There is no doubt that food plays a very decisive and significant role when comes to preservation of human health, but more importantly still in the management of diseases.
Over the years Nutrition scientists have been strenuously discovering which diet is the “right one”.
According to Bio-individuality in genetic SNPs, biochemical values, nutrient deficiencies, intestinal permeability, and microbiome differences between individuals may result in the fact that one person tolerates well a particular foodstuff, whereas it causes problems for someone else.
So when choosing the right food for a particular group of persons, particularly Autistic children there is the need for one to be meticulous.
Autism diet
In recent times food scientists and a good number of doctors have been recommending an autism diet.
Collaboratively, These doctors have come to the conclusion that food for autism children should contain less or without gluten and casein.
Gluten is a protein in the seeds of wheat and other grains, such as barley and rye. Gluten is in many food products and can cause digestive problems.
It is established that Casein is a protein which is normally found in milk products, and it is considered as another regular source of digestive elements.
According to food scientists both gluten and casein have inflammatory properties and essentially goes to prove that eliminating them from the diet can augment overall health and behavior in those who have autism.
Report from the Autism Society suggests, the average American diet includes sufficient wheat and dairy products than is necessary.
It is also established that these proteins can also greatly impact behavioral change in people.
Research studies from University of Florida Department of Pediatrics, further indicates that this is because peptides in gluten and casein bind to opioid receptors in the brain.
The studies conclude that this can mimic the effects of illicit drugs, such as heroin or morphine, causing the following tendencies :
sleepiness
giddiness
inattentive behavior, or “zoning out”
aggression
self-abusive behavior
With these findings the Autism Society recommends a trial gluten- and dairy-free diet for children living with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
They are of the belief that improvements may be seen in as little as one to three months.
They further suggested that in eliminating gluten and casein from your diet, there is the need for one to only try to eliminate one at a time.
“ See if removing just one makes an impact without eliminating both food items.”
“It’s important to make sure that your child is getting the nutrition they need, which can be more difficult when they’re on a specialized diet. Children on a dairy-free diet may need to take calcium supplements, or you may need to increase the amount of non-dairy, calcium-rich foods in their diet.”, Autism Society noted.
Recently a survey was conducted for a double-blind trial task to evaluate whether the autism diet actually helped the behavior or bowel health of autistic children.
The research studies could not reach with any evidence which suggested the autism diet could make a significant difference.
Although the sample size for the trial was small, the diet could still help others on the spectrum.
It was found that Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of good fat in fish oils ,particularly Salmon and in supplement form.
The research studies concluded that it has an element of helping enhance brain development and function.
A research finding by the journal Biological Psychiatry Trusted Source, indicates that early studies have shown that adding omega-3s to a child’s diet can improve hyperactive and repetitive behavior in those who have autism.
Another research findings published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology Trusted Source demonstrates that omega-3s could help improve social skills in children with an ASD.
Other studies further support omega-3 fatty acids, and some studies significantly kicked against it.
A More recent research utilizing a placebo-controlled trial concluded that children with autism tolerated omega-3s well but the omega-3s didn’t help improve their behavioral problems.
According to the research the regular health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids still applied.
With the foregone discussion it is also always prudent to talk to your doctor or a professional dietician to discuss the best possible ways to add these healthy fats to your child’s diet.