Supporting the health and healing of children...

Dear Parents.....

Welcome!  I'm Julie Matthews, an autism diet and nutrition specialist and Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) Practitioner who helps parents like you worldwide find hope and healing for their children on the spectrum. 


As demonstrated by pediatricians, scientific data, and parental experience, autism diets can help relieve some of the symptoms of autism. I have educated over 10,000 parents and clinicians at leading autism conferences about autism diet, nutrition, supplementation, enzymes, probiotics, meal planning and healthful cooking. I  guide parents as they apply autism diet and nutrition intervention for their child as a complement to behavioral and other conventional treatments. Through my autism nutrition practice, I provide one-on-one parent counseling, an online resource center, and autism diet intervention tools.

I welcome families from diverse backgrounds from cities, suburbs, towns and rural areas in the US and abroad.

Please read and contribute to my website and share your stories!                                                         

READ MY RECENT NEWSLETTER HERE

Celiac Disease Presenting as Autism

The Journal of Child Neurology published a special article online June 29, 2009 (published ahead of printing) entitled “Celiac Disease Presenting as Autism.” The article is a case study of a 5-year-old boy diagnosed with autism and celiac disease.

The boy was described as “an increasingly picky eater and would reject food on the basis of taste, smell, or appearance.”  He had severe language problems, as well as gastrointestinal symptoms including bloating, belching, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.  He had deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, and E) and fatty acids (omega 3, omega 6, saturated fat), as well as low coenzyme Q10 and folate.

Upon being assessed and diagnosed with celiac, the boy was put on a gluten-free diet and nutritional supplementation based on deficiencies.  "Fruits and vegetables were juiced to make nutrients easier to absorb, and fat-soluble vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids (in the form of cod liver oil), omega 6 fatty aids, and folic acid were given as supplements.”  According to the published article, "The patient's gastrointestinal symptoms rapidly resolved, and signs and symptoms suggestive of autism progressively abated." 

“Within 1 month, the boy’s gastrointestinal symptoms were relieved and his behavior had changed dramatically.  The mother excitedly reported that for the first time, her 5-year-old boy became progressively more communicative and told her that he loved her.  Within 3 months, his functioning had improve so much that he no longer required an individualized leaning program and was able to enter a normal classroom with no aide.”

The authors of the article postulate that nutrient deficiencies caused by malabsorption from celiac disease caused the symptoms of autism, as they stated, “This case is an example of a common malabsorption syndrome associated with central nervous system dysfunction and suggests that in some contexts, nutritional deficiency may be a determinant of developmental delay.  It is recommended that all children with neurodevelopmental problems be assessed for nutritional deficiency and malabsorption syndromes.”

Genuis SJ, Bouchard TP. Celiac Disease Presenting as Autism. J Child Neurology Online First. Published on June 29, 2009 as doi:10.1177/0883073809336127

Julie in the Examiner!

We were thrilled to see this article about Julie, Nourishing Hope's award, and the benefit of autism diets in the news! Finally this important subject is getting out in the media in order to reach the families that don't have this information yet. As more families read about how diet helps, more children will benefit.

Join us by sharing a comment on the Examiner's website.

http://www.examiner.com/x-2368-NY-Nutrition-Examiner~y2009m6d21-Autism-diet-book-wins-major-health-book-award

Martin Matthews

 

Neocate is GMO-Free!

I was relieved to find out that Neocate products are GMO-free and safe with corn allergies!  

Children with gastrointestinal impairment (and those who often don’t eat adequate solid foods to meet their nutritional needs) often benefit from Neocate Junior.  It is a “hypoallergenic amino acid-based medical food” (a powdered formula) that is gluten-, casein-, and soy-free.  Because it contains free amino acids and not larger proteins, it is tolerated by most children with GI inflammation and food intolerances. 

However, many parents have concerns because it contains corn syrup solids as a main ingredient.  As a nutrition consultant, my concern with corn is that corn is often genetically modified and a common allergen. For more on the dangers of GMO (genetically modified organisms), see the following article.

Recently, I have found out that Neocate products are indeed, GMO-free!  Here is a statement from Nutricia, the company who makes Neocate:

“The corn syrup solids found in Nutricia North America’s Neocate products are derived from native, or non-GMO, corn sources

Neocate contains only very highly refined ingredients and contains only corn syrup solids as an ingredient that has been derived from corn. All corn syrup solids used in Neocate are derived from native corn (non-genetically modified or traditional). The corn is subject to control measures to ensure that it is segregated at all points of production from genetically modified varieties to limit cross- contamination.”

Additionally, Neocate is safe for use with a corn allergy according to the company.  Nutricia states Neocate, “is appropriate and often used for kids with corn allergies. It has no whole proteins or even peptides so it is safe for kids with very extensive food allergies. The CSS are simply the glucose naturally found in corn and serve as the carbohydrate component. There are no corn proteins included which makes Neocate safe for a child with an allergy to corn.”

While I prefer whole foods, sometimes foods like Neocate this are necessary for children with multiple food sensitivities, inflammed/impaired gastrointestinal system, and as a way to round out nutritional intake.  It's good to know that the corn in Neocate should be tolerated by most children.