Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet

Last week, Science Daily ran an article regarding research into the benefits of the gluten-free, casein free diet for children with autism. [The article entitled “Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet May Help Some Children With Autism, Research Suggests” may be accessed by clicking here.] According to researchers at Penn State University, children with autism often have gastrointestinal issues and/or allergies, and removing glutens and caseins from their diets seems to improve their physical symptoms as well as their behavior. In this article, one of the researchers, Professor Laura Cousino Klein, suggests that “autism may be more than a neurological disease—it may involve the GI tract and the immune system.” Of course, for years many doctors and parents who have pursued biomedical treatments have asserted that gut issues impact the brain and influence behavior in autism. Some of the benefits found in children who were on strict gluten-free and casein-free diets included improved eye contact, better language production, and increased attention span. Moreover, they found that parents who completely eliminated gluten and casein from their children’s diets found the greatest benefits. Professor Klein emphasizes the importance of vigilance in monitoring the child’s diet, stating, “If parents are going to try a gluten-free, casein-free diet with their children, they really need to stick to in order to receive the possible benefits.”

This research caught my attention because Alex has been on a strict gluten-free and casein-free diet since he was seven years old. At that time, I began reading about benefits of using the GFCF diet in children with autism, and I asked his doctor if we could run a food allergy test. Although I was a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of implementing this restrictive diet, I decided before we ever ran the food allergy test that if he, indeed, showed allergies or sensitivities to certain foods, we would remove them from his diet. I can still remember vividly sitting in the doctor’s waiting room scanning the test results the nurse shared with me before I talked with his doctor.

Disappointed but determined, I realized that we were going to have to eliminate wheat, oats, barley and other glutens as well as all milk products from his diet because he showed sensitivities to all of these foods, plus a few others. Armed with research I’d gathered from the Internet, some food allergy cookbooks, and good advice from other autism moms who had already put their kids on the GFCF diet, we took away the glutens and caseins that were potentially harmful to Alex’s system. Dr. William Shaw’s book Biological Treatments for Autism and PDD helped me to understand that glutens found in grains and caseins found in milk products are proteins that can act as opiates (like morphine) in children who have digestive issues, such as leaky gut, that allow these food products to go to the brain improperly processed. Since Alex often acted “zoned out” when he was little, I suspect this is what happened when he consumed these foods to which he showed sensitivity.

In addition, my research on glutens led me to discover that many people of Irish descent have sensitivity to glutens and do not tolerate wheat well. In fact, many develop celiac disease, which is an inflammation of the intestines that can be controlled by faithfully following a completely gluten-free diet. Since I have Irish ancestors in my Anglo-Saxon heritage, and Ed is nearly pure Irish in his family tree, Alex could have a genetic predisposition to be intolerant of foods with glutens. Although he didn’t seems to have stomach aches when he was little, he often had toddler diarrhea and frequently had projectile vomiting when he was on milk-based formula as an infant. At that time, the pediatrician casually dismissed my concerns of food allergies, but I think he probably was born with those issues.

Fortunately, Alex was quite cooperative about going on the GFCF diet, and his willingness to eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, and seafood that were allowed on the diet made this transition much easier for all of us. We suspected that the diet made him feel better because if new food were offered to him, he would ask, “Does this have wheat or dairy in it?” Although his most recent food allergy tests from last spring indicate that he no longer shows sensitivity to glutens and caseins because he has refrained from eating them for over a dozen years, we have kept him on the diet. Any time he has accidentally consumed something with glutens or caseins, we saw behavioral issues that made us realize that he needs to stay on the diet. Recently, perhaps in some sort of young adult rebellion or just curiosity, he has sneaked off and eaten some dinner rolls one evening and doughnuts another. Both times, he went through an emotional roller coaster where he went from being very agitated and hyper to angry and aggressive to feeling guilty and sad, sobbing uncontrollably. Needless to say, we concur with the recent Penn State research that Alex has benefitted from being on the gluten-free and casein-free diet. Now if we can just make sure to keep any of the offending foods away from him and make certain that he doesn’t eat them, we won’t have to see how those proteins negatively impact his behavior.

“Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.” Isaiah 55:2

Food

Fortunately, Alex has always had a good appetite and been willing to eat a wide variety of food. With the exception of three things—popcorn, mashed potatoes, and sometimes broccoli—he likes nearly every type of food, even peas and carrots, which many kids (and his father) won’t touch. He especially loves shrimp and would eat it morning, noon, and night if he could. When we take him to restaurants, he frequently clears his plate and devours half of my dinner, as well. Despite his hearty appetite, he remains slender, partly because he inherited Ed’s metabolism and build, and partly because he primarily eats healthy food instead of junk food. His willingness to try new foods has been a blessing because when he was about seven years old, we discovered that he has food sensitivities and had to remove certain foods from his diet.

After reading that children with autism often have food allergies, I asked his doctor to run a blood test to see if Alex had issues with food. The test results indicated that, while he had no true allergies, he did have sensitivities to several foods, including green beans, bananas, and eggs, which were three of the foods he most frequently ate at the time. (Some children develop sensitivities to the foods they eat most often.) The bigger concern involved his sensitivities to milk and glutens, which are proteins in many grains. In Dr. William Shaw’s book Biological Treatments for Autism and PDD, he explains that many people with autism lack the ability to digest completely caseins, the proteins in milk products, and glutens, the proteins in grains such as wheat. These improperly digested bits of food, called peptides, can wreak havoc on the system. He states, “These peptides from gluten and casein are important because they react with opiate receptors in the brain, thus mimicking the effects of opiate drugs like heroin and morphine.” (Shaw, 126) Considering how mellow and somewhat in a fog Alex seemed at the time, I suspect that he was essentially being drugged by some of his food. His doctor suggested that we eliminate all foods to which he was sensitive for three months to give his body a rest and then reassess after that. We made the commitment to keep his diet completely free of these foods for those three months, but we found that he seemed to be almost addicted to glutens and would try to sneak bites of bread, even though we had hidden the offending food from him. Gradually, he adjusted to the new diet, and we learned what he could and couldn’t eat. After three months, we re-introduced all foods, except for those with gluten or casein. He was so much more alert and had filled out his overly thin body to a healthy weight after being on the casein-free and gluten-free diet, usually known as the CFGF diet, which seems to help a number of children with autism. We suspected that his digestive system was healthier on this restricted diet, and his brain worked better without foods that didn’t agree with him.

The CFGF diet requires learning to read food labels and nutritional information on restaurant websites carefully to make sure no sources of glutens or caseins are present. Alex has even become adept at knowing what he can and can’t eat on this diet. While he trusts that Ed and I know what is allowed, he will question others if they offer him food, asking, “Does this have wheat or dairy in it?” Even though my mom is also good about knowing what he can’t eat, I have found Alex in her kitchen reading food labels, making sure that she’s feeding him foods that are acceptable on his diet. We are fortunate to have local stores that carry CFGF foods, especially the tasty Kinnikinnick baked goods, including donuts and cookies, as well as Tinkyada pastas that have the same flavor and texture as regular pastas do. I have also learned to bake with rice, potato starch, and tapioca flours, along with rice milk and Fleischmann’s unsalted (dairy-free) corn oil margarine. Carol Fenster’s allergy cookbooks, along with the Special Diets for Special Kids cookbook, have helped tremendously in preparing delicious foods within Alex’s diet. While the CFGF diet has taken some diligence and research on our part and good cooperation on Alex’s part, we are convinced that the effort has been worthwhile because Alex has been remarkably healthy through the years.

“He gives food to every living thing. His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 136:25