Gluten Free And Autism

Do you have a child or know someone with autism? Does that person eat high amounts of wheat, barley, oats or rye proteins? Did you know that these proteins linked also with casein (the protein found in milk products) can trigger behavioral issues? To someone with autism these proteins can act as an addictive drug. Wow, mind blowing right? Some experts have even referred to gluten as "poison" for someone who is autistic.
Researchers have found that people with autism who eat gluten products regularly have a hard time breaking down the protein and found high levels of peptides with opiate in the urine. Opiates are similar to the drug known as morphine and affect the brain function. The two main problems have been linked as gluten (which is the protein found in wheat, barley, oats and rye) and casein (the protein found in milk.) Would you knowingly give your child morphine? Allowing a child who has autism to eat gluten products could be doing as much harm.
Now that you know the facts, where should you start? How can you possibly remove gluten from the diet? It will not be easy at first but will be beneficial in the end. It will take perseverance and research. At first it will take a lot of time because you will need to read labels and rule out all foods with gluten ingredients. You may even want to consult a dietician to work with you the first few weeks. They can come up with healthy meal plans based on the person's likes and dislikes. There are also many online resources to help. There are even" Gluten Free Bibles" which are guides to a full gluten free life. There are even gluten free cookbooks and foods you can purchase online.
You are probably saying right now, "This seems like too much work, I don't have the time for this." That may be the case first but once you understand and start shopping gluten free it is quite easy. Also, you must look at the long term benefits of the gluten free diet. You must realize that for many who have autism, foods with gluten are toxic to their brain and avoiding them is necessary. It will be challenging at first but with a little effort and a few good gluten free cookbooks your autistic child/friend will see improvements in behavior. I have read reports that after three months of gluten free living autistic children have been able to make eye contact and actually play calmly with other children. Now, doesn't that sound worth giving it a try?
There are so many resources and online products to help you with your new journey. It will require sacrifices and endurance. Remember this adjustment will take time but the results are so valuable. Start today and begin to live free!

For more information or to shop for protein powders go to http://livefreeproducts.com. Gluten free foods and an assortment of organic products.

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GFCF Diet

Getting Started
The first thing that you want to do when beginning the GFCF diet is to set up a schedule, determining when you are going to eliminate groups of foods. For example, the very first week, we eliminated all extra sugar. Two weeks later, we slowly removed all dairy from our sons diet. During the following week, we began removing wheat products. You want a schedule that fits your child best, and always consult with your doctor.
Great Tips and Tricks
Finding and Altering Recipes
Sloppy joe's and chicken nuggets are a huge hit with my children. When you start this diet, you need to remember what the huge hits are in your home. To help make the transition as easy as possible for your kids, start with their favorites. The best rule of thumb is to serve it to them no less than four times before giving up on a recipe or new food. Most children will eat something new by the second or third time that you serve it to them.
A great resource is your local, hometown grocer. It will be a rare moment when something you need will be on the shelves. Mega grocers will not be likely to help. Most local grocers and health food stores will be happy to assist you. Simply give them a list of items you need, with the brand names.
When buying foods, you must always read the labels first, even if you've bought it a hundred times. GFCF foods have to be free from additives and preservatives. You're best to buy organic foods, but because it's organic, doesn't mean it's GFCF. Buy the freshest, most natural foods you can. Vegetables have to be fresh or frozen, as well as fruits. This ensures that there are no toxins sneaking into your foods as there are with canned foods.
A lot of GFCF foods can be frozen. This is a real help when you find yourself in a hurry. Noone wants to be in the kitchen, preparing food all day. Make batches of favorite foods and put single servings into freezer bags for a quicker lunch.
Since beginning the diet, we no longer use butter. Instead of frying with butter, we use olive oil. It's great when you're frying eggs or potatoes, and it's great for your skin and hair. Even if you are not on the GFCF diet, this is something you should consider doing, if only for the health benefits.
Many times recipes call for butter, or other things you cannot use. If a cookie recipe calls for 1 TBSP. of butter, I use 3/4 TBSP. olive oil, and 1/4 TBSP. honey. Most of the time it's the consistency that you need, not necessarily the exact ingredient.Nearly any recipe that you have can be made GFCF. Be creative!
A Few Good Recipes
GFCF Bread
2 C. Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. Clabber Girl baking powder
2 Organic eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/3 C. Water
2 Tbsp. Bob's Red Mill white rice flour (for coating)
1 tsp. Sea salt
1 Tbsp. Bob's Red Mill xanthan gum
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 Tbsp. Honey
2 Tbsp. Flax seed
preheat oven to 350. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Mix rest in a separate bowl with a mixer. Add ingredients to dry, and mix slowly just until they're combined.Pour batter into bread pan coated with white rice flour. Bake 1 hour, or until golden brown and passes the fork test. Cool on rack. Can be frozen.
GFCF sloppy Joe's
2 lb. Lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/3 C. Heinz ketchup
2 Tbsp. Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. French's mustard
2 Tbsp. Lemon juice
1 Tsp. Garlic powder (McCormick's)
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Pepper
Cook hamburger and onion in skillet over med. heat until browned.Drain and return to skillet. In a medium bowl combine remaining ingredients. Add to hamburger and stir. Let simmer for twenty minutes and serve. Can be frozen.
GFCF Chicken Nuggets
6 Organic chicken breasts
2 C. Bob's Red Mill all-purpose baking flour
2 Tbsp. Pepper
2 Tbsp. Sea Salt
1 Tbsp. Garlic powder
1 Tbsp. Paprika
2 Organic eggs, slightly beaten
Rinse, dry and cut chicken breasts into nugget- sized pieces. Put eggs in a small bowl. In a mixing bowl, stir spices and flour together. Heat olive oil in frying pan over med. heat. Dip chicken into eggs, then flour mixture, and fry. Let cool on paper towels when golden brown. Can freeze.
Poor Man's Stew
About 10 potatoes rinsed, and quartered
1 package of cubed ham
1 large package of frozen green beans
Put all into crock pot and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low for about 8 hours and serve.

Jaime Lyons

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Healing Diets Alleviate Autism Symptoms

Your monthly autism support group is helpful. Sometimes, a mom sitting next to you is busy jotting down a shopping list. You notice some interesting items: coconut flour, rice noodles, gluten-free cereal and quite a few organic fruits and vegetables. Immediately you realize that this mom must follow a special autism diet for their child. You may wonder if these diets really do benefit children with autism.
You may have done little research on diet, as you have been very focused on behavioral therapy. What are the facts supporting autism diets? You may begin to wonder if your child can benefit.
Diet is an important part of intervention for autism. According to leading autism organizations, autism pediatricians, nutritionists and parents around the globe, autism diets provide measurable results in helping reduce children's symptoms of autism.
There are many diets that autism nutrition specialists, physicians and parents are applying with great results. They are the Gluten-Free Casein-Free (GFCF) Diet, Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) Diet, Low Oxalate Diet, Body Ecology Diet, Feingold Diet and the Weston A. Price Diet-each with their own individual healing properties.
Autism diets are recommended and applied with the help of nutrition consultants based on a child's autism symptoms, food allergies and sensitivities, digestive capacity, family history, bio-individuality, and a number of other criteria.
According to parents polled by Autism Research Institute (ARI), after mercury/heavy metal chelation, autism diet is the most effective intervention for children on the autistic spectrum - more that any drug, nutrient or other biomedical therapy. One simple healing principle holds true today: thousands of children are finding relief from symptoms of autism as parents correctly and diligently apply autism diet. Autism is treatable and diet helps.
Parents and physicians consistently report improvement in the following symptoms: stimming, sleep, language, eye contact, attention, hyperactivity, learning, fatigue, aggression, self-injurious behavior, rashes, digestion, diarrhea, constipation and gas. While children experience symptom alleviation at different levels, the GFCF Diet, for example, shows a 65% improvement rating ("got better") as reported by thousands of parents in an Autism Research Institute (ARI) survey; Specific Carbohydrate Diet, while a smaller sample of hundreds, has shown a 66% improvement.
Every parent with a child on the autism spectrum that takes the time to do cursory research and read parent reports regarding autism diets finds that they have a very powerful healing tool right at their fingertips.
While it's important to consult a qualified autism nutrition and diet specialist, it's beneficial to take the time to understand and explore how food heals and how a particular diet may help your child. Since parents feed their child every day, the more you comprehend diet and nutrition, the more effective you can be. Visit autism diet websites and explore the leading autism diet books available. You are your child's most important health advocate.
On your next trip to the grocery store, take these first simple steps to implement a healing autism diet for your child. Purchase organic fruits and vegetables when possible; remove all artificial ingredients, colors and preservatives from food choices. Do not purchase pre-package foods such as canned or frozen chili, macaroni and cheese or taco seasoning. Serve only meat from grass-fed animals when possible. By choosing nutritional organic foods to prepare for your family, you remove harmful toxins, colors, additives, pesticides, PCBs, antibiotics and hormones from your child's dinner plate.
The first diet most parents, physicians and autism nutritionists recommend is the Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet. Find out about the interesting facts behind this diet-it's helping many children on the spectrum. Enjoy the process-if a healing diet might help your child, why not try it? Connect with parents on autism diet Facebook and Yahoo! groups for success stories, resources, new ideas, recipes and diet implementation tips. Remember, the most important step to implementing autism diet-just start!

Julie Matthews, a top US biomedical autism diet/nutrition specialist and Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) Practitioner, helps parents recover children from autism. She is a parent/physician educator and creator of Nourishing Hope for Autism Nutrition Intervention for Healing Our Children" (Book) and "Cooking to Heal Autism Nutrition and Cooking Classes" (DVD). Visit http://www.NourishingHope.com to study autism diets and view video presentations.

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Is a Gluten and Casein-Free Diet an Answer to Autism or ADHD?

A gluten- and casein-free diet is as much of an answer to autism and ADHD as a band-aid that is soaked in antiseptic, and blood-clotting solution is an answer to a bullet that causes infection and bleeding in the body.
So, if one looks at some symptomatic improvement in both situations, autism and the bullet, and is happy to report it, there is nothing wrong with this, per se. However, if one assumes, in the process, that something of essence has been accomplished in autism, ADHD or in the overall health of this child, one has made the wrong assumption. The distributors of this and other diets often convey an impression that there is something fundamental or genetically sinister about these proteins - gluten and casein or other foods such as soy, corn, etc. - and, therefore, these and other diets are presented as some big answers to autism and chronic diseases. As "proof" to this, autism and other diseases do seem aggravated by allergic foods. However, in spite of the fact that these aggravations are formally correct, such an approach to chronic diseases is wrong because it confuses the trigger and the cause of disease. In practically 100% of all cases with allergens triggering any chronic disease, allergens are never the cause of autism or any other disease. Furthermore, the preoccupation with allergens detracts from the search for the 'bullets' - the true causes of disease - which by remaining in the body will inevitably continue causing further damage and destruction and, thus, leading to more advanced and more diseases.That is why avoiding triggers leads to neither substantial nor long-lasting progress. And that is why once the diet is broken, even if on few occasions, whichever the symptoms that seemed to have been subdued in autism and other diseases rebound viciously. In addition, even if the diets are maintained religiously, new triggers find their victim, anyway. That is why I have seen multitudes of patients who started out with excluding just 3-4 allergic foods from their diets and who have subsequently ended up becoming allergic to so many foods that they were down to only 3-4 foods, total. That is because that the bullets or the causes of allergies have remained in the body and kept eating it away as the disease and overall health worsened. So, the bottom line is don't chase triggers, but pursue the bullets, instead.
What are these bullets in the case of gluten and casein in autism or in all food allergies, in general, and how to and how not to go about identifying and addressing these?
These "bullets" are primarily toxicological agents such as mercury, lead, methylmercury, pesticides and a few others as well as gastrointestinal infections such as parasitic, yeast, and, sometimes, bacterial infections also. The best way to misdiagnose these is to do exactly what most of the alternative practitioners do - that is, to order blood, stool and other lab tests. (Conventional doctors are even out of the equation here because they act as if their patients are immune to these toxicants or infections and that is why they hardly ever look for these.)
The main reason why blood, stool and other lab tests are unreliable is because their detection ability is very low. And even if a blood test confirms allergy to gluten or casein it is not worth subjecting your child to being stuck with needles because the blood test, even if positive, cannot tell what symptoms these or other foods or nonfood allergens will or will not trigger. This, one can establish simply by avoidance or observation.
As far as stool is concerned for gastrointestinal infections, in order for these tests to be positive, a sufficient and large number of infectious organisms or parasitic eggs must show up in the specimen on the day of collection. This rarely happens because these infectious agents may not be present in sufficient numbers on the intestinal surface itself but burrow inside it where they become undetectable to stool tests. And even if stool or lab tests catch one or two infections this does not mean that the tests did not overlook other infectious agents at the same time. It is often, that these other infections are the ones which cause most of the allergies and the notorious leaky gut which are commonly present in autism and other chronic diseases.
Of course, this is not anything that a diagnostic lab will share readily with a doctor or a doctor with you. As a result, most of the time, the lab tests end up misleading instead of leading. This, as many other important facts in medicine remains "classified", i.e., not for patients' ears. Besides, even if and when these infections become partially detected, the pharmaceutical treatments for these with using drugs or "natural treatments" can often be worse than the infections themselves. The reason for this we explain in the DVD, Autism -A curable disease that also explains why any chronic infections remain incurable whether in autism or Lyme disease or other as long as toxicological and other agents mentioned in the DVD continue causing the state of immuno suppression in the body. Concerning heavy metals and other toxicants, both lab and chelators/detoxifiers are not capable of properly addressing these either. Instead, the chelators can cause unpredictable and even worse toxic effects than the metals themselves. This is also reflected in the DVD, Autism - A curable disease and in my article Chelators of Mercury, Lead and Other Heavy Metals: Theoretical Benefits, Suboptimal Results and Real Dangers. The Implications for Autism, Other Brain- and Somatic Diseases. (This article, even in spite of being supported by scientific references, has been rejected for publication by several alternative medical peer review journals. Certainly, it flies in the face of their editorial staff which tries to dress up the store window of alternative medicine as "natural", "progressive" and harmless. The reader may also find the DVD, The power of missing knowledge: An explanation for the failures of conventional and alternative medicine in chronic and degenerative diseases. An introduction to FCT as very edifying as it explains why terminology as "natural", "progressive" or "harmless" belongs rather to the territory of fairy tales or naive assumptions, rather than to the real facts or factual science.)
The main diagnostic tool that I use and that overcomes all of the lab hurdles and omissions is - bioresonance testing. This noninvasive test that is capable of tuning into gastrointestinal and any other organs energetically and completely pain free is ideal for children and adults, also. This is particularly the case for children with autism who have been through the proverbial mills of tests.
Homeopathic treatment that begins with the removal of the immunosuppressive agents and residues of antibiotics or side-effects of vaccines, the necessary requirements without which all infections are doomed to chronicity, treats these infections very effectively. As the rule, "genetic" gluten and casein and other food allergies disappear. Following the treatment course, children or adults consume formerly allergic foods without untoward reactions.

For more details and viewing presentations of cured children from autism go to Autism - A curable disease.

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