By: Sheri Miller
*Note from the author: This is a summary of what I spoke about during my Diet & Autism presentation. It’s written more in a conversational tone, as I was using it as a reference for myself while I spoke.  Hopefully it may be helpful to someone!
** this article is reprinted with permission by the author

We know that diet can certainly impact many health conditions such as diabetes, Celiac disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc.   And it CAN affect autism and related disorders as well.

You may ask: How? Why?
Can what we eat and drink really affect the neurological system – the brain and its functioning?  Yes.  For example, individuals with epilepsy or seizure disorders can have certain foods that may trigger seizures.  What about alcohol? It certainly affects the brain which in turn affects motor control, speech, cognition, social interaction, etc. (more…)

Insert frantically screaming people here… Now, brace yourselves… We’re going sugar-free as of November 1st. Yeast are back. Time to get serious. Just discovered a new product (thank you Dr. D!!): Lakanto

More to come.

Waffles… as many of my friends and family know, I have been attempting to perfect my GFCFSFEF waffle recipe for almost 3 years.  I think today I may have finally done it… or I’m darn close.  I took a small bite of one and I was blown away by the flavor!  Better than a “regular” waffle!  And that was with NO SYRUP!  I was able to make them crispy on the outside and cake-like on the inside… the perfect combination, in my opinion. (more…)

This is one of Charlie’s, and my, favorite songs.  Whenever the part about dreaming of cherry pies, candy bars, and chocolate chip cookies comes on, he laughs.  Then he sings, “I used to microwave, now I just eat nuts and berries…” and rolls on the floor with laughter.  Enjoy!

I was invited by Kim Stagliano to write a piece for Age of Autism regarding the comments Charlie has made about what autism is like for him.  Initially I was thrilled… I mean, who wouldn’t want to be published on Age of Autism!?!?  It’s like finding the freaking golden ticket!

But, as I began working on the piece, I found I continually came up with other tasks to complete.  I was confused.  This was (is!) a big deal for me.  Age of Autism is… well… I’ll just tell you what I told Kim:  Age of Autism has been my companion through some very dark times.  It has been a beacon of light in an otherwise very dark tunnel.  I have met some very cool people on AoA, I’ve learned some lessons, I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, and I’ve yelled in anger.  So how could it be that I was given the honor of being published on my favorite site; but, trimming my toenails seemed to be more important?  Sickness.  That is what it was. (more…)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW CHARLIE’S PROGRESS REPORT!!!!

Needless to say we are SO proud!!!

Need some more proof of the gut/brain connection?

Hop over to OurTravelsInBioMedLand to read a great piece Petra put up.

You know, a product like Turtle Mountain Cultured Coconut Milk (yogurt) can be used in so many wonderful ways.   For instance, I’ve had a little container of the plain flavored yogurt in my fridge for about a week.  I kept looking at it wondering what I could do with it; the obvious being Tzatziki Sauce.  But since I have no plans of homemade gyros anytime soon, I kept thinking.  And then it hit me…. Ranch Dressing / Veggie Dip!!

Not only is this a great ranch dressing/veggie dip substitute (GFCFSF), the cultured coconut milk has 6 active and live cultures which will benefit your kids!  Check this out, each 6 oz. container has: (more…)

New IgG/IgE results are in… IgG results are looking better than ever; but, IgE results are worrisome.  And because of that, we can kiss the easy life of GFCFSFEF goodbye.  We’ve gotta add some more letters to that string…  Now it’s more like:

GFCFSFEFBFSFCFBYFPFPFPBFNFRF
gluten, casein, soy, egg, beef, shrimp, corn, baker’s yeast, pork, peas, pinto beans, nuts, chicken, and rice free. Whew, that’s a mouthful!

Shrimp?!?  Shrimp!?!?  Oh Lord, not the shrimp!  O.M.G… RICE??  Corn??

It’s okay, I’m just having my initial shock response.  I’ll be fine in the morning.  I’ll have a plan and I’ll make up some new recipes.  Charlie will still be the best fed kid around.  And he’ll still be happy.  ‘Cause that’s how he rolls dog… happiness above all else.

Damn, my recipes are about to get very interesting (for lack of a better word).  Stay tuned, I’m still trying to figure all of this out.  I wonder if he is allergic to bumble bee wings and fairy dust…

Have I mentioned my husband is an alien?  Not from Mars, although sometimes I question that.  No, my husband is Canadian.  I try to embrace the Canadian culture as much as possible, for Michael’s sake, by drinking a few beers here and there, and by using maple syrup whenever possible.   I also try to keep Canada alive for Charlie, so that he knows his heritage.

Here’s a recipe I came up with to honor Canada: (more…)