Dealing with Rising Costs in Supporting our Children’s Dietary Restrictions

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

During the past few weeks and months we have heard about and experienced increase in gas prices, increase in food prices, heard all about the possibility of whether or not we are currently experiencing a recession and seen the effects of financial instability in the rise of foreclosures in our own part of the country. The blame for increase in food products is relatable to the increase in the cost of gasoline. The increase in oil prices has resulted in increased transportation costs, which have contributed to the rise in food prices. Grain prices have skyrocketed largely due to demand for corn used to make the alternative fuel ethanol.

While we see consistent rise in cost of foods it makes it hard for parents to justify switching to organic foods, or continuing to follow Feingold Programs or Gluten Free/Casein Free/Soy Free/Corn Free protocols for our children diagnosed with autism and related spectrum disorders.

Many of the families who consult with me have made decisions to follow specific dietary changes to address their children’s needs. These families see behavior improve, experience gut disturbance drastically decrease, observe improvement in immune function and notice better over-all health with their chosen dietary intervention.

The Feingold Diet, being one choice, is based on the premise that allergic reactions or sensitivities to certain types of foods cause or contribute to behavior symptoms, such as problems with behavior, learning and health.

The Feingold Program is more comprehensive than a simple diet, and operates in two stages. Stage 1 eliminates chemical compounds in particular food additives, and salicylate compounds in certain foods and non-food items such as fragrances - hence the name Program rather than diet. Stage 2 involves identifying which salicylates (if any) can be tolerated.

Some parents, doctors and researchers say that children have shown mild to dramatic improvements in speech and/or behavior after gluten and casein were removed from their diet. Some also report that their children have experienced fewer bouts of diarrhea and loose stools since starting a gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet.

The theory is that some people with autism and PDD cannot properly digest gluten and casein, which form substances that act like opiates in their bodies. This "drug" substance alters the person's behavior, perceptions, and responses to his environment, according to this theory. Research in the U.S. and Europe has found substances with opiate activity in the urine of a significant number of children with autism. If interested in determining if your child has issue with this, contact me and a urinary peptide test that can be performed to tell if proteins are not being digested properly.

Can we on a defined household budget continue to justify special dietary intervention for our children? It is always your choice as a parent and caregiver, but I have some suggestions to assist in continuing to provide safe and health promoting foods for our children.

If you are in the beginning stages of implementing GFCF dietary changes, do not purchase all bulk ingredients in the hopes that your child will like what you have made. Better yet, purchase small amounts of ready made food items. If your child enjoys this new GFCF food you can then invest in making it from scratch. You will always save money making your own foods, but try some pre-made items before making new foods to allow your child the opportunity to taste-test. Once you have created a new food, make it in bulk and freeze and store it in individual serving size for later use. This is a wonderful time saver, too.

It is also a great idea to shop with your support group. If you don’t currently attend a support group, you should start. If you don’t have a support group to attend, start one of your own. (If you don’t know how to start a support group, contact The Globe for past issues containing information on how to start your own support group!) With your support group as allies you can feel confidence in numbers when asking the local grocery store managers to begin carrying specific foods your children like to eat. The numbers of you requesting the specific foods will give the grocers confidence that his purchase will not be in vain, that the stock will not remain on the shelves, but instead will be purchased by loyal customers who will come back again and again to purchase your children’s favorite GFCF, organic and safe foods.

You can also write off your specialized foods as a tax-deduction. The difference in the cost between the regular food item and its alternative “diet safe” option is the “write-off” amount. For example, if a regular loaf of bread costs $1 and the bread you buy for your child is $4, then you can write off $3 per loaf. Save all of your food receipts!

There are also foods that are seasonally available from farmers markets and your local growers that are cheaper and cleaner than foods that are trucked all over the continent and country. We are about to see a bounty of colorful foods as the warmer weather aids in producing foods our whole families should be enjoying. If you don’t already can and freeze your produce, it’s time to take a look at doing so. I quite enjoy the weekends my family spends “putting up” jars and containers of fruits and vegetables for use during winter months. I know they have been grown clean and I have controlled all that has gone into the canning and freezing containers.

Take a look at your whole shopping list and determine if you would be better served by making any of those foods yourself. Save some money buy buying in bulk and saving for later use. Even save more money buy buying meats from the farmer, sharing the cost of half a cow with friends and family.