anyone gone gluten free?

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But special diet isn't like a "cure" for ASD like Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey have been saying?

Yeah, I was gluten-free casein-free for about 4 or 5 months in 2005. I wouldn't say it worked with regards to mental or emotional state, but with regards to physical state, I lost close to 50 pounds in a matter of 3 months without really doing any physical activity. I have a lot of weight around my gut, and it pretty much melted away when I was on the diet.

But, I will also say that the food tastes like cardboard, the only upside to this was the snacks, and you can't cook worth a crap on this, nor can you ever eat out again, which is terrible for socializing and defeats the purpose of the diet to a large degree (actually the restrictions on food and its effects on socializing defeat the purpose in general). But, for an overall way to lose weight and keep it off, this is probably one of the best diets if not the best diet around.

Skywatcher

Thank you everyone for these lengthy posts, especially for all the effort and time to respond. I agree with Dwight, this is not necessarily about Asperger's, just about allergies in general and whether by changing our diet we could then lead more healthier lives, mentally and physically.

Catarina, your post was interesting and sounds very plausible. For me mental harmony is a priority, as I am so prone to dark bouts of depression, coupled with a gut wrenching anxiety.

I thought anything to calm the soul would be welcome.

There is a lot of evidence that autism is a genetic condition that is environmentally triggered. One of the triggers may be food allergies.

By eliminating specific foods, such as wheat, milk, corn, soy, eggs, cabbage, and nightshades, I have found that the frequency and intensity of my stimming decreases (such as rocking, hand flapping, and hand biting). Since beginning my food exclusion diet, I have also become more focused and emotionally stable.

I have also found that a food exclusion diet is a good non-medical way to manage my depression, anxiety, and OCD, all of which are concomitant with AS.

I do not believe that a food exclusion diet is a "cure" for autism. A threshold response to food allergies may be one of the reasons why someone who is genetically predisposed to autism becomes autistic, however it is not the only cause. Autism is complex, and likely has many factors that precipitate it.

Further, just to be absolutely clear, I do not want to "cure" myself or anyone else on the autism spectrum. I am very grateful for the Aspie aspects of myself, such as my ability to focus on problems longer than most people, my musical abilities, and my obsessive capacity for learning new languages.

What I am suggesting (from person experience and from observing fellow Aspies) is that a food exclusion diet is a way to control many of the conditions that accompany Asperger's (e.g. depression, anxiety, OCD) without needing to use drugs. I do not use (or want to use) psychoactive drugs of any kind, so a food exclusion diet is a good, moderate, and inexpensive way to help me manage the more challenging aspects of my AS.

My $0.02.

~ Caterina

Not sure what the connection to AS is, but it made me feel better, that's why I did it.

I discovered a dietary effect on my functioning about the same time I realized that allergies made me lower-functioning.

Optimizing my diet made me higher functioning.

So it was purely empirical on my part, not driven by anyone's research or studies.

We know that autistics can be very sensitive to some sensations. Allergies (sensitivities) can create sensations, the most commonly known is itchy skin but there are others. This could easily be a trigger in the same way that certain frequency sounds or loud sounds can trigger a build-up of anxiety. Who knows how long I had this sensitivity without knowing about it, at least years seems likely. Until it was put in contrast I didn't know and even then I still could have chalked it up to something if I didn't investigate my diet (thank my curious nature for that). I, with my [mostly] typical neurology adapted, my body learned to mostly ignore it and I plodded on. The same may not be true of someone with tweaked out sensory in that particular area, even if they don't know what exactly it is annoying them.

"That itch is driving me crazy." Well, that could very well be true in a sense.

EDIT: Good point Caterina about it isn't necessarily the same for everyone. I've got my peanuts too. I didn't bother with the lab testing (incidentally I am leery of mail-away labs, it comes with the background of my second career). I just did it from the ground up and listened to my body really hard. Though I know someone that has problems with rice, of all things. My starting point was brown rice, that was it. If I had a problem with rice I'd have been starting from a bad point.

Cow's milk and wheat just happen to be common allergens, which is why it'll work for a number of people. If you do just that it's just a guess playing the odds.

This summer I got really sick and can't tolerate it or sugar at all so I am off gluten. I've suspected I had some sort of sensitivity or full blown Celiac for a long time, plus my sister has it, and I am a Diabetic and it is more common in that group of people.

I don't feel amazing, but I do feel horrible back on it so it is worth it. I've had constant itchy, burny, rashy skin and it's the only thing that has calmed it down a little so far. I seem to be a very allergic person and sensitive to many things. Cutting out sugar has also helped a lot as has staying away from processed, unnatural, chemical additives, and limiting dairy.

Plus, I don't find the premade gluten-free foods all that bad. Some of it I prefer. Gluten free brown rice pasta is really good, and so are the pizzas. Some of the brands of cookie like things are really good too. The only problem is how expensive it all is.

I've been considering the rotation diet.

http://www.parentsofallergicchildren.org/rotation.htm

I've tried to stay GF for twenty years (after being undiagnosed for gluten intolerance for thirty plus years) .
Doctors told me I just had a "nervous stomach" or an "irritable stomach" and sent me on my way without
explanation. When I finally figured it out for myself by putting myself on an elimination diet, I told my doctor
that I had a gluten intolerance. Her attitude was, oh, that's nice to know but not very important. Just stay
away from wheat. I wasn't very good at researching the subject so it took me several more years to find out
about the problem of cross-contamination and misleading food labling. (I thought oats were safe, so I ate
big bowls of granola daily.) Then I started finding out all the bad things that can be caused by untreated
celiac disease (malabsorption, lactose intolerance, colon cancer, diabetes, brittle bones, etc.) When I switched
to a new doctor, she assumed that I was under the care of a gastroenterologist -- a what? The previous doc
had never even suggested that I go to a specialist.

Anyway, when I'm GF I have much less brain-fog, better concentration, don't experience as many flare-ups
of those dagger-like stabbing pains in my muscles. I feel more connected to the rest of society, can carry on
conversations better.

I have not gone gluten free, but I did suspect dairy allergy (mild though) and have excluded that for a few months. I feel better (no scratchy throat, etc.), and I don't have any symptoms of a gluten intolerance, but I don't have any noticeable change in my autistic characteristics (still going to be evaluated for daily living services).

They don't seem to be related to autism, though if an autistic person has a genuine intolerance or allergy, then I can imagine that they would have more difficulty in their daily life, especially with sensory sensitivity or trying to learn new skills.

Firstly, when he says brown rice is 'low glutinous' is he saying brown rice has gluten in it? And is he also inferring that other types of rice have more gluten than brown rice?
As far as I know rice is completely gluten free.

Secondly, which carbohydrates are 'low gluten' and which are 'no gluten'? He gives quinoa & amaranth as examples but he doesn't say which have gluten in.
Again, as far as I know, quinoa and amaranth have no gluten in them whatsoever.

I would like to hear someone else's opinion about this.

The most I have ever done to alter my diet is switching from regular milk to soy milk. I can now only have cereal with vanilla soy milk. However I still drink regular chocolate milk because chocolate soy milk taste nasty!

I've considered it, I've already cut out most bad foods - I am seeing less constipation, and less bloating but I eat quite a lot of wheat and I don't know if I have the will to cut it out.