Is Casein-Gluten-Free Diet Autism Friendly?
Parents of autistic children have often observed behavioral improvements in their wards when their food intakes are casein-gluten-free.
The major sources of Gluten are
- Barley
- Rye
- Wheat
- Dairy Products
However, clinicians have found results to be otherwise. There is no proper evidence about casein-gluten-free diet helps individuals to improve their symptoms.
A group of researchers highlight, parents has all the rights in trying a diet and few of them have observed behavioral changes in their wards.
Further, the researchers advise parents to practice safer ways when they are using casein-gluten-free diets on their children until clinical pieces of evidence have sufficient backing of the claims.
Dr. Henry Goel from the University of California says, “I always urge parents to seek consultation with their counselors and nutritionists to understand the actual causes of the diet. Today, it is easy to find diet plans on the internet with many experts backing up the success claims.”
Dr. Goel adds, “Nevertheless one needs to be careful when practicing these diets.”
The doctor further says, “If you do not have the experience to know whether a diet suffices the needs of your child, it is better to consult a trained dietician and be safe rather than sorry.”
Dr. Goel further adds, “We always recommend dieticians and nutritionists to ask parents to prepare a week history of their child’s diet before recommending anything.”
Other Important Considerations
The doctor says, at times parents wonder if these things are necessary in order to practice a diet.
These things are important and writing down things and getting reviewed by trained professionals helps you understand if there is any underlying risk in the planned diet.
These things help nutritionists to work together with families by helping them add sufficient supplemental diets to help one fill gaps, if any, in their child’s diet.
Post establishing a specific plan, one needs to guide parents through reliable ways which help them measure their child’s improvements. The doctor highlights the benefits of scheduling an appointment with a trained consultation before beginning a diet and comments, “It is always recommended parents discuss their expectations with their dieticians.”
For instance, expectations could range from reducing sleepless nights to preventing an angry outburst.
“If one sees improvements in behavioral symptoms, post practicing the necessary steps, the diet might be worth considering.”
“One needs to always question the reasons behind the improvements of gluten and casein from the diet. At times, changes could be due to something we do not expect or from a single source. For instance, some parents say they have observed improvement with casein-free diets while on the other hand, few parents attribute their child’s dietary success to gluten-free diets.”
Do you believe casein-gluten-free diets play a role in improving conditions of the individuals diagnosed with the disorder?
Feel free to discuss your thoughts by commenting in the comment section below.
Ruby Joseph editor
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