Home | Be Informed | A Special Perspective on the GFCF Diet

This month we’re focusing on “Transitions,” which makes it the perfect time to discuss a transition to the GFCF diet—A diet that my own son, very recently, transitioned to.
My son was diagnosed with asthma when he was six months old, and he was diagnosed with autism and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) when he was thirty-three months old. After his autism and ADHD diagnosis I quickly learned about the GFCF (gluten-free, casein-free) diet. Many individuals with autism, parents of children with autism, and medical professionals believe that the GFCF diet aids in improving digestive, behavioral, and overall symptoms relating to autism. The GFCF diet isn’t only popular in the autism community, though. Many others believe that the GFCF diet improves multiple health symptoms and general health—Local university graduate students are raving about the benefits.

For months I had thought about getting my son aboard the GFCF diet bandwagon, but I was nervous, I was scared—What’s gluten? What’s casein? Where will I buy food? Will he get enough nutrients? Vitamins? How hard is this going to be? Is this really going to help anything? On top of these questions, I was skeptical. I had heard from a few personal friends and acquaintances that “the diet” was working for their children, but I had heard from a few other personal friends and acquaintances that “the diet” didn’t work for their children, and I’d be better off saving my hope, time, and money.

In late March my son was struggling with multiple colds and asthma attacks. To aid in his recovery, I insisted that all dairy be cut from his diet. Since he was already avoiding dairy, my husband and I decided that it was a perfect time to go ahead with beginning the GFCF diet. So, I did a lot of research, implemented a supplementation plan, and, then, began the GFCF diet by eliminating casein from my son’s diet. I had heard that many people will notice that eliminating casein will produce very noticeable improvements within days… Days? I was still skeptical. Then, within four days my son’s world opened up… One, two, three, four days. I describe it like this: When my son walks into a room, instead offocusing in on a particular object that causes him extreme anxiety, he now sees the whole room. And in that room, he sees new things, new opportunities. And in that room, he sees other children, and he wants to interact with them, and play with them, and laugh with them. The next two weeks were full of mothers, and teachers, and therapists saying, “Wow!,” and asking, “What happened?” They were shocked! My son was full of life, and socialization, and his learning skills were increasing rapidly. I must admit, I was shocked too. It was three months ago, when my son was forty-four months old, that he began the GFCF diet by going casein-free. After transitioning to a casein-free diet, he also transitioned to a gluten-free diet. Now, my son is one month shy of his fourth birthday, and, for the first time in three and a half years, his daily asthma medication has been discontinued and his pulmonologist has officially released him from her care; his autism and ADHD symptoms continue to improve, improve, improve; and there’s no way that, for now, I’ll give up on the GFCF diet.

What I’ve learned:

• Don’t forego daily therapies. The GFCF diet is working out well for my son, but that doesn’t mean that it will or won’t work for your child. I have yet to hear a claim that the GFCF diet is the cure for autism, and I wouldn’t listen to anyone that tells me it is. Try it, and do what works for your child, but continue evidence-based therapies, like ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis).
• The GFCF diet isn’t easy, but it’s not hard. You may have to learn some new terms and ingredient substitutes, but the Internet makes that easy.
• The GFCF diet isn’t cheap, but it’s not expensive. Many health food stores carry a large variety of GFCF items at reasonable prices. I’ve noticed that many GFCF item prices, like cereal, for instance, are comparable to non-GFCF item prices. Some item prices, like cookies, are more expensive. Pick your pricing battles—Buy organic veggies and fruits, and save the cookies for special occasions. Use coupons!
• Everything I read insisted that if one family member goes GFCF, the whole family needs to go GFCF. I disagree. On top of being GFCF, my son doesn’t eat meat and he’s allergic to eggs. Due to arthritis, my husband doesn’t eat starch. I’m a migraineur, and follow a strict diet to avoid my migraine triggers. So, it’s just not practical that all of us follow the GFCF diet, and it’s probably not practical for the needs of many other families.
• Make sure that others know about, understand, and respect, your special child’s special diet—Teachers, therapists, grandparents, other parents. Include your child’s diet in his IEP. Be prepared to bring GFCF treats to schools functions, birthday parties, play dates, etc. Don’t give up! Talk with your child’s doctors, do your research, and make informed choices. Tune out the naysayers– You are your child’s best hope and advocate.

Recommended Sites:

GFCF, Talk About Curing Autism (http://www.tacanow.org/tag/gfcf/)
GFCF Diet Information (http://www.gfcf.com/)
The GFCF Diet Intervention (http://www.gfcfdiet.com/)
Shopping for Special Diets, Whole Foods Market (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/special-diets.php)

Recommended Books:
The Autism & ADHD Diet, by Barrie Silberberg
Special Diets for Special Kids, by Lisa Lewis
The Everything Guide to Cooking for Children with Autism, by Megan Hart and Kim Lutz

Kristina is the mother of a fantastic special needs son. She is not a medical professional, and she doesnot offer medical advice. For medical advice, including diet advice, talk to your doctor. For moreinformation regarding special needs, autism, and the GFCF diet, visit Kristina’s blog, Live, Love, Laugh,and Autism (http://livelovelaughandautism.blogspot.com/).

Home | Be Informed | A Special Perspective on the GFCF Diet