Re: gluten/casein free diet

[Guest guest]

Hi Amy,

Welcome to the group. I am a mother of a six year old ASD daughter. She had been

following Gluten and casein free diet for 10 months with great improvements, but

found her to be too happy and too excited. I learnt last summer about being

aspartame and monosodium glutamate free from the AiA website

(www.austimdiet.co.uk) and started implementing this with her and guess what

less excitable and more of a normal happy child. She has now been free of all 4

substances for a further 5 months and life is much better for all of us as a

family and a much more adorable little girl. Although she still has her moments,

but then so does my NT 8 year old daughter. Take a look at AiA, see what you

think. Give it a whirl and see if there are any improvements.

Carol (Mum to Joanne)

Gluten/Casein free diet

Hi All,

This is the first time I have posted to this group. I am the mother of a 4

year old girl diagnosed when she was three as PDD or high functioning Autism or

possibly Aspergers.

Our trouble is that she is pretty tactile defensive and extremely hyperactive.

We have tried the Gluten/Casein free diet once before but quit because I guess I

wasn't implementing it right. I just started it up again and am not sure if I

have eliminated ALL hidden sources from her diet (it is trial and error and I am

learning new things everyday) but I am plugging away at it, I guess. I HAVE

noticed a slight decline in her jumping around(she is constantly jumping on

furniture, off furniture, climbing up the walls, you name it) and she seems

more calm and able to have a conversation when she isn't on gluten or dairy.

When she has wheat or milk products she seems to barely be able to hold a

conversation (she CAN talk and has a rather large vocabulary, but it seems like

she just can't sit still long enough to give you the consentration to answer

your questions)

Anyway, I was wondering if any of you have had any luck with the diet. Some

days it seems like it is not helping her one way or the other, but then she will

somehow find her way to some gluten or dairy, and the next day, WATCH OUT!!

(for some reason it affects her the day after.)

*Also, if anyone is interested in posting any supplements they have found

particularly helpful I would be most interested. I am very interested in the

diet approach.

Thanks AmyGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download :

http://explorer.msn.com

[Guest guest]

We have had great success with the gfcf diet. started it when she

just turned 4 and has been on it for the past two years. There are a couple

of challenges we faced when we started -- one was to get educated so that

we knew all the hidden sources and the other was additional sensitivities

she had. We eliminated wheat and milk and saw some immediate improvements.

However, they weren't as dramatic as we were hoping. At the same time we

had a blood test done which took about a month to get the results. Well,

with Jess we found that she was intolerant of 22 foods, other than

gluten/casein! (big things like eggs, soy, banana, peanuts, citrus fruits,

etc.) So all the " good " food we were giving her as replacements, were also

causing problems. Once we eliminated everything, we really saw a different

girl -- much more verbal, less emotional, not as much self-stim, etc.

So I always recommend to anybody considering the diet that they follow up

with a blood test. The one we had was ELISA and tested over 100 foods all

with just one draw.

Good luck! If you want to discuss this more, you can email me off list.

Joy Insinna

Director

Office: (585) 240-7483

Fax: (585) 295-4890

Element K

'the knowledge catalyst'

www.elementk.com

" Amy Nardin "

<amykins98@ms

<Autism_in_Girls >

n.com> cc:

02/13/02 Subject:

Gluten/Casein free diet

04:10 PM

Please

respond to

Autism_in_Gir

ls

Hi All,

This is the first time I have posted to this group. I am the mother of a 4

year old girl diagnosed when she was three as PDD or high functioning

Autism or possibly Aspergers.

Our trouble is that she is pretty tactile defensive and extremely

hyperactive. We have tried the Gluten/Casein free diet once before but

quit because I guess I wasn't implementing it right. I just started it up

again and am not sure if I have eliminated ALL hidden sources from her diet

(it is trial and error and I am learning new things everyday) but I am

plugging away at it, I guess. I HAVE noticed a slight decline in her

jumping around(she is constantly jumping on furniture, off furniture,

climbing up the walls, you name it) and she seems more calm and able to

have a conversation when she isn't on gluten or dairy. When she has wheat

or milk products she seems to barely be able to hold a conversation (she

CAN talk and has a rather large vocabulary, but it seems like she just

can't sit still long enough to give you the consentration to answer your

questions)

Anyway, I was wondering if any of you have had any luck with the diet.

Some days it seems like it is not helping her one way or the other, but

then she will somehow find her way to some gluten or dairy, and the next

day, WATCH OUT!! (for some reason it affects her the day after.)

*Also, if anyone is interested in posting any supplements they have found

particularly helpful I would be most interested. I am very interested in

the diet approach.

Thanks AmyGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download :

http://explorer.msn.com

[Guest guest]

I agree. also has issues with those. We also found that we need to

limit nitrates (the preservatives in bacon, hot dogs, etc.).

Joy Insinna

Director

Office: (585) 240-7483

Fax: (585) 295-4890

Element K

'the knowledge catalyst'

www.elementk.com

" carol lloyd "

<brigand@line

<Autism_in_Girls >

one.net> cc:

02/13/02 Subject: Re:

Gluten/Casein free diet

05:11 PM

Please

respond to

Autism_in_Gir

ls

Hi Amy,

Welcome to the group. I am a mother of a six year old ASD daughter. She had

been following Gluten and casein free diet for 10 months with great

improvements, but found her to be too happy and too excited. I learnt last

summer about being aspartame and monosodium glutamate free from the AiA

website (www.austimdiet.co.uk) and started implementing this with her and

guess what less excitable and more of a normal happy child. She has now

been free of all 4 substances for a further 5 months and life is much

better for all of us as a family and a much more adorable little girl.

Although she still has her moments, but then so does my NT 8 year old

daughter. Take a look at AiA, see what you think. Give it a whirl and see

if there are any improvements.

Carol (Mum to Joanne)

Gluten/Casein free diet

Hi All,

This is the first time I have posted to this group. I am the mother of a

4 year old girl diagnosed when she was three as PDD or high functioning

Autism or possibly Aspergers.

Our trouble is that she is pretty tactile defensive and extremely

hyperactive. We have tried the Gluten/Casein free diet once before but

quit because I guess I wasn't implementing it right. I just started it up

again and am not sure if I have eliminated ALL hidden sources from her diet

(it is trial and error and I am learning new things everyday) but I am

plugging away at it, I guess. I HAVE noticed a slight decline in her

jumping around(she is constantly jumping on furniture, off furniture,

climbing up the walls, you name it) and she seems more calm and able to

have a conversation when she isn't on gluten or dairy. When she has wheat

or milk products she seems to barely be able to hold a conversation (she

CAN talk and has a rather large vocabulary, but it seems like she just

can't sit still long enough to give you the consentration to answer your

questions)

Anyway, I was wondering if any of you have had any luck with the diet.

Some days it seems like it is not helping her one way or the other, but

then she will somehow find her way to some gluten or dairy, and the next

day, WATCH OUT!! (for some reason it affects her the day after.)

*Also, if anyone is interested in posting any supplements they have found

particularly helpful I would be most interested. I am very interested in

the diet approach.

Thanks AmyGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download :

http://explorer.msn.com

[Guest guest]

a,

I have not tried the GF/CF diet (my son is exclusively on formula) but my

sister in law did (her daughter has PDD-NOS) and she noticed a world of change.

She said it wasn't hard after she learned how to really read labels.

Good luck

Carla

[Guest guest]

a,

I have not tried the GF/CF diet (my son is exclusively on formula) but my

sister in law did (her daughter has PDD-NOS) and she noticed a world of change.

She said it wasn't hard after she learned how to really read labels.

Good luck

Carla

[Guest guest]

a,

I have not tried the GF/CF diet (my son is exclusively on formula) but my

sister in law did (her daughter has PDD-NOS) and she noticed a world of change.

She said it wasn't hard after she learned how to really read labels.

Good luck

Carla

[Guest guest]

Hi a,

Our 4 yo daughter is gfcf and yeast-free. We do not enforce the gluten-free

with our other two kids, although they both are dairy-sensitive as well, so

we are cautious with that. You know what? There IS life after gluten and

casein! Once you get your kitchen set-up for the diet, it's not really so

hard. It is a bit more expensive, though.

In no particular order, here are some ideas:

Are you familiar with Special Diets for Special Kids by ? I HIGHLY

recommend both her books, available through www.bn.com . Lots of great meal

and snack ideas, as well as specific ideas on what is acceptable on the diet

and how to implement it. Also, The Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and

Healthy by Bette Hagman -- or any of her gluten-free books. Bette Hagman's

books contain some great flour mixes as well as ideas on how to go

gluten-free. She does have a book specifically for breads. If yeast is not a

problem and you don't intend to go off it at the moment (you might want to

try at some point -- it made a significant difference for Maggie), there are

lots of bread recipes available for your bread maker.

www.missroben.com -- This site has some great cake mixes (we like the

chocolate and carrot cake) and sells pretzels that taste as close to the

real thing as you are going to get. I haven't had too much luck with

crackers anywhere, so can't help you there -- Miss Roben's has some I like,

but I can't get my daughter to eat them. They also sell a decent pie crust

mix (as does The Gluten Free Pantry, available online or at Whole Foods).

And they sell Vance's Dari-Free -- about the best milk sub I have found.

Certain rice milks are processed with barley (such as the Rice Dream line),

so be careful. And Miss Roben's carries several bread mixes.

Check out groups for the GFCFdiet and GFCFkids groups. We are on the

GFCFdiet group and have found it remarkably helpful.

Are you familiar with the site www.gfcfdiet.com? They have a whole list of

acceptable foods that can be purchased at a regular grocery store. They also

have a list of ingredients to watch out for. You have to read the packaging

on everything, because manufacturers do change their ingredients

periodically.

Some of the foods we purchase at the regular store include: potato sticks

(in the cans -- Maggie loves these!), corn chips, potato chips, and

microwave popcorn. There are a few acceptable brands of each of these --

just read the labels. We can use some of the inexpensive store brands! We

also get flavored rice cakes, which some people have a problem with, but we

never have. Be careful, though, some have dairy and gluten. Read labels!

Ore-Ida frozen crinkle fries are acceptable. Heinz ketchup is the only

ketchup brand I am sure of. And, for affordable margerines, Fleischmann's

Unsalted Stick is about it in your regular store.

As a general warning -- avoid sodium nitrites and nitrates whenever you can,

as well as MSG. We buy only white lunch meats (pink usually indicates

nitrites/nitrates) and get our hot dogs with no preservatives at Whole

Foods.

Speaking of Whole Foods -- they carry lots of gluten-free pastas! I think

the corn pasta is the closest tasting to wheat. I don't care for the rice

pastas too much, although others swear by them. I just make whole wheat

pasta for the rest of the family, and corn pasta for Maggie. We get most of

our special flours (some are in bulk, which is cheaper!) and xanthum gum at

Whole Foods. They carry a Wheat-free (it is also gluten-free) Baking Mix by

Arrowhead Mills that makes good waffles and pancakes, among other things --

kind of a gluten-free Bisquick. They also carry a line of Bob's Red Mill

flours that are gluten-free and have quite good recipes on the backs of the

packaging; f corn is not a problem, try making their Rich Corn Cake on the

back of the Corn Flour as a corn bread replacement -- quite good.

For web sites: www.glutenfreepantry.com (great brownie mixes, which you can

also get at Whole Foods), www.glutenfreemall.com.

There are a lot of other great ideas, too, but I have got to get back to bed

and try and kick this sinus headache that is keeping me up! Feel free to

email me with any questions. We have been on this diet just over a year. The

GFCFdiet group is great, and has some people who have been on this diet for

years, so may be able to answer your questions better, but I will do what I

can!

Blessings!

K

> We have decided to give this diet a serious try this summer with our twin

boys who are autistic. We have done the cassein free diet but have never

attempted the gluten free. For all those experienced people out

there...help!!

[Guest guest]

Hi a,

Our 4 yo daughter is gfcf and yeast-free. We do not enforce the gluten-free

with our other two kids, although they both are dairy-sensitive as well, so

we are cautious with that. You know what? There IS life after gluten and

casein! Once you get your kitchen set-up for the diet, it's not really so

hard. It is a bit more expensive, though.

In no particular order, here are some ideas:

Are you familiar with Special Diets for Special Kids by ? I HIGHLY

recommend both her books, available through www.bn.com . Lots of great meal

and snack ideas, as well as specific ideas on what is acceptable on the diet

and how to implement it. Also, The Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and

Healthy by Bette Hagman -- or any of her gluten-free books. Bette Hagman's

books contain some great flour mixes as well as ideas on how to go

gluten-free. She does have a book specifically for breads. If yeast is not a

problem and you don't intend to go off it at the moment (you might want to

try at some point -- it made a significant difference for Maggie), there are

lots of bread recipes available for your bread maker.

www.missroben.com -- This site has some great cake mixes (we like the

chocolate and carrot cake) and sells pretzels that taste as close to the

real thing as you are going to get. I haven't had too much luck with

crackers anywhere, so can't help you there -- Miss Roben's has some I like,

but I can't get my daughter to eat them. They also sell a decent pie crust

mix (as does The Gluten Free Pantry, available online or at Whole Foods).

And they sell Vance's Dari-Free -- about the best milk sub I have found.

Certain rice milks are processed with barley (such as the Rice Dream line),

so be careful. And Miss Roben's carries several bread mixes.

Check out groups for the GFCFdiet and GFCFkids groups. We are on the

GFCFdiet group and have found it remarkably helpful.

Are you familiar with the site www.gfcfdiet.com? They have a whole list of

acceptable foods that can be purchased at a regular grocery store. They also

have a list of ingredients to watch out for. You have to read the packaging

on everything, because manufacturers do change their ingredients

periodically.

Some of the foods we purchase at the regular store include: potato sticks

(in the cans -- Maggie loves these!), corn chips, potato chips, and

microwave popcorn. There are a few acceptable brands of each of these --

just read the labels. We can use some of the inexpensive store brands! We

also get flavored rice cakes, which some people have a problem with, but we

never have. Be careful, though, some have dairy and gluten. Read labels!

Ore-Ida frozen crinkle fries are acceptable. Heinz ketchup is the only

ketchup brand I am sure of. And, for affordable margerines, Fleischmann's

Unsalted Stick is about it in your regular store.

As a general warning -- avoid sodium nitrites and nitrates whenever you can,

as well as MSG. We buy only white lunch meats (pink usually indicates

nitrites/nitrates) and get our hot dogs with no preservatives at Whole

Foods.

Speaking of Whole Foods -- they carry lots of gluten-free pastas! I think

the corn pasta is the closest tasting to wheat. I don't care for the rice

pastas too much, although others swear by them. I just make whole wheat

pasta for the rest of the family, and corn pasta for Maggie. We get most of

our special flours (some are in bulk, which is cheaper!) and xanthum gum at

Whole Foods. They carry a Wheat-free (it is also gluten-free) Baking Mix by

Arrowhead Mills that makes good waffles and pancakes, among other things --

kind of a gluten-free Bisquick. They also carry a line of Bob's Red Mill

flours that are gluten-free and have quite good recipes on the backs of the

packaging; f corn is not a problem, try making their Rich Corn Cake on the

back of the Corn Flour as a corn bread replacement -- quite good.

For web sites: www.glutenfreepantry.com (great brownie mixes, which you can

also get at Whole Foods), www.glutenfreemall.com.

There are a lot of other great ideas, too, but I have got to get back to bed

and try and kick this sinus headache that is keeping me up! Feel free to

email me with any questions. We have been on this diet just over a year. The

GFCFdiet group is great, and has some people who have been on this diet for

years, so may be able to answer your questions better, but I will do what I

can!

Blessings!

K

> We have decided to give this diet a serious try this summer with our twin

boys who are autistic. We have done the cassein free diet but have never

attempted the gluten free. For all those experienced people out

there...help!!

[Guest guest]

I agree with the Great Plains Lab (www.greatplainslaboratory.com)

Unfortunately, some families that do not succeed with the diet because w/the

removal of

milk and wheat, soy is increased. Some children are more allergic to soy than

to gluten. My son is more allergic to gluten than milk but the numbers for

both tests are off the charts.

There is a lot of useful info at <A

HREF= " www.gfcfdiet.com " >www.gfcfdiet.com</A>, from snack info to

ordering foods thru the mail.

My son's 2 favorite snacks are <A HREF= " www.holgrain.com " >www.holgrain.com</A>

brown rice w/a light touch of

salt, onion & Garlic crackers wheat free gluten free and rice bread

(www.food-for-life.com) w/agave nectar (www.sweetcactusfarms.com). He and my

sister

also snack on rice cakes and spread of Annie's Basil & Garlic Vinaigrette on the

cakes (www.anniesnaturals.com)

In a message dated 5/29/03 11:02:37 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

jreirdon@... writes:

> a,

>

> Have you done any food allergy testing? My wife and I feel that was an

> important component of what we have done with my son. Great plains labs ,

> (I think is the one) , does a food allergy profile of over 90 different

> foods. They also do a stool profile that can analyze the child's stool to

> detect abnormalities in digestion. We found that the 4 foods my son

> preferred to eat were all on his highly allergic list of foods.

>

> We also found that when we structured his diet around (not only GFCF) the

> foods he tested highly allergic to on this profile, that it made a big

> difference. There is still alot of debate as to the validity of these type

> of allergy tests (as to whether they are false positives) but from our

> experience, some foods on his list increase his stimming (foods other than

> those having Gluten and Casein).

>

> As we all hear and read, not all kids respond to dietary treatment, but I

> really believe (from our experience with our child and things I have read)

> that stimulatory type behaviors are related to diet but not JUST Gluten and

> Casein.

>

>

> Just my two cents for your consideration.

[Guest guest]

I agree with the Great Plains Lab (www.greatplainslaboratory.com)

Unfortunately, some families that do not succeed with the diet because w/the

removal of

milk and wheat, soy is increased. Some children are more allergic to soy than

to gluten. My son is more allergic to gluten than milk but the numbers for

both tests are off the charts.

There is a lot of useful info at <A

HREF= " www.gfcfdiet.com " >www.gfcfdiet.com</A>, from snack info to

ordering foods thru the mail.

My son's 2 favorite snacks are <A HREF= " www.holgrain.com " >www.holgrain.com</A>

brown rice w/a light touch of

salt, onion & Garlic crackers wheat free gluten free and rice bread

(www.food-for-life.com) w/agave nectar (www.sweetcactusfarms.com). He and my

sister

also snack on rice cakes and spread of Annie's Basil & Garlic Vinaigrette on the

cakes (www.anniesnaturals.com)

In a message dated 5/29/03 11:02:37 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

jreirdon@... writes:

> a,

>

> Have you done any food allergy testing? My wife and I feel that was an

> important component of what we have done with my son. Great plains labs ,

> (I think is the one) , does a food allergy profile of over 90 different

> foods. They also do a stool profile that can analyze the child's stool to

> detect abnormalities in digestion. We found that the 4 foods my son

> preferred to eat were all on his highly allergic list of foods.

>

> We also found that when we structured his diet around (not only GFCF) the

> foods he tested highly allergic to on this profile, that it made a big

> difference. There is still alot of debate as to the validity of these type

> of allergy tests (as to whether they are false positives) but from our

> experience, some foods on his list increase his stimming (foods other than

> those having Gluten and Casein).

>

> As we all hear and read, not all kids respond to dietary treatment, but I

> really believe (from our experience with our child and things I have read)

> that stimulatory type behaviors are related to diet but not JUST Gluten and

> Casein.

>

>

> Just my two cents for your consideration.

[Guest guest]

The reason I stay away from peanut butter is because of a toxin that grows on

the peanuts (aflatoxin, I think). I don't really remember the exact toxin

but the PhD nutritionist/chiropractor told me to stay away from it so I do.

Instead I use macadamia/cashew w/agave nector on my son's toast. My son would

also rather eat the skin of the apple instead of the apple and from what I have

heard the wax has gluten. It also has another toxin (arabinose, again, I

think).

Nitrites are hard for a damaged gut to get rid of. To be on the safe side,

we try not to include them in the diet. Some of our children need a GFCFSF

diet because of the antibiotics they have been on. The stomach is pourous and

if

they received several RX's before their first b-day, they have sustained

damage to the stomach and can no longer process the heavier protiens such as

gluten and casein (I may also remember this wrong). I'm sorry folks but it is

hard

for me to keep up w/all this info w/o being a pharmacist, nutritionist and

herbalist. You would think 3 years into this that I'd be an expert but instead

I am just Bonkers.

Good luck.

> ,

> It was so sweet of you to send me such a lengthy and informative reply

> with a sinus headache also! Thank you so much--I will make a copy of your

reply

> and take it shopping with me today! I do have a question regarding the

> preservatives and nitrates/nitrites, I know it's healthy for all of us to

avoid

> these foods, but is there some connection with the gfcf diet in avoiding

> these? I've heard others mention this as well and wondered if you are

speaking

> in general health terms or is there some direct problem specifically in

> children with cassein/gluten intolerance issues? I ask this because my son,

Ben,

> mostly eats meats with nitrates/nitrites..bacon, bologna, etc. Also, another

> question that comes to mind...I see alot of people giving alternatives to

> peanut butter--is this a sugar issue--if so, I buy low sodium(sugar is pretty

> low also--maybe 3 grams/2 tablespoons) Do you think that is acceptable to give

> them assuming they may have some excessive yeast issues? Also, ONE more

> question(for now!) since you took you're child off yeast, do you make breads,

> brownies, cakes, without yeast? Are there ready made mixes out there without

> yeast that you use that are good?

> Thanks again for all your great help...and hope your sinus headache gets

> better!

> a

>

[Guest guest]

The reason I stay away from peanut butter is because of a toxin that grows on

the peanuts (aflatoxin, I think). I don't really remember the exact toxin

but the PhD nutritionist/chiropractor told me to stay away from it so I do.

Instead I use macadamia/cashew w/agave nector on my son's toast. My son would

also rather eat the skin of the apple instead of the apple and from what I have

heard the wax has gluten. It also has another toxin (arabinose, again, I

think).

Nitrites are hard for a damaged gut to get rid of. To be on the safe side,

we try not to include them in the diet. Some of our children need a GFCFSF

diet because of the antibiotics they have been on. The stomach is pourous and

if

they received several RX's before their first b-day, they have sustained

damage to the stomach and can no longer process the heavier protiens such as

gluten and casein (I may also remember this wrong). I'm sorry folks but it is

hard

for me to keep up w/all this info w/o being a pharmacist, nutritionist and

herbalist. You would think 3 years into this that I'd be an expert but instead

I am just Bonkers.

Good luck.

> ,

> It was so sweet of you to send me such a lengthy and informative reply

> with a sinus headache also! Thank you so much--I will make a copy of your

reply

> and take it shopping with me today! I do have a question regarding the

> preservatives and nitrates/nitrites, I know it's healthy for all of us to

avoid

> these foods, but is there some connection with the gfcf diet in avoiding

> these? I've heard others mention this as well and wondered if you are

speaking

> in general health terms or is there some direct problem specifically in

> children with cassein/gluten intolerance issues? I ask this because my son,

Ben,

> mostly eats meats with nitrates/nitrites..bacon, bologna, etc. Also, another

> question that comes to mind...I see alot of people giving alternatives to

> peanut butter--is this a sugar issue--if so, I buy low sodium(sugar is pretty

> low also--maybe 3 grams/2 tablespoons) Do you think that is acceptable to give

> them assuming they may have some excessive yeast issues? Also, ONE more

> question(for now!) since you took you're child off yeast, do you make breads,

> brownies, cakes, without yeast? Are there ready made mixes out there without

> yeast that you use that are good?

> Thanks again for all your great help...and hope your sinus headache gets

> better!

> a

>

[Guest guest]

I am resending this as I don't think it went thru the 1st time

The reason I stay away from peanut butter is because of a toxin that grows on

the peanuts (aflatoxin, I think).  I don't really remember the exact toxin

but the PhD nutritionist/chiropractor told me to stay away from it so I do. 

Instead I use macadamia/cashew w/agave nector on my son's toast.  My son would

also rather eat the skin of the apple instead of the apple and from what I have

heard the wax has gluten.  It also has another toxin (arabinose, again, I

think). 

Nitrites are hard for a damaged gut to get rid of.  To be on the safe side,

we try not to include them in the diet.  Some of our children need a GFCFSF

diet because of the antibiotics they have been on.  The stomach is pourous and

if

they received several RX's before their first b-day, they have sustained

damage to the stomach and can no longer process the heavier protiens such as

gluten and casein (I may also remember this wrong).  I'm sorry folks but it is

hard

for me to keep up w/all this info w/o being a pharmacist, nutritionist and

herbalist.  You would think 3 years into this that I'd be an expert but instead

I am just Bonkers.

Good luck.

> ,

>   It was so sweet of you to send me such a lengthy and informative reply

> with a sinus headache also!  Thank you so much--I will make a copy of your

reply

> and take it shopping with me today!  I do have a question regarding the

> preservatives and nitrates/nitrites, I know it's healthy for all of us to

avoid

> these foods,  but is there some connection with the gfcf diet in avoiding

> these?  I've heard others mention this as well and wondered if you are

speaking

> in general health terms or is there some direct problem specifically in

> children with cassein/gluten intolerance issues?  I ask this because my son,

Ben,

> mostly eats meats with nitrates/nitrites..bacon, bologna, etc.   Also, another

> question that comes to mind...I see alot of people giving alternatives to

> peanut butter--is this a sugar issue--if so, I buy low sodium(sugar is pretty

> low also--maybe 3 grams/2 tablespoons) Do you think that is acceptable to give

> them assuming they may have some excessive yeast issues?  Also, ONE more

> question(for now!) since you took you're child off yeast, do you make breads,

> brownies, cakes, without yeast?  Are there ready made mixes out there without

> yeast that you use that are good?

>   Thanks again for all your great help...and hope your sinus headache gets

> better!

> a

>

[Guest guest]

I am resending this as I don't think it went thru the 1st time

The reason I stay away from peanut butter is because of a toxin that grows on

the peanuts (aflatoxin, I think).  I don't really remember the exact toxin

but the PhD nutritionist/chiropractor told me to stay away from it so I do. 

Instead I use macadamia/cashew w/agave nector on my son's toast.  My son would

also rather eat the skin of the apple instead of the apple and from what I have

heard the wax has gluten.  It also has another toxin (arabinose, again, I

think). 

Nitrites are hard for a damaged gut to get rid of.  To be on the safe side,

we try not to include them in the diet.  Some of our children need a GFCFSF

diet because of the antibiotics they have been on.  The stomach is pourous and

if

they received several RX's before their first b-day, they have sustained

damage to the stomach and can no longer process the heavier protiens such as

gluten and casein (I may also remember this wrong).  I'm sorry folks but it is

hard

for me to keep up w/all this info w/o being a pharmacist, nutritionist and

herbalist.  You would think 3 years into this that I'd be an expert but instead

I am just Bonkers.

Good luck.

> ,

>   It was so sweet of you to send me such a lengthy and informative reply

> with a sinus headache also!  Thank you so much--I will make a copy of your

reply

> and take it shopping with me today!  I do have a question regarding the

> preservatives and nitrates/nitrites, I know it's healthy for all of us to

avoid

> these foods,  but is there some connection with the gfcf diet in avoiding

> these?  I've heard others mention this as well and wondered if you are

speaking

> in general health terms or is there some direct problem specifically in

> children with cassein/gluten intolerance issues?  I ask this because my son,

Ben,

> mostly eats meats with nitrates/nitrites..bacon, bologna, etc.   Also, another

> question that comes to mind...I see alot of people giving alternatives to

> peanut butter--is this a sugar issue--if so, I buy low sodium(sugar is pretty

> low also--maybe 3 grams/2 tablespoons) Do you think that is acceptable to give

> them assuming they may have some excessive yeast issues?  Also, ONE more

> question(for now!) since you took you're child off yeast, do you make breads,

> brownies, cakes, without yeast?  Are there ready made mixes out there without

> yeast that you use that are good?

>   Thanks again for all your great help...and hope your sinus headache gets

> better!

> a

>

[Guest guest]

,

It was so sweet of you to send me such a lengthy and informative reply with a

sinus headache also! Thank you so much--I will make a copy of your reply and

take it shopping with me today! I do have a question regarding the

preservatives and nitrates/nitrites, I know it's healthy for all of us to avoid

these foods, but is there some connection with the gfcf diet in avoiding these?

I've heard others mention this as well and wondered if you are speaking in

general health terms or is there some direct problem specifically in children

with cassein/gluten intolerance issues? I ask this because my son, Ben, mostly

eats meats with nitrates/nitrites..bacon, bologna, etc. Also, another question

that comes to mind...I see alot of people giving alternatives to peanut

butter--is this a sugar issue--if so, I buy low sodium(sugar is pretty low

also--maybe 3 grams/2 tablespoons) Do you think that is acceptable to give them

assuming they may have some excessive yeast issues? Also, ONE more question(for

now!) since you took you're child off yeast, do you make breads, brownies,

cakes, without yeast? Are there ready made mixes out there without yeast that

you use that are good?

Thanks again for all your great help...and hope your sinus headache gets

better!

a

Re: gluten/casein free diet

Hi a,

Our 4 yo daughter is gfcf and yeast-free. We do not enforce the gluten-free

with our other two kids, although they both are dairy-sensitive as well, so

we are cautious with that. You know what? There IS life after gluten and

casein! Once you get your kitchen set-up for the diet, it's not really so

hard. It is a bit more expensive, though.

In no particular order, here are some ideas:

Are you familiar with Special Diets for Special Kids by ? I HIGHLY

recommend both her books, available through www.bn.com . Lots of great meal

and snack ideas, as well as specific ideas on what is acceptable on the diet

and how to implement it. Also, The Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and

Healthy by Bette Hagman -- or any of her gluten-free books. Bette Hagman's

books contain some great flour mixes as well as ideas on how to go

gluten-free. She does have a book specifically for breads. If yeast is not a

problem and you don't intend to go off it at the moment (you might want to

try at some point -- it made a significant difference for Maggie), there are

lots of bread recipes available for your bread maker.

www.missroben.com -- This site has some great cake mixes (we like the

chocolate and carrot cake) and sells pretzels that taste as close to the

real thing as you are going to get. I haven't had too much luck with

crackers anywhere, so can't help you there -- Miss Roben's has some I like,

but I can't get my daughter to eat them. They also sell a decent pie crust

mix (as does The Gluten Free Pantry, available online or at Whole Foods).

And they sell Vance's Dari-Free -- about the best milk sub I have found.

Certain rice milks are processed with barley (such as the Rice Dream line),

so be careful. And Miss Roben's carries several bread mixes.

Check out groups for the GFCFdiet and GFCFkids groups. We are on the

GFCFdiet group and have found it remarkably helpful.

Are you familiar with the site www.gfcfdiet.com? They have a whole list of

acceptable foods that can be purchased at a regular grocery store. They also

have a list of ingredients to watch out for. You have to read the packaging

on everything, because manufacturers do change their ingredients

periodically.

Some of the foods we purchase at the regular store include: potato sticks

(in the cans -- Maggie loves these!), corn chips, potato chips, and

microwave popcorn. There are a few acceptable brands of each of these --

just read the labels. We can use some of the inexpensive store brands! We

also get flavored rice cakes, which some people have a problem with, but we

never have. Be careful, though, some have dairy and gluten. Read labels!

Ore-Ida frozen crinkle fries are acceptable. Heinz ketchup is the only

ketchup brand I am sure of. And, for affordable margerines, Fleischmann's

Unsalted Stick is about it in your regular store.

As a general warning -- avoid sodium nitrites and nitrates whenever you can,

as well as MSG. We buy only white lunch meats (pink usually indicates

nitrites/nitrates) and get our hot dogs with no preservatives at Whole

Foods.

Speaking of Whole Foods -- they carry lots of gluten-free pastas! I think

the corn pasta is the closest tasting to wheat. I don't care for the rice

pastas too much, although others swear by them. I just make whole wheat

pasta for the rest of the family, and corn pasta for Maggie. We get most of

our special flours (some are in bulk, which is cheaper!) and xanthum gum at

Whole Foods. They carry a Wheat-free (it is also gluten-free) Baking Mix by

Arrowhead Mills that makes good waffles and pancakes, among other things --

kind of a gluten-free Bisquick. They also carry a line of Bob's Red Mill

flours that are gluten-free and have quite good recipes on the backs of the

packaging; f corn is not a problem, try making their Rich Corn Cake on the

back of the Corn Flour as a corn bread replacement -- quite good.

For web sites: www.glutenfreepantry.com (great brownie mixes, which you can

also get at Whole Foods), www.glutenfreemall.com.

There are a lot of other great ideas, too, but I have got to get back to bed

and try and kick this sinus headache that is keeping me up! Feel free to

email me with any questions. We have been on this diet just over a year. The

GFCFdiet group is great, and has some people who have been on this diet for

years, so may be able to answer your questions better, but I will do what I

can!

Blessings!

K

> We have decided to give this diet a serious try this summer with our twin

boys who are autistic. We have done the cassein free diet but have never

attempted the gluten free. For all those experienced people out

there...help!!

[Guest guest]

,

It was so sweet of you to send me such a lengthy and informative reply with a

sinus headache also! Thank you so much--I will make a copy of your reply and

take it shopping with me today! I do have a question regarding the

preservatives and nitrates/nitrites, I know it's healthy for all of us to avoid

these foods, but is there some connection with the gfcf diet in avoiding these?

I've heard others mention this as well and wondered if you are speaking in

general health terms or is there some direct problem specifically in children

with cassein/gluten intolerance issues? I ask this because my son, Ben, mostly

eats meats with nitrates/nitrites..bacon, bologna, etc. Also, another question

that comes to mind...I see alot of people giving alternatives to peanut

butter--is this a sugar issue--if so, I buy low sodium(sugar is pretty low

also--maybe 3 grams/2 tablespoons) Do you think that is acceptable to give them

assuming they may have some excessive yeast issues? Also, ONE more question(for

now!) since you took you're child off yeast, do you make breads, brownies,

cakes, without yeast? Are there ready made mixes out there without yeast that

you use that are good?

Thanks again for all your great help...and hope your sinus headache gets

better!

a

Re: gluten/casein free diet

Hi a,

Our 4 yo daughter is gfcf and yeast-free. We do not enforce the gluten-free

with our other two kids, although they both are dairy-sensitive as well, so

we are cautious with that. You know what? There IS life after gluten and

casein! Once you get your kitchen set-up for the diet, it's not really so

hard. It is a bit more expensive, though.

In no particular order, here are some ideas:

Are you familiar with Special Diets for Special Kids by ? I HIGHLY

recommend both her books, available through www.bn.com . Lots of great meal

and snack ideas, as well as specific ideas on what is acceptable on the diet

and how to implement it. Also, The Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and

Healthy by Bette Hagman -- or any of her gluten-free books. Bette Hagman's

books contain some great flour mixes as well as ideas on how to go

gluten-free. She does have a book specifically for breads. If yeast is not a

problem and you don't intend to go off it at the moment (you might want to

try at some point -- it made a significant difference for Maggie), there are

lots of bread recipes available for your bread maker.

www.missroben.com -- This site has some great cake mixes (we like the

chocolate and carrot cake) and sells pretzels that taste as close to the

real thing as you are going to get. I haven't had too much luck with

crackers anywhere, so can't help you there -- Miss Roben's has some I like,

but I can't get my daughter to eat them. They also sell a decent pie crust

mix (as does The Gluten Free Pantry, available online or at Whole Foods).

And they sell Vance's Dari-Free -- about the best milk sub I have found.

Certain rice milks are processed with barley (such as the Rice Dream line),

so be careful. And Miss Roben's carries several bread mixes.

Check out groups for the GFCFdiet and GFCFkids groups. We are on the

GFCFdiet group and have found it remarkably helpful.

Are you familiar with the site www.gfcfdiet.com? They have a whole list of

acceptable foods that can be purchased at a regular grocery store. They also

have a list of ingredients to watch out for. You have to read the packaging

on everything, because manufacturers do change their ingredients

periodically.

Some of the foods we purchase at the regular store include: potato sticks

(in the cans -- Maggie loves these!), corn chips, potato chips, and

microwave popcorn. There are a few acceptable brands of each of these --

just read the labels. We can use some of the inexpensive store brands! We

also get flavored rice cakes, which some people have a problem with, but we

never have. Be careful, though, some have dairy and gluten. Read labels!

Ore-Ida frozen crinkle fries are acceptable. Heinz ketchup is the only

ketchup brand I am sure of. And, for affordable margerines, Fleischmann's

Unsalted Stick is about it in your regular store.

As a general warning -- avoid sodium nitrites and nitrates whenever you can,

as well as MSG. We buy only white lunch meats (pink usually indicates

nitrites/nitrates) and get our hot dogs with no preservatives at Whole

Foods.

Speaking of Whole Foods -- they carry lots of gluten-free pastas! I think

the corn pasta is the closest tasting to wheat. I don't care for the rice

pastas too much, although others swear by them. I just make whole wheat

pasta for the rest of the family, and corn pasta for Maggie. We get most of

our special flours (some are in bulk, which is cheaper!) and xanthum gum at

Whole Foods. They carry a Wheat-free (it is also gluten-free) Baking Mix by

Arrowhead Mills that makes good waffles and pancakes, among other things --

kind of a gluten-free Bisquick. They also carry a line of Bob's Red Mill

flours that are gluten-free and have quite good recipes on the backs of the

packaging; f corn is not a problem, try making their Rich Corn Cake on the

back of the Corn Flour as a corn bread replacement -- quite good.

For web sites: www.glutenfreepantry.com (great brownie mixes, which you can

also get at Whole Foods), www.glutenfreemall.com.

There are a lot of other great ideas, too, but I have got to get back to bed

and try and kick this sinus headache that is keeping me up! Feel free to

email me with any questions. We have been on this diet just over a year. The

GFCFdiet group is great, and has some people who have been on this diet for

years, so may be able to answer your questions better, but I will do what I

can!

Blessings!

K

> We have decided to give this diet a serious try this summer with our twin

boys who are autistic. We have done the cassein free diet but have never

attempted the gluten free. For all those experienced people out

there...help!!

[Guest guest]

Hi a,

Here are some suggestions that might help. I buy a lot of stuff at Whole Foods,

and I don't know if they have those in Houston, but I bet some of the Health

Food Stores would be similar to Whole Foods if they aren't an option. Good luck

and let me know if you have any questions.

Elsie (N. Texas)

**********************

CHIPS:

TERRA - Yukon Gold & Blue's; Mfg: Hains

Where to buy: Kroger, Albertson's, Whole Foods

(Thicker than a regular potato chip, but very good)

MINI MUNCHIES - Plain Mini Rice Snacks; Mfg: Hains

Where to buy: Albertson's and Whole Foods

(Small round rice cakes)

TINGS - Crunchy Corn Sticks; Mfg: 's American Gourmet

Where to buy: www.robspace.com

(These are the closest thing to Cheetos that I've found. More like regular

Cheetos than Puffs. Unfortunately, these have to be ordered on-line and you

have to purchase a case at a time. I was desperate, though, Clay kept sneaking

the Cheeto's from his sister so often that I finally ordered these to see if it

would pass the " taste test " with him. He likes them pretty well, but I limit

them as they have " nutritional yeast " as one of the ingredients, and we fight

the yeast battle all the time. His NT sister eats these, too.) If you are

interested in these, let me know and I'll mail you a package so you won't have

to buy a whole case to see if they pass the " taste test " first, lol.

***************************

CEREALS:

RICE TWICE - Brown Rice Puffs; Mfg: Erewhon

Where to buy: Whole Foods

GORILLA MUNCH - Similar to Corn Pops; Mfg: Envirokidz

Where to buy: Whole Foods

PEANUT BUTTER PANDA PUFFS - Like the Gorilla Munch, but with a p. butter flavor;

Mfg: Envirokidz

Where to buy: Whole Foods

*********************************

CRACKERS:

BI-AGLUT CRACKERTOAST - Rectangular Puff Cracker; Mfg: Bi-Aglut (Heinz)

Where to buy: Online at www.missroben.com , or www.glutino.com

(These are the closest thing you can get to styrofoam...just kidding. My son

LOVES these, and I don't know why because they are...well, I won't eat them.

But, they are great for spreads, particularly peanut butter.)

There are a lot of crackers available that are pretty good. Check at Miss

Roben's, Glutino, Gluten Solutions www.glutensolutions , or Ener-G

www.ener-g.com under their cracker sections (plus there are pretzels available

if that's a staple with your kids).

************************************

WAFFLES/PANCAKES:

WAFFLES - VAN's brand have several different types that are gf/cf but I've only

found them at Whole Foods. Mini-Waffles, Regular, and Apple/Cinnamon. Our

Albertson's carries some Van's, but usually not the gluten-free ones.

PANCAKES: I don't want to violate any copyright law's but this recipe is too

good not to share. It's from Carol Fenster's " Special Diet Solutions " cookbook.

My whole family LOVES these. I highly recommend her cookbooks.

Pancakes:

1 large egg

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt*

1/4 cup brown rice flour**

2 tablespoons potato starch

2 tablespoons tapioca flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sugar or 1/2 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract

1 tablespoon canola, safflower, or other oil

additional oil for frying

Blend egg and yogurt (or milk) in blender or whisk vigorously in bowl. Add

remaining ingredients and blend, just until mixed. Over medium heat, place

large, nonstick skillet that has been lightly coated with oil. Pour batter into

skillet and cook until bubbly (3-5 minutes). Turn and cook until golden brown

(2-3 minutes). Makes about eight 4-inch pancakes. This recipe can be doubled.

* DAIRY ALTERNATIVE: 1/3 cup milk (cow, rice, soy, or nut) in place of 1/2 cup

yogurt

** FLOUR ATERNATIVE: 1/4 cup Garbfava flour in place of 1/4 cup brown rice

flour.

Okay, here's my alternatives to this.

- I don't use the blender, I just use a big bowl and a whisk

- I double the recipe

- I use Vanilla Rice Milk

- I use Bob's Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour (I get it at Whole Foods) .....this

is the magic ingredient when you make these pancakes. Check out

www.bobsredmill.com and they may have a store locater on their site.

- I use Featherweight baking powder (only because it's gluten free, there may be

other brands out there). (Whole Foods again).

- I use Frontier Vanilla - Alcohol free (Whole Foods)

- And, it says medium heat, but I've found very low heat is better.

The recipe looks like a pain to make but it's really very easy. My kids

participate in making these and it's one of our weekend breakfast favorites.

Also, you can also freeze any left-overs and pop them in the micro breifly and

they are still yummy.

Here are some of the on-line stores that I've found have really good products

(There are a ton more, but these are the ones I use frequently):

www.missroben.com

www.kinnikinnick.com (They have a good sandwhich bread, make sure you look at

the ALTA line, it's their gf/cf stuff).

www.ener-g.com

www.glutensolutions.com

www.glutino.com

P.S. Please excuse any typos, my spellcheck is on the blink. Have a good day.

[Guest guest]

Hi a,

Here are some suggestions that might help. I buy a lot of stuff at Whole Foods,

and I don't know if they have those in Houston, but I bet some of the Health

Food Stores would be similar to Whole Foods if they aren't an option. Good luck

and let me know if you have any questions.

Elsie (N. Texas)

**********************

CHIPS:

TERRA - Yukon Gold & Blue's; Mfg: Hains

Where to buy: Kroger, Albertson's, Whole Foods

(Thicker than a regular potato chip, but very good)

MINI MUNCHIES - Plain Mini Rice Snacks; Mfg: Hains

Where to buy: Albertson's and Whole Foods

(Small round rice cakes)

TINGS - Crunchy Corn Sticks; Mfg: 's American Gourmet

Where to buy: www.robspace.com

(These are the closest thing to Cheetos that I've found. More like regular

Cheetos than Puffs. Unfortunately, these have to be ordered on-line and you

have to purchase a case at a time. I was desperate, though, Clay kept sneaking

the Cheeto's from his sister so often that I finally ordered these to see if it

would pass the " taste test " with him. He likes them pretty well, but I limit

them as they have " nutritional yeast " as one of the ingredients, and we fight

the yeast battle all the time. His NT sister eats these, too.) If you are

interested in these, let me know and I'll mail you a package so you won't have

to buy a whole case to see if they pass the " taste test " first, lol.

***************************

CEREALS:

RICE TWICE - Brown Rice Puffs; Mfg: Erewhon

Where to buy: Whole Foods

GORILLA MUNCH - Similar to Corn Pops; Mfg: Envirokidz

Where to buy: Whole Foods

PEANUT BUTTER PANDA PUFFS - Like the Gorilla Munch, but with a p. butter flavor;

Mfg: Envirokidz

Where to buy: Whole Foods

*********************************

CRACKERS:

BI-AGLUT CRACKERTOAST - Rectangular Puff Cracker; Mfg: Bi-Aglut (Heinz)

Where to buy: Online at www.missroben.com , or www.glutino.com

(These are the closest thing you can get to styrofoam...just kidding. My son

LOVES these, and I don't know why because they are...well, I won't eat them.

But, they are great for spreads, particularly peanut butter.)

There are a lot of crackers available that are pretty good. Check at Miss

Roben's, Glutino, Gluten Solutions www.glutensolutions , or Ener-G

www.ener-g.com under their cracker sections (plus there are pretzels available

if that's a staple with your kids).

************************************

WAFFLES/PANCAKES:

WAFFLES - VAN's brand have several different types that are gf/cf but I've only

found them at Whole Foods. Mini-Waffles, Regular, and Apple/Cinnamon. Our

Albertson's carries some Van's, but usually not the gluten-free ones.

PANCAKES: I don't want to violate any copyright law's but this recipe is too

good not to share. It's from Carol Fenster's " Special Diet Solutions " cookbook.

My whole family LOVES these. I highly recommend her cookbooks.

Pancakes:

1 large egg

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt*

1/4 cup brown rice flour**

2 tablespoons potato starch

2 tablespoons tapioca flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sugar or 1/2 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract

1 tablespoon canola, safflower, or other oil

additional oil for frying

Blend egg and yogurt (or milk) in blender or whisk vigorously in bowl. Add

remaining ingredients and blend, just until mixed. Over medium heat, place

large, nonstick skillet that has been lightly coated with oil. Pour batter into

skillet and cook until bubbly (3-5 minutes). Turn and cook until golden brown

(2-3 minutes). Makes about eight 4-inch pancakes. This recipe can be doubled.

* DAIRY ALTERNATIVE: 1/3 cup milk (cow, rice, soy, or nut) in place of 1/2 cup

yogurt

** FLOUR ATERNATIVE: 1/4 cup Garbfava flour in place of 1/4 cup brown rice

flour.

Okay, here's my alternatives to this.

- I don't use the blender, I just use a big bowl and a whisk

- I double the recipe

- I use Vanilla Rice Milk

- I use Bob's Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour (I get it at Whole Foods) .....this

is the magic ingredient when you make these pancakes. Check out

www.bobsredmill.com and they may have a store locater on their site.

- I use Featherweight baking powder (only because it's gluten free, there may be

other brands out there). (Whole Foods again).

- I use Frontier Vanilla - Alcohol free (Whole Foods)

- And, it says medium heat, but I've found very low heat is better.

The recipe looks like a pain to make but it's really very easy. My kids

participate in making these and it's one of our weekend breakfast favorites.

Also, you can also freeze any left-overs and pop them in the micro breifly and

they are still yummy.

Here are some of the on-line stores that I've found have really good products

(There are a ton more, but these are the ones I use frequently):

www.missroben.com

www.kinnikinnick.com (They have a good sandwhich bread, make sure you look at

the ALTA line, it's their gf/cf stuff).

www.ener-g.com

www.glutensolutions.com

www.glutino.com

P.S. Please excuse any typos, my spellcheck is on the blink. Have a good day.

[Guest guest]

a,

Have you done any food allergy testing? My wife and I feel that was an

important component of what we have done with my son. Great plains labs ,

(I think is the one) , does a food allergy profile of over 90 different

foods. They also do a stool profile that can analyze the child's stool to

detect abnormalities in digestion. We found that the 4 foods my son

preferred to eat were all on his highly allergic list of foods.

We also found that when we structured his diet around (not only GFCF) the

foods he tested highly allergic to on this profile, that it made a big

difference. There is still alot of debate as to the validity of these type

of allergy tests (as to whether they are false positives) but from our

experience, some foods on his list increase his stimming (foods other than

those having Gluten and Casein).

As we all hear and read, not all kids respond to dietary treatment, but I

really believe (from our experience with our child and things I have read)

that stimulatory type behaviors are related to diet but not JUST Gluten and

Casein.

Just my two cents for your consideration.

J. P. Reirdon

Webmaster

http://www.autismtreatment.info/ <http://www.autismtreatment.info/>

You CAN treat Autism!! Get treatment tips for children with Autism, PDD and

Aperger's Syndrome from parents who have successfully helped their children.

gluten/casein free diet

We have decided to give this diet a serious try this summer with our twin

boys who are autistic. We have done the cassein free diet but have never

attempted the gluten free. For all those experienced people out

there...help!! I need some great snack ideas fast!(ha) If you have any

good substitution ideas as well as where to buy them or order them--I would

greatly appreciate them. I know Kroger has some gfcf items that they sell

and I think I've heard that Walmart sells a cassein free yogurt. If anyone

shops for gfcf items at these 2 places--please let me know what's out there

and tastes acceptable! Also, what companies do you order from that are

pretty good? I'm still trying to figure out how I will pull this off with 2

neurotypical girls in the house--I don't want to deprive them of foods that

they can eat. Anyone out there who has a situation like this and been

successful, please share. I was also thinking of items that Ben eats that

make my life a whole lot easier--if there are any GOOD substitutions out

there for any of the items listed, please let me know: taquitos, chips,

corn dogs, cereals, cookies, crackers, hamburger buns, waffles, pancakes,

cereals. Also any good waffle, pancake, bread, cake recipe that anyone uses

would also be greatly appreciated. I have been buying the Tofutti cheese

slices for the boys for the past couple of years--is there another better

tasting one that is out there? Thanks in advance for any ideas...

BTW, I'm in the Northwest end of Houston(Spring)--if there are any local

people who have ideas of places to shop(maybe even a really good health food

store that sells more " hard to find " items--please let me know. thanks

again

a

[Guest guest]

a,

Have you done any food allergy testing? My wife and I feel that was an

important component of what we have done with my son. Great plains labs ,

(I think is the one) , does a food allergy profile of over 90 different

foods. They also do a stool profile that can analyze the child's stool to

detect abnormalities in digestion. We found that the 4 foods my son

preferred to eat were all on his highly allergic list of foods.

We also found that when we structured his diet around (not only GFCF) the

foods he tested highly allergic to on this profile, that it made a big

difference. There is still alot of debate as to the validity of these type

of allergy tests (as to whether they are false positives) but from our

experience, some foods on his list increase his stimming (foods other than

those having Gluten and Casein).

As we all hear and read, not all kids respond to dietary treatment, but I

really believe (from our experience with our child and things I have read)

that stimulatory type behaviors are related to diet but not JUST Gluten and

Casein.

Just my two cents for your consideration.

J. P. Reirdon

Webmaster

http://www.autismtreatment.info/ <http://www.autismtreatment.info/>

You CAN treat Autism!! Get treatment tips for children with Autism, PDD and

Aperger's Syndrome from parents who have successfully helped their children.

gluten/casein free diet

We have decided to give this diet a serious try this summer with our twin

boys who are autistic. We have done the cassein free diet but have never

attempted the gluten free. For all those experienced people out

there...help!! I need some great snack ideas fast!(ha) If you have any

good substitution ideas as well as where to buy them or order them--I would

greatly appreciate them. I know Kroger has some gfcf items that they sell

and I think I've heard that Walmart sells a cassein free yogurt. If anyone

shops for gfcf items at these 2 places--please let me know what's out there

and tastes acceptable! Also, what companies do you order from that are

pretty good? I'm still trying to figure out how I will pull this off with 2

neurotypical girls in the house--I don't want to deprive them of foods that

they can eat. Anyone out there who has a situation like this and been

successful, please share. I was also thinking of items that Ben eats that

make my life a whole lot easier--if there are any GOOD substitutions out

there for any of the items listed, please let me know: taquitos, chips,

corn dogs, cereals, cookies, crackers, hamburger buns, waffles, pancakes,

cereals. Also any good waffle, pancake, bread, cake recipe that anyone uses

would also be greatly appreciated. I have been buying the Tofutti cheese

slices for the boys for the past couple of years--is there another better

tasting one that is out there? Thanks in advance for any ideas...

BTW, I'm in the Northwest end of Houston(Spring)--if there are any local

people who have ideas of places to shop(maybe even a really good health food

store that sells more " hard to find " items--please let me know. thanks

again

a

[Guest guest]

Hi a,

I see from some other posts that the nitrite/nitrates question has been

answered, and I agree with the answer. These things are not good for anyone,

but damaged guts just can't get rid of them so easily. Since Maggie and my 6

year old both have immune problems and our 8 year old boy has some ADD

issues, it makes sense not to give them foods that are at risk -- especially

when these foods can be replaced or avoided. I am allergic to MSG, so I

don't risk the kids with it, either, but the same thing applies to MSG that

applies to nitrates/nitrites. We can't stay away from all preservatives, but

we avoid as many as we can.

As to peanut butter -- glad to see someone else answered that. We avoid it

due to allergies that run in the family.

Yeast Issues. Hmmm. We go a bit against the grain (no pun intended!) in

terms of how we handle these. Most people who keep their kids off yeast

keep them off of all sugars and most fruits as well as bread yeasts. We keep

Maggie off all bread yeasts. Most cakes and similar sweets use baking soda

or baking powder, anyway, so all we are really missing is sandwich-style

bread and biscuits. I haven't found a yeast-free answer to thoes, but she

doesn't seem to miss them. We let her have fruit, which we eat quite a bit

of, and goodies. Since we eat minimal sweets, anyway, I haven't felt

inclined to take her off of them. When we do eat sweets, I cook with whole

sugars whenever possible, which significantly reduces or eliminates many of

the problems inherent with refined white and brown sugars. We do use Miss

Roben's cake mixes which contain refined sugar, but only for special

occasions -- they are good! -- and haven't noticed problems with them, since

we use them so seldom. There are some cakes I make from scratch, but every

now and then I need to crank out a cake or cupcakes in a hurry, and these

mixes are great to have around. By the way, we use Duncan Hines Classic

White frosting, and one of the Duncan Hines Chocolate frosting is acceptable

also -- can't remember which one, right now, but it's clear on the label.

All but one contain some sort of dairy. As I think I mentioned, the Gluten

Free Pantry puts out an incredibly delicious brownie mix, and they have

several other mixes as well.

I think the thing that helps the most with the yeast is that we give Maggie

Jarro-dophilis from Jarrow Labs -- available at most health food stores, or

www.webvitamins.com . This is a wider spectrum probiotic than just giving

acidophilis/bifidis and has made a huge difference in controlling her yeast.

I did try to switch her back to a simple acidophilis/bifidis probiotic and

after just a day or so she began to lose language. I gave it a try for a

week or so in case I was wrong, and her language did disintegrate. I put her

back on the Jarro-dophilis, and her language went back to normal (at least,

normal for her!). We give her a capsule in the morning, and one at night. I

just open the capsule and pour the powder in her juice (actually, my kids

drink water lightly flavored with juice, but we all call it " juice " around

here!) -- there is no flavor to the powder.

I agree with whoever mentioned the soy issues -- you do have to be cautious.

We allow a little tofutti every now and then, but generally avoid soy flour

and soy drinks.

And -- just so you know -- we do junk out occasionally! After numerous phone

calls, we have learned that Mc's is the only place we can consistently

go to feed Maggie. We order a kid's meal -- hamburger with lettuce and

tomato and NO buns or condiments. Plus, an extra order of fries to make up

for the lack of a bun. Mc's is the ONLY fast food restaurant that we

have found that has a strict chain-wide rule about using a dedicated vat for

the fries, so no cross-contamination with chicken nuggets. And their meat

is -- surprise! -- really 100% beef with no fillers. We go once a month as a

special treat for the kids because they love to play there, but I am soooo

sick of Mc's. However, since McD's recently started carrying salads

and cappucino, I may survive!

Finally, there are also digestive enzymes you can try. Read about them at

www.houstonni.com. The best thing to do is try the diet FIRST so you know

what your boys have reactions to. Then, a few months down the road you might

want to experiment with adding in the enzymes before each meal. Some kids

can actually go back to eating gluten and/or casein withe enzymes, but this

unfortunately is not the case with Maggie. Every child is so different. We

do still use the enzymes as we notice a difference in her behavior when we

are consistent with them, and they do reduce her reaction when she

inadvertantly gets casein or gluten.

For lunch today, I gave Maggie a juice with enzymes, a whole cut-up banana

and a good serving of cantaloupe, pretzels from Miss Roben's, a cut-up hot

dog (Shelton's, from Whole Foods) with Heinz ketchup, and a Lifestream

Gluten-Free Buckwheat Wild Berry Toaster Waffle, with fruit jelly (jelly

made with only fruit products, such as Polaner or Smucker's 100% fruit). It

was an easy-to-make, healthy lunch an she cheerfully sucked it all down.

Also, thanks for your good wishes. Hope I answered your questions, or

possibly typed too much! My fingers develop a life of their own on the

keyboard sometimes and get carried away. Anyhow, the kids need me. Maggie is

pulling on my arm for something. I think they all want to take the dog for a

walk. And me with a sinus cold. Hmmmmm.

Blessings!

K

> ,

> It was so sweet of you to send me such a lengthy and informative reply

with a sinus headache also! Thank you so much--I will make a copy of your

reply and take it shopping with me today! I do have a question regarding

the preservatives and nitrates/nitrites, I know it's healthy for all of us

to avoid these foods, but is there some connection with the gfcf diet in

avoiding these? I've heard others mention this as well and wondered if you

are speaking in general health terms or is there some direct problem

specifically in children with cassein/gluten intolerance issues? I ask this

because my son, Ben, mostly eats meats with nitrates/nitrites..bacon,

bologna, etc. Also, another question that comes to mind...I see alot of

people giving alternatives to peanut butter--is this a sugar issue--if so, I

buy low sodium(sugar is pretty low also--maybe 3 grams/2 tablespoons) Do you

think that is acceptable to give them assuming they may have some excessive

yeast issues? Also, ONE more question(for now!) since you took you're child

off yeast, do you make breads, brownies, cakes, without yeast? Are there

ready made mixes out there without yeast that you use that are good?

> Thanks again for all your great help...and hope your sinus headache

gets better!

> a

[Guest guest]

Hi a,

I see from some other posts that the nitrite/nitrates question has been

answered, and I agree with the answer. These things are not good for anyone,

but damaged guts just can't get rid of them so easily. Since Maggie and my 6

year old both have immune problems and our 8 year old boy has some ADD

issues, it makes sense not to give them foods that are at risk -- especially

when these foods can be replaced or avoided. I am allergic to MSG, so I

don't risk the kids with it, either, but the same thing applies to MSG that

applies to nitrates/nitrites. We can't stay away from all preservatives, but

we avoid as many as we can.

As to peanut butter -- glad to see someone else answered that. We avoid it

due to allergies that run in the family.

Yeast Issues. Hmmm. We go a bit against the grain (no pun intended!) in

terms of how we handle these. Most people who keep their kids off yeast

keep them off of all sugars and most fruits as well as bread yeasts. We keep

Maggie off all bread yeasts. Most cakes and similar sweets use baking soda

or baking powder, anyway, so all we are really missing is sandwich-style

bread and biscuits. I haven't found a yeast-free answer to thoes, but she

doesn't seem to miss them. We let her have fruit, which we eat quite a bit

of, and goodies. Since we eat minimal sweets, anyway, I haven't felt

inclined to take her off of them. When we do eat sweets, I cook with whole

sugars whenever possible, which significantly reduces or eliminates many of

the problems inherent with refined white and brown sugars. We do use Miss

Roben's cake mixes which contain refined sugar, but only for special

occasions -- they are good! -- and haven't noticed problems with them, since

we use them so seldom. There are some cakes I make from scratch, but every

now and then I need to crank out a cake or cupcakes in a hurry, and these

mixes are great to have around. By the way, we use Duncan Hines Classic

White frosting, and one of the Duncan Hines Chocolate frosting is acceptable

also -- can't remember which one, right now, but it's clear on the label.

All but one contain some sort of dairy. As I think I mentioned, the Gluten

Free Pantry puts out an incredibly delicious brownie mix, and they have

several other mixes as well.

I think the thing that helps the most with the yeast is that we give Maggie

Jarro-dophilis from Jarrow Labs -- available at most health food stores, or

www.webvitamins.com . This is a wider spectrum probiotic than just giving

acidophilis/bifidis and has made a huge difference in controlling her yeast.

I did try to switch her back to a simple acidophilis/bifidis probiotic and

after just a day or so she began to lose language. I gave it a try for a

week or so in case I was wrong, and her language did disintegrate. I put her

back on the Jarro-dophilis, and her language went back to normal (at least,

normal for her!). We give her a capsule in the morning, and one at night. I

just open the capsule and pour the powder in her juice (actually, my kids

drink water lightly flavored with juice, but we all call it " juice " around

here!) -- there is no flavor to the powder.

I agree with whoever mentioned the soy issues -- you do have to be cautious.

We allow a little tofutti every now and then, but generally avoid soy flour

and soy drinks.

And -- just so you know -- we do junk out occasionally! After numerous phone

calls, we have learned that Mc's is the only place we can consistently

go to feed Maggie. We order a kid's meal -- hamburger with lettuce and

tomato and NO buns or condiments. Plus, an extra order of fries to make up

for the lack of a bun. Mc's is the ONLY fast food restaurant that we

have found that has a strict chain-wide rule about using a dedicated vat for

the fries, so no cross-contamination with chicken nuggets. And their meat

is -- surprise! -- really 100% beef with no fillers. We go once a month as a

special treat for the kids because they love to play there, but I am soooo

sick of Mc's. However, since McD's recently started carrying salads

and cappucino, I may survive!

Finally, there are also digestive enzymes you can try. Read about them at

www.houstonni.com. The best thing to do is try the diet FIRST so you know

what your boys have reactions to. Then, a few months down the road you might

want to experiment with adding in the enzymes before each meal. Some kids

can actually go back to eating gluten and/or casein withe enzymes, but this

unfortunately is not the case with Maggie. Every child is so different. We

do still use the enzymes as we notice a difference in her behavior when we

are consistent with them, and they do reduce her reaction when she

inadvertantly gets casein or gluten.

For lunch today, I gave Maggie a juice with enzymes, a whole cut-up banana

and a good serving of cantaloupe, pretzels from Miss Roben's, a cut-up hot

dog (Shelton's, from Whole Foods) with Heinz ketchup, and a Lifestream

Gluten-Free Buckwheat Wild Berry Toaster Waffle, with fruit jelly (jelly

made with only fruit products, such as Polaner or Smucker's 100% fruit). It

was an easy-to-make, healthy lunch an she cheerfully sucked it all down.

Also, thanks for your good wishes. Hope I answered your questions, or

possibly typed too much! My fingers develop a life of their own on the

keyboard sometimes and get carried away. Anyhow, the kids need me. Maggie is

pulling on my arm for something. I think they all want to take the dog for a

walk. And me with a sinus cold. Hmmmmm.

Blessings!

K

> ,

> It was so sweet of you to send me such a lengthy and informative reply

with a sinus headache also! Thank you so much--I will make a copy of your

reply and take it shopping with me today! I do have a question regarding

the preservatives and nitrates/nitrites, I know it's healthy for all of us

to avoid these foods, but is there some connection with the gfcf diet in

avoiding these? I've heard others mention this as well and wondered if you

are speaking in general health terms or is there some direct problem

specifically in children with cassein/gluten intolerance issues? I ask this

because my son, Ben, mostly eats meats with nitrates/nitrites..bacon,

bologna, etc. Also, another question that comes to mind...I see alot of

people giving alternatives to peanut butter--is this a sugar issue--if so, I

buy low sodium(sugar is pretty low also--maybe 3 grams/2 tablespoons) Do you

think that is acceptable to give them assuming they may have some excessive

yeast issues? Also, ONE more question(for now!) since you took you're child

off yeast, do you make breads, brownies, cakes, without yeast? Are there

ready made mixes out there without yeast that you use that are good?

> Thanks again for all your great help...and hope your sinus headache

gets better!

> a

[Guest guest]

J.P.:

Thank you for your reply...yes both of our boys had the gluten/cassein tests

done several years ago. Those tests showed that both of our boys had problems

with the casein but not the gluten. So they have both been on cassein free

diets since then. However, I want to take them off the gluten now also and see

if it makes a difference. We never have had the food allergy profile done on

the boys through a lab like Great Plains but we did do standard food allergy

testing on them through a doctor recommended by my pediatician. It wasn't the

IgA type testing though (I THINK IgA is what I mean to say here) So, there may

be some foods that the boys are reacting negatively to but we just are not

aware. Thanks for your suggestions...I really appreciate it.

a

gluten/casein free diet

We have decided to give this diet a serious try this summer with our twin

boys who are autistic. We have done the cassein free diet but have never

attempted the gluten free. For all those experienced people out

there...help!! I need some great snack ideas fast!(ha) If you have any

good substitution ideas as well as where to buy them or order them--I would

greatly appreciate them. I know Kroger has some gfcf items that they sell

and I think I've heard that Walmart sells a cassein free yogurt. If anyone

shops for gfcf items at these 2 places--please let me know what's out there

and tastes acceptable! Also, what companies do you order from that are

pretty good? I'm still trying to figure out how I will pull this off with 2

neurotypical girls in the house--I don't want to deprive them of foods that

they can eat. Anyone out there who has a situation like this and been

successful, please share. I was also thinking of items that Ben eats that

make my life a whole lot easier--if there are any GOOD substitutions out

there for any of the items listed, please let me know: taquitos, chips,

corn dogs, cereals, cookies, crackers, hamburger buns, waffles, pancakes,

cereals. Also any good waffle, pancake, bread, cake recipe that anyone uses

would also be greatly appreciated. I have been buying the Tofutti cheese

slices for the boys for the past couple of years--is there another better

tasting one that is out there? Thanks in advance for any ideas...

BTW, I'm in the Northwest end of Houston(Spring)--if there are any local

people who have ideas of places to shop(maybe even a really good health food

store that sells more " hard to find " items--please let me know. thanks

again

a

[Guest guest]

J.P.:

Thank you for your reply...yes both of our boys had the gluten/cassein tests

done several years ago. Those tests showed that both of our boys had problems

with the casein but not the gluten. So they have both been on cassein free

diets since then. However, I want to take them off the gluten now also and see

if it makes a difference. We never have had the food allergy profile done on

the boys through a lab like Great Plains but we did do standard food allergy

testing on them through a doctor recommended by my pediatician. It wasn't the

IgA type testing though (I THINK IgA is what I mean to say here) So, there may

be some foods that the boys are reacting negatively to but we just are not

aware. Thanks for your suggestions...I really appreciate it.

a

gluten/casein free diet

We have decided to give this diet a serious try this summer with our twin

boys who are autistic. We have done the cassein free diet but have never

attempted the gluten free. For all those experienced people out

there...help!! I need some great snack ideas fast!(ha) If you have any

good substitution ideas as well as where to buy them or order them--I would

greatly appreciate them. I know Kroger has some gfcf items that they sell

and I think I've heard that Walmart sells a cassein free yogurt. If anyone

shops for gfcf items at these 2 places--please let me know what's out there

and tastes acceptable! Also, what companies do you order from that are

pretty good? I'm still trying to figure out how I will pull this off with 2

neurotypical girls in the house--I don't want to deprive them of foods that

they can eat. Anyone out there who has a situation like this and been

successful, please share. I was also thinking of items that Ben eats that

make my life a whole lot easier--if there are any GOOD substitutions out

there for any of the items listed, please let me know: taquitos, chips,

corn dogs, cereals, cookies, crackers, hamburger buns, waffles, pancakes,

cereals. Also any good waffle, pancake, bread, cake recipe that anyone uses

would also be greatly appreciated. I have been buying the Tofutti cheese

slices for the boys for the past couple of years--is there another better

tasting one that is out there? Thanks in advance for any ideas...

BTW, I'm in the Northwest end of Houston(Spring)--if there are any local

people who have ideas of places to shop(maybe even a really good health food

store that sells more " hard to find " items--please let me know. thanks

again

a

[Guest guest]

Thanks for taking the time to explain this to me...this is very interesting.

a

Re: gluten/casein free diet

The reason I stay away from peanut butter is because of a toxin that grows on

the peanuts (aflatoxin, I think). I don't really remember the exact toxin

but the PhD nutritionist/chiropractor told me to stay away from it so I do.

Instead I use macadamia/cashew w/agave nector on my son's toast. My son would

also rather eat the skin of the apple instead of the apple and from what I

have

heard the wax has gluten. It also has another toxin (arabinose, again, I

think).

Nitrites are hard for a damaged gut to get rid of. To be on the safe side,

we try not to include them in the diet. Some of our children need a GFCFSF

diet because of the antibiotics they have been on. The stomach is pourous and

if

they received several RX's before their first b-day, they have sustained

damage to the stomach and can no longer process the heavier protiens such as

gluten and casein (I may also remember this wrong). I'm sorry folks but it is

hard

for me to keep up w/all this info w/o being a pharmacist, nutritionist and

herbalist. You would think 3 years into this that I'd be an expert but

instead

I am just Bonkers.

Good luck.

> ,

> It was so sweet of you to send me such a lengthy and informative reply

> with a sinus headache also! Thank you so much--I will make a copy of your

reply

> and take it shopping with me today! I do have a question regarding the

> preservatives and nitrates/nitrites, I know it's healthy for all of us to

avoid

> these foods, but is there some connection with the gfcf diet in avoiding

> these? I've heard others mention this as well and wondered if you are

speaking

> in general health terms or is there some direct problem specifically in

> children with cassein/gluten intolerance issues? I ask this because my son,

Ben,

> mostly eats meats with nitrates/nitrites..bacon, bologna, etc. Also,

another

> question that comes to mind...I see alot of people giving alternatives to

> peanut butter--is this a sugar issue--if so, I buy low sodium(sugar is

pretty

> low also--maybe 3 grams/2 tablespoons) Do you think that is acceptable to

give

> them assuming they may have some excessive yeast issues? Also, ONE more

> question(for now!) since you took you're child off yeast, do you make

breads,

> brownies, cakes, without yeast? Are there ready made mixes out there

without

> yeast that you use that are good?

> Thanks again for all your great help...and hope your sinus headache gets

> better!

> a

>