In So Many Words

Despite my desire to limit outside obligations and time commitments, I jumped at the chance to receive a review copy of Nourishing Hope for Autism: Nutrition Intervention for Healing Our Children by Julie Matthews.

Written for parents, this book provides both scientific explanations of how and why autism diets work, as well as how to implement them into your cooking and your lifestyle.

This book is not a light read by any means, but the time and effort spent digesting the information will be of great benefit as you are faced with the complex task of implementing a special diet with your child.

The Breakdown

Ms. Matthews begins with a discussion of the genetic, environmental and biochemical factors at work in the various body systems of an affected individual.

She then moves on to a detailed explanation of the different vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other supplements commonly used. This is followed by discussion of over a dozen different diets. She also addresses picky eaters and sensory issues.

One of my favorite sections of this book is Part Three, where she leads us through a holistic approach to nutrition that goes beyond simply becoming GFCF or SCD compliant. Ms. Matthews discusses cleaning up both the diet and the home, and then addresses how to choose the appropriate autism diet, implement it and refine it. Other areas covered in this section of the book include supplements, immune function and detoxification.

The Giveaway

I have been given an additional copy of this book to give away. In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you that it has been slightly water-damaged when one of our cats knocked over a glass of water onto it. It is completely intact, just a bit crinkly in spots.

This giveaway is open to anyone with a US address. To enter, simply leave a comment below and make sure you leave a valid email address so I can contact you in the event that you win. I would be interested to hear what aspect of the book interests you the most, but it is not required to win.

Entries will be open through Sunday, October 3rd, and the randomly chosen winner will be announced on Monday, October 4th.

There are several special diets commonly used in autism. Some are very broad and others focus on a specific issue that may affect a subset of children; often people use more than one in combination. It is best not to start a trial of a special diet until you have read enough to know why you are doing it, how to do it properly and what to expect from it.

Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet (GFCF Diet)
Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Mother’s Story of Research and Recovery by Karyn Seroussi – this book really delves into why and how the diet works as well as what you need to do. A great place to start!
Special Diets for Special Kids and Special Diets for Special Kids Two by Lisa Lewis, Ph.D. – fantastic resources for the practical aspects of doing the diet and lots of recipes.
Autism Network for Dietary Intervention (ANDI) – website formed by Seroussi and Lewis, has tons of information including parent contacts and an online message board. They also have a new book due out in June 2008 called The Encyclopedia of Dietary Interventions.
Another great online resource is the GFCF Diet Section of the TACA (Talk About Curing Autism) website. It has tons of information about getting started, including doing GFCF on a budget.

Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)
Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet by Elaine Gottschall, B.A., M.Sc. – this diet is often used to treat conditions such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease and has also been found to help individuals with autism who have similar symptoms.
A great website for help implementing this diet and connecting with other parents is pecanbread.com. Another good place for more information is the BTVC site itself. Although this diet does allow some dairy products, many people do it casein-free for at least the first few months.

Feingold Diet
Why Can’t My Child Behave?: Why Can’t She Cope? Why Can’t He Learn? by Jane Hersey and Robert C. Lawlor – this book is a comprehensive guide to the Feingold Program, which basically eliminates artifical colors, flavors and preservatives from the diet and environment, as well as a certain type of food called salicylates.
Feingold Association of the United States – contains many resources, including their Bluebook, which can be read online or ordered for free (voluntary donations accepted), and their program materials, which can be purchased through the website.

Low Oxalate Diet
This diet, which has been used for many years in some other conditions, is now being explored as helping some individuals with autism. It involves removing foods with a particular structure – more information can be found as the Low Oxalate Diet website.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but these resources will definitely get you on the right path if you are interested in learning more about dietary intervention.