GFCF diet...Does removing gluten alone help ease autism?!
Question: I have been doing some research on the GFCF diet. I haven't even received the "official diagnosis" of autism for my son yet, but his pediatrician and teachers at daycare have pretty much confirmed it. I was wondering if anyone knew if just removing gluten would have any benefits. I have been wanting to try changing his diet, and removing gluten seems like it won't be so hard...I try not to feed any of my kids too much processed food anyway, but I didn't know if that alone would help.
My son almost has a routine to what he eats everyday, and he LOVES milk to drink, and cheese to snack on. I bought some soy milk to try giving him (in a container that looked like regular milk) but he knew it was different, and wouldn't even try it. I just wanted to see if I should start slow with just removing gluten, or if it would be pointless if he still was consuming dairy. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Answers: I have been doing some research on the GFCF diet. I haven't even received the "official diagnosis" of autism for my son yet, but his pediatrician and teachers at daycare have pretty much confirmed it. I was wondering if anyone knew if just removing gluten would have any benefits. I have been wanting to try changing his diet, and removing gluten seems like it won't be so hard...I try not to feed any of my kids too much processed food anyway, but I didn't know if that alone would help.
My son almost has a routine to what he eats everyday, and he LOVES milk to drink, and cheese to snack on. I bought some soy milk to try giving him (in a container that looked like regular milk) but he knew it was different, and wouldn't even try it. I just wanted to see if I should start slow with just removing gluten, or if it would be pointless if he still was consuming dairy. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
In my opinion, in the case of a child who does not have Celiac Disease nor gluten sensitivity but does have Autism, the gluten free AND caesin free diet seems to be best. But to make it easier on yourself you could just start gluten free and see how he does. If he improves enough to your liking (do know he may not!) then you dont need to take away dairy. But most parents of autistic children say the best way is both GF and CF. Hope this helps.
www.gfcfdiet.com
If it makes any sense, Celiac Disease affects 1 in 133 ppl and autism affects 1 in 150--both predominately caucasian ppl and those of european descent. I do NOT find that to be a coincidence. But so far no data to back that up, just my opinion.
Hello!
I am a natural alternative health nut, so mabye I could offer some helpfull advice here. Although I do know that gluten can cause learning disabilities in children, this tends to only be the case when the child is gluten SENSETIVE. Have you had your son tested for gluten sensetivity? If he isn't allergic to gluten, than that isn't likely the problem. The biggest threat to children when it comes to Autism is having a Candida Albicans overgrowth. Candida is a stubborn yeast, the same yeast women have when they experience a yeast infection. Most people, even the majority of Physicians, don't realize the danger of Candida overgrowth in today's population. Our children today DEFINATLY are at risk at having yeast overgrowth in their little systems, due to the increased amounts of sugar in their diets, and all the meds and antibiotics we give our children when they get sick. Candida LOVE sugar, and will grow and prolificate thousands of times when you feed them. Also, there has been growing evedince that childhood Vaccinations are leading children to develop autisim. Just type in "autism and childhood vaccinations" into yahoo, you're likely to get a plethora of info on this subject. And personally, i don't think our pasturized, processed milk is so good for children either. I would reccomend using raw, unpasturized kosher milk for anyone's family. The milk we drink today is LOADED with sugar and chemicals, and too much sugar can lower our immune systems, especially your son's becuase he is still so young. Check out the cleansing detox diet at the website below, although it is reviewed for weight loss at that site, when you click thru to the detox program site (it should be the first program listed), you will see all of the benefits it acheives,thru using simple, inexpesive means to cleanse and rid our bodies of yeast, fungus, bacterias, and acculmulated chemicals from medication and preservatives found in the food we drink. I would reccoumend that program, as alot of healthcare practitioners have used it for over 50 years, even for your son. It is completely safe when done correctly and you could make modifications to it like allowing him to follow it for 3-4 days and letting him eat pletnty of grean, fresh organic veggies to keep him from missing eating alot of food. You might get some backlash from some folks for doing this, but ultimatly your son's health is in your hands until he is grown, and i would rather he be a little upset at not bieng able to have his favorite milk and foods in order for him to aviod having Autism for the rest of his life. Check out the Detox diet at the website below (it should be the first diet reviewed, just click on the name of the diet) and contact a Natural health care Professional, they are often cheaper than MD's, and they get to the ROOT of the problem and correct it, instead of giving your little one meds to prolong a disease for the rest of his life. Sorry this post was so long, and I hope it helped you!