GF/CF Diet?

Post Reply New Topic

I am sure this topic has been talked about over and over again. But I was wondering if there is any truth to the GF/CF diet and if people who try it really do see results.
We have seen huge results in just eliminating sugar and wonder if going farther is worth the effort or not.

I tried to do it for a time and failed, it was so expensive and hard. :/ But I'm interested in hearing about similar such things that people have had success with too. My son regressed at about 18 months, lost all his language and didn't talk for about another 6 months, he slowly started regaining words within a week of adding fish oil to his drinks. Could've been coincidence, but I still give it to him anyway.

Oh, and if it's a gut problem that your interested in fixing ... I have those sorts of problems myself, and have been using myself as a guinea pig to figure out what foods I should give my son. I stopped drinking milk in favor of my son's fortified rice milk and find that sits much better.

How much fish oil do you use Washi? Your little boy is 3, right? My little boy is 5 but only weighs 34lbs(about the size of a 3 year old). I'd like to try the fish oil with him. Is it fairly easy to hide in his food?

I'm holding off on the hyperbaric chamber treatments for the time being.

We have some pretty detailed threads on this here, so it would be worth seeing if you can find them.

The sum of it is that GFCF by itself isn't really an answer, BUT there is a simple truth behind it: when kids with food sensitivities eat foods they shouldn't, they feel bad and act poorly. Diet CAN keep a child from being his better self, IF he has a food issue.

There are some different theories, some of which are easier to test for than others, and all that remains an evolving area. The net result is that IF your child has a food sensitivity, gluten is the most likely one. Many families here have felt healthier eliminating JUST gluten.

Each sensitivity needs to be considered separately. Unless your child is diagnosed with Celiac disease, going the full route is unnecessary and can actually be counter productive, since CF requires an increase in soy products, and we have several families who have issues eating soy (mine being among them).

So. My list of common sensitivities, drawn totally anecdotally from families on this board:

Gluten
Cassien
Soy
Eggs
Food Dyes

I am new here, having not created an account before because there are so many here with so much knowledge! I always think ... what would I say?
BUT ... I do have knowledge/opinions about gf/cf etc. So, here's my two cents (and feel free to leave it at the door!):
From personal experience, several years ago, my son was diagnosed with extreme sensory issues. We had him tested and he showed an intolerance to dairy but not gluten. At ten years old, he sucked his thumb a good share of the time no matter what we did to help him stop. (He was already in OT). Within a week of removing dairy from his diet, the thumb sucking stopped on its own. The new diet did help with other areas of behavior/sensitivity too, but that is the one that was most astonishing.
We've done a no yeast diet, which also removes gluten - this did help with gut issues but not behavioral etc.
We also have limited his sugar intake for the last several years. This also made a huge difference in behavior.
My niece (we believe an undiagnosed aspie at 6) has an extreme sensitivity to food dye.
So ... is my son "cured"?
From thumbsucking ... YES
From Aspergers and ADHD and Anxiety ... no. BUT - life is much more manageable for him and he knows he feels better if he sticks to very little sugar and no dairy.
I think dietary changes are always worth exploring because if it is a factor, you usually get a decent improvement for your effort. We have managed to do dairy free without the addition of soy to our diet. However, I buy little processed food and have learned to substitute ingredients and make most things myself.
Good luck with your decision!

Hi

Thank you for your thoughts.

Bauhauswife, I give my son this fish oil. https://www.rockwellnutrition-canada.co ... p_799.html
I just mix it in smoothies or even OJ. I haven't seen any changes but it is still good for him. We have seen huge changes in his anxiety levels with giving him a magnesium supplement. When his tics are out of control it is amazing how the magnesium works. So at this time we have decided to just give it to him when his anxeity is through the roof.

We have already cut out a lot of dairy in our life with the elimination fo milk. We just drink water and use Almond milk for any recipes or smoothies, the kids have adjusted well to the changes and don't even miss milk any more. I would say the hardest one is cheese even with the new Daiya on the market my son just can not love it.
we also avoid Soy and food colouring and preservatives as much as possible. I try to make as many things from scratch as I can but life does get busy and I do tend to buy some premade items to get us by.

as an infant and toddler my son did have issues with dairy and could never really handle milk(both kids really had this issue) I am thinking of eliminating dairy along with sugar to see if there is any improvment. He is at an age where he can tell us how he feels, which is good and hopefully it would be easier for him to continue with a dairy free diet if he honestly felt better.

I've been using 1,200mg Omega 3-6-9 flax, fish, borage soft gels http://www.naturesbounty.com/PRODUCT/010151, there may be better ones out there I just went with what my grocery store carried ... I cut a little hole in the capsule with scissors and squeeze it into his drink once a day, he never finishes his drink so he's really getting about 1,000mg at most. My boy is also of short stature (almost 3 and 33 inches tall - I just looked that up on a growth chart, that apparently makes him shorter than some 18 month olds ...) he's solid for his height though, about 30 lbs. - maybe a little less than that (and yet he doesn't look fat, I don't get that). I can only describe the taste of the fish oil as a little waxy, it doesn't make his drink taste fishy ... it reminds me of school lunch milk cartons if that makes any sense.

Last edited by Washi on 02 May 2011, 1:37 am, edited 3 times in total.

I'm on a paleo diet, which is automatically gluten and casein free. I get my omega 3s from omega 3 eggs rather than from fish oil, but I do watch my omega 3:6 ratios. It hasn't changed my score on the AQ quiz, but it does seem to have made interaction with the neurotypical world less stressful for me.

GF/CF is not that expensive if you just give up foods based on wheat and milk, rather than buying the expensive gluten free bread and things like that.

Muscle weighs more than fat, but is more compact. I use to be a trainer at a health club, and had a dickens of a time convincing my ladies that they weren't getting fatter! LOL! All I had to do was break out my measuring tape to show them that they were actually getting smaller.

Thanks for the fish oil tip. I'm wondering if while I'm waiting for this evaluation, maybe I should take my son in for allergy tests to rule out any dietary factors.

I know, I did martial arts for a few years and I never weighed more in my life (aside from when I was pregnant), that's probably what it is - but he never learned how to climb out of his crib or to hold on when he's being carried .... on the other hand he can really throw his weight around when he wants to squirm away from you. I think he's only just now starting to realize he has strength, his newest thing being grabbing a hold of my leg and dragging me wherever he wants me to be.

Ha! My little guy does the same thing. I took him to my mom's house the other day, and my two nephews were there visiting. They are very loud and rambunctious. Eric immediately started "herding" me toward the front door.

While allergy testing is not a bad idea, be aware that food sensitivites (as opposed to allergies) may not be revealed by such testing. Elimination diets are one way to really tell if there is a food sensitivity. This is a slow process and will take some effort. From what I've read, when a sensitivity is present and you with hold the offending substance, it really can make a difference in how a person feels which could translate into how a person behaves.

Herding, lol ... that's just the right word for it. When my son was tested for allergies they didn't mention any foods, I had to tell the neurologist what happened when he came into contact with a soft boiled egg for him to acknowledge he had a significant allergy to raw eggs, and I know he has sensitivities to other foods but none of that was covered. Just the usual dust, pollen and pet dander.

If Eric has any kind of intolerance to gluten wouldn't I notice the symptoms by now? Kids with DS tend to be constipated, and he's pretty much textbook.

He had a milk allergy when he was a baby(genetic) so I give him soy. Maybe I need to lay off the soy and see what happens?

I took the whole family off gluten in mid-January. My 9yo son was the first to notice a difference by mid-March. I was surprised as some accounts say it can take 6 months to see a diff. I should have let him describe the change but I asked if noticed being more calm or more clear-thinking. He said both. Lately I noticed that he accepts correction far better than he ever had. Note that he had never had any digestive problems: constipation or loose stools.

He was already not eating much dairy due to congestion. In addition, I stopped using soy products.