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Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Diet

R

Ruby

Well-Known Member
I heard that a gluten-free dairy-free diet is known as the autism diet and can make symptoms of autism better. Would it be worth high functioning autistics going on this diet if they want to improve? Would this diet be useful even for autistic adults? Have any of you tried it? What happened?

I was thinking of going on this diet or at least reducing my dairy and wheat intake, but my mum would just think it's nonsense so I wouldn't go on the diet until I'm an adult if I do at all.
 
I am skeptical. (especially after recently taking a College Nutrition course that was more extensive than is required of most physicians.) There are a lot of diet fads out there, promoted on the internet, which actually go against the most advanced and accurate scientific understanding. So I am skeptical of the anti-(insert name of food or nutrient) fads.

Some individuals have a gluten allergy, or dairy allergy, or are lactose intolerant. These people need to avoid these foods. But that doesn't apply to everyone.

I do think that some people eat too much wheat. This doesn't mean wheat is bad: it is good, but good diet is about balance, and too much (or too little) of anything is bad. Other people eat too few grains.

However, it could be that in some cases, some people end up replacing the wheat and dairy with something they already needed more of: vegetables, for instance. If that were the case, and this person started eating sufficient vegetables for the first time, because of greater health, their mood and stuff could improve. Which would be good. But that might not mean that gluten caused problems, it might just mean that they are now getting a vitamin or something that they had been deficient in.

I eat a mostly Dairy-free diet, but that's because I am lactose intolerant. After I discovered my lactose intolerance and reduced/eliminated dairy, there was no difference in my autism symptoms.
I did find I had more sustained energy after I started replacing a lot of wheat with brown rice. Currently I rarely eat grains. (I actually think people should eat grains-I don't but that's because of a taste preference thing.) I mostly just eat vegetables.
I don't think either of these changes affected my autism symptoms.

Healthy eating is about variety and balance.
No food type should be villainized.
 
Yeah . . . generally, no diet that completely eliminates a food group like that is going to be healthy. Even vegetarianism can be risky if you don't ensure you get complete proteins from plant sources----which is certainly achievable as long as you know what you're doing, but not if you're just chomping on celery all day.
 
Ereth said:
Yeah . . . generally, no diet that completely eliminates a food group like that is going to be healthy. Even vegetarianism can be risky if you don't ensure you get complete proteins from plant sources----which is certainly achievable as long as you know what you're doing, but not if you're just chomping on celery all day.
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Protein's easy to get for a vegetarian, but there is actually the risk of vitamin deficiencies. For instance vitamin B12 is only found in animal sources. (I take a supplement since I don't eat much meat. However, I take the supplement at only 1/25th of the serving size on the label, since too much of any vitamin, even of a B vitamin can be damaging.)
 
See, this is what I'm talking about. Vitamin deficiencies can happen if you don't know what you're doing with a diet. And yes, protein's easy enough to get as a vegetarian or vegan, but you need complete proteins, which you can get through combining corn and beans, etc.
 
I'm skeptical about any diets that exclude entire food groups for specious reasons. If a person has an allergy to some food item or group, that is an entirely different thing. I've seen people go vegan & begin to look like a melting candle: frail & sickly. Others eliminate something from their child's diet because they heard here or there that it will 'help' diminish the symptoms of ___________ condition (that the child may not even have been diagnosed with). As a teacher I often have hand-wringing parents ask me if I think that taking this or that out of their child's diet will help with something. The scariest parents are those who believe, with almost messianic fervor, that removing ______ from their child's diet will PREVENT _________ all while improving the child's math & science performance (!) Sometimes, removing said crazy parent would be the best thing for some of these kids. I always refer them to their child's paediatrician, since giving any advice or opinion in a field outside of education can get us into deep trouble. Even when it comes to concerns we may have about ADHD or ASD in a child, we have to tread extremely carefully. I document observations very carefully & objectively using neutral language & noting time, date & context. From there, the observations go to the principal & she decides whether or not & how to pursue the matter.
 
I've recently cut the vast majority of dairy out of my diet and it's made me feel much better physically but I haven't noticed any change in symptoms. I used to get bad stomach pains, sickness and/or an upset stomach when eating or drinking anything dairy-heavy. I try to replace regular milk with almond milk, soy milk or rice milk, and have dairy-free desserts if I can find them in the supermarket.

I noticed how much better I'd been feeling after having a small ice cream earlier and then spending half my evening in the bathroom..not much fun!

Apparently humans aren't meant to digest dairy therefore many people have dairy intolerances and may not even realise it.
 
grapesicles said:
I've recently cut the vast majority of dairy out of my diet and it's made me feel much better physically but I haven't noticed any change in symptoms. I used to get bad stomach pains, sickness and/or an upset stomach when eating or drinking anything dairy-heavy. I try to replace regular milk with almond milk, soy milk or rice milk, and have dairy-free desserts if I can find them in the supermarket.

I noticed how much better I'd been feeling after having a small ice cream earlier and then spending half my evening in the bathroom..not much fun!

Apparently humans aren't meant to digest dairy therefore many people have dairy intolerances and may not even realise it.
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I'm guessing you're lactose intolerant, like me!
 
I'll trade anyone gastrointestinal reflux disease for lactose intolerance....and raise ya with some OCD! :(
 
I suggest to anyone looking into this diet only as something to combat any allergies or intolerance they might have. I tend to eat a lot of gluten free things because of my allergies to preservatives and pre-packed food. Also I tend to be a bit on the intolerant side of diary except for properly aged cheese. I would recommend talking to your doctor before starting any kind of diet as this can lead to OCD things too.
 
I went gluten and dairy free about 14 years ago, and I found it very helpful. My chronic joint pain, acne, and digestive issues cleared up remarkably. My parents always called me a hypochondriac, as these problems existed since childhood . . . yet they completely vanished when I changed my diet.
 
Gluten-free yes. I have celiac disease. My stomach hurt all the time / due to all minor triggers, when I ate gluten. I don't think it has any impact on the psyche besides not being in pain all the time means better mood.
 
Dairy-free, yes. I rarely eat gluten (not particularly on purpose). I haven't noticed anything as far as autism goes. Dairy used to make me more tired. But that's about all the effect I've seen that have on my mind.
 
Gluten Free - Yes
Dairy Free - Yes

Went gluten free upon celiac diagnosis. About 2004.
Went dairy free, actually totally vegan, in 1989 in response to type 1 diabetes.
Fixed both of those, but no effect on my autism.
 
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