Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Diet

[lovely_darlingprettybaby]

Diagnosed with Asperger's and just started the GFDF diet.

Yes it does help.
I was going through a lot of things because of my hormonal disease where I was losing hair and troubles with my menstruation and it all settled down
My periods were less painful and more regulated, no cramps at all that were severe
And it has made me feel better overall
Less itchy skin etc
And I feel a lot more vibrant and active
My hair loss slowed
It has made a noticeable difference but withdrawals both emotional and physical can last a while
And u have to make sure u get enough iron and protein

 

[GypsyMoth]

Gluten-free: no; I'm allergic to wheat, so wheat-free, yes. When I eat wheat, I itch all over for days and days, find it more difficult to focus (like having a perpetual brain fog), and am generally more irritable overall. Oh, it also disrupts my ability to fall asleep and to stay asleep. So, wheat and I are not friends.

The greatest advantage I have found about refraining from eating wheat -- aside from being able to get a good night's sleep and not itching all over -- is I have also shed a ton of weight super fast. Twice in the past 7 years I have stopped eating wheat and twice now I've lost a ton of weight. And so long as I abstain from the wheat, the weight stays off.

Dairy-free: no, although I ought to be. It gives me a terrible, upset stomach stomach and bad gas. You'd think that would be incentive enough but I crave the stuff.

Here's one worth considering:
Going Sugar-free: trying! And that includes being free of artificial sugar substitutes, too. We started down this path last January. It is SUPER hard to avoid foods not laced with sugar or sugar substitutes. There are no "diet" foods, either. I cook almost everything from scratch--limited pre-packaged foods, snacks and (sigh) chocolate in moderation.


I don't know if any of these things directly affect my behavior, except that I feel great, I sleep better, and I have a ton more energy, focus, and enthusiasm for the day ahead. Who can go wrong with taking better care of oneself?

 

[vergil96]

When I eat wheat, I itch all over for days and days, find it more difficult to focus (like having a perpetual brain fog), and am generally more irritable overall

Yes, the mind fog, it's chronic inflammation. It made me feel as if I had the flu or cold all the time.

Going Sugar-free: trying! And that includes being free of artificial sugar substitutes, too. We started down this path last January. It is SUPER hard to avoid foods not laced with sugar or sugar substitutes. There are no "diet" foods, either. I cook almost everything from scratch--limited pre-packaged foods, snacks and (sigh) chocolate in moderation.

Seconded. Sweets and sweet drinks cause, at least for me, weight gain in a very direct manner. And they make you hungry quickly afterwards too. A proper healthy meal suffices for longer.

 

[kenaij]

Here's the thing about diets and autism from my point of view. Yes it can help to have a diet that is right for your body. Does it get rid of autism? No. Autism is the way your brain works. Now having a diet that is not right for your body means your body will be in stress. A lot of your internal energy will go towards dealing with that stress. This leaves less energy to deal with other stress. As you can image this can cause autistic stress and other related things to become more apparend. This also goes the other way around. If your body is not in stress over your food intake it can use the energy is saves for the things that might cause you stress because of your autism. Therefor you will have lesser meltdowns/breakdowns and it would appear you are less autistic.
In short. It gives you more energy to mask better and to deal with the stress better.
There is not food that 'cures' autism. Since it cannot be cured.

All the above also goes for neurotypical people. When they eat bad diets their bodies need energy to deal with the stress and they become more grumpy and irritated.

This is all personal believe and experience and has no medical background.

 

[Tom]

There have been a bunch of people claiming that it is related, digestive flora affects autism and all that. And stranger and even hazardous/deadly theories (ie drinking bleach!) But it has been mostly individual testimonials with a few studies. The studies I've seen however suffer from tiny samples and seem not much better then testimonials. At least that is my read on it. I do try and read all the studies I can find on autism and the mainstream opinion does not see any correlation.

That doesn't mean diet can't improve overall health. It certainly can, but probably just that.

Though I don't entirely rule out some possible effect as in reducing symptoms. The body is all one big system and everything is related in some fashion. Like when a person has a bad spinal injury, sometimes building up the muscles around it can make things less painful.

But as far as changing your autistic nature I don't see it. Following the current most subscribed to medical theory that is primarily the result of how genetic variations built your brain. There is currently no known way to change that.

 

[Sasha22]

It gives you more energy to mask better and to deal with the stress better.

Agreed, if you sleep well eat well drink enough water and exercise, you're just better equipped to deal with life than if you didn't. And if you're intolerant to certain foods, then you better avoid them (like I do with dairy - except for the occasional ice cream... )

 

[Rodafina]

@The Autistic girl
Here’s a thread you may be interested in.

https://www.autismforums.com/thread...utism-studied-and-no-sign-of-a-benefit.13362/