By Christopher Figueroa
Some parents believe that subtracting wheat, dairy and artificial additives from diets of their children will help them control and, in some cases, reverse the symptoms related to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Children with autism tend to have higher sensitivity to foods containing gluten and casein. A gluten-free casein-free (GFCF) diet is thought to promote changes in speech and behavior.
Approximately 1 in every 68 American is affected by Autism, a condition that usually rears its head during early childhood. It is characterized by difficulty in three areas: social interaction, communication and behavior.
A study from the Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found that children with ASD are two-and-a-half times more likely to have persistent gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms compared to children without autism.
Nutritionists and advocates of the GFCF diet say some of the sources of gluten to avoid are potato chips, fries, bologna, hot dogs and artificial flavorings. Casein can be found in milk, cheese, butter and ice cream. Some substitutes include gluten-free chicken nuggets and hotdogs. Breads are harder to replicate without gluten, since gluten gives bread its texture. It is can be better to make gluten-free bread at home and it is a fun activity to engage with your child.
Replacing casein is also an easy thing to do. Butter can be swapped for coconut oil and there is also casein-free ice cream.
Janet Rivera is any early interventionist for patients with autism and is currently treating my nephew Ethan. Ethan is two years old. Several months ago his mother started noticing extreme aggression and poor eye contact so she took him to the doctor, who diagnosed him with autism.
Jocelyn describes her son’s condition.
Janet said she heard about the GFCF diet several years ago but is very skeptical. “In general kids with autism are picky eaters,” said Rivera. “From my experience, there has been no proof of a specific diet having any effect on children’s with autism’s appetite or behavior.”
My sister is doubtful about the diet but was willing to see if it helped her son’s symptoms. We decide to cook baked BBQ chicken with macaroni and cheese to see if Ethan liked it.
Finding an all-natural BBQ sauce in the Bronx was an epic quest. We went to four health food stores in search of the perfect sauce with no such luck. It was extremely discouraging that a lot of the ingredients we needed were not as available. We eventually gave up and decided to make our own. We combined lemon, apple cider vinegar, blended tomatoes, sugar, salt, honey, and soy sauce to create our own tasty BBQ sauce.
Next was the challenge of finding grain-fed free-roaming chicken. Surprisingly this was not as hard to find. We lightly seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper, nixing the traditional Latin spice Sazón that is high in sodium and additives. We then lightly glazed the chicken with our homemade BBQ sauce and cooked it at 350 degrees for an hour and a half.
For the cheesiest cheese-free macaroni and cheese, we used olive oil, gluten-free pasta, almond butter, Dijon mustard, nutmeg, garlic powder, lemon juice, sea salt and yellow paprika for the well-known orange color. All of the ingredients were found in the Garden Gourmet Market right here in the Bronx.
The true test was to see if Ethan would like it and if it would ease some of his aggressive behaviors. After a few bites, Ethan threw a chicken leg to the floor and sang, “The wheels on the bus go round and round.” He nibbled on a couple more pieces of chicken and seemed to like the sauce of the mac and cheese.
Soon after the meal Ethan went over to play with his brother. Frustrated that his brother was on his chair, Ethan bit him on the arm. Next week we plan on trying a desert recipe because Ethan, like every kid, prefers chocolate to real food.
Next on the menu is a flourless chocolate ginger cookie. We will be replacing the dairy with dairy-free butter sticks and replacing the vanilla extract with fresh vanilla bean. It might not be the easiest of things managing Ethan’s symptoms, but with the help of his driven mother, therapist and his cool uncle Ethan will be fine. To find more fun and easy recipes check out http://www.gfcf.com.
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