Milk free and dye free diets Do they work? It seem that evry since I weened my jonathan off of milk he has been doin so much better. I don not know but someone Please tell me if I am crazy [QUOTE=lauralee]What diet are you talkong about[/QUOTE] The gluten and casein-free diet, of course. This thread started asking if milk and dye-free diets really work, yes? Well, they do for many children, but for children who are also autistic, removing gluten, too, has also been found to be highly beneficial. Casein is the protein found in all dairy products and gluten is the protein found in certain grains (wheat, oats, barley, spelt, rye). Here is a brief (yes, believe it or not, this is brief) synopsis of the theory and the biology behind the GFCF diet. The Digestive System   The food we eat contains all of the raw materials we need to build, maintain, and repair our bodies. These raw materials consist of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. It is the job of the digestive system to extract these raw materials from our food to make them available to our cells. Basically, it breaks down the large molecules of our food into much smaller molecules that can be absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestinal walls and used directly by our cells. This task begins with each bite and ends, well, at the other end.   How It Works   After our food has been chewed, it enters the stomach, where the digestive acids continue to break it down. Next, the food enters the intestines, where digestion will be completed and the extracted nutrients absorbed. The body produces specific chemicals, called enzymes, to break down each type of nutrient. The broken down nutrients are then carried throughout the body by the blood, ready to be used wherever they are needed.   When The System Fails   Proteins and the body's enzymes are both made up of long chains of amino acides. The digestive enzyme's amino acids are specially designed to "fit" with the proteins. When they connect, the digestive enzyme breaks the bonds of the protein's amino acids, making them readily available to be used by the body. If, for some reason, the body's enzyme does not fit properly with the protein, the protein may not break down completely, creating short chains of amino acides called peptides. These peptides can be very irritating to the lining of the intestines, causing them to be more permeable than usual. This permeability allows the larger macromolecules, the peptides, to pass into the bloodstream.   Opioid Excess Hypothesis   Certain proteins, when they are broken down into peptides, are still biologically active and may be able to function as opiods within the body. This means they act on the body very much like morphine or other drugs, causing similar symptoms in those affected. Gluten and casein are two such proteins. It is believed that, due to the irritation and inflammation of the intestines, these biologically active peptides are able to pass through the walls of the intestines and into the bloodstream. From there, these peptides can travel to the brain, cross the blood-brain barrier, and create differences in neurological functioning. Further, it is believed that if the offending proteins are removed from the diete, the opiod effects will diminish or even disappear.   That's the GFCF diet in a nutshell. Here is some more information to fill it out a bit.....   Individuals who are affected by gluten and casien sometimes also have sensitivities to soy and corn, because these two food's proteins are closely related to the gluten and casein proteins. The more sensitive the individual to gluten and casein, often the more likely that they are also sensitive to soy and/or corn, plus possibly other foods (especially any that are craved and eaten frequently).   The jury is still out as to whether an individual who does well on GFCF must stay GFCF their entire lives and totally avoid every food that they have a sensitivity to. However, many families have been able to bring back previously forbidden foods, after having been completely off them for a couple of years, by implementing a strict rotation diet of these foods so as to avoid building up a sensitivity again.   Individuals who do have these food sensitivities, either to gluten, casein, or other foods, often do much better if artificial and "natural" food colorings and flavorings are avoided completely. In fact, the more basic the food and the less it is refined and pre-prepared, the better. Many follow strict organic diets, while others are more lenient. It all depends on the response of the individual. Many families give up to soon because they don't realize that it can take between 6-9 months before you know if changing the diet was effective. Gluten takes approx. 6-9 months to exit the body's systems and even longer, up to two years, for older individuals, assuming zero infractions. Casein usually exits the body within the first week of abstaining from ALL forms of it.   Every individual who is GFCF needs to take at least calcium and magnesium supplements to replace what is being missed by abstaining from all dairy products. However, many individuals will need much more in the way of supplementation because they haven't been digesting their foods properly for so long and they are actually deficient in nutrients. The body often needs extra, pure sources of vitamins and minerals to jump start and maintain a healthy digestive and immune system.   If this is the appropriate course of action/treatment for an individual, once all of the food sensitivities have been determined and the body cleaned out, the person will improve. Many achieve a state of wellness that rivals that of their NT peers, while others will retain enough symptoms to still be considered "on the spectrum", but often to a much lesser degree.   Some parents, once they experience some success with the GFCF diet, will go on to try other biomedical approaches such as the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), yeast-free diet, reduced sugar or sugar-free diet, Feingold program, herbs, homeopathics, vitamin/mineral supplementation, chelation (natural or chemical), and others. These things may or may not help. The best advice I can give is to always, always be in contact with your child's physician and never undertake any new therapy or treatment without his/her knowledge. You want your child's doctor to be there for you should something (G-d forbid!!) happen.   Does this answer your question sufficiently or was it too much?   Vic   I wish you guys the best of luck and I hope life is so great for you We had to hang out in hotel for three days to evacuate for Hurricane Rita. We were essentailly trapped there because the roads were jammed at a stand still and there was nothing within walking distance. Today, we are back home safe and sound. God is Good! Melissa You aren't crazy.   It's made a world of difference for Luke (in appearance AND behavior) since we took him completely off milk products and we notice a huge change in him for the worse if we slip and let him have dairy again (like pizza).  I'm trying to keep the dyes out of his food, too, but more be/c they're unhealthy and unnecessary than for any other reason.  OH MY GOSH! I can;t believe it. I thought I was crazy! we did not feed Liana any milk since weds. we bought those Pediasure drinks that are lactose free instead (since we were in a motel room for Rita) She is doing REALLY WELL! I would not have connected the two if I had not seen this you guys are awesome! Melissa THnak you for all the support  I thought i was the only one.Jonathan behavior has been so good . I am glad I am not alone.I hope I can get my Doc to believe me.It is so hard for me to beleive it my self. If you don't  mind me asking why are you in a motel room?[QUOTE=MZilembo] OH MY GOSH! I can;t believe it. I thought I was crazy! we did not feed Liana any milk since weds. we bought those Pediasure drinks that are lactose free instead (since we were in a motel room for Rita) She is doing REALLY WELL! I would not have connected the two if I had not seen this . [QUOTE] Melissa, I'm not real sure by your post here, but I read it to say that you believe that Pediasure is dairy-free? It is not. And lactose is only milk sugar, not casein, which is milk protein and what the GFCF diet is avoiding. There are many, however, who are lactose intolerant, and having any can cause a whole heap of GI issues, so if your daughter is lactose intolerant, I'm glad you figured it out and can now keep her lactose-free. I hope all is well with you guys and you are home safe and sound now from Rita. Vic What diet are you talkong about If you go to tacanow.org  they have a great list of  "yes" foods and "no" foods.  It sounds overwhelming at first but it really isn't that difficult.  There are so many products out there.  There is pizza crust that is gluten free, rice cheese, organic tomato sauce, nitrate free hot dogs, gluten free hot dog buns and hamburger buns.  You have to check out websites.  Just put in gluten free food and lots will come up.  My granddaughter changed overnight being on this diet, plus no soy (causes stomach problems), no food dyes (very important - makes her wacky) , no msg, completely organic.  There is gluten in play dough and some sunscreens!!  She alos takes supplements from Kirkman Labs.  The diet is so healthy!  Really, try and do it for your child - if your child has allergies it will help with that also.  But you can't cheat on it or it's a waste of time.  Check out that website and go for it!! Laura...you are NOT crazy...we took our son off of casein, gluten, soy and apple juice (and try to minimize sugar and dyes) in June of this year and the rash on his face and arms is gone. The chronic congestion is gone. Stools are firm now (previously, a BIG yucky problem) and...he seems to be more with us. This is definitely not a cure for us but we can see changes for the better. Good Luck..
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