02. Why is Nutrition Important for Autism?
From picky eating to gut issues, we will cover the top reasons why nutrition is incredibly important for those on the autism spectrum and how proper nutrition can drastically improve quality of life.
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IN THIS EPISODE
8 different reasons why nutrition is important for autism
Insights into why eating may be difficult for someone with autism or Sensory Processing Disorder
Sensory seekers vs sensory avoiders
The importance of the gut-brain connection in autism
A brief touch into nutrient deficiencies, genetic mutations, and detoxification in autism
LINKS
Join the Autism Nutrition Library
Follow @AutismDietitian on Instagram
TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to the Nourishing Autism Podcast where you take a deep dive into the research on autism and dietary changes, nutrition supplements, and lifestyle modifications. Every week, we break down nutrition topics and an easy-to-understand way for you to feel less overwhelmed and feel confident on your nutrition journey with autism.
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Nourishing Autism Podcast. I'm your host Brittyn Coleman, the Autism Dietitian. And I'm excited to dive into this week's topic which is discussing the importance of nutrition for autism.
So you might remember me mentioning In the previous episode, it's my goal to keep these podcasts under 10 minutes so that you as a busy parent can learn efficiently when you have the chance. So now covering this really broad topic and 10 minutes is certainly not possible. But I'm going to scrape the surface and then we'll dive into all these different topics in future episodes. So if you don't get all the information you want from today's episode, this is the reason for my podcast. We'll be going into all these different topics later and more detail.
So the big question of today's podcast episode: Why is nutrition important for autism? So there are so many different reasons. And I'm going to talk about seven or eight different reasons why it's so important and dig into each of these. I could talk about each of them for hours and hours at length. So let's go ahead and get started.
Number one is picky eating. Many, many kids on the autism spectrum are picky eaters. And a lot of people wonder why this is. And if you have a child with autism, you know that there can be difficulties in sensory processing. So there is a diagnosis called sensory processing disorder. And basically, sensory processing disorder is maybe not interpreting your senses in the correct manner. And just a few words. So basically different textures, sounds, smells can be really overwhelming. And some kids are going to be sensory avoiders. We also see some kids are sensory seekers. They really love the strong tastes and smells and love music. They love different textures. So it really just depends on the child. Sometimes there's a combination of these things too. So definitely look into that and ask your pediatrician or developmental psychologists if that is something that sounds like your child. So how this comes into picky eating so picky eating. Eating, First of all, is one of the most sensory-rich experiences that we have as humans. And so you're putting all of these different senses together, you're smelling the food, you're tasting it, you feel the temperature, you're looking at it, you know, the color and the shape. And all of these things happen all at once. And for somebody who has a hard time, with all of these different senses, especially new senses, and unpredictable senses, it becomes really overwhelming. And so most kids with autism are picky eaters. For this reason. Not all kids with autism are picky eaters, but it's really common because it's such an overwhelming sensory experience. And so it really takes working with a specialist who understands this. A lot of times you're having to go outside of just the typical picky eating soup suggestions, like Oh, just starve it out, just stop giving them those foods they like and eventually when they're hungry, you know, they'll start eating this new food. And for those of you who ever tried this method with a kid with autism, you know, that does not work. Excuse the sirens in the background is I'm in San Francisco. And we live right next to a fire station. So we get some fun sirens here and there. So with picky eating, we really need to take this into account for kids who are picky eaters, because if they're not getting the right nutrients, you can't operate your best self. If you're not getting the nutrients that you need to thrive, you're giving the nutrients your organs, your gut your brain. If you're not getting those, then that's a problem. There's a lot of kids with autism who tend to prefer the same color and texture of different foods. And a lot of times I'll call these like the blonde foods or the beige foods that have the all of the same beige blonde color and are often pretty crunchy and texture because that's one of our favorite textures as humans I love crunchy foods. A lot of kids with autism love crunchy foods too, from that sensory feedback. So I see a lot of kids who are eating chicken nuggets for fries, chips, crackers, things that are the same color and texture, because it's expected. And they know what to expect when eating that food. They might also prefer it from a specific brand or a very specific type. And that's because they know exactly what to expect. And so that ability to predict what they're going to eat, what the texture is going to be, the smell is very comforting. And it can reduce some of that anxiety around food. And so I see a lot of kids only wanting to eat four or five foods, because it feels comfortable, it's not going to be something that is overwhelming to them, especially when they're living the world that is very overwhelming from a sensory perspective for them. so picky eating, hands down as one of the most popular topics when it comes to nutrition for autism, which can affect so many other issues that I'm about to talk through right now with you.
The second most important thing that I want to talk about is the gut. So the gut is so vital when it comes to neurodevelopmental disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, like Alzheimer's, anxiety, depression, there are so many pieces here. And it really takes us having the gut in a good place, in order to get the good brain in a good place to there's something called the gut-brain connection. And we want to make sure that the gut is it has the right bacteria in there, the right kind of gases, the right balance of everything in the gut so that it can, you know, tell the brain that, hey, we have calm and tranquility where we can focus. We're not in this flight or fight state, and a lot of kids with autism, not just because of picky eating, but it's common to have gut issues because of that constipation, imbalance of bacteria, diarrhea, yeast overgrowth, a lot of things that go wrong, are tied to that. But even kids with autism who are picky eaters are also more prone to gut issues. So we really want to think about what kinds of foods are going in the gut? How are we supporting good bacteria? Are we preventing any kind of yeast overgrowth, any kind of bacterial overgrowth? How can we support the gut in the best way possible? This is a huge topic. So I will absolutely dive into this more in later episodes.
The next piece is nutrient deficiencies. So nutrient deficiencies can be caused because kids are eating a really limited diet. But it can also be because they're not absorbing those nutrients well. So if they have gut issues, you might not be absorbing the nutrients very well. We also see there can be certain genetic mutations in autism that can prevent you from absorbing or methylating certain nutrients. And so we really want to pay attention to if they do have low levels of nutrients. And how do we accurately test for that to see those levels? That's another thing we'll be going into on this podcast.
And then we see poor detox, but not being able to detox. environmental toxins is another piece. And so helping kids detox well and reducing their toxic load. It's another huge piece and diet can absolutely link in with that, what foods are we going to eat that help us detox that help our kidneys and our liver, do the functions that they need to do and choosing the highest quality food possible, then reducing inflammation for kids with autism, we see a lot of inflammation in their bodies in their brains. And this can come from their diet. The diet is a huge source of inflammation or reducing inflammation. So how can we manage inflammation through diet?
We see that a lot of kids also have food sensitivities or most likely food sensitivities, but food allergies and food intolerances. And yes, there's a difference between all those different types of food reactions. So going into what foods are the most likely for kids to be sensitive to? And how can this contribute to inflammation in the body, cause gut issues and issues? neurologically even focus, intention, cognition, you name it mood. So anxiety also pulls into that too. So getting to the root of any food sensitivities.
And then I brought up as I said, genetic mutations, most commonly a genetic mutation called MTHFR. And we'll dive into that absolutely too. So between picky eating gut issues, nutrient deficiencies, poor detox inflammation, food sensitivities, genetic mutations. There are so many different angles at which nutrition is so important for autism. And for healthcare providers who aren't aware of nutrition for autism. There's a lot of research out there you guys, there's so much research and for those people who haven't read that research, and just decline it does such a huge disservice to parents who are just trying to figure out the next steps for their children. So there might be health care providers you've worked with that have told you nutrition doesn't matter for kids with autism. I'm here to tell you absolutely does it it can make an incredible difference in their lives and help improve their quality of life, help them feel their best, and reach their full potential. And that's why I'm here sharing this with you.
I really look forward to sharing the research with you and the next steps. I would love to bring on my clients to talk about their successes and their wins. And I really look forward to digging into these topics and going deeper to help you take out the guesswork and really feel empowered to take the next steps and help your kids feel their best. Thanks so much for joining me this week as we take the guesswork out of nursing autism and I look forward to seeing you next week.
This podcast is brought to you by the Autism Nutrition Library, a one-stop hub and community for all things autism nutrition created to help you explore evidence-based nutrition approaches that have proved to be effective to help individuals with autism feel their best, do their best, and be their best.
Join now by clicking Autism Nutrition Library or by stopping by my Instagram @AutismDietitian. See you next week.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
ABOUT Brittyn Coleman, MS, RDN/LD, CLT
I’m a Registered Dietitian, Autism Nutrition Expert, and the Creator of the Autism Nutrition Library.
I work with parents of children with autism to optimize their child’s diet, supplements, and lifestyle based on their unique needs. I help expand accepted foods for picky eaters, improve digestion and gut health, find the root causes of many symptoms, and ultimately help them feel their best so that they can do their best and be their best.
Not only do I relate to families on a professional level, but also on a personal level. I have been a part of the autism community for over 20 years, as my younger brother was diagnosed on the spectrum at a young age.
I look forward to working with you to uncover the root cause of your child’s symptoms and help your child be the best version of themselves!
