Getting Your Kid on a Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet
Getting Your Kid on a Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet
- ISBN13: 9781843109099
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- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Product Description
Gluten-free casein-free diets are widely used to improve cognitive function, speech patterns, behavior, and general well-being in children on the autistic spectrum. Written by a registered dietitian and mother of a child who is thriving on a gluten-free casein-free diet, this practical guide covers everything from how to get your child on the diet, to daily meal plans, recipes and handy shopping lists. Susan Lord offers sound nutritional advice on how to implement the diet correctly, without harming your child by omitting major nutrient groups.Whether you are a parent or care-giver, this book will make removing gluten and casein from an autistic child’s diet simple and stress-free. The easy-to-follow meal plans, complete with delicious recipes and ingredient lists, will guide you with confidence in providing a nutritionally-balanced diet for your child, as well as healthy meals the whole family will enjoy.
The book starts out with a brief intro on raising kids with disabilities (ASD). It touches on nutrition, moves into the GFCF diet, has a helpful pantry list, and many fast, delicious recipes. This is a great reference guide, making transitioning from a regular diet to a GFCF diet as painless and simple as possible. I had to give this book five stars for great, easy to understand information, in an easy to use format. Highly recommend!
Edited the original review because I received an unedited copy with errors in it. When purchased from Amazon, the book will be error free. I was not attempting to be an editor, only pointing out the problems I found in the book when I reviewed it. This will not be an issue to anyone who purchase the book since it will be error free.
Rating: 5 / 5
As the mother of a child with autism, the author set out to help other parents adjust their kids’ diet, operating on the now popular discovery that a gluten-free, casein-free diet is helpful in dealing with autism, ADD/ADHD and the autism spectrum. This is a well-founded notion, and I’m really glad it’s starting to become more popular.
However I feel it’s key for this nutritional adjustment to be approached well, without “throwing the baby out with the bathwater”, so to speak. I know that’s what the author tried to accomplish, but unfortunately the results are a little disappointing.
The problems lie mainly in the dietary recommendations:
1. There is WAY too much soy. Soy is very high in copper, which has itself been linked to depression, panic attacks, and the like. Also, many of the soy products recommended, like ice cream and pudding, are highly processed, often much more than their dairy counterparts. I don’t think they should have any place in the diet of a healthy child, and especially not one whose general physical and mental well being is so heavily influenced by their dietary choices.
2. The notion that a diet without dairy products will result in osteoporosis is dated and faulty. Dairy products don’t supply a form of calcium that is easily absorbed by the organism, so their presence or absence doesn’t influence the incidence of osteoporosis. The presence of unrefined grains and calcium-rich greens and nuts/sees does, however. As does the absence of processed foods which will deplete mineral and vitamin stores and provide less nutrition than they require to be processed by the body.
3. Both in the nutritional advice and in the 2-week menus she recommends beverages with meals. I know this is common habit, but it’s a bad one. Milk, or soy/nut milk, is NOT a replacement for water. It doesn’t hydrate the body. It does provide some nourishment, and as such it should be offered as a snack, or as base for smoothies and such. Not as a beverage. And fruit juice… well, should really never be offered at all, not unless it’s fresh squeezed, and even then only occasionally. Pasteurized fruit juice offers no nutrition, just sugar. There is no fiber, no enzymes, and no vitamin C, either, as vitamin C is sensitive to heat. Offer fresh fruit instead.
The book isn’t all bad, however. There is a wonderful, well-written intro. The explanation of what will happen when casein is first removed is really helpful and an excellent addition. It’s good for parents to know what to expect until the casein is out of the body, and it’s also good that it’s suggested they should remove first one, then the other after a period of adjustment, so they don’t get discouraged and quit altogether.
I also really liked that the author shares her uncertainties, feelings of inadequacy and the reader can plainly see just how much this change, though hard, has been motivated by her love for her daughter. It’s touching, and incredibly motivating to see that this wasn’t a Martha Stewart-like “I can make anything from scratch” mom, but someone who found this hard and awkward at first, and yet she still made it.
For those reasons, this would be a good book to read, but look elsewhere for the nutrition.
Rating: 2 / 5
There have been several studies on the relationship between diet and some forms of Austistic Spectrum Disorder. The author, a registered dietitian, presents her own experience as the mother of a child who was diagnosed with the disorder at the age of five and has been living with it for nine years.
This is not a work that goes into the theories of how the diet works, but rather, it is a practical account of what works for her own child, complete with a wide assortment of recipes that avoid the chemicals which often trigger the symptoms, “cognitive function, speech patterns, and general well-being in children on the autistic spectrum.”
The book consists mostly of these recipes, and there is an appended list of general food sources. The author provides several sources for further reading, including K. Seroussi’s UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY OF AUTISM AND PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER: A MOTHER’S STORY OF RESEARCH AND RECOVERY.
Rating: 5 / 5
This is a good book for someone looking into different ways to get chiildren (or even yourself) on a gluten-free or casein-free diet. In the interest of full-disclosure, I am already on a gluten-free and dairy free diet, as I’m sensitive to both.
I found the book informative and written in a concise, easy to read manner. I learned a few things from the book that I’ve actually adopted for myself, as well.
I would have liked more recipes–granted other books in this genre don’t have as many as this book. In short, I highly recommend this book, even for adults!
Rating: 4 / 5
As a teacher of high school students with developmental delays, many with autism, this book has proven to be an invaluable resource. Part of my curriculum includes life skills cooking. I have used this book to help my students figure out the things they should eat and the foods they should avoid. The grocery list in the book was excellent. I have made picture cards of many of the gluten and cassein free foods and have taken the students grocery shopping. They then use the cards to locate the foods they will need for the recipe we will cook each week. So far we have made two recipes from the book. They absolutely loved the first one we tried, Fruit and Popcorn Bars. They weren’t quite as enthusiastic about the Sweet Potato Pancakes. That was attempted more for my curiosity than anything else. I liked them. Overall this book is excellent for any parent, teacher, or caregiver of children with autism. Highly recommended.
Rating: 5 / 5