Whats a good diet for someone with Aspergers?

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Comkeen
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18 Jan 2006, 10:30 pm

Okay, I notice that a lot of people with AS are vegetarians, and for good reason. It appears that a lot of packaged/canned foods contain MSG, preservatives or artificial flavours that are unhealthly for people with AS and autism. I am not ready to give up on red meat and seafood yet, but I would like to ask for help on choosing a recommended diet.

I would like to ask what kind of plan should I be on, and what kind of foods should I be eating or avoiding? Any advice, or websites with useful information is greatly appreciated. Thanks.



iamlucille
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18 Jan 2006, 11:02 pm

wait, what do these foods do to people w/ AS/Autism? maybe i should switch over too, i dunno

as for the diet, i'm sorry but i can't help you, i'm having problems myself haha



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18 Jan 2006, 11:13 pm

I'm vegetarian too - but not so much for heath but more for ethics (though the health stuff is nice, too) . . .
I have big problems with preservatives - I can't eat frozen dinner type food (flash frozen veggies and small doses of things like french fries seem to be ok) becuase it tastes like it was sprayed with bug spray to me . . . not to mention the side effects to my already iffy digestive system . . .
Recently Chinese food has started making me stupid - every time we get it at work I feel like I can't think afterwords - so I'm thinking MSG has become more of a problem . . .



berta
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18 Jan 2006, 11:30 pm

this is really stupid. there is no ADHD/aspie diet. you can eat gluter/casein/meat if you want to. i am a vegan who loves whole grains, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the constant preassure and lectures from parents and doctors about "ADD/aspie diets" blah blah blah.
eat what you want.



lowfreq50
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19 Jan 2006, 12:40 am

Unless you have some specific goals, like weight-gain or weight loss, eat whatever you want to eat. There is no "aspie diet." It's all in your head. Placebo effect.

PS -- preservatives are flavorless. If they weren't, they would have never caught on. MSG making one stupid is about as ridiculous as claiming salt and pepper increases my IQ. Allow me to sing: Plaaaaaacebooooooo



wandrew
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19 Jan 2006, 3:09 am

I'm not so sure that's true. Food and mood do seem to be connected. There are such things as food allergies--Dr. Doris Rapp and Gary Null, amongst others, have written extensively on that subject. And Dr. Ben Feingold demonstrated a pretty convincing link between additives in food and hyperactive symptomology. So I'd say the jury is still out. Myself, I've often noticed that certain foods--and certain quantities of foods--tend to make me feel logy in body and mind. And I usually find that there was some additive or ingredient in the food in question that wasn't mentioned in the menu. Which lets out the placebo effect in my case.



Tolian
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19 Jan 2006, 4:30 am

I've cut gluten/casein out of my diet for two months, and even though that wasn't a particularly long time, there has been no noticeable difference in my behaviour. I still suck at life. However;

Cutting out dairy products and wheat products such as bread has meant eating more fruit, vegetables and such. It made me realize how much crap I was eating before. I have a little more energy now, I feel better for eating better. The difference is small, but feeling better makes any kind of social situation a little easier to bare.

I will keep the diet up but I'm beginning to suspect the only way it'll help my AS is by placebo effect.


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animallover
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19 Jan 2006, 12:17 pm

You can be allergic to anything - I'm allergic to MSG and dairy and Timothy hay and pine trees (which I don't eat, but can't handle) . . . I came across the MSG thing not because I thought 'Wow - if I don't eat MSG I will feel better so I better stop eating MSG' but because I noticed I started feeling sick everytime I ate Chinese . . . that is not a placebo effect . . .



Comkeen
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19 Jan 2006, 4:48 pm

berta wrote:
this is really stupid. there is no ADHD/aspie diet. you can eat gluter/casein/meat if you want to. i am a vegan who loves whole grains, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the constant preassure and lectures from parents and doctors about "ADD/aspie diets" blah blah blah.
eat what you want.


Dont shoot the messenger.

Quote:
Autism & Asperger's Syndrome Nutritional Recommendations: It's critical to have them eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables ( high fiber diet). Eating 50-75% raw foods, including large amount of fruits and vegetables ( void of pesticides/chemicals ), brown rice, lentils and potatoes.
Protein: beans, legumes, fish, raw nuts and seeds, skinless white turkey (with no added hormones or antibiotics), tofu and low fat all natural yogurt.

Eliminate: Alcohol, caffeine, canned and packaged foods, carbonated beverages, chocolate, all junk food, refined and processed foods, salt sugar sweets, saturated fats, soft drinks and white flour. Avoid all foods that contain artificial flavors and colors, MSG, or preservatives. Avoid fried and fatty foods such as bacon, cold cuts luncheon meats, gravies, ham, sausage and avoid all dairy products except for low fat soured products.

Avoid wheat and wheat products, drink steamed distilled water, eat frequent small meals.

Research strongly shows many autistic people are sensitive to dairy products, and may be sensitive to strawberries, citrus fruits, behavior reactions to these foods can be seen immediately or within 36 hours of consumption.

Dosages listed are for adults. For ages 12-17 reduce to 3/4 amounts, child 6-12 use 1/2 the amounts and children under 6 use 1/4 amounts.
Always use supplements with no added artificial colors or flavors, no yeast, dairy or wheat.


Source: http://www.artzoo.com/health/autism.htm

Berta, I want all the advantage that I can get. If having to give up certain foods improves my performance that I'll gladly do it. All I'm asking is if anyone here actually follows a "recommended" diet, and to share what kind of success they've had. So far there's only one.



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20 Jan 2006, 4:42 am

Comkeen wrote:
Quote:
Autism & Asperger's Syndrome Nutritional Recommendations: It's critical to have them eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables ( high fiber diet). Eating 50-75% raw foods, including large amount of fruits and vegetables ( void of pesticides/chemicals ), brown rice, lentils and potatoes.
Protein: beans, legumes, fish, raw nuts and seeds, skinless white turkey (with no added hormones or antibiotics), tofu and low fat all natural yogurt.

Eliminate: Alcohol, caffeine, canned and packaged foods, carbonated beverages, chocolate, all junk food, refined and processed foods, salt sugar sweets, saturated fats, soft drinks and white flour. Avoid all foods that contain artificial flavors and colors, MSG, or preservatives. Avoid fried and fatty foods such as bacon, cold cuts luncheon meats, gravies, ham, sausage and avoid all dairy products except for low fat soured products.

Avoid wheat and wheat products, drink steamed distilled water, eat frequent small meals.

Research strongly shows many autistic people are sensitive to dairy products, and may be sensitive to strawberries, citrus fruits, behavior reactions to these foods can be seen immediately or within 36 hours of consumption.

Dosages listed are for adults. For ages 12-17 reduce to 3/4 amounts, child 6-12 use 1/2 the amounts and children under 6 use 1/4 amounts.
Always use supplements with no added artificial colors or flavors, no yeast, dairy or wheat.

Well it looks like I'm not going well in the diet area. My diet is horrible mainly because of all the foods I can't eat. I have tried dieticians and I improved my diet slightly, but nothing special - I was forced to because I was making myself sick. But I find that if I change my diet from my normal routine diet I feel sick and unenergetic. By sticking to what I expect to eat at a certain time I feel alot better then having a diverse range.. I know it's not the healthiest idea but it works okay for me.
With regards to the diet above, I'd have a really hard time keeping to it. The only thing I could do is avoid dairy, which I do anyway. But that is a very strict set of rules in my opinion, you can't eat alot and for me that would mean I'd be living on minimal consumption simply because nothing could replace what I'd eradicated from my food intake. [/quote]



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08 Feb 2006, 5:52 pm

That "diet" quoted above... that's the same thing they tell anyone who's trying to lose weight, get in shape, stay healthy, et cetera... All except avoiding "wheat and wheat products", it's identical to just about any other diet out there.


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one1ai
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16 Feb 2006, 4:00 am

I'm having diet problems, I never know what to eat, I just eat on random.

When I'm in stress situations, I eat anything that is sweet, then I calm down.

Now I'm hungry and will go to eat something. Maybe a fruit.



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16 Feb 2006, 5:07 pm

Bananas are excellent for filling you up in a pinch. They make a great snack and contain potassium, too. Cherries will always be my favorite fruit, though. I'd take cherries over just about any other food (unless I've been doing a lot of physical work and I'm craving protein).

I think the best diet for an AS/Autistic is probably a simply balanced diet, avoiding, of course, any foods to which one is allergic or (physically) sensitive.


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16 Feb 2006, 6:00 pm

If you can, try to avoid anything that contains propylene glycol for a preservative. It's car antifreeze. 8O



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16 Feb 2006, 9:28 pm

Sean wrote:
If you can, try to avoid anything that contains propylene glycol for a preservative. It's car antifreeze. 8O


You're somewhat right about that, Propylene Glycol was used in a "Pet Safe" antifreeze a few years ago, though I think that it's no longer made. Propylene Glycol is quite harmless , and is used quite often in prepares foods and condiments.

Ethylene Glycol on the other hand, is what's found in Automotive Antifreeze, and it is quite poisonous with effects similar to Methanol or Hydrazine/Mushroom poisoning. -- It sestroys your liver and kidneys, and you die from the combination of Kidney/ Liver Failure, and the buildup of toxins in your bloodstream.

Unfortunately, Dogs and Cats, as well as other animals like the taste of it.


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16 Feb 2006, 9:36 pm

I loosely adhere to a 'Mediterranean' Diet. --Lot's of Fresh vegetables like tomatoes, onions, olives and garlic. Meat is somewhat of an afterthought. Even though I do indulge in
refined sugars, and processed grains I do so in moderation except for White Bread that is freshly baked, and white rice.


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