The "Autism Diet"

[Barbara]

The "Autism Diet" (at least it is what I call it) is driving me crazy!!!  No diary, no gluten no #*($$*% money.  Why oh why does it cost so much to buy this stuff?  Pre-packaged items are 4 times more expensive.  Just buying all of the special gluten free flours cost a ton.  Not to mention the time it takes to make everything from scratch.  At least I know how to cook and bake.  I feel sorry for people who don't.

It would be so much easier if my son would eat meat, potatoes, fruit and veggies.  I would be in the clear but no...he won't touch fruit or veggies unless I mix them into muffins.  He won't always eat meat and potatoes need to be french fries or chips for him to eat them.  I wish he would be over his oral sensativities.  At least he is allowing me to take a forbidden food and hold it up to his mouth for a "touch".  This is to give him a chance to get use to the food touching his mouth and some day he is suppose to feel the urge to place it into his mouth (when pigs fly).

$5.09 is the new price of the only bread he will eat.  A loaf consists of about 12 slices (the size of diet bread).  I can't stand to eat the stuff so I am making separate meals for the two boys and DH and I eat something else - plus the cost would kill us to eat their special foods.  We have been on the diet since July.  I can't say I've seen the vast improvement that others have claimed they saw after a few weeks of being on the diet.  But they (the experts) say that it can take up to a year.  I need to make an appointment to have the kids tested.  The only draw back is that allergy testing can be false negative when there actually is an allergy.

Anyone else on this diet?  How do you cut costs?

[Lucysmom]

Oh huge {{HUGS}}!  I don't have any experience with this diet but I just wanted to send you some encouragement and hugs.  I wish there was more I could do. 

[Jimbob]

My son has multiple food allergies which include being dairy and gluten free. James has always had issues with texture and would only eat pureed food and raisins, so a little different to your situation. We did lots of soups with different vegetables and some with lamb and some with turkey (other meat and poultry is not a possibility for us). Unfortunately James developed a severe food aversion due to the amount of reactions he had that we are slowly working through. His main source of nutrients comes from neocate (special formula).

Will he have gravy? If so you could make a gluten free gravy that you can puree meat into when your ds will not eat it, plus you could puree vegetables into it. Will he eat pasta? I have always found the gluten free pasta to be quite reasonably priced in the UK could not say what the price is like in the US. We also used lots of rice as a base to thicken purees, it might be an option for you to serve with foods.

If you post a list of what foods you have that your son will accept then I will see what I can come up with that may help with cost.

Kelly

[Mum to cool dude]

I don't know if this helps but FYIW I remember reading an article with a mom saying that her son's autism had been improved by moving to an organic diet - it does not help with the $ but perhaps it could help in other respects ?

[Mom to M&M]

Does he drink rice milk? If so, you can make him REALLY healthy smoothies using that, fresh fruit, carrot juice (and/or powdered veggie mix from health stores) and some healthy oils or even some protein powder. If you have a Trader Joe's near you it's a good source for lower priced items including gluten free breads and pastas. Big hugs - it must be very hard but you are such a great mom for working so hard to try to help your DS feel better!

[yaya]

massive hugs

[Jimbob]

Smoothies are a great way to get fruit and vegetables into children if he will drink them.

Kelly

[Barbara]

Thanks for the replies!  I will have to sit down and make a list of what Carl will eat.  Lane eats a bit more than his older brother - at least fruit is a favorite.  Neither likes pureed foods.  They are on the "there is no way we will place this in our mouth" list.  Lane will eat mashed potatoes and gravy.  Carl use to but now doesn't want to touch it.  When I first started the diet I tried smoothies but they wanted nothing to do with them.  We just got Carl to drink out of a cup for some meals.  He wants to only drink out of sippy cups.  Lane refuses to drink out of a cup (unless he is at therapy and then he will try).  He also refuses to even allow a cup to reach his mouth at home.  He too only wants sippy cups.

It's the pits having two children with develpmental issues.  I don't think Lane is autistic but is speech delayed and copying his older brother.  I joke that baby Scott will be the first to talk and then secretly I am scared to death that non of my children will learn to talk.  Carl turns 5 in May.  Lane is 3 in June.  I just want one to talk...I'm so tired of trying to figure out everything.  And no sign language isn't an option.  Carl has been trying to learn it since he was 15 months.  We believe his has dispraxia issues as well and thus he learns one sign and uses it for everything.  When he learns a new one he forgets the old one and we start all over again.  Lane has no interest in sign language, why should he, his brother gets what he wants without it.  As far as using PECS Carl will use them at school but to leave out the pictures is a disaster at home.  Lane is a billy goat and likes to chew/eat anything in sight.  I can't tell you how many times I have fished the PECS pieces out of his mouth and had to call the school to get new ones sent home.

Well I've got to run and sit at the end of my driveway and wait for the school bus.  At least it is warm here today.  45 degrees compared to below zero temps we have been having for the past two weeks.  Though tomorrow is suppose to be back down in the deep freeze.  The weatherman said it was going be/feel like an 80 degree difference.  Oh the joys of living in the upper midwest!  Thanks for letting me rant about something that is really trivial compared to what others are facing.  There are just some days where I want to wallow.