I be sure my child has enough calcium? Where can I find alternatives to milk and wheat?
You might want to start your journey with this article on Starting a GFCF Diet featuring an interview with nutritionist Carol Ann Brannon. In it, you'll find suggestions for how to get started - and pitfalls to avoid.
A brand new section of the site,Wheat and Dairy Free Recipes and Tips for Children with Autism, includes articles from around About.com focusing on what's, where's and how's of shopping and cooking for kids who can't eat wheat or dairy.
Let me know what you think of this new section. And, as always, please add your own hints and tips. If you have recipes or ideas you think should be added to the site, send those as well - and I'll add the recipe to the site and be sure to credit you!
Comments
A great resource for gluten free foods is Celiac dot Com, where you can find two separate lists for free of foods and ingredients that are and are not safe. Wheat doesn’t seem to be so much the issue as gluten does, in wheat and many other grains. I wouldn’t want anyone to be misled without understanding that.
Back when I was first starting out the Feingold Diet was touted anecdotally by parents as a Godsend. I’m happy to be living in a time, decades later, where I get to see this issue finally being researched in double blind studies as it applies to behavior and illness in our special needs children.
Celiac Disease (gluten intolerance) is often misdiagnosed and can be associated with so many miserable symptoms and ailments, gastrointestinal and otherwise. I’m really looking forward to the results of this (these) newer study(ies.)
Springerlink dot com cites preliminary results of a clinical study from 2006, the abstract there states:
This study tested the efficacy of a gluten-free and casein-free (GFCF) diet in treating autism using a randomized, double blind repeated measures crossover design. The sample included 15 children aged 2–16 years with autism spectrum disorder. Data on autistic symptoms and urinary peptide levels were collected in the subjects’ homes over the 12 weeks that they were on the diet. Group data indicated no statistically significant findings even though several parents reported improvement in their children. Although preliminary, this study demonstrates how a controlled clinical trial of the GFCF diet can be conducted, and suggests directions for future research.
I’m hoping that the newer results offer more promise, instruction and direction.
Though I too have read some primary literature regarding research in this area, all of which is non-committal or indicates that the GFCF diet is ineffectual, I can speak from personal experience that it has helped my son immensely.
Our son went from being very distant, unresponsive, not waving, and having an extremely high pain threshold to being more interactive, aware, able to wave, and feel pain in situations that previously did not elicit a response. In my opinion this diet has allowed my son to better take advantage of all the other treatments he is receiving as well as his behavioural intervention and is allowing him to progress.
Managing the diet and the food at first can be a challenge, especially for kids that self limit what they eat (though this would be a good indication to me that this diet should definitely be tried), but it quickly becomes second nature and part of the daily routine. One thing to mention as well is the fact that using this exclusion diet will be quite expensive as the foods and ingredients that are acceptable are more costly than their non-GFCF alternatives. That being the case, I feel this is one of the simplest and most productive treatments a parent can try to help their autistic child achieve their full potential.
I am a Licenssed Nutritionist with more than 30 years of experience including the nutritional, dietary, metabolic treatments of autism. Along with Pam Compart MD, I have recently co-authored a book published by Fair Winds Press: “The Kid-Friendly ADHD & Autism Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to the Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet.” On Amazon.com, the book is currently listed as
#1 best selling of autism cook books
#3 best selling of 201 gluten-free cook books
#5 best selling of 799 books on autism
There are three “legs” on the autism evaluation and treatment table: therapies and education; medication; and dietary / nutritional / biomedical. The first two address the symptom presentation whereas last addresses the underlying causes: defects in metabolism, nutritional deficiencies, malabsorption, toxic metal metabolism, immune disorders, food reactions and more. Treatments are based on sophisticated standard and specialty laboratory tests. While 2/3 of the children are affected by the diet, it is clear that over 95% of the children on the Autism spectrum have problems in one or more areas: digestion: absorption; metabolism; nutrient function; methylation; sulfation; toxic metal metabolism; immune function; and neurological function. The most successfull approaches include ex;oring all three of the “legs” in evaluation and treatment of ASD.
Dana Laake, RDH, MS, LDN
Licensed Nutritionist
Kensington, Maryland
danalaake@aol.com