Nearly a week on GF/CF - is it ridiculous to think I can see changes?

[PrinceRogersNelson]

Hi there,
A week ago it was suggested to me that my daughter (3.7) might be on the ASD spectrum. After much googling we decided to try the GF/CF diet, not least because she has always been constipated.

It has been relatively easy actually (although we have had a couple of lapses. Eating cake at pre school and finding half a biscuit and scoffing it), eating lots of potatoes and she loves soya milk and eats the gluten free bread. She had a birthday party to go to and I explained that she couldn't eat the food because of her tummy and she didn't complain just ate her sandwich and pom bears. Love the fact that pom bears are gluten free!

Anyway she is now pooing every day. She can go 5 days without a poo, so this in itself is amazing!

But her Dad and I think we can see a difference in her too. She seems calmer and is more present. And her language seems more spontaneous and less repetitive. Am I ridiculous to think I can see these changes after a few days?

Also - she has had a little pin prick rash a couple of times on her face, is this linked in some way?

Thanks.

Wow! Is that gluten free? What's cf?

we haven't gone down the gf/cf diet, but can definitely see a difference in DD (5yrs ASD) behaviour/concentration and toiletting if she's eaten 'junk' food (meaning processed not cooked from scratch - i know it's not all junk btw)

hope these really are results for you.

someone who is knowledgeable will be along shortly, but well done for now!

cf is caesin free. So milk basically. hence the soya milk and no cheese.

At the party yesterday there were pizzas, sausage rolls, hot dogs and 5 types of crisps, biscuits and cakes. Out of all that she could have 1 type of crisp.

Poor love.

I was very happy to find that hellmans mayonnaise is gluten free. And she had marmite this morning, but now I am worried that that is not gluten free!

DD has gone right off milk and yoghurts of late and her constipation is no more - i was thinking along the lines of milk allergy, didn't realise dairy was the c/f part

thanks for that info

I have taken a wee sample this morning for the test. But I am not sure if it will show anything as she has been on the diet for a week. I have not got the heart to put her back on it.

We are going to do a couple of months and then maybe re introduce one and see what happens.

If nothing else sorting out her constipation has been worth it.

Hi prince, it is all sounding great and dont worry marmite is fine. You might just want to keep her a seperate jar in case of butter and crumbs. Or is that just in my house

Good luck

PrinceRogers, did you beta urine sample checked out by the Sunderland research people first? They will tell you whether they think she needs to be GF or CF or both. You could see a benefit from CF quite quickly after up to 3 weeks, but gluten takes a long while to leave the body. Sunderland people said up to 6 months. I'll look up the link. The research used to be part of Sunderland Uni, but they are independent these days, but still the same people.

That should be get a urine sample tested.

This is the research website

I didn't no. But I have taken it this morning. I e mailed them and they sent the test.

I know the results may not be as good as she has started the diet, but it might be worth a try?

Not ridiculous.
When we took ds2 off dairy he re-potty trained within a week and started talking again.

Good luck.

Not at all surprised you can see changes after only a week.

Gluten was probably hurting her tummy, so now her tummys not sore it's totally reasonable to expect her behaviour to be better.

Don't reintroduce gluten in a few months. It takes much longer than that for leaky gut to heal.

Do put her on a very good probiotic. I use biokult.

Yep, it was that fast for ds2. The next thing we were recommended to do, though this was years ago and advice might have changed, was to try to get plenty of vitamin a; cod liver oil, basically, into him to help heal his damaged gut. As I say, I don't know if that's still current thinking, but you might want to look into it. Oh, well done, op. Good luck to you.

Thanks everyone. I am encouraged to continue.

:)

The best book to read about GF is the GAPS diet

I shouldn't have tempted fate. Had an awful afternoon of screaming and non co-operation. Feeling depressed and anxious again. Fuck it. :(

It's normal for there to be ups and downs.

Going GF is just the start.

You can do it. Keep on, and you will look back in 6 months and think how much better things are.....

Thank you. We will keep on going. After a good week, this afternoon I was taken right back to when she was a baby and I couldn't reach her.

I have heard of 'withdrawal' type symptoms in the early days. Stick at it. X

Hi Prince, just wanted to mention that soya milk can just be as bad as cow's milk for asd children with gut issues. That's the mistake we first made when going down the gf/cf route. We now use rice or Kara coconut milk, and more recently have introduced goats milk. Keep up the good work. The diet has helped my son.

I did initially buy Almond milk, but then she so wanted a yoghurt so I got some soya yoghurts and changed to soya milk.

It is all rather confusing I have to say.

Why is goats milk OK and not cows milk? I thought all mammal milk had casein in? Does that mean human milk too?

My understanding is that all mammal milk is a problem if you are going CF. It's not the same as having a cows' milk 'intolerance.' Goats' milk would be equally bad. I would get the GAPS diet book as Indigo recommended.

Yes Goats milk contains casein, so shouldn't really be used in a gf/cf diet. My son didn't like soya milk but has rice milk on porridge and hazelnut milk to drink.