Autism Diet
Find the best autism diet specifically for your child, used as an effective treatment for autism, including the anti-candida diet.
Due to their being so many different autism types, your child may or may not benefit from a special diet for autism, but the success rate for a gluten free casein free diet is too high to not at least try it. Some believe there is a link between autism and vaccinations in the sense that the vaccines are causing food allergies and other health problems, which are in turn causing the presence of autism behaviors. Gluten Free Casein Free DietThe most common autism diet currently used at this time is the gluten casein free diet. Gluten is an elastic protein formed when moisture is added to flour. The other ingredient, casein, is usually found in dairy products.This diet not only relieves celiac disease symptoms and symptoms of dairy intolerance, but it also helps to decrease the level of opioid peptides believed to be causing signs of autism. The Anti-Yeast Diet or Anti-Candida DietYeast overgrowth is a common problem for individuals with autism, ADHD, asthma, and allergies, but can be very difficult to diagnose. Symptoms of candida overgrowth include(1):• Recurrent yeast infectionsThis diet for autism may be done in combination with the gluten casein free diet, which is actually not very complicated since many foods with gluten and casein promote yeast overgrowth. Essentially on this diet you want to eliminate foods that contain yeast, stimulate the growth of yeast or contain other forms of mold and fungus. Some of these include: • Breads, bagels, pizza dough and pastasThe good news is that there are some great substitutes for some of these foods that do not have yeast, including a rice based pizza crust without yeast and soy cheese. A local health food store would be the best option for finding these foods if you need to use this diet for autism. It may also be important to take certain supplements that help to eliminate candida overgrowth, such as special enzymes, to also help relieve autism symptoms. The Low Oxalate Diet(1)This particular autism diet is pretty recent in the treatment of autism, without specific scientific evidence supporting its use, but shows promising results. It involves reducing or eliminating the food component called oxalate.Some children with signs of autism appear to have difficulty metabolizing oxalates, which interferes with calcium metabolism leading to kidney stones. For other children with autism, oxalates can be toxic and interfere with proper function of the gut. Some foods that contain oxalates include: • Chocolate milk, ovaltine, and high oxalate fruit juices Feingold dietAnother option to consider is the Feingold Diet. Although this is often a diet used for children with ADHD, it could also easily be used as an autism diet. This autism diet would involve eating only all natural foods that do not contain artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. There is a cost to obtain the exact list of foods that are okay, but this reportedly has a good success rate in decreasing a lot of symptoms associated with different disorders.Whichever autism diet you consider, making sure your child is getting proper nutrition is most important. Regardless of whether an autism diet helps with behavior or symptoms of autism, it is important to build good eating habits that will last a lifetime and help to decrease the chances of future health concerns, such as heart disease or diabetes. Regardless of whether a child is diagnosed with autism or another disorder, such as ADHD, these additional diet recommendations can help with hyperactivity, irritability, and difficulties with attention and memory. All common signs-symptoms of autism. Foods and Ingredients to Limit or Eliminate: • Artificial colors – especially red dye 40.One of the most important things to eliminate from a child’s diet when showing anger and irritability is red dye 40. Along with other artificial colors some parents have reported this particular ingredient to be correlated with, aggressive behavior and hyperactivity. This particular ingredient can be found in a lot of food products including children’s vitamins, chocolate cake, pop, cheese puffs, cereal, and Doritos. We use special vitamins made by Standard Process that do not contain any artificial ingredients. Personally, speaking they taste really good too! Foods to Increase: • Complex Carbohydrates – ex. 100% whole grains, brown rice, fruits, and vegetablesAttempting to include foods containing omega-3 fatty acids can be difficult, especially considering that that the main sources are generally from fish. However, you can get fine ground flaxseed that can be added to cereals or smoothies or DHA supplements. Studies are now showing that Omega-3 fatty acids can influence mood impulsivity and personality, which would be a great addition to any autism diet. I use the Standard Process tuna oil chewables for my son, which also contains DHA. A child may either chew them, squirt them into the mouth, or put them in applesauce. So, if an individual or child with autism is not getting the necessary nutrients the body desires, it seems only logical that other problems may develop. It also gives children a better immune system and helps to emphasize the importance of nutrition. To determine which autism diet may be best for your child, you may want to consult with an integrative physician that specializes in the treatment of autism. You may find a physician near you at www.autismwebsite.com. References1. Bock, K., & Stauth, C. (2007). Healing the new childhood epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies. The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A disorders Ballantine Books: New York. |
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