GFCF Diets: Worth it?

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Any success with elimination diets? I noticed (before I was even diagnosed with AS) that I had fewer problems with insomnia and that my attention span was much better when I cut wheat products out of my diet. I'm wondering if it will be worth it to try to keep up with this and to fully eliminate dairy also.

I proofread for a company that publishes medical journals and I've seen commentary and debates in some of them about different dietary treatments for ASD's, but not much in the way of "real" studies, so I'm curious to hear about other people's experiences. So much of what I've seen (like eliminating soy, only using certain soaps and shampoos and taking cod liver oil) seems to be put out there by parent's groups and pro-cure groups that I'm wondering if it's just wishful thinking on their part--seeing results because they want to see results.

Has anyone found anything that actually works for them?

I never had much success and Ive gone from one extreme to another.

Out here in the desert you have to drink a lot of fluids to stave of dehydration and kidney problems and Ive always loved milk so I would drink like half a gallon a day every day.

Been doing that for years. Someone said it made symptoms worse so I tried switching to iced tea instead for a few weeks. There was no change except I found myself craving milk the whole time.

So now Im back to drinking it again and there still doesnt seem to be any change.

Part of the theory is that short peptides that have opiate like effects are produce from milk and wheat proteins in the digestive system. And some how some of these get into the blood stream. That maybe be possible but I do not buy that such peptides can cross the blood brain barrier. Which means at worst such peptides have non-brain opiate effects like a drug like loperamide (that also can not cross the blood brain barrier). So
such effects might be chronic constipation for example. Do you have chronic constipation? I have heard that cheese can cause constipation so I wondered
it it was a result of opiate like peptide production.

Can avoiding milk and wheat help treat autism issues . I doubt it myself but people do claim it helps them.

I have found that when I eliminate wheat and dairy, I see a marked reduction in gastro-intestinal problems, mood swings, sinus and skin irritations. I stayed away from these two products for about three weeks, and then re-introduced wheat. Horrible headaches, over sensitivity and sinus problems were back within the week. Same with dairy.

I've been off wheat for several months and have been off gluten for a couple of weeks but can't notice any difference.

I was hoping for an improvement in (exercise-induced?) asthma.

Maybe I should try going off food? Too skinny as it is.

I've cut back my wheat and dairy consumption recently. I began writing down what I would eat, and I noticed I was eating far too many carbohydrates in general and too little protein. Today I ate a whole wheat bread sandwich with a slice of cheese and leftover chicken that my roommate made, and I realised this is the first time I've had any dairy or wheat in about two weeks. My eczema has gone down beautifully, but I have not noticed any other effects (except I don't get that whole mucous-y throat thing from drinking milk). I think perhaps I have an allergy or intolerance. Anyway, when you eliminate or reduce consumption of certain foodstuffs in your diet, as always, ensure you're replacing it all with other foods that can give you the sustenance needed.

i was on that gluten free diet and i didnt know as many symptoms of as, as i have now. it was just too hard for me to cut out bread, and gluten free bread is like $10 a loaf

I noticed I do feel and behave better on a wheat free diet. But its really hard to give up wheat. Plus like Richard said wheat free alternative foods are expensive and also a lot of them taste really bad. Like some of the gluten free breads make okay buttered toast, but its like eating cardboard to use it to make a sandwich.

Can you describe which specific "symptoms" you noticed were alleviated when adhering to wheat-free diets?

i was much more calmer i think, withought me getting to overly obsessed with things i like.

Thanks all for your replies. It seems like different people have different results and all you can really do is experiment until you find a balance that works for you, I guess.

I was thinking about giving up the whole GFCF thing yesterday because although I didn't have too many gastrointestinal problems before starting this diet, I actually began having problems once I was on it. I think that my problem is that for the past few months I've been overdoing it with soy products while trying to get enough calcium. I read that too much soy can damage your intestinal tract and give you acid-reflux-sort problems, so that might be something to watch out for. I'm going to try rice milk and calcium supplements for a while and see how that goes ...

Considering "much calmer" when off of wheat products,were other stimulating substances also abstained from(caffeine,sugars,chocolate,nicotine,etc.)at the same time?

As for soy,I really like tofu and I've always had very mixed feelings/thoughts about eating meat.So I ate very little meat and lots of soy and soy milk for a few years years,with periods of vegetarianism,until three years ago.In those few years I had many discomfort issues,as well as general fatigue and sense of physical "imbalance".If it wasn't an actual soy allergy,it was something similar.I've since read from several sources that soy is not exactly the wonder food it's been advertised as.I still like the stuff in small doses,but for now I have to accept that meat will be part of my nutritional needs.

Other alternatives to wheat/gluten based breads, are Ezekial Bread, which, it is true, can taste like cardboard, unless toasted. But I have found rice bread, which is also best toasted, and absolutely delicious millet zucchini bread at my local health food store. This can be eaten as is, and is even better toasted. As for soy milk, it is being put forth that unless fermented, it can be bad for you. A good book was, "Against the Grain," written by a woman who suffered from celiac sprue. I found a lot of useful recipes for wheat alternatives, but found that she used a lot of butter and cheese in some of them.

Hmm.. is potato bread gluten free?

I bought some soy flour to try to make my own soy milk with and it gives bread recipes but they all require mostly wheat flour because gluten is a critical thing to bread. I think
without gluten your just making unsweeten cake.

Best read the label. That book I mentioned had recipes for making gluten free baked goods. And some specialty stores sell gluten free mixes, as well as frozen, gluten free baked things, like waffles, English muffins, and pop tarts.