Many families of children with autism provide their children with a gluten-free or casein- and gluten-free diet. Some believe that children with autism experience a specific digestive problem that is related to autistic behavior.
This year, the medical journal Pediatrics reported that no rigorous evidence could conclude that special diets work for children with autism or that children with autism experience more digestive problems than other children.
Many parents report anecdotal evidence that these types of diets help their children. Medical experts are concerned that children on these specialized diets may find nutritional deficiencies.
It is this author’s belief that many children who begin to show symptoms of autism between the ages of two and eight have just that, a nutritional deficiency.
In fact, most Americans are at risk for one of 900 nutritional diseases. The problem is not with the “autism diet”, it is how it is administered without the 90 essential nutrients needed and some of the elements that the diet includes.
When children’s brains are developing, they need all the essential nutrients and raw materials for their brains to make neurotransmitters. In typical American society, a child goes from being weaned from breast milk or infant formula to cereals and juices.
Examples are instant oatmeal, sweet fruit cereals, grape or apple juice, sweet toasters, and sweet punches. As you can see, I am trying not to name the names of the products, but you can imagine the different brands of cereals, etc. that could be on this list.
Children’s brains cannot develop on carbohydrates and sugars. Not only can this limit brain development nutritionally, it is evidenced in behavior. This is where the gluten-free diet can come into play. A gluten-free diet can help with digestive problems and can be healthy if a child also receives adequate supplementation.
Another one of the deadly nutritional mistakes we make in America is providing fried foods to our children. Can anyone say “chicken nuggets”? Eggs are excellent food for the brain. Not fried, of course, but scrambled, poached, or boiled. Pumpkin and sweet potatoes can be on this diet. If your child is not allergic to milk, you can put butter and milk on it. Rice, millet, flax, and buckwheat along with meat for protein and vegetables are also healthy options.
The problem I have with some “autism diets” is the amount of carbohydrates and sugars that I see in them. These are the most important things to avoid. Unfortunately, fruits and fruit juices are sugars that can be problematic for these children. Supplementation should come into play here. That’s why the medical review team on the study published in Pediatrics raised concerns about nutrition.
As previously stated, we can suffer from more than 900 nutritional diseases. Dr. Joel Wallach, a pioneer in nutritional medicine, has successfully treated patients with this science for years. We need 90 essential nutrients for our body. 60 minerals, 16 vitamins, 12 amino acids and 3 essential fatty acids (omega 3 and 6 are essential). Over the years, our soils have been depleted of these minerals and plants cannot put into food what the soil does not provide. That is why we need to supplement with the 90 essential nutrients.
Dr. Wallach suggests that children born with true autism will benefit from a gluten-free diet and receive the 90 essential nutrients, or the “Mighty 90” as he calls them. However, the most important statement from Dr. Wallach comes next. It states that the 85% to 90% who have changed from normal to autistic behavior can change dramatically with this diet and the 90 essential nutrients.
This author hopes that more awareness about nutritional deficiencies can be generated. In reality, treating our illnesses instead of masking them with drugs and providing temporary solutions with surgeries can benefit us enormously, achieving a better quality of life and longevity. Autism is just one of these nutritional deficiency diseases that can be treated with diet and supplements.