Food can be tricky in the world of autism. Food aversions, due to intolerances, textural, taste or smell aversions, or simply the rigidity that often goes hand in hand with autism, are very common. For many individuals affected by autism, things that are different cause a great deal of anxiety - this can be anything from schedule changes to unfamiliar/not preferred food items. They may want to try the new food, but literally cannot make themselves do it, or they may not even want to consider it at all. Many kids end up self-limiting their diets down to just a few foods, and often unhealthy ones. As parents of these kids, it is imperative that we take control of this situation and help them work their way out of it in order to promote good health and eating habits. This isn't always easy, though.
Corey was a tough nut to crack - he had food intolerances that caused him GI discomfort (to put it mildly), and some serious textural aversions. By identifying his problem foods (via a combination of trial and error and blood testing), we were able to slowly get him on the right track. We implemented an in-home version of feeding therapy (our insurance didn't pay for such things then). And, as his body became healthier, this food intolerances began slowly fading. As things got better with his health, his developmental progress picked up, his behaviors decreased. We still keep him off of the biggies - gluten, dairy, soy, peanut and yeast, but that is a piece of cake compared to before. We also, as a family, avoid artificial colors, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup and GMOs as much as possible and do organic as much as we can. I have learned so much about healthy eating on this journey with autism. I can't help but notice how much more healthy our kids are than many of their peers at school - less colds, flu, etc. We try to eat "old school" - meaning real food made (mostly) from scratch, like our grandmothers did it. Doing this means less chemicals and other yucky things going in our bodies - and how can that be a bad thing for us, right?
Do we feel deprived of yummy food? Hardly... Today's lunches for the kids
consisted of:
For Corey - a healthy (preservative free) ham and salami sandwich with mustard, spinach and arugula, fresh grapes, celery, carrots, tomatoes and a pickle
For Mia - clean eating tuna salad, organic honeycrisp apple, carrots and tomatoes
Dinner tonight will be meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato icing, and fresh broccoli and an artichoke. Nobody seems to miss things like "Hamburger Helper" or the like.
Yummy brownies with the protein punch of black beans...
Salpicon - home made shredded brisket, with seasoned vinegar, cucumber, and avocado, served on corn tortillas
Clean eating version hot dog muffins instead of store bought chemical laden "corn dogs" - This is a kid meal that I can stand behind!
Clean eating gingersnaps, gluten free, vegan, and better than store bought.
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