Gluten-free, Casien-free, Gliadin-free, Sugar-free diet

[newautismcure.com]

destinycamel Wrote:stop selling stuff that does'nt work! you should be ashamed!

I assume that was aimed at me, but I'm not sure. I'm not selling stuff that doesn't work. I was just saying that if you're considering an elimination diet then it really needs to be done with the help, advice and support of a dietician, Dan doctor or other health professional. That way you can be assured that your child is not going to suffer with any nutritional deficiencies and that you've got support in implementing the diet.

Caroline, Jenny McCarthy talks of her son being recovered/cured from autism, meaning that he is now off the autism spectrum. I think some parents would say that their children were "sick" and so are cured when they get better and are not suffering from those troubling symptoms anymore, I guess it's just the way you look at it and how bad your child's symptoms are, some are completely debilitating.

Diets like the GFCF diet are tricky to follow, particularly when you have not got replacement products etc. to help you out. There are websites and books that can help with tips and recipes etc. but I understand what you mean when you say you've got enough on your plate! I'm glad your son is not suffering with the constipation anymore. Good luck with the NHS waiting lists - have you got any idea of how long you'll have to wait?

[caroline, highlands]

hopefully not too long im lucky we live in an area where the lists aren't too long, also i read jenny's books and they are very inspiring and i respect her for fighting for her son, and im a really open minded person , the thing is in this countrty we dont have dan doctors and a lot of what she wrote is not relevant to over here but she has done a great job helping her little boy which i suppose is what we are all trying to do in our own ways. the dietician we are waiting to see is meant to be great. the thing is a lot of people have food intolerances wether they have autism or noti have a couple of friends who cant eat gluten it makes their skin itch like mad,

[newautismcure.com]

Yes, Jenny's books are inspiring aren't they and I think much good has come out of her "crusade", although others would disagree.

I'm glad that your lists aren't too long and that the dietician is good. I really hope s/he helps you. Yes, gluten intolerance and also casein intolerances are very common. I have a friend who decided to try the GFCF diet to see if it helped her constant headaches and Irritable Bowel Syndrome and her symptoms have improved. She no longer gets bloating and cramps every day and no longer has frequent headaches. And of course there are many autistic children who have been helped by elimination diets.

[vsglickman]

I have worked in this field for 10 years now and have come across parents who have put their kids on the GFCF diet and like others have said - it's up to the individual child. I have seen it work and not. I have seen parents try and then stop. Most of the kids with ASD are picky eaters to begin with and introducing this diet is a nightmare to almost every parent so if you are going to do it, first desensitize your child to other types of foods so that s/he doesn't starve or engage in MANY negative behaviors to get you to give them what they are used to.

[Guest]

We had allergy testing done on our children, our youngest dx'd PDD-NOS and our oldest who is dx'd ADHD and mood disorder NOS, and they both tested positive for allergies to many foods including cow's milk, wheat, gluten, casein, eggs (white and yolk) and soy. They are eating a wide variety of foods. Tonight we are having mac and cheese made with brown rice macaroni and Daiya vegan cheese sauce (the only non dairy cheese that actually stretches and melts), steak and corn for dinner. Not bad for a gfcfefsf dinner, huh?
They eat gfcfsf pretzels with peanut butter, or lunch meat slices and fruit and corn chips for lunch amongst other things. I have only had to do a little tinkering to recipes I've always cooked and we're pretty much eating the same things we always have. The only substitution my kids haven't accepted is boxed chicken nuggets (who knows? most kids on the diet will eat ONLY the boxed kind), they like the kind I make from hand. I fry chicken, make enchiladas and tacos, all kinds of pasta, salisbury steaks, chicken parmesan and all kinds of stuff.
The key to doing a gfcf diet really is to avoid boxed foods and buy as much fresh, whole foods as you can. Once you change your mindset it's not to hard to work within your limitations.
Both of my children, btw, are thriving.

We also do biomedical treatments and my five year old formerly PDD-NOS child (moderate when dx'd) is now in a mainstream classroom with no aide and no longer qualifies for a dx. We still have work ahead of us but we are thrilled with both of our children's progress.

[Reef]

Since my son's diagnosis in February, we decided to try the gfcf diet to see if it would help him to progress. He wasn't talking and had poor eye contact/interaction. To me, this was a daunting prospect, as he is a fussy eater - mostly all gluten foods and alot of milk - and we currently live in Sudan due to my work, and you definitely cannot get gfcf alternative foods here.

However, I read an excellent book by Marilyn Le Breton on Diet intervention and autism - and it convinced me to give it a go. I recommend this book to anyone thinking of trying the diet. It provides practical experience, helpful recipes and tips. In 3 months, my son is talking, interacting and has good eye contact. Just today, he actually interacted and played with another child (albeit slightly older than him). We are so pleased with his progress, and are very convinced that the diet has something to do with it. We know there is "no cure" for autism, and wouldn't ask for one - this is our son, he's different, and we embrace that. But we are now firm believers in harmful foods and believe food manufacturers have alot to answer for, particularly with the harmful and unneccessary chemicals they put in packaged food. I suggest people read about the effects of "aspertame" - a chemical put in food to make people believe a food "tastes good"!

What happened to good old fashioned home cooking?! Also, nowadays it is so easy to get organic food and gfcf alternatives from supermarkets that I find it a problem to accept excuses made by parents that its 'too hard'. Trust me, it's alot harder to do this diet from Sudan, than the UK! Also, with a little perservation, a fussy eater will learn to eat other foods - I know from experience!

However, I have also read this diet doesn't work for everyone, but I do think it doesn't hurt to try it. The one thing I find extremely annoying though the reluctance so far by the NHS community paediatrician we have seen a few times to allergy test my son. If anyone has any tips about how to go about this, or where I can get this done, please let me know?

Reef

[Romersa's Protege]

I'm GF/CF because I need to be, but I haven't cut out sugar as it doesn't cause a problem. I wouldn't go to a Destroy Autistics Now! doctor because they put all kids on this diet as a matter of course.

[Romersa's Protege]

Removing gluten and casein from my diet was effective for me because I have genuine issues with those substances, but removing other things would have proved to be ineffective. I only don't starve because I'm under a dietician.

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@ reef: Aspartame is actually an artificial sweetener found in diet sodas, monosodium glutamate (aka MSG) is the flavour enhancer. You should ideally check your facts before making statements.

[Eymma5]

My daugther eymma's diet is so limited we can't take any thing away. She drinks lactose milk because we had the soft stool to but no more,we stay away from diary all together. We tried all kinds of different things but she want eat anything but veggie nuggets, oatmeal,French fry's, pediasure sometimes because like I stated before we try to stay away from dairy. Anyway I'm leaving something out but not much. Suggestion please anyone.

[fei4423]

The theory behind this diet is weak and unproven.