There has been much recent speculation and investigation involving the possible effects of gluten and a diet of dairy free foods in children who have autism. Associated spectrum disorders are also being investigated as well because some parents have reported that foods that contain dairy products seem to cause more behavior problems, especially in autistic children who have a sensitivity to casein.
It also seems that children with autism may experience improvements in behavioral and physical symptoms after casein had been removed from their diets. Casein is a protein that is found in cows milk and cows milk products. Following a diet of dairy free foods is not very easy though, because dairy is found in so many products on store shelves even those that consumers would not expect to contain it.
Parents who choose to put their children on a diet that is casein free eliminate all dairy foods from the childs diet, but it is difficult because the food selections are limited and the diet regimen must be strict. When children go to school, to a child care center, babysitters home, or to a neighbors house, they all must be informed of the special dietary guidelines and must strictly adhere to them. Even though it takes a lot of patience and effort to achieve these dietary standards, many parents do report noticeable results in the childs behavioral patterns. Some of these changes affect eye contact, language development, and other social skills.
What makes following this type of diet even more difficult is the fact that Americans have long been raised on the belief that cows milk was vital to the health and development of children. It has been proven however that many children grow up healthy and thrive without it. Many parents, as a result of the traditional beliefs about nutrition, hesitate to incorporate only dairy free foods into their childs diet, mainly because of a potential lack of calcium.
Children who are between the ages of one and ten require about 800 1000mg of calcium per day. Popular alternatives to cows milk would be three 8 ounce glasses of fortified soy or potato milk per day to meet the requirement. There are many other dairy free foods and drinks on the market today that supply children with enough calcium and nutrients to make a dairy free diet possible.
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