Okay so a GF/CF Diet is not really a destination but the going GF/CF is certainly a journey.
Having Celiac Disease, I've been gluten free for going on three years, but have never done an elimination/intervention diet with the boys. The reason is that because they're such problem feeders, that's pretty much all they eat. This is very common with kids on the spectrum - to be addicted to the foods that are worst for them.
But going GF/CF is not an "autism thing." I mean, it certainly is, but it's not only an autism thing.
Do a quick Google search and any true health freak/green guru out there will speak against having gluten and casein in your diet. At very least they will admit that you don't actually need these grains and dairy in your diet to eat nutritiously.
The core of our food intake should really be water, vegetables, fruit, lean meats and good fats.
It looks really good on paper; so does the thought of minimizing aggression, tantrums, belly aches, GI problems, sickness, stimming and zoning out - all things that a GF/CF diet claims to help with. It's a no brainer, right?
It would be if it were easy and realistic. Like if the grocery stores were lined with these foods clearly labeled...but they're not. Even though it seems to be getting better, (I cannot fathom doing this ten years ago) this kind of eating requires label reading, research, and putting as much thought into what's on my grocery list as I did for some of my college papers!
There's a really human side to this that says: This is going to stink. And not just for practicality reasons.
Food, whether we mean for it to be or not, is emotional. We tie particular foods to celebrations like birthdays and weddings, we eat while we're out with friends, and family dinners connect us. Call me a weirdo but there's just something sad about knowing my kids will probably never eat some of their favorite foods again. I, myself, went through a grievance of gluten as I realized all the food that gluten is in. People say things all the time like, "I couldn't do it" or "If you could pick one cheat food, what would it be?" which proves to me it's not just me - there is a legitimate struggle in this! Of course, I say this knowing full well it could be much worse.
We won't deal with the same initial shock some families do because pretty much all the boys have ever known is a "special diet." We already show up to kids' birthday parties with special cupcakes, the boys have their own snack stashes at church and school, and I can be caught stealthy reading labels whenever we're on a playdate and offered food. But this will still be a big adjustment.
Consider the most popular kid's foods...
Mac and Cheese: Gluten and Dairy
Grilled Cheese: Gluten and Dairy
Hot Dogs: Gluten and Casein in both
PB&J: Gluten and Dairy in the bread
Pizza: Gluten and Dairy
Chicken Nuggets: Gluten and Dairy
As you can see, kids are getting a double hit at almost every meal.
Today at lunch, I served a GF Grilled Cheese. Most people recommend to cut Casein first but because I'm so familiar with GF I went that route. They ate it willingly and loved it, which is good news because that means we found a bread which can be one of the hardest foods to replace.
The next step will be to list all of their favorite foods and figure out how to replicate them. I'm not talking about Frankenfoods - ya know, Tofu pretending to be something it's not like cheese or meat. I'm talking about filling a desire; for instance, they love crackers. Well, that's not going to be an option so finding something else crispy and salty, like a healthy chip, to replace it will be my quest. Really my goal is to fill the boys' bellies with the list I mentioned earlier of what we should all be eating, but I've got to be realistic...we're going to have to baby step this. Once we get accustomed to these changes, I can start removing more processed foods.
I know this is a change for the good; hopefully their nutritional intake will improve, aggressive behaviors and sickness will decrease, and we will move a few steps further on our road to recovery with Autism.
Nevertheless, my husband and I agreed this weekend we'd have one last hoo-rah, so at the grocery store today I picked up some new foods... and I also grabbed a bag of cheese puffs. Cheetos All Natural White Cheddar Puffs are one of our favorite treats; they're additive free, so yummy, but also very full of dairy. I haven't really prepped the boys for the change yet. When I do prep them, I suppose I'll say something like "ya know how your bodies are out of control sometimes and your bellies hurt a lot? Well turns out there's some foods that your body doesn't like. So we're going to eat foods your body does like!"
And pray for the best.
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