Nutrition to support ASD

By: Dr. Julie A. Wilczynski, ND, CNC

A healthy and well balanced diet is essential for all children and adults, but especially important for our children diagnosed with autism. Over the past several years since my son was initially diagnosed with several spectrum disorders associated with autism we took a long and hard look at our nutrition. We looked not only at what Michael ate, but at the foods that we all ate. As a family of four there was some work that needed to be done. We needed nutrition “over haul”. First and foremost, foods containing sugar, phosphates and other additives were removed from the house. These substances have been shown to interfere with proper brain function. This type of nutrition protocol has been called the Feingold Program. As parents we have all seen evidence, first hand, when our children consume too much sugary and preservative laden food. They are unable to focus, incapable of sitting still and most bounce off of the walls until the sugar “overload” has sufficiently worn off. When following the Feingold Program three main groups of synthetic food additives and one class of synthetic sweeteners must be eliminated:

• Synthetic colors (FD&C and D&D colors)
• Synthetic flavors (several thousand different chemicals)
• Synthetic preservatives (BHA, BHT, and TBHQ)
• Artificial sweeteners (Aspartame, Neotame, and Alitame)

After making significant progress in removing toxic and behavior draining foods from Michael’s nutritional regimen we took a look at foods that have a high allergic tendency. I did test Michael first to check for sensitivities and allergies of these foods and we are very lucky that though food allergies do run hard and fast in my family tree, my husband’s genes filled in the gaps and Michael has no significant food issues with common foods. YES, we were finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. For others, though, food sensitivities and severe food allergies must be taken in to consideration. Foods such as wheat, corn, milk, eggs and chocolate for some, must be avoided because of the possibility of food intolerances and allergies as contributors to autism. If you suspect food intolerances or allergies, it is a good idea to test prior to elimination. Children, whether on the Autism Spectrum or not, tend to show evidence of behavior being greatly improved when cow’s milk, wheat, eggs or other common highly allergenic foods are removed from the diet.

A healthy diet for the whole family is based on whole foods, organically grown. Fruits, vegetables, fresh juices, fresh soups, brown or basmati rice plus yams and oily fish are good sources of nutrition that can add to children’s bodies what they’re missing in complex carbohydrates, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals.

Whole food supplements are essential to strengthen the immune system and give the child’s body needed concentrated nutrients. Following is a list of recommended whole food supplements.

Supplements shown to help with digestion and assimilation:

·         Acidophilus and bifidus (probiotics)

·         Plant based enzymes (with cooked foods to properly digest meals and in between meals to assist clearing / cleaning of the lymphatic system).

Supplements shown to help with nourishing the body:

·         Vitamin B-complex

·         Essential amino acids and fatty acids

·         Naturally formulated and well balanced multivitamin/mineral (free of yeast, sugars, dyes and other synthetic products)

Supplements shown to help reduce oxidative stress:

·         Coenzyme Q10 micro-blended with organic flax oil

·         Wheat sprouts micro-blended with red algae and blue green algae

According to Dr. Rimland, autism is a biological disorder, not an emotional disorder.

The founder of the Autism Research Institute (ARI), Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., was an internationally recognized authority on autism and the father of an autistic son. Dr. Rimland wrote the prize-winning book Infantile Autism, and was the founder of the Autism Society of America. He served as chief technical advisor on the film Rain Man and earned many awards for his work during his lifetime. Many medical doctors such as Dr. Rimland and Dr. Baker, believe that a nutritional approach may help this biological disorder and allow children diagnosed with autism to communicate and cope more along the developmental lines of their neuro typical peers.

Dietary interventions are based on the idea that 1) food allergies cause symptoms of autism, and 2) an insufficiency of a specific vitamin or mineral may cause some autistic symptoms. If parents decide to try for a given period of time a special diet, they should be sure that the child's nutritional status is measured carefully. Keep a journal, record changes in behavior, in cravings, in sleep patterns and in eliminatory habits.

Every child is different, expressing different degrees of severity of autism or Autism Spectrum Disorders. With this in mind, each child should be looked upon as an individual, not as “this child with autism”. The focus should be on waking up each child’s inherent ability to be healthy, nourishing the eliminatory organs and ensuring that there are no imbalances digestively. With proper attention to clean source foods, proper hydration, cleansing, adequate rest, behavior modification and proper intestinal balance children can be given the opportunity to grow up to be well adjusted, happy and healthy adults.