Why diet MUST be at the foundation of any autism protocol

In this post, I want to address an issue I feel is of the utmost importance for any family using the biomedical approach or individualized therapies for ASD/autism and that is, the immense value of diet.

Over the years, I have encountered many families who have asked me if they can help their child progress without any changes in diet. Others had been working with supplement only protocols for years and years and though they saw initial improvement, eventually reached a plateau. Upon consulting with them and reviewing their history, I often

noticed that they skipped over the dietary component because they felt it was too difficult of a change to make or simply less important as an intervention. As a result, though their child was making progress in some area, they were still stuck in some of the basics.

Here is why it is so essential that proper nutrition and appropriate diet be implemented at the basis of your functional and biomedical nutritional approach:

• Healthy food is the most basic source of nutrition for our children and has the biggest impact on their bodies and brains. No supplement can take the place of nutrition from food.
• If basic macronutrients such as quality protein or fat are missing, your child will be held back from reaching their full potential. A dietary analysis can help us to assess your child’s intake and provide important info on what might be low or missing in their diets.
• If your child is consuming too much sugar, or refined empty carbs, these foods can work against him or her and prevent progress.
• Often children are consuming foods to which he or she is allergic or sensitive and these can also impede true progress in the long run. Along the same lines, if your child is consuming foods he doesn’t tolerate such as gluten, soy, oxalates, carbs and more these will often be a constant roadblock.
• And another important one – we know now that good bacteria provided as part of a cultured food is way more powerful in the long run than taking probiotic pills. And that’s the way nature intended it!
• Finally – because food is medicine! Nature provides unique chemistry in the foods we eat that no pill can replicate or provide, and thus, it really is the best way to sustain and recover health.