Special Diet For Childhood Disorder Management

Some diets have a clear medical use. A ketogenic diet can reduce seizures in some children with epilepsy, under a doctor’s care. For autism, several diets have been promoted, but controlled trials have not shown that any of them improves autism symptoms. In the case of ASD, there are several dietary plans for which claims of improvement in symptoms have been made.

Gluten-Free/Casein-Free Diet (GFCF Diet)

The gluten-free/casein-free diet, also known as the GFCF diet, is one of the most widely used special diets for children with disorders in the autism spectrum. The GFCF diet involves removing all food and food products that contain the proteins gluten or casein. Children with other diseases such as celiac or who are allergic to gluten and dairy may benefit from this diet, too. Controlled trials have not shown that the GFCF diet improves autism symptoms; talk to your child’s doctor or a dietitian before removing whole food groups.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, spelt, barley, rye, and oats that have been contaminated by being processed in the same mills as other grains, while Casein is a milk protein found in dairy products such as milk, margarine, and other milk-based products.

Ketogenic Diets

Ketogenic diets are high in fat and protein but low in carbohydrates and sugar. Children who suffer from seizure disorders such as epilepsy will benefit most from this diet. The ketogenic diet may effectively reduce the frequency of seizures of a child but this diet should be applied with the supervision of a doctor. At the present time, only a very small amount of research has been undertaken regarding the effects of ketogenic diets on symptoms of ASD.

Feingold Diet

This special diet was developed in the 1970’s by Dr. Benjamin Feingold, who theorized that chemicals, additives, and sugars in the diet may be reacting negatively to children with ADD. This diet works on the practice of eliminating sugar, starch, dyes, preservatives, artificial flavors, and salicylate, which is found in aspirin and its related products. Eliminating non-food products such a fragrance and colored toothpaste are also recommended.

Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)

The SCD or Specific Carbohydrate Diet’s main purpose is to restore microbe/yeast balance in the intestines. Its claims about rebalancing gut microbes and yeast have not been tested in controlled trials for autism. A child under SCD may only eat certain carbohydrates such as beans, vegetables, honey, and fruits. The rest of the child’s diet is foods rich in protein like eggs, chicken, and other meats. Food additives, sugar, and starch are absolutely prohibited in this diet.

SCD diets are gluten-free and the dairy products allowed under SCD are lactose-free and contain only denatured casein. By eliminating the dairy products that contain even denatured casein, it is possible to have an SCD diet that is completely GFCF.

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