Gluten Free/Dairy Free Alternative Food Lifestyles for Families with Autistic Issues

My youngest daughter is autistic, and while searching for ways to help her, I stumbled across some articles about other families of autistics going gluten and dairy free. Apparently it had some pretty positive effects on their children’s health. For the last two years, my family has taken much of the whole wheat we once ate in profusion out of our diet almost completely.

I won’t elaborate too deeply on all the research and physiological reasons here why a gluten and casein free diet may be good for many autistics, but I will tell you why we stuck with it after trying it.

There are some typical behaviors that seem to be common throughout much of the autistic spectrum, which includes Asperger’s, PPD, and other types of developmental delays. These behaviors include things like hand flapping and repetitive self-stimulation – otherwise known to auties and their families as “stimming”. In our child, the stimming behaviors seemed to get worse right after a good, old-fashioned grilled cheese sandwich and a big glass of milk. It seemed all she wanted to eat was bread and dairy products, and right after eating she’d be off in La-La Land. Once that happened, there was just no getting through to her. Much of the time I couldn’t even get basic eye contact out of her.

It got to the point that I knew there just had to be some way (in addition to the physical therapy we were doing) to stop her slide into oblivion every day. So off to the internet I went.

Once I found and had read up on the GF CF diet, I discovered research had shown that some children who were autistic may not be able to properly digest gluten and casein – which are proteins found in wheat, barley, milks, cheeses and similar products. When they ate foods with casein and gluten in them, these substances would apparently turn into an almost morphine-like substance in their systems. I even noticed that when she had eaten these things, her pupils would get rather large – just like someone who had ingested drugs.

After about 2 months of reading every label in sight, I began to weed out the offending products and replaced them with appropriate gluten and casein free foods. At first it was pretty difficult to get hold of some items – but when I spoke to my local grocer and let them know about my needs, they began to carry more and more GF/DF products.

I also started to rely less and less on packaged foods and put more fresh fruits, vegetables and meats – organic if I could get it cheaply enough. I was fortunate in that my daughter is a pretty compliant child and would eat most anything I put in front of her without much complaint. There was the occasional plea for her old favorites, but those fell on deaf ears!

Her behavior improved dramatically – she was no longer so distant and after a meal she no longer went to her old “Happy Place” – but found new places to go that were more conducive to learning and knowledge retention.

In addition to incorporating more of a variety of fruits and veggies into our diet as possible, I have a few GF/DF products that I have decided are our favorites and that I don’t want our pantry to ever be lacking:

Rice Dream Organic rice milk – This is by far the best dairy free beverage for regular use on the market in my opinion. I use it as a milk substitute in almost every recipe I make. The original flavor is the best to use for most recipes, but the vanilla flavor is good in desserts or as a hot beverage. I warm it in a pan and add organic cocoa and honey, agave or stevia for delicious hot chocolate.

Tofutti Cream Cheese & Tofutti Sour Cream are great to use as substitutes for regular cream cheese and sour cream, although because they are soy products care should be taken not to consume it too often. Soy contains phytoestrogens and will artificially raise estrogen levels in your body which can adversely effect health. In females, high estrogen levels have been linked to breast cancer and other health issues, and some studies say that it could lead to more aggressive behavior in males.

Tinkyada Pastas – I’ve tried other GF pastas and not one of them cooks up firm and stays together like this pasta. I actually like it better than semolina pasta. This pasta is made from brown rice and manufactured in Canada. Even if we didn’t have gluten issues I would consider this pasta a family favorite.
Not many grocers carry Tinkyada, but try asking the manager if they’ll consider carrying it should you have dietary limitations like celiac disease or autism in your family. Also check your nearest health food store as they may carry it. If you have a food co-op in your area you may be able to get a case split - Otherwise, you can order it from Amazon.com. They carry a lot of different grocery items and if you order more than $25 of items that are handled at the Amazon warehouse then you don’t have to pay shipping (or sales tax outside of the state they do business in for that matter.) The downside is (unless you belong to a co-op that can split cases) you have to buy in cases of twelve, but for us that’s no big deal since we eat pasta pretty regularly. Pasta also keeps for a long while so don't be afraid of buying in bulk to store it.

Perky’s Cereals – This cereal is similar in heartiness to Grape Nuts, but comes in little rounded seed-sized pellets in Nutty Rice and Nutty Flax flavors. The Nutty Flax is definitely nuttier – but for some reason the Nutty Rice is always cheaper in the stores. The taste is a bit plainer than Grape Nuts but still tastes better than not having cereal if you are a cereal person. We often add fresh or frozen fruits, toasted almonds or carob chips for flavor – and honey, agave or stevia for sweetness. My daughter loves me to sprinkle grated coconut over it as a sugar substitute since we restrict her sugar intake and it also adds healthy vegetable protein with good fats. Coconut is a medium chain fatty acid that your body can assimilate easily and will also rev up your metabolism... nice!

Pamela’s Wheat Free Bread Mix – I tried the Bob’s Red Mill GF Bread Mix but I liked the texture of Pamela’s better, and there are a variety of recipes included on the bag so I don't have to make anything up as I go... even though I still make stuff up anyway. It bakes up much less crumbly than the Bob's Red Mill GF mix,

and my daughter seems to like it much better.

I have, however, used the BRM GF Bread for crumbs to add to my cornbread dressing and other things that call for crumbs.

Of course, I’ve gotten a big stand mixer since I last tried it, so maybe I’ll give the BRM a go once more and experiment a little to see if the mixer and adjusting the recipe a little will help the texture.

Bob’s Red Mill GF DF Pancake Mix - I like this pancake mix but like the bread mix it tends to be a little dry, so I add some honey or agave to it as well as an extra egg to help moisten it and keep it together better.

Pamela’s has a all-purpose baking mix that you can use for pancakes and other recipes, but I still have plenty of BRM left and once I get through it all, I’ll try the Pamela’s and let you know if I like it better.

Bob’s Red Mill GF/DF Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal – I LOVE this hot cereal on a cold winter day OR a cool spring evening when I don’t feel like cooking a big meal. It’s a very hearty cereal with four grains in it – Whole Grain Brown Rice, Corn, White Sorghum, and Buckwheat – all ground to a medium coarse texture. Add more or less water depending on how you like this more unrefined alternative to Cream of Wheat – I like mine with a little more liquidity and sometimes I like to add carob chips for a chocolate taste. My daughter loves it with frozen blueberries mixed in and honey or agave nectar drizzled over it.

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Rolled Oats – Regardless of what most people might think, oats are not necessarily always guaranteed to be gluten free. On occasion they may be cross-contaminated with wheat that is handled in close proximity at a manufacturing plant. Bob's Red Mill has a dedicated facility to avoid that issue, and the oatmeal is certified GF. We love oatmeal, so just to be safe we order the certified gluten free oats from – yup, Bob’s Red Mill. They are just as delicious as regular oats if not more so. (Most oatmeals I've tried taste like glorified pressboard.) My only complaint would be that they aren’t sticky enough. If you like oatmeal that isn’t sticky, then this is perfect for you. If not – just take a small amount of the oats and stick it in the blender or a magic bullet and powder it – even a coffee grinder will do the trick. Then add a tablespoon for each cup of oats you are cooking and you’ll get a more firm oatmeal that has more body. Add berries, chocolate, cinnamon, chopped apples, or whatever you like to it to make it a really fun meal.

Whole Grain Goodness - and Still Gluten Free!

If you have a grain mill or a Vitamix blender, you can also keep gluten free whole grains on hand for baking freshly milled bread, cookies, pastries and more. A good cookbook that specializes in GF cooking can be found new or used on Amazon or sometimes on eBay. Just use the words Gluten Free cookbook in your search criteria and you’ll get a good page full to choose from. I purchased “The Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Food” by Bette Hagman and have tried a couple familiar recipes that turned out nicely – although I had to substitute rice milk for cow’s milk. You can also use rice milk and vinegar or lemon juice to make “rice buttermilk” if the recipe calls for buttermilk. Make sure the milk is warmed up before you add the vinegar or lemon juice – about 1-2 tablespoons per cup of rice milk. The book also has recipes for flours that serve different purposes – such as a featherlight mix for pastries or one with milled beans for a heavier bread mix. This takes a little more effort but give you more diet variety if you have the time and patience for it. If not, you can always purchase Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Flour either in a four-bag case (most cost effective - just ask the purchasing manager in your local grocer) or if you have access to a cooperative buying club you can purchase it in a 25 pound sack.

Here are some good gluten free grains that are not only great milled but also cooked whole and added to various recipes:

Short Grain Brown Rice - I prefer the short grain rice to the longer grain as it seems to have a nuttier flavor and I just like the texture of it - it's quite substantial and I just enjoy a hefty grain. Don't add too much of this to bread recipes - it is a bit too heavy for that. I buy rice flour separately if a recipe calls for it.

Millet - This is a great, nutty flavored grain that makes a good addition to almost anything - soups, stews, hot cereal mixes, salads, breads, and more. I would also substitute this grain in a couscous recipe in place of the actual couscous.

Quinoa- Pronounced "keen-wah", this little super-grain really packs in the nutrition.

It is a seed - not a grain, since it doesn't come from a grass like rice does.

Called the "mother of all grains" by the Incas, it was revered as sacred by them. Every growing season the emperor himself sowed the first seeds using golden implements. It has a decent protein content (12-18%) and is high in lysine (unlike other, more common grains), as well as having a good balance of amino acids, is easily digested, and just plain tastes good!

Amaranth - This grain (also technically a seed) is similar in appearance to Quinoa, only smaller. It was once cultivated by native peoples of South America and is considered a high value food - it is reported that Amaranth contains up to 30% more protein than other cereal grains such as rice, wheat, oats or rye. A 1/4 cup serving provides about 60% of the daily need for iron, as well as being rich in lysine and protein. Both of these seeds can be popped like popcorn (though they are so small you'll have a hard time telling if you popped them all!) and mixed into granolas, or just cooked as you would normally cook other grains in water.

Butter or Ghee? Regardless of what some people/experts may try to tell you, butter is a good fat - it's a natural fat that is not hydrogenated. It doesn't contribute to cell damage or artery hardening like hydrogenated fats, and frankly, I'm happier when I can have butter. But because the butterfat contains casein, I use ghee (pronounced Gee with a hard "G") instead. One problem with buying it - it's EXPENSIVE. At one time I paid $7 for a small jar - about 8 ounces. So now I make my own ghee for about one-third the price and can fill up that same $7 jar for $2.50 buying my own organic butter - two sticks is enough to fill the jar. (Don't be too impressed - ghee is just an Indian word for clarified butter. Super easy to make. I'll post instructions for that later.) I use only organic butter for this purpose to cut down on accumulated toxins in our food.

I hope this gives you a base to work from if you think the gluten free/dairy free lifestyle might be right for you. Of course, before making any drastic changes to your diet, be sure and check with your health practitioner. You can be tested for gluten or casein sensitivity so ask your doctor if you notice you have intestinal issues after eating these foods. A GF/CF diet can also help people who are suffering from IBS, Crohn’s disease, or other intestinal disorders.