The autism diet

Post Reply New Topic

I've heard that cutting out wheat and sugar from your diet is supposed to have psychological benefits for people on the spectrum. Has anyone tried to cut these things out? I know I feel better physically when I cut them out, but that pretty much cuts out all my favourite foods!

Is it worth the trouble to cut these things out? Does anyone else have any experience with this?

It didn't help me but I was only on the diet for a few months and its said it can take up to 6 months to get the levels down in your system but there hasn't really been much research in it. Since even if it does work the results aren't huge it would be hard to verify I think and can more than likely be attributed to the placebo effect.

I am on a wheat-free (also rye and spelt) and cow dairy-free diet. Cow dairy products make my nose run and throat sore. Wheat makes my brain fuzzy and body exhausted. It took me a long time to learn how to eat differently and I still miss pepperoni pizza and cinnomon buns and chedder cheese and...... It got easier when I stopped trying to use those nasty bread and cheese substitutes. I just finished a meal of frozen berries with millet/rice cereal poured on top and cashew nuts. There are all sort of online grocery stores and recipe websites for people with celiac-sprue. That's not what I have, but our dietary needs are similar.

I don't eat much wheat, but I do eat a bit. I have noticed that my skin in particular tends to get much worse if I eat large quantites of wheat. Happily I like rice more anyway and refuse to eat any other type of sliced bread but potato bread, so aside from pastries, baked goods and rolls I don't have much trouble with it.

Sugar I've never tried and don't have much interest in doing.

I have a friend who is currently doing this, and she said she felt a lot better-I don't know if it's psychologically necessarily, but the foods made her feel horrible and she was saying that they are rough on the digestive system. If you feel better physically, I'd say there's a good chance you'd feel better mentally.

I'm going to be trying it out soon as well, as she seems pretty happy in general whether it's helping psychologically or not

Gluten and dairy makes a world of difference for my 20 month old. (lack thereof, I mean)

I notice I physically feel better on his diet as well. Plus, sugar and simple carbs in general seem to be bad for me. I know I need to start an elimination diet soon to figure out what all is bothering me... but I'm not looking forward to it. Last time I tried going off all grains and sweeteners, I got the shakes like a druggie.

I believe that whole grains are good including wheat. I have a bread machine and i bake wholemeal bread and i must say that i feel very healthy for eating it. The trick is to make your own. I think supermarket bread is depleted.

I have steel cut porridge for breakfast, wholemeal wheat made into bread and brown rice. By eating these whole grains i increase my B vitamin intake dramatically, increased minerals and also roughage. What is not so well known about these whole grains is that they also provide excellent and long acting antioxidants of particular types. Add to that the healthful property's of some of the unique phyto chemicals that combat disease and cancer contained within these whole grains and so i would advocate not eliminating wheat.

My mom made me cut wheat and sugar once for one month, and she said I became angry and more annoying.

My autism tells me to eat people.

I don't know if there are advantages in not eating them, since I barely ever eat wheats, sugar or milk. I have no way to compare

I'm lactose and gluten intolerant, mouth and throat get irritated drinking/eating anything with lactose and I get rashes eating bread.

When I eat sugar I get severe stomach acid problems.

There is a difference between eating them and not eating them for me, but the difference is physical to an extent that I can't experiment to see what the difference is mentaly.

ive tried that glutin free diet and i must say i thought it worked. only problem? its hard like you wouldnt believe to quit wheat products. wheat is in practically everything