diets for austism

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what are your views on the gluten and casin free diet

It's useful if you are lactose-intolerant or have celiac disease.

Its usefulness is completely unrelated to whether or not you also happen to be autistic. Autism hasn't got much to do with the way one tends to be healthier when not eating things one cannot digest.

Autistic people are no more likely to have digestive problems than typical people, but since autistics on average are more sensitive, they may benefit more than typical people when they deal with any digestive problems they may have.

I agree with the sensitivity issue. I'm not celiac, but I generally feel better and my digestive system works more efficiently when I eat gluten-free. Straight milk doesn't sit well in my system either - I opt for soy milk. I've found that eating fewer processed foods works wonders for how you function on a daily basis - though this is probably true for everyone, and not just those on the Autism Spectrum.

sensitivity to gluten and casein in austism is not about lactose intolerance or celiacs disease. In myself and others who are autistic there is a condition known as leaky gut, which is increased permeable lining of the digestive tract. This allows undigested food particles into the blood stream, these are identified by the way of peptides, and in the case of gluten neuro-peptides. If I eat wheat, the gluten acts like a morphine in my blood, and I become very sedate and fatigued. I have spent most my life sleeping because of this condition before I became aware that this was my problem, I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. If this intolerance was merely celiacs it would have been easily diagnosed, but it is very different, and I'm sure a lot of people suffer this condition without knowing it.

Callista I just can't deal with it right now.

I've tried a modified verion of the diet for 6 months, recently at supper. I didn't see any benefit, and I went to bed angry and hungry.

It is not the magic cure that certain public people would have you believe, but many here have found that identifying and eliminating food sensitivities helps them feel better. AS or not, everyone wants to eat in a way that maximizes their potential.

The main problem I see with trying to throw GFGC around is that to do so you are going to increase the intake of soy and quite a few people (like my husband, sister, and son) react negatively to soy. Anyone hoping to feel better through diet needs to be really careful to get it right, and that is best done ONE food element at a time, and NOT a blanket GFCF.

I dont' do diets I just eat less of what I usually eat

Callista, thanks for letting me know it's been discredited, I feel so much better. I am cured I can go on to living a normal life now, thankyou, thankyou so much!

Whatever the theory behind it, the fact is that some people feel one heck of a lot better when they don't eat gluten. If someone tests that on themselves and sees the results as being positive, who is anyone to tell them they've got it wrong? The WHY isn't nearly as important as the reality.

I went GF about 5 months ago. It had nothing to do with AS; rather, it was due to being diagnosed with a Gluten intolerance. I have noticed that my stomach and intestines feel better and my skin has improved, but I haven't noticed any significant changes in the presence of AS traits.

And, as pensieve mentioned, purchasing GF groceries can be somewhat pricey. The alternative is to cook from scratch, which reduces the price tag somewhat and can be enjoyable if you like to cook. Also, it only requires a miniscule amount of Gluten to trigger a reaction.

Callista no one could have understood what you meant, you said nothing of the sort. I am not psychic.

I certainly wouldn't cut out both gluten or casein completely from my diet as I would get rather agitated if I did (I know as I've tried), but then that's just me. For others, it may well benefit. I am on a low gluten and fat diet though because of my irritable bowel syndrome. High levels of both trigger my symptoms off, sometimes quite badly, and it can take days or even months to control again if I slip up. Otherwise casein seems to be ok with me.