Feeding the Autistic Brain
Welcome to my new series highlighting nutritional guidelines for specific conditions.
ESTIMATED READING TIME: 7 Minutes & 19 Seconds
We all know that certain foods are better for us than others, but when dealing with a learning disability, neurological disorder, mental health issue, or other condition, consuming the right foods while avoiding certain others can have a significant impact on the outcome.
This week, we start with autism and what to feed the autistic brain.
Future posts will focus on ADHD, fibromyalgia, dementia, depression, etc. If you have a particular condition in mind for which you would like nutritional advice, please email me or comment below and I’ll add it to the list!
We all know that certain foods are better for us than others, but did you know that food choices are even more critical when your child has autism?
Where autism is concerned, food choices can make a significant impact on symptoms and daily life.
Read on to discover common symptoms associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder and what to feed your autistic child.
What is Autism?
Autism is commonly referred to as ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder. Many people refer to children with autism as being on the spectrum. It is a developmental disability with an inflammatory component that causes various communication, behavioural, learning, and social challenges that range in severity from one child to the next.
Much debate exists as to the etiology of autism and why autism chooses one child over another. But regardless of the why, rates of autism across North America keep climbing from year after year.
Brain scans on ASD children have shown that ASD is not just one thing or the same for every child. Some kids will have wildly overactive areas in their brains, most likely the result of inflammation. Yet others will reveal dramatically under-active regions of the brain. This can be the result of toxins or some kind of insult to the brain.
In most cases, you won’t be able to identify an ASD child by merely looking at them. However, their challenges are real and can significantly impact daily living - for themselves and their families.
Challenges faced by ASD children often include a lack of language or delayed language skills, various medical issues especially related to gut health, behavioural problems, learning disabilities, sleep disturbances, and severe food allergies, to name a few.
This last point will be the focus of this week’s blog - allergies common in ASD and dietary interventions that can help.
Nutritional guidelines for feeding autism
What makes feeding an autistic child even more challenging is that kids with ASD are often rigid. They do not like change, and they thrive on routine. Oral sensitivity issues can make the addition of new foods even more challenging. [quote]
Changing any aspect of an ASD child’s day can result in a meltdown. This rigidity is part of the reason why ASD kids often insist on eating the same foods day in and day out. It should be no surprise, then, that the foods they crave and eat on a regular basis are often the ones that create problems for them.
ASD kids prefer the foods that feed their addictions to casein and gluten - like bread, cookies, candy, french fries, and pizza. Unfortunately, these foods provide little to no nutritional value. Instead, they offer excess calories and feed yeast overgrowths, making the child crave them even more.
Though each person is unique with individual needs, there are some general nutritional guidelines that anyone with autism should follow. In general, this includes eliminating anything that can hurt their brains!
“Many ASD children do better as soon as all forms of gluten and casein are removed from their diet. ”
How to feed the autistic brain
Feed the autistic brain by following these dos and don’ts.
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DO feed them:
Omega 3 fatty acids: Omega 3 fatty acids like those found in wild fish, avocados, walnuts, and coconut oil are crucial nutrients for optimal brain health. They fuel the brain, nourish body cells, help balance moods, and reduce inflammation. As autism is an inflammatory condition, omega 3’s should be a staple of their diet as well as regularly supplemented.
Whole foods: Start with whole food ingredients as the basis for each meal. These are foods that do not need a label, so they are generally safe. Whole foods grow out of the ground, in the ground, or live off the ground. Creating healthy and balanced meals around whole foods is the best and safest way to feed your child.
Organic fruits: Eating a rainbow of naturally-coloured fruits will provide a variety of nutrients and antioxidants that your child needs to flourish. Antioxidant-rich foods like blueberries are also essential to reduce free-radical damage and inflammation. Choosing organic will also ensure that your child’s diet is as clean as possible.
Organic vegetables: A variety of fresh or frozen vegetables should make up a good portion of your child’s plate each meal. Dark green leafy vegetables, in particular, contain ample chlorophyll that aids in the detoxification process and helps clear out the liver. Choosing organic, when possible, also limits the number of pesticides and chemicals that your child is consuming.
Quality meats: Again, the quality of meat you choose for your child is essential. Beef should be grass-fed and grass-finished to provide more nutrients and omega 3’s. Poultry and pork should be pasture-fed, humanely-raised, and not corn- or grain-fed. Fish and game should be wild. All meat should be free of antibiotics and hormones to ensure the cleanest product possible.
Homemade snacks and treats: Making snacks and treats at home is the best and safest way to know exactly what your child is eating (and avoiding). Just because the list of ingredients ASD kids should avoid is so vast, it does not mean that eating has to be boring or flavourless. Everyone deserves a tasty treat!
DON’T feed them:
Gluten: ASD kids are more sensitive to gluten (a protein found in wheat, many grains, and common foods like ketchup, salad dressings, and soy sauce) than most others. It causes inflammation, disrupts the balance of intestinal bacteria, and contributes to a leaky gut. This results in nutrient malabsorption and interferes with the creation of neurotransmitters, increasing incidents of anxiety, moodiness, and learning difficulties.
Dairy: Dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt contain casein, a protein that encourages the release of exorphins. Exorphins bind to the brain’s opiate receptors creating spaciness, brain fog, concentration problems, and hyperactivity.
Sugar: Sugar creates the erratic firing of neurons and reduces levels of good bacteria in the gut. Problems like inflammation, moodiness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity can become worse. Because of this, kids with ASD must avoid sugar and simple carbohydrates like white pasta, store-bought cookies, white bread and pretzels.
Soy: As with gluten and casein, many ASD kids have an abnormal immune response to the protein found in soy. Additionally, soy has been linked to increased seizure activity. Any number of ASD symptoms can be aggravated as a result of consuming it, so its best avoided.
Corn: Much of the corn produced in the United States has been treated with pesticides, including the herbicide glyphosate. Growing evidence suggests a link between glyphosate exposure and the risk of autism.
Food dyes: For people with autism, red dye #40, an artificial food colouring, has been linked to poor concentration, hyperactivity, mood problems, and behaviour issues. It can be found in many coloured highly-processed foods like breakfast cereals, hot dogs, flavoured yogurt, fruit snacks, cheese balls, and pizza, to name a few.
Food additives: Similar to artificial colouring agents, food additives can alter gut bacteria and cause mood disturbances, behaviour problems, and other neuropsychological issues. For this reason, they should be avoided for anyone with ASD.
Sugar substitutes: Aspartame has been linked to hyperactivity in ASD. Additionally, artificial sweeteners, in general, can be up to 600 times sweeter than sugar and can trigger cravings. A better natural substitute may be green-leaf Stevia.
What all this means is that you must start learning how to read food labels (if you don’t already). And if your child is a little older, teach them to become a detective in search of any of these food ingredients. Their health and wellbeing depend on it!
Food allergies in ASD
The foods contained in the “don’t” list above are common food allergies in people with autism. Some of these allergies can be severe. Even though your child may not break out in hives, have a physical reaction, or be anaphylactic to the foods on this list, they are still problematic in that they affect the brain and create inflammation. They may cause or contribute to headaches, rigidity, irritability, extreme cravings, poor sleep, repetitive sounds or movements, OCD tendencies, language delays, learning problems, and hyperactivity.
When food allergies like these exist, it indicates that there is a gastrointestinal issue at play. These gut issues create malabsorption problems and lead to nutrient deficiencies. It’s been established that kids with ASD are often deficient in essential fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin D3, as well as others.
In addition, many ASD children have higher levels of heavy metals (including mercury, lead, tin, and nickel) in their bodies. It is believed that they have an overburdened liver or problem with a chemical pathway responsible for heavy metal detoxification. Because their bodies are unable to rid themselves of these toxic metals efficiently, the metals often accumulate and create additional neurological issues.
This is why eating clean (organic, pasture-raised, antibiotic-free, hormone-free, additive-free) is so important. It may even come down to changing the brand of shampoo, body lotion and deodorant they use to avoid aluminum, other metals, and chemical additives.
A clean home and environment can be just as important as a clean diet. [quote]
Following these guidelines can make a significant difference in ASD symptoms. Often, a gradual introduction to new foods and the elimination of old ones that are not serving the child is the best strategy.
Patience, perseverance, and positivity in making these changes are paramount!
If you’d like help choosing the best foods to feed your autistic child or need inspiration on how to phase out certain foods or introduce new ones, please contact me. I’d be happy to help!
Along with diet, other areas may need to be looked at to help uncover and address the challenges your ASD child is dealing with, as well. I use a multi-faceted approach to do just this. To learn more, contact me today. It’s never too late to start!
As always, I welcome your thoughts and value your feedback. Let me know what you think by dropping me a line or commenting below.
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