therapeutic diets

[Rita Mastrangelo]

Hi.
You list and discuss some therapeutic diets in the program, however when do you know which diet to you use on a child?

[DrWoeller]

Rita,
Remember that there is no one-size fits all diet for autism.

In the beginning for many parents learning how to implement a more healthy whole-foods gluten and casein-free diet (GFCF) is a good place to start. From there they can transition or modify to other diets:

-Specific Carbohydrate Diet – if their child has ongoing digestive problems, e.g., diarrhea, loose stools, documented bowel inflammation.
-Low Oxalate – if oxalic is high on the OAT and the child exhibits high oxalate issues such as persistent irritability, aggression, mood problems.
-Low Phenol – this is the Feingold approach of reducing or eliminating artificial colors or flavorings…which is not a bad idea for everyone. But, the low phenol diets often help significantly with attention and hyperactivity disorders

A good all-around diet to transition too from a basic GFCF is the GAPS Diet. The book associated with this diet is easy to read, and there is a lot of support information online about it.

In reality, no matter where a parent starts with dietary changes it will be an evolving process overtime. However, the key point is they need to start somewhere so even moving them in the direction of healthier food options at the same times as eliminating gluten and dairy is beneficial.

Sincerely,
Dr. Woeller

[Author]

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