gluten/dairy free diet for daughter, anyone else try this?

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It sounds as though your daughter is old enough to help make the nutrition vs. meds decision with you. This is good! Keep up an open dialogue with her, and she'll better be able to understand trying new foods.
1) feel free to read my blog, you can get there by clicking my screen name. Our family went through the ringer with some pretty crazy doctors, learn from our mistakes so you don't have to live them yourself.
2) Food intolerances can have a surprisingly large effect on a person's ability to function. Not all people will have the same food intolerances. It may be gluten and/ or casein and/or eggs and/or soy (I knew a woman kept her son off apples!). First see an allergist and then try an elimination diet. Also, you may want to google celiac disease and have your daughter tested for that before eliminating gluten. The reason for that is, if your child improves when gluten is removed then you will have to test for celiac. The only way to test for celiac is to be eating gluten. Going off gluten and then back on again, we found, can be very painful.
3) Gluten Free is now very mainstream! There are lots and lots of gluten free options out there. Try not to eat any bread for the first 3 months, because gluten free bread will taste nothing like glutenous bread. After that both Pamela's and King Arthur Flour make excellent bread mixes. Baking your own bread will cheaper and tastier, and if you use a mix it is not at all time consuming.

As posted previously on this forum we have found the gfcf to have significant benefits to the point where my mum thinks my son is "growing out of ASD" in period of 3 months hmm... As DW a mom cautions we have also found our son has a intolerence to soy as well. Btw we have a preliminary diagnosis of PDD and our ped supports the diet and other treatment we are giving our son.

My son is currently undergoing testing for metabolic imbalance. We are doing an organic acids test which test neurotransmitter metabolites, gastro-intestinal function, mitochondrial and cellular energy metabolites as well as nutrient and toxic element testing. I think these tests would indicate whether you should go on the diet. If you want to try the diet check out http://www.ei-resource.org/articles/aut ... protocol-/

Our nutrionist who specialises in development disorders feels it is probable due to his extreme improvement on this diet that he is suffering from oxidative stress. This is when reactive oxygen species damage and kills cells at a greater rate this is because people suffering oxidative stress are unable to break down toxins that enter the body because of a lack of amino acids, add to that a leaky gut and you get toxins into the blood stream going directly to the brain. As a result we are also on a preservative, artificial colour free diet.

Although caused by similar digestive issues the gluten and casein is a different issue with a bi-product of digesting these for some people being an opiod like substances crossing the brain blood barrier.

Good news is if your child has these issues once their system is rebalanced they can come off the diet although having seen what these things do to my son I will be very reluctant to go back to a normal diet beside we are eating healthier than ever.

PS If you don't want to completely remove dairy try A2 milk and A2 yoghurt although these still contain traces of the problem A1 protein and you may find your child will be better on rice milk this is ok as long as they are getting enough protein. It is very important to do the diet 100% for atleast 3 months remembering to read all labels for milk and gluten products.

PPS If your child is spaced out and doesn't answer when called, has restricted their diet to things high in gluten and casein, has good and bad patches, has eczema, consipation/diarrhea, constant ear infections definately check out the link above however I understand that there isn't always physical symptoms that show up.