Dietary Interventions Part 2
>> Specific Carbohydrate Diet
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet eliminates all disaccharides (that is, two molecule sugars) and polysaccharides (multiple molecule sugars, or starches).
The theory, most widely known through Elaine Gottschall's book Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health through Diet, is that because some people cannot properly digest any sugars other than monosaccharides (single molecule sugars which, in fact, don't need digesting) they are causing further harm to an already damaged gut.
The improperly digested saccharides (or sugars) feed harmful bacteria, which destroy enzymes and cause further gut damage. The vicious cycle can only be broken by a change in diet. This sounds complex, but the diet is really not that difficult to understand. Many children with ASD have shown significant improvement on SCD. In layman's terms -- the traditional British diet of "meat and two veg" is SCD, provided those vegetables are non starchy.
Testing available ?
Parents generally trial SCD and watch for improvements.
Where to find more information.
http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/
Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet by Elaine Gottschall
Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Depression, Schizophrenia by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride.
There are also various recipe books available on Amazon including Grain Free Gourmet and other SCD specific books.
>> Gluten Free Casein Free Diet
This diet tends to be parent's "First Stop". The gluten free/casein free diet (GFCF diet) is actually two diets, but most often spoken of as one.
By removing gluten (the protein found in grains such as wheat, rye and barley), and casein (the protein found in dairy), some children have shown remarkable progress. Some children require the removal of both types of proteins, others require the removal of only one. Some children tolerate both proteins without problem.
The theory is that these proteins are poorly digested by an unhealthy gut. These peptides make their way through a leaky gut (gut junctures are supposed to be tight enough to prevent this, but that isn't always the case for children with ASD). These peptides make their way to the brain and act as opiates.
Testing available ?
Some parents choose to submit urine samples to test for gluten or casein urinary peptides; however, the results of these tests don't always correlate with success or a lack of it on GF/CF.
Many parents choose to trial GF/CF to decide if it is the right diet for their child. A note of caution: many commercially available gluten free products are actually full of additives. If going gluten free it makes sense to cook your own dishes to avoid this. Also, many gf kids can overdose on wheat substitutes like rice or corn. This may be unhelpful to their progress. Where to find more information.
>> Nourishing Traditions Diet
The Nourishing Traditions or Weston A Price diet is based on the work of Dr. Weston A Price who studied traditional cultures to find the dietary commonalities to good health.
The diet is not a restrictive one, other than restricting processed foods. The diet promotes healthy fats, soaked and fermented foods, meat and dairy raised naturally and eaten unprocessed, and stocks and other nutrient-dense foods.
Because this dietary approach has such a heavy emphasis on healthful, nourishing food, many people choose to combine this approach with other diets, such as SCD or GFCF.
The NT diet naturally deals with lectins, a type of sticky protein found in many grains. Some parents have seen improvements in their children after addressing lectins, either through supplementation or food preparation methods.
See http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/lectins_in_autism/ for more information on dietary lectins and the problems they may cause for some children.
Also, see "Cultured Foods" in the Useful Documents section for more information.
This diet can be simple and fun to follow -- fermenting is easy to do and fermented drinks like kefir and kombucha can be delicious.
Testing available ?
Some parents may want to test for food allergies, such as to eggs or dairy, which are highly recommended on this diet.
Where to find more information.
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
>> Body Ecology Diet (BED)
Body Ecology Diet (BED) focuses on ideas such as food combining, balancing pH, low sugar and starch intake, and fermented or soaked foods.
This diet seems to be helpful for overcoming yeast overgrowth, although some parents find it a somewhat difficult diet to implement as parts of it can be rather complex.
Testing ?
No, other than for children who perhaps test high for yeast overgrowth.
Where to find more information.
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