World Community Autism Program
"The medical community refers to the diets
of
people with autism as ‘faddy’. We alternatively suggest the diets are
self-protective. Trying to force foods which are likely the root cause
of the problem is not
sound advice. However difficult it is to accept that certain food
substances may be at the root of the problem, it is more difficult to
accept that recoveries, people with autism who reach symptom-free when
avoiding specific carotenoids, occur when the ‘faddy’ or
self-protective diet is respected and supported by adding the nutrients
from foods and/or supplements which do not contain the problem food
substances."
Lutein - the missing piece of the puzzle
In autism, we can now clearly state that recovery is possible.
There are many stories of recovery, many using diet as a central
platform. But to aim for recovery in every autist, we first have
to identify the cause. In our understanding, the underlying root
cause of autism is an immune system 'choice' or 'immune error'
during development in the womb which marks a dietary pigment -
lutein - to be targeted by the immune system. We believe this is
happening because vaccination practices over the last century are
leading to an evolution of the immune system as the human genome
attempts to adjust to this medical onslaught in successive
generations and includes the development of immune-compromised
conditions such as autism, diabetes and asthma. We go into more
detail in our other literature.
This immune choice leads to a cascade of changes and
reactions in the body and mind. These start during pregnancy and
can be seen in brain
differences that can only have happened in the womb.
Behavioral changes are first seen in early childhood, but the
major deteriorations are most often witnessed by parents as
catastrophic
reactions to vaccination. These changes and reactions differ
from person to person depending on genetics, immunogenetics,
environment, family history, diet, and the inherent strength of
the individual, leading to the complex and wide-ranging
presentation within the Autism Spectrum Disorders. The immune system takes control of the bodies vital functions
- digestion, metabolism, heart rate, blood pressure. Social development is stalled as the Limbic System concentrates on
the systems vital for survival and is replaced with defensive and coping strategies.
Gluten and casein-free diets - a partial
success story
One of
the most common defence strategies of the immune system in autism is to
convert wheat and dairy proteins (gluten and casein) into
powerful morphine-like opiates. This does not happen by the
chance 'incomplete breakdown' of proteins as the proponents of
GFCF diets believe. It happens because the immune system has
deliberately taken control of the metabolism and is creating
these opiates to protect the body and mind
from the stress and suffering caused by the immune response to
dietary lutein.
Removing
gluten and casein is generally a good idea, not least because it
leads unintentionally to the removal of many lutein sources and
food dyes which come with packaged wheat and dairy-based snacks.
Many then follow advice and additionally remove soy, egg and
corn, which takes out more processed problem foods. But the
problem with these diets is that they do not remove lutein and
they do not address the essential nutrient
needs of the individual. Without every essential nutrient,
people grow sick eventually, and this is even more true of
autists whose altered metabolism and selective diets mean that
even more attention has to be paid to nutrient needs. The
sugar-free 'anti-yeast' diets as promoted by some popular books
has caused some of the most severe nutrient deficient diets that
we have encountered in our work. Powerful chelation protocols and
anti-yeast regimens put even more stress on the vulnerable child,
and supplementing with megadoses of vitamins leads to more
metabolic imbalance. Providing a wide array of highly nutritious foods that
supply all essential nutrients is the way forward. Sara's Diet is an individualized lutein-free diet that aims
to end the immune reactions to foods and heal the body by providing all essential nutrients from specific, targeted, high-quality
natural foods.
The
evidence from GFCF mailing lists shows that removing gluten and
casein without removing lutein might lead to a temporary 'waking
up' as the opiate level recedes but is followed by more obvious
reactions to lutein-containing and other allergenic foods. These
are wrongly described on the lists
as 'phenol reactions' and 'yeast die-off'. (Although phenol
reactions can occur as phenol sensitivity increases on a GFCF
diet, it is the lutein reaction that keeps the body in a state of
metabolic chaos.) Yeast die-off may happen at some point later in
the healing process, but the symptoms are very different to a
lutein reaction.
Sara's Diet - simple, cheap and
effective
Our
program is basically very simple, cheap and easy to acheive. We
recommend the removal of all lutein-containing foods and begin a
new diet based on specific health-giving nutrient-rich foods
that are tolerated and accepted. We also remove all artificial
food colorings including annato and beta-carotene, and the
artificial sweetener 'Aspartame'. The new diet leads to the
immune system calming down and eventually letting go of it's
stranglehold on the digestive, metabolic, enzymatic and
detoxification pathways of the body. Use of natural
antifungals and healing foods such as coconut and aloe assist the
process. Enzymes will come from the foods provided in the diet,
and heavy metals will be released and removed naturally and
safely. We believe that nutrition should come from nutrient-rich
foods, not from supplements. These healing and nutritious high
quality foods are high in the micronutrients that are key to
healing. When we give a consultation, we look at which foods your
child is already eating that are supplying high quality nutrition
and build on these. Only when there are serious deficiencies in
the diet that can't be addressed by food do we recommend
supplements. Cod-liver oil and other fish oils and essential oils
are considered as foods. All of the foods we mention are there
because they are sources of high quality nutrition.
Treating
the individual requires assessing and taking into account all of
these factors, designing an individual diet with supplementation
if needed, and recommending additional interventions and supports
based on how the individual is responding. The metabolism of the
autist is often fragile, enzymes and neurotransmitters are
disrupted, the digestive system in chaos. Lab testing can help us
to understand what is going on, although it
is often clear from the child's symptoms, appearance and behavior
where the problems lie. Some do have immunogenetic differences
which affect the metabolism and require additional adaptations to
diet, supplements and other supports. Our experience with autism
over 15 years gives us an enormous database of knowledge with
which to assess the needs of every individual. The very nature of
Sara's Diet requires that the recommendations are individually
determined. There are many factors that we consider. These
factors might include the medical history of the child, physical
signs and symptoms, behavioral presentation, family medical
history to assess inherited problems, diet, supplements and
medications used, the child's response to food and feeding,
testing for food allergies and sensitivities and other testing as
available.
The progress of the child
As the diet progresses, the individual goes through a healing
process. After about twelve days, the first crisis often occurs
as the immune system realizes that it's 'enemy' is no longer
entering the body and it can begin to shed stored toxins. The
mind often experiences a 'panic' as the first major shift in
consciousness occurs. Toxins that have been stored in the body,
including heavy metals, begin to be released as the immune system
begins to release its control. Cold- and flu-like symptoms
including 'strep throat' are common during the first four months.
Serotonin that has been stored is released and the altered
serotonin metabolism begins to normalize. The immune system begins to release
its control of the digestive system, and enzymes begin to
function in a more normal way. This process is not always easy.
Damage done to the digestive system might require use of Aloe
Vera juice and/or Manuka Honey for healing. Enzyme supplements
might be used to help the digestion in the early stages of the
diet. Yeast (Candida Albicans) overgrowth might heal by itself,
or it might require some attention from remedies such as MCT or
coconut oil and yogurt cultures. Behaviors and emotions might
fluctuate wildly in the first four months as the body and mind
readjust to this transformation in health and well-being. An
increase in B-Vitamin intake, honey, DMG, CoQ10, Cod-liver oil, a
change to organic and natural foods and a decrease in unnatural
and processed foods are some of the common strategies employed.
Food choices might change dramatically as we find nutrient-rich
alternatives in health food stores and oriental markets, such as
white yam flour, brown rice and sesame crackers, tamari and
oriental fruits and vegetables.
Lutein
The lutein or carotenoid content of the food depends on many
factors including exposure to light, season, soil and type. Some
foods such as tomato, cucumber and melon do not contain lutein or
beta-carotene but contain other pigments which can be converted
to lutein or beta-carotene in the body, such as lycopene and
zeaxanthine. The immune system does not react to these foods and
the pigments can reach the body systems which benefit from
lutein. The conversion will occur away from the immune system
interference resulting in bio-available lutein. Our research
suggests that lutein is not essential to the human diet generally
and that people probably cannot utilize dietary lutein, rather
that we convert these other bio-available pigments to lutein in
the body. Some foods have not been adequately studied for their
pigment content such as many grains, nuts and legumes.
The information on
Sara's Diet forms part of the forthcoming book - 'Autism - the way
Forward'. You can order the chapter on Sara's Diet separately as an
MS-Word file from our store.
Back to 'Sara's Diet' page