My local National Autism Association Chapter recently hosted a nutrition seminar presented by Elizabeth Strickland. Elizabeth is a registered dietitian specializing in nutrition therapy for individuals living with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Much of what Elizabeth shared pertained directly to my family as we are raising a child with ASD; but so much of what she shared pertains to all of my friends’ children (even neurotypical children), too, they just may not know it yet!

In our fast-paced society with many convenient “food” options for lives lived on the run, “We often forget about basic nutrition,” says Strickland.

She’s right. I don’t know many families who don’t eat fast food several times a week. With very concerning information out there about fast food, like the information found in this article about McDonald’s chicken nuggets, I think it is important to get back to the basics and set our children up for success with basic, wholesome nutrition.

In Chapter 1 of her book Eating for Autism, Strickland gives extremely helpful hints for transitioning to a more healthy diet. She says that for children with many developmental disabilities – not just ASD - this should be one of the very first steps parents take…right alongside or even before adding supplemental (mainstream or biomedical) therapies. I fully agree; when our children are free of unnatural additives, preservatives and neurotoxins, they’re better able to function and make necessary progress within school and therapy settings.

Strickland’s Suggestions to Transition to a Healthy Diet:
• Eliminate Synthetic Food Additives
∙ Artificial colors can aggravate ADD and ADHD-like symptoms
∙ Artificial flavors, like Monosodium Glutamate (aka – MSG) which is of particular concern, is an excitotoxin and in animal studies has been shown to cause brain damage
∙ Artificial preservatives have been shown to cause various health problems (think cancer, respiratory problems and ADD and ADHD-like symptoms)
∙ Artificial sweeteners have long caused concern for many doctors and researchers and may be responsible for disrupting neurotransmitters and causing neurological problems
• Limit Foods that contain Trans Fats
∙ Trans fat is the result of vegetable oil hydrogenation (adding hydrogen) which makes the oil last longer. Trans fats increase LDL (bad cholesterol) while decreasing HDL (good fats) and have been linked not only to heart disease but also cancer, type 2 diabetes, infertility and obesity
• Stay Away from Highly Processed Foods
∙ Pre-packaged and highly processed foods – while convenient – have lower nutritional value, are higher in fat, salt, sugar and contain many trans fats and other food additives
• Limit Exposure to Pesticides
∙ Organic foods are those certified not to have been grown with artificial pesticides, artificial fertilizers, sewage sludge, artificial additives, hormones or antibiotics. They are the best way to avoid pesticides obtained from dietary sources.
• Avoid Refined Sugar
∙ Sugar and high-fructose corn syrup (used to sweeten many processed and pre-packaged products) can have a negative impact on attention, behavior, hyperactivity, mood, aggression, and mental function

Strickland’s book does a fantastic job explaining why each of the above additives is dangerous and gives great tips for how to go about cleaning out your kitchen and getting started. It may seem daunting at first, but if the steps above are taken, everyone in the house will benefit but potentially the most of all – our children with Autism or other developmental disabilities! I am a BIG proponent of cleaning up the diets of all kids, but especially those already struggling with any kind of developmental disorder.

Since this post covers only some of the good information in Chapter 1 of Strickland’s book, I plan to share more information from the remainder of the book in a follow-up post. I highly recommend the book for more details and information about “Eating for Autism.”