Autism Diet

Published: May 8, 2009 (Article by nbc13.com )




There is no cure for autism, but there are lots of therapies and strategies that can improve the abilities and overall well-being of autistic children.

One strategy that works for some children is to change what they’re eating.

A new diet for an 8 year old autistic boy in georgia, named Justin, has improved his life.

“His language skyrocketed, his digestion completely improved. He was able to focus, I think focus a whole lot better in school and able to express himself,“ says his mother, Susan Delaine.

Justin’s diet is completely free of casin: no milk products or gluten.

“You can’t have any wheat, rye, barley or oats,“ says another mother, Jennifer Harris.

It’s not an easy diet to follow.

Many times it means shopping in stores that specialize in organic foods.

It means becoming a food detective.

“A lot of product labels will list white flour, but white flour is just bleached wheat flour, so you still can’t have that. There’s about seven different words for wheat. Triticale, durum, emer, fo, farina, semilima, so there’s things that confuse you when you’re first starting out,“ says Harris.

Justin’s mother began changing his diet about six years ago.

She few recipes, so created her own and then put them in a cookbook to help parents of other autistic children.

“Balancing the Bowl” is now updated and in its second edition.

And the entire Delaine family is now gluten-free.

And Justin’s happier and healthier.

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