The dairy-free/gluten-free diet is a controversial tool used for reducing (or removing) autistic behaviors. Advocates of the dairy-free/gluten-free diet swear by its effectiveness in decreasing brain fog, reducing stimming, improving sleep and bowel habits, improving speech and elimination of eczema. The naysayers dismiss the dairy-free/gluten-free diet as yet another desperate snake oil scheme.
I believe in the power of the dairy-free/gluten-free diet, as I witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of going OFF the dairy-free/gluten-free diet.
My son, Luke, was once labeled by the “experts” as being severely autistic. He was non-verbal, hyperactive and suffered from diarrhea alternating with constipation. His behavior got so bad that at one point, the word institution began to creep into conversations regarding my son.
Because Luke’s bowel habits got so bad, I took him to a pediatric gastroenterologist, who diagnosed him with enterocolitis, or inflammation of the intestinal tract. The doctor’s treatment plan was to put my son on steroids, which I flat-out vetoed. The doctor proceeded to fire me, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I ended up taking Luke to a holistic doctor in Montreal, Canada, who promptly put Luke on activated quercetin for the inflammation, and told me to start Luke on a dairy-free/gluten-free diet.
Two weeks after removing all dairy and gluten from Luke’s diet, he had his first normal bowel movement. His hand-flapping (stimming) and pacing stopped, and his brain fog lifted, enabling him to think clearly. His speech began to emerge, and he was able to sleep throughout the night for the first time in his life!
The dairy-free/gluten-free diet became a lifestyle change for Luke. Eventually he lost his autism label. He graduated from college and is now a young adult, living independently and thriving in his job.
Life was finally good for our family. I felt comfortable leaving Luke to pursue my career as a registered nurse, helping the indigenous people.
This past weekend, after having not seen Luke for four months, I made the trek to his apartment. I stumbled upon his neighbor as I approached Luke’s front door, who raised the red flags that something was very wrong.
“My wife and I haven’t seen Luke lately. We’ve been worried about him. I don’t want to scare you, but we think something is wrong with Luke.”
A sense of foreboding crept up my spine as I knocked on Luke’s door. I stood with bated breath, waiting for him to answer the door, but bracing myself for the worst.
After what seemed an eternity, Luke opened the door.
I tried not to gasp as I took in his appearance. His hair was disheveled and his face was covered with a shaggy beard. But what really alarmed me was the dead look in his eyes, the slackness of his jaw and the slowness of his speech, which was almost incoherent.
After tolerating a hug from me, Luke went about his business pacing the floor, high on his toes, and flapping his hands along the way. He then plopped to the floor, laid down on his side and played with his electronic device, moving it back and forth like it was a toy train…a behavior I haven’t seen since he was a kid!
I made my way into Luke’s kitchen, which was strewn with bags of garbage. “Why haven’t you taken your trash out?”
“Because they don’t have a recycle bin,” Luke muttered.
“That makes no sense. You’ve known that they don’t have a recycle bin, and you’ve always taken out your trash.” I narrowed my eyes at Luke. “Alright, what have you eaten?” I demanded, then turned and rummaged through his kitchen cabinets.
“Aha!” I held up the culprit…a box of marshmallow cereal made of oats (gluten) and loaded with sugar. “You know you can’t eat stuff like this If you want to have a normal life,” I chided him.
For the most part, our kids will feel much better once dairy and gluten are removed from their diets. Sometimes our kids feel so much better that they think they’re “cured” and don’t need to stay on the dairy-free/gluten-free diet anymore.
But the dairy-free/gluten-free diet is not a “cure” for autism. What it does is to reduce autistic behaviors, or sometimes eliminate them altogether. But those behaviors are still there, lurking under the surface, waiting to appear when dairy or gluten is reintroduced into the diet.
We have to instill in our kids the importance of staying on the dairy-free/gluten-free diet if they want to have any chance of a “normal” life as independent and prosperous adults.
It’s been three days since the cereal fiasco, which is about how long it takes for us to see a reduction in autistic behaviors after removing gluten from the diet. I’ve been closely monitoring Luke’s diet. Today, I’m happy to report that Luke is smiling, alert, with no neuro deficit noted, no stimming, no toe-walking and no pacing.
My happy, healthy and independent boy is back!
The dairy-free/gluten-free diet may not be an effective tool for every person with autism, but it’s worth at least trying. It’s simple to implement once you get used to reading labels. The dairy-free/gluten-free foods are delicious, plentiful and easy to find. Your family member with autism should be happy with the diet after they get used to it!
I found a good article on the advantages of the dairy-free/gluten-free diet. https://tacanow.org/family-resources/top-reasons-to-implement-a-gluten-free-casein-free-diet/
If you need help in getting your loved one with autism started on the dairy-free/gluten-free diet you can contact me at https://www.scarlettsouthauthor.com/contact/
Or sign up for my free newsletter at https://www.scarlettsouthauthor.com/sign-up/
It’s never too late to get started!
P.S.-Don’t forget to prepare the dairy-free/gluten-free food in a separate space to avoid cross-contamination, or the mixing with foods with dairy and gluten in them.
Latest posts by scarlett (see all)
- Calling All Employers - September 5, 2021
- Can Heavy Metals Cause Autism? - August 29, 2021
- Transitioning Towards Living Independently as an Autistic Adult - July 18, 2021
This is a good point about the apps. I play on bitcoin websites more often however. Jacques Graus