I decided to eliminate dairy the past week...here are my notes:
Day 1 food log:
2 cups organic fruit bunny cereal
4 oz choc soy milk
(I chose soy because it is the only milk sub with significant protein)
1 tsp peanut butter
dairy free crackers at school
2-100% juice boxes
3 beef jerky sticks
about 15 sweet potato chips
1 cup organic granola cereal
Approximately 20 grams protein (which is his daily needs)
Day 2:
4 oz soy milk
1 cup organic granola cereal
1-100% juice box
1/2 cup granola cereal
2 oz soy milk
4 strips beef jerky
4 oz almond milk
dairy free crackers at school
16-19 grams protein
Day 3:
2 cups almond milk
approximately 10 tortilla chips
1/2 piece whole wheat bread
1/2 cup cereal
1 cookie
1-100% juice box
8 grams protein
Aiden said a new word, "bathroom"
Day 4:
1/2 piece of peanut butter toast
10 sweet potato chips
1/2 cup soy milk
fruit snacks at church
1-100% juice box
1 cookie
1/4 cup spicy pumpkin seeds
1 piece beef jerky
approximately 15 grams of protein
Aiden gagged at lunch (this happens occasionally)
new words today were "monster" and "picture"
Day 5:
8 oz soy milk
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 beef jerky stick
2 graham crackers
dairy free crackers at school
Aiden slept until 8:45, which scared me after reading so much about seizures and children with autism (he usually sleeps until 7). However, he did the same thing 2 mornings in a row 2 weeks after I reintroduced foods.
Day 6:
Aiden hid under the table and ate dog food, and I gave up on the diet.
Conclusion: Aiden drank less than 1/2 his usual intake of milk (even using a milk sub). He just didn't like soy milk as much as cow's milk. Almond milk went better, but it has 1 gram of protein per 8 oz, and that isn't ok with me. Dairy is Aiden's major protein source. A dairy free diet for Aiden means he will not get his calcium, vitamin D, or protein needs on a daily basis. He will also get no cholesterol in his diet (except for the few pieces of beef jerky he will occasionally eat), which I don't like, because cholesterol is important for the development of nerve cells, especially in growing children (that is why you should give a child whole milk until age 2). It would help if Aiden would eat some eggs!
Aiden is offered a much greater variety of foods, but the above are the only foods he will eat. Aiden still won't take an omega 3 supplement, but he does take a liquid multivitamin. I tried gluten free and dairy free, but I couldn't stick to it. I keep thinking of the nutrients Aiden will miss if I do so: Mg, selenium, and fiber (whole grains..the pumpkin seeds help a little); calcium, vitamin D, and complete proteins (dairy).
I am currently reading, Dietary Interventions in Autism Spectrum Disorders why they work when they do, why they don't when they don't by Kenneth J. Aitken. It is a review of all the scientific literature--and serious lack of it--on popular diets for autism: The GF/CF diet, The Feingold diet (no food colors or additives, and certain fruits and vegetables are eliminated if not tolerated), the low carbohydrate diet, etc. The research is often poorly funded, hard to conduct (how do you do a double blind study when the researcher and subject know what the food is?), and therefore, largely anecdotal--1/2 of those responding to surveys reported improvements. My opinion is, do the research for yourself, and do what is best for you and your child.
I have confidence Aiden will continue to progress on his own. Aiden received a blessing this week. In that blessing, Aiden was promised healing, and that he would be a teacher to many. I have faith that will happen in time...the Lord's time :)
