New York Times: Autism Caused by Inflammatory AutoImmune Response

My mother-in-law just emailed me a link to an interesting article in the Sunday Times. It states that a certain subset of Autism is being caused by inflammatory immune disorders. At least one-third of Autism (and “very likely more”) is caused by diseases such as Celiac, which is what I have, that start while in the mother’s womb. The more active a mother’s immune system is, the more likely a child is to be born with autism. And Celiac Disease can send an immune system into overdrive, causing severe inflammation. So I found this article especially interesting for several personal reasons. First, I have to follow a Gluten Free and Casein Free (GFCF) diet – which is often called the “Autism Diet”. My Celiac disease means I must avoid gluten (GF) and my casein allergy forces me to avoid all dairy (CF). So I’ve done a lot of research on a GFCF diet. Many parents of autistic children have found that strictly avoiding gluten and casein can to help lessen the symptoms their children experience. From a personal, “normal” adult perspective (“normal” meaning not on the autistic spectrum), I can completely see how being GFCF could help alleviate symptoms of Autism. When I have the tiniest bit of gluten, within an hour I feel what must be a chemical reaction taking place in my brain. First I become super-anxious (Chicken Little has nothing on me! Not only is the sky falling, but everyone’s going to get hurt or die – it’s a terrible, out of control feeling that no matter how many times I tell myself “it’s just a gluten reaction,” it still feels...

Handy Recipe Website

As today is the very first day of my ALCAT 4 Day Rotation Diet, I’m finding it very challenging to make food that is not only GFCF, not only not one of my 60 other sensitive foods, but also on the list of foods or the day. So with random list of one-quarter of my small list of acceptable foods available to me on this day, I’ve had two break downs and one temper tantrum already today. (My poor husband… He’s the best for not only putting up with me but helping as much as he is!!) And it’s only just after lunch. So when I looked ahead at my Nutrionist-created Meal Worksheet to see what was for dinner and saw Potato, Lamb, Tomato and Safflower Oil, I thought, well okay, good! Some kind of Indian dish is in the offering tonight. But whenever I went to a recipe, it called for many of the taboo or rotated-out-today foods. Grrr!!!! How am I ever going to make something with only these X ingredients?! So, all this is a long way of saying: I found a great new website! Frustrated, I just Googled “Make recipe with ingredients on hand” and found Supercook! It is super intuitive: well designed, easy to use and OH so useful!!! I just typed in my basic available ingredients, highlighted my nutritionist’s “must have” ingredients (ground lamb, potato, tomato) and then just kept entering in all available veggies and spices for the day, which thankfully included coconut. (And, okay, I have to admit: I did move the ginger over from day three, but there was nothing to...

Whole Foods Coupons

I’m not one for coupons. As a mom and business owner (two full time jobs!), I’ve never been able to get my act together enough to find the time to gather them, remember to bring them to the store and somehow, if I manage to get this far, I often forget they’re in my purse and forget to actually USE them! Sad but true. But these days, with all the preproduction I do planning and maintaing a GFCF diet, I figured I may as well incorporate saving money into the new organization/food routine. Especially since there are so many things that I need in that I can only find at Whole Foods. (We’ve taken to calling Whole Foods “The Whole Paycheck Store” !) So I just got a link off of Pandora (LOVE that site!! Check out my Station here) for a direct link to the weekly Whole Foods Coupons. Since they change every week, I have no idea if there will be anything good on the day you might click on it, but it’s worth a...

May is Celiac Awareness Month

While it turns out that I’m not a Celiac, being GFCF means that I adhere to all the rules of Celiac – and then some! I thought this was a very interesting article. In it New York Senator Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn), discusses Celiac Disease and, most interestingly, an introduction of two bills. The second bill, S.7460, may help anyone with food allergies or sensitivities. I’m going to research that further and will post back with info on that bill. Until then, here’s a partial reposting, the bits I thought were interesting as it applies to anyone following a GFCF diet: ——- Celiac Disease causes damage to the lining of the small intestine from eating gluten and other proteins found in wheat, barley, rye and possibly oats.  The exact cause is unknown; however, those with a family member with Celiac Disease are at greater risk for developing the disease. The disorder is most common in those of European ancestry and women are affected more commonly than men.  More than two million people in the United States, or about 1 in 133 people have the disease. In New York State, approximately 150,000 people suffer from Celiac Disease. “No treatment can cure Celiac Disease. However, you can effectively manage Celiac Disease through changing your diet,” Senator Parker said.  “Gluten is found in bread, pasta, bagels, pizza and many other popular foods but can also be found in medicines, vitamins and lip balm. People with Celiac Disease may have no symptoms but can still develop complications of the disease over time. Raising awareness among medical professionals and the public could save lives.” There are numerous...

Evernote: the GFCF Diet’s Best Friend!!

I love the Evernote application!! I love it! Why? Well, one of the symptoms of gluten and casein allergy is the swelling of many things – including the brain. I’m assuming this is cause for the oft-mentioned “brainfog” that people talk about as a side effect of ingesting gluten. And going GFCF is a major undertaking for even the clearest of minds. So I think that when making such a drastic life changing decision, it’s best to have all the help you can have! So a the husband of a friend of mine is a great guy: Economy Sized Geek. He turned me on to this wonderful app, Evernote. It’s the best thing that could have ever happened to my de-fogging brain. It’s a cross-platform app (I use it on my iPhone and Macs, but they have it PC too) that syncs all kinds of useful information and files. Recipes, GFCF shopping lists, links to websites, photos… you can organize and store and sync everything in once convenient place. Here’s a real world example of how I use it. Tonight we had Taco Night and I had to do research to see what was GFCF. So I googled everything I wanted to find, found wonderfully helpful recipes and hints. But I never trust myself to remember all the brands that are safe: every time I’m standing in front of the shelves, I get overwhelmed and can’t remember which was good and which I’d read wasn’t safe. So I clicked my handy Evernote link in my Safari toolbar: It saved the helpful links right to my account. Then I typed up...

Triumph Dining Guides

I received my order from Triumph Dining today! I spent a little more than I probably should have ($54.70 when it was all shipped and everything). But I figure anything that can make this difficult change in my life a little easier is well worth the money!! I’m so excited to check them out tonight. I ordered everything they offer for Gluten Free living: The Essential Gluten Free Grocery Guide The Essential Gluten Free Restaurant Guide and the Dining Cards. They were very prompt with delivery (I ordered them on the 4th and they shipped on the 5th). And the production value of everything seems really nice. I love the modern design and colors.. But it’s the content that really matters. Since I haven’t had a chance to really read much yet (just what I could quickly scan while waiting in car line for 5 minutes this afternoon), I’ll withhold true judgement until I use them for a week or so. But  I’ll post a through review next...