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Gluten-free and Casein-free diet

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 10:33:53 GMT

What on earth are gluten and casein? Can removing them from my child's diet can really improve the symptoms of autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)?

Re: Gluten and Casein

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 10:40:35 GMT

By colleen on Feb 16

Gluten and casein are getting a lot of attention in the autism community. Some parents, doctors and researchers say that children have shown mild to dramatic improvements in speech and/or behavior after these substances were removed from their diet.

Gluten and gluten-like proteins are found in wheat and other grains, including oats, rye, barley, bulgar, durum, kamut and spelt, and foods made from those grains. They are also found in food starches, semolina, couscous, malt, some vinegars, soy sauce, flavorings, artificial colors and hydrolyzed vegetable proteins.

Casein is a protein found in milk and products containing milk, such as cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, whey and even some brands of margarine. It also may be added to non-milk products such as soy cheese and hot dogs in the form of caseinate.

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..

Re: Gluten-free and Casein-free

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 11:21:33 GMT

By maria on Feb 16

GFCF Diet

Can I expect a big changes? Will I report better behavior or notice big difference?

Please share your opinion about that GFCF Diet . I really want to know how was an effect. I know I could benefit from others experiences.

Re: Gluten-free and Casein-free

Tue, 13 May 2008 21:55:26 GMT

By karobin on May 13

I have had my 3 year old daughter who has ASD on the gf/cf diet for 2 months. She is also on supplements prescribed by her pediatrician. I have seen a dramatic decrease in her aggressive behaviors, she sleeps better, no longer has dark circles under her eyes and has fewer meltdowns. I would highly recommend this intervention for anyone with a child on the spectrum. I also recommend finding a DAN pediatrician who can recommend the right supplements for you. My daughter takes Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, a multivitamin, Cod Liver Oil, and Melatonin for sleep. The melatonin has been amazing. She now sleeps 12 hours straight! The diet is a bit hard to get used to since it seems like there is gluten in everything but there are a lot of online resources and many stores now have "gluten free" sections. Check out talkaboutcuringautism.org for info on the diet.

Re: Gluten-free and Casein-free

Fri, 23 May 2008 10:02:24 GMT

By cfudge on May 23

Thank you for sharing your post about your experience. I know that many times doctors just recommend doing an elimination diet on a trial basis to assess results/outcomes. Did your doctor perform any lab work in advance to decide to take the gfcf path?