Raw and Autism

[princess tonya]

So eating raw for my family is something we're considering. We already eat a mostly whole foods diet, no dairy or gluten. My daughter is autistic and we truly believe that the cure we're looking for is going to be found in what she eats. We've already seen such great results from the dietary changes we've already made, but now we're ready to go further.

With her being autistic she has certain taste/texture aversions. I can't get her to eat a vegetable. If anyone has any ideas and tips to help us get started I would be forever grateful.

We are also on a budget. My husband is in the Air Force and I'm a stay at home mom. We have two kids, my ds is only with us for the summers and I already introduced my dd.

[somelikeitraw]

Hi princess tonya! Sounds like you could benefit from meeting Sunshine Boatright. She has a son with autism and she teaches raw. Click here (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/member.php?u=9244) for her personal page on this site. You can leave her a message there so you two can connect. She is an uber-nice person! She also has this website (http://www.rawtism.com/) that is a great place for people wanting to transition their children with autism to raw living.

Welcome to Raw Food Talk!

[~Summer~]

So eating raw for my family is something we're considering. We already eat a mostly whole foods diet, no dairy or gluten. My daughter is autistic and we truly believe that the cure we're looking for is going to be found in what she eats. We've already seen such great results from the dietary changes we've already made, but now we're ready to go further.

With her being autistic she has certain taste/texture aversions. I can't get her to eat a vegetable. If anyone has any ideas and tips to help us get started I would be forever grateful.

We are also on a budget. My husband is in the Air Force and I'm a stay at home mom. We have two kids, my ds is only with us for the summers and I already introduced my dd.

Hello,

My husband is in the Army and we also have two children with autism. My 10yr old son has ate raw for a year now and it healed him of his 300+ absent mind seizures a day he was having. I truly believe dietary changes are the best way to heal our kids. When our two autistic children were younger they had HUGE food aversions. But we just slowly introduced them to more and more fruits and vegetables and they love them now...I never thought that day would come. Just be patient and do not give up.

[princess tonya]

Thanks so much for the encouragement. Dietary changes are always so daunting. I research everything for months and months before actually making a change. We've been gluten and dairy free for a year now and I feel it's time to start the change into raw.

I'm always terrified when I change her diet. Even researching as much as I do, it's still scary.

[mattshor]

are her aversions/preferences at all predictable? If you share some flavors/textures that you know are problematic or ones that are favorites there may be people here that can help you find more acceptable ways of preparing/presenting the food.

today's post brought to you by the letter "/"

[princess tonya]

are her aversions/preferences at all predictable? If you share some flavors/textures that you know are problematic or ones that are favorites there may be people here that can help you find more acceptable ways of preparing/presenting the food.

today's post brought to you by the letter "/"



They usually are. She hates crunchy things, crumbly things and GREEN things. She won't touch it if it's green, she usually makes me take it off her plate and if I don't she tosses it on the ground saying "I can't want this".

One things she really likes is chili. Whenever I make chili she eats at least two bowls (baby bowls) of it. Luckily her favorite food is a banana. Always has been. I'm hoping to do a very basic diet for us. Right now I usually spend $400 a month for 3-4 people. It's pretty much all whole foods that I make myself. No mixes or anything. I've even been making our bread myself too. I keep thinking that when we do this I will be cutting out the GFCF treats, and we'll have even more money to devote to fresh produce because that stuff isn't cheap at all.

[mattshor]

does she do blue/purple things?
you can try green smoothies, 3-4 cups of spinach, 3 cups blackberries or blueberries, juice of one lemon, throw some other things in to taste if you like. not crunchy, not green, not crumbly ;-)

there are some recipes out there for raw chili as well. do a banana search, try a few things and see what happens. Hopefully other people will chime in with some suggestions as well. Good luck!

[katchmoleen]

I would try to additionally add in fermented things, such as almond milk kefir or yogurt and fermented veggies (down the road if you can get her to take them!) as that has been proven very helpful to correct the gut dysbiosis that so many autistic kids seem to have. Best of luck to you, what a challenge.

[shelleigh]

My oldest son, Harrison, has Aspergers Syndrom. I would like to go raw with him but his food adversions are so intense. Food can not touch, so no mixing foods. He will eat veggies if he can dip them in katchup. He has to know what were having in advance, no surprises. When my other kids ask "what's for dinner?" and I reply "Food!", I usually get an "Oh, Mom!" but from him, panic. He has to know. My middle son, MacGregor, has enjoyed a lot of the raw treats that I have made which has made it easier for him to try some of the main dishes besides salads. Because Mac has eaten them it has given Harrison some courage to try things. He actually ate a fudge ball last night which for him is a big deal. As much as we would like it to be an overnight thing for these kids I feel that they need to move at a slower pace. Good luck. I'm with you on this journey.
Shel

[spicyfull]

I wish you everything you need to Stay RAW..........Welcome to MY World.

[~Summer~]

I would try to additionally add in fermented things, such as almond milk kefir or yogurt and fermented veggies (down the road if you can get her to take them!) as that has been proven very helpful to correct the gut dysbiosis that so many autistic kids seem to have. Best of luck to you, what a challenge.

I agree with Katchmoleen. We are doing a raw version of the Body Ecology Diet (http://www.bodyecology.com/) by adding in the Young Coconut Kefir and fermented veggies.

[~Summer~]

Gina Laverde is a mother with an autistic son. She is also incorporating Body Ecology Diet principles with the raw foods diet to heal her autistic son. She has a great blog here (http://healartfully.wordpress.com/).

[LilacLavender]

Try juicing the vegetables and putting them in other things