Ep 98 Autism and the Gluten Free Diet – One Family’s Experience
Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –
I like a good story, and this week we have one – A Mom, looking for a way to enhance her autistic son’s development tried him on a gluten free diet. Not only did she notice a positive difference for her son, but it led her to start a gluten free food company. Autistic children often have very specific taste and mouth-feel preferences in foods. Keri’s son loved perogies, but on a gluten free diet, they were almost impossible to find. After much trial and error, Keri developed a recipe and method for making gluten free perogies commercially. The company, located in Lacombe, Alberta – Stella’s Perogies now produces 15,000 perogies a day! You can find out more at www.stellasperogies.com
Sue’s Websites and Social Media –
Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com
Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com
Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast
Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA
Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com
Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com
Instagram – @suesgfbaking
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL
(search Sues Gluten Free Baking)
Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com
Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com
My Thoughts –
I’ve said it before, and I’m sure now will not be the last time. We (celiacs and those on a gluten free diet) are a needy bunch.
We have learned that we must be particular about not only the ingredients in our food, but the way every ingredient was handled right up until it is plated before us.
Having opened my doors on a gluten free bakery, I was often the first and sometimes the only person many of my customers knew who shared these food issues. It wasn’t long till I was the local therapist – much like a bartender to their patrons.
Many of customers had stories that were not well received by their friends or in any social context. It can be difficult to discuss digestive issues with anyone but your doctor.
Customers who were choosing gluten free for reasons other than a diagnosis of celiac disease felt particularly on their own. They had read or heard of the experiences of anonymous individuals and how the diet worked to control or eliminate symptoms of numerous other conditions. At the time, they were the ones we often referred to as “being on the bandwagon”.
I always felt this term was harsh. Yes, there were some people who “did” gluten free to be “tendy”, but in my experience most were trying the diet for other specific health reasons. I remember one customer talking to me at length about being on a low-carb diet for weight loss. It worked, but when they started to add back the carbs, like bread, they realized they had low energy and felt bloated much of the time. In all likelihood, this person was celiac, but because of their mostly gluten free diet, they could not be tested. My part of the conversation centred around the importance of knowing if it’s celiac. But this was of little consequence to them. They knew a gluten free diet made them feel better and that was good enough.
Another group of people were parents looking to “cleanup” the diets of their children for a variety of health reasons. I often wouldn’t find out till weeks later that many of these children were on the autism spectrum and the diet was met with mixed success. For parents who felt it made a difference they were sticking to it. For others, they would move on to other dietary restrictions to try and find something that fit with the needs of their child.
My mind became very open to the many reasons people chose to eat gluten free. I have celiac disease so the diet is my medicine, but I accept that as a therapy, the diet can be, and is beneficial to many others.