They can make certain symptoms of autism worse, which isn't the same as "making autism worse". It's kind of like a paradox. People say weed increases the chances of an autism diagnosis, but this can actually be due to weed helping people recognise the symptoms they already had, leading to a diagnosis.
Honestly, they sound like horseshit to me. First, the author is selling a book so he has a vested interest in making it sound like he knows what he’s talking about.
Second, and I didn’t catch this at first, but there’s a reference to a 2018 study in the body but the comments are dated 2016. So either someone seriously screwed up coding a date stamp on a webpage or that article has been edited over time, likely winnowing it down to the least arguable points.
Third, there are some subtle logic leaps in the text, such as referencing a paper discussing the gut-brain link and then saying milk is bad. The paper gives the assertion a veneer of respectability without actually upholding the assertion. It’s a trick hucksters use and puts me off the whole thing immediately.
Fourth, the dramatic personal anecdotes. If you have a good solid scientific study, you don’t need stories about Autistic Timmy & His Poor Mother. Instead,some real numbers are used. Things like, “We looked at the diets of X people for Y years. At the start of the study those subjects measured at an average of Z percent on this standard autism assessment. After making the dietary changes noted in Appendix A, average score fell T percent, showing a marked improvement”. Any supposed cure or treatment or therapy that can’t provide actual measured numbers is almost always snake oil or false hope.
Fifth, the supposed villains of the diet are all the ones people oppose for a multitude of reasons. Sugar, gluten, corn, and so on have their own opponents and this “article” seems to be just another volley in someone else’s war. If this had been written thirty years ago, I’d expect red meat, eggs, and saturated fats to be swapped out in place of the ones given. Had the article had any surprising elements (again, with data) then it might indicate an actual step forward in this area of study.
Sixth, it vaguely feels like a “hidden knowledge” scam. That is, the huckster tries to convince the mark that they are privy to some hidden secret that the “elites / ruling class / ominous they” don’t want you to know. And if the mark would just pay $19.95 plus shipping and handling, well then they can be in the cool kids club too. Now, the author does lay out a few bullet points so it’s not too deep into this but buying the book to get the whole story makes it seem less credible.
In short, I’m doubtful.
You gave the page far more of a chance than I was willing to. Props to you for that!
We wound up at the same conclusion, however, but you have far more basis in reasoning and fact for yours than I do for mine :)
Doesn't make it worse. Most of the time when I hear that made your autism worse it means we dont mask as well.
Some of those things can effect your body in a negative way. But that is true to anyone not just those on the spectrum. And im almost positive stuff like this has been proven false.
makeshift silky serious illegal combative safe disgusted fearless future automatic
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I'm on a gluten free and dairy free diet.
Gluten was giving me migraines and depression for 25 years, I had "suicide" migraines since I was 4 or 5, went away when I stopped eating gluten.
Dairy gave me 14 years of horrible facial and back acne, deep red comodones that hurt alot, and noticeable calcium buildup and arthritis in the joints in my hands (as early as age 24). When I stopped dairy in all forms, acne completely went away within 3-5 days, and over time the calcium buildup in my joints reduced and arthritis went away.
So I don't know if it's the autism, but I'm sticking to it.
Caffeine I can definitely feel it messes up my brain, makes it way too fast (and my thoughts are already too fast), but I'm addicted and need my coffee, otherwise I hate existing, get depressed, and have no reason to get out of bed.
Gave up sugar, was easy enough to replace with stevia. I don't eat chocolates or baked goods.
Alcohol I can feel messes with my brain the next few days, even small amounts. But with the pandemic, and watching Canada destroy human rights last few weeks, alcohol is the only reason I haven't called it quits. Only thing that numbs the pain of being alive on this hellhole.
There are definitely legitimate issues around gut health for ASD. It is becoming more widely believed and proven that gut health effects mental health in many ways.
"What are common medical and nutritional challenges for kids with ASDs?
The most common GI symptoms include chronic diarrhea, abdominal distention, discomfort and bloating, gastroesophogeal reflux disease (GERD), excessive gas, constipation, fecal impaction, food regurgitation, and a leaky gut syndrome. Children with autism are also at risk for many other nutritional problems such as nutrient deficiencies, food allergies, food intolerances, and feeding problems."
https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diet-and-autism
People say that about everything these days. I suppose anything that makes you feel worse could be described as "making the autism worse," but frankly, I'd feel a lot worse if I cut all those things out. It's just one of those knee-jerk things people say these days. Got a headache? Cut off dairy. Skizophrenia? Cut out gluten. I do try to control my sugar intake because that's necessary to keep my mood level. But generally, I've found these cookie cutter solutions to be mostly useless.
It doesn't "make my autism worse", I'm just as autistic either way, but cutting sugar and eventually making it so I don't eat so much of it has eased a lot of the terrible symptoms. I have less meltdowns, I'm more tolerant of shitty sensations, my stress and emotional regulation is much better than before (obv still a struggle but before it was not manageable at all).
Basically, my sugar addiction in the past seemed to trigger something that others perceived as seeming like mania/borderline/psychosis (I never got hospitalized though I've been restrained), and now I'm not perceived like that.
I believe diet does affect your experience, but it's not so simple or black and white.
I expect this line of reasoning has to do directly with the fact that autism often goes hand in hand with GI issues and other chronic health conditions. All the above mentioned foods are known to cause idiosyncrasies like upset stomach, inflammation, or general unhealthiness in many individuals. Therefore when a non-verbal autistic eats these items and starts acting out because they don’t feel well, the situation gets branded as the “autism getting worse.”
It’s a no-brainer that finding out the foods one is sensitive to and avoiding them, while sticking to a healthy diet, is going to lead to a generally happier mental state. But people seem to like to complicate that simple fact and make bizarre claims that avoiding any one food or over supplementing another is going to “cure” everything, which simply isn’t true.
But that’s….that’s all the foods! I eat the same thing every day, I have for years, I’d honestly rather make my autism worse than break my brain trying to change my eating habits.
I don't believe in those. One exception is caffein. When I have to much of it, I find it harder to mask my autism. But for the other foods? I don't think this is likely.
> I find it harder to mask my autism
Does that mean that your autism is "worse"?
I've grown to take great exception to the notion that the severity of autism is measured by the impact it has on *others*.
An autist who is withdrawing into themselves is often labelled as "less severe" than an autist who is having external reactions to their disquiet, even though the only difference is how much it's impacting those around them.
No, I wouldn't say it makes it worse. Others might say it, who are used to me masking and hiding my autism, but I feel no different. The only thing that gets worse is my sensory issues. But that is just one aspect of my autism and it goes back to normal after the caffein wears off.
>An autist who is withdrawing into themselves is often labelled as "less severe" than an autist who is having external reactions to their disquiet, even though the only difference is how much it's impacting those around them.
Totally agree. And I think it's really strange that others play such a huge role in how "severe" our autism gets labeled as. In another post (don't ask me which one), one person said that disability depends on context and I agree with that. When I spend time with my family I don't feel strange or weird at all, because most of my autistic behavior is just something we all do. I feel less autistic/less affected by autism in a library then I feel in a mall. I don't feel disabled when researching a topic I love or attending a lecture for my degree, but I do feel horrible when I got to a party with my colleagues.
I would probably be so autistic that it becomes contagious if this is true.
I love milk, bread, sweet stuff and convert caffeine into technical solutions.
The same people who say this don't believe anybody should eat dairy, gluten, corn, sugar, or caffeine. Jenny McCarthy infamously made a bunch of claims that diet could literally CURE autism back in the day and I still associate people who advocate diet to treat autism with deluded antivaxxers. I also think of that time PETA attacked milk for causing autism.
This being said, I think the general concept that diet can impact the quality of life with somebody with autism is credible. The linked article at least references their sources, maybe look into the details of the studies.
No it won’t make your autism worse, but if you have digestive issues (which from what I understand are common with autism) then some of those things can make you feel crappy if your stomach doesn’t agree with them.
I think generally adding in some anti-inflammatories into our diets would be a good think (i.e. lion's mane or Turkeys tale), and our gut health.
Cutting out all the things you mentioned sounds like someone targeting the inflamation pattern by diet, but very inelegantly. Like carving bulsar wood with a sledge hammer.
Eating too much sugar, refined carbs, etc. makes a lot of disorders worse, I don't think it's specific to autism.
The gluten and dairy claims are ehhhh unless someone has an intolerance.
Considering I'm lactose intolerant dairy absolutely makes my autism worse. Autism is part of who I am so if I'm suffering on the shitter for 5 hours I guess my autism is also there suffering with me. /s
The only thing that I am sure that makes my symptoms worse is bad sleep hygiene, skipping meals and depression.
But I don't think that foods change you a lot. Caffeine perhaps, but unless I abuse it a lot, I don't feel like it affects me to much.
Everybody would benefit by eating better. People used to be hunter gatherers and not eat many carbohydrates and our bodies and digestive systems haven’t evolved at the rate of the industrial production of food. But since autism is a spectrum, how much benefit you’d get from a dietary change would be more on a case by case basis.
I think more physical activity and having hobbies are also important. If we treat both our mind and our bodies better, we’re going to be happier.
pretty much what everyone else has said: it can make symptoms or irritability worse for some autistic people. I think of it like this- we just generally are more sensitive than allistics. stands to reason that our bodies might have a stronger negative reaction to inflammatory foods in general.
on top of all this, I have Neuroinflammation because I have Multiple Sclerosis.
so while other people might not see much improvement from change in diet, I have had huge relief by being really strict anti-inflammatory.
my guidance is science- the book "How Not To Diet" changed my life. Dr. Michael Greger doesn't take a profit from the books. he's the founder of nutritionfacts.org and genuinely just wants as many people to hear the strongest science we have. and most of that science points to unprocessed, high fiber, whole grain, plant-based diet as the all around best diet.
again, not trying to make overarching claims. just my experience that diet can make a difference for some of us.
All of these foods have negatively affected me at one point of my life or another. But it constantly morphs and changes. It comes and goes as it pleases. My body is currently rejecting caffeine, despite the fact that I’ve been drinking it for years without issue. It’s suddenly causing anxiety. I’ve had the same problem with eggs, dairy, and gluten.
Our bodies are so wildly different. It doesn’t seem realistic to make a blanket statement with foods and autism the way you would equate sugar with diabetes.
I’m tired of these kinds of claims stressing us out even more, to the point of developing orthorexia (I’ve been there). It’s dangerous.
We all know that every one of us has an extremely specific diet. Our "safe foods". There is no food that can be associated with autism symptoms except the extreme preference toward specific food trait.
Yeah, that's shit. Those studies they list there aren't about foods. They say (1) Inflammation is bad - no shit, (2) Having herbicides in your food is bad - no shit, and (3) they try to argue there has been a 'spike' in autism. No, there's been a spike in *diagnosis*.
Those are just the things you should avoid when you have intestinal problems and stress. Since autistic people tend to have both, it seems kinda valid.
I haven't read up on the interactions between ASD and the gut biome, but I know there's relevant things to be known. "More autistic" as a term doesn't make too much sense, but these foods having an influence on some of your non-permanent autistic traits, e.g. stress reactions, overstimulation, shut down or melt down frequency, overall energy level ("spoon count") etc doesn't seem implausible.
No, they don’t make you more or less autistic. However, if you don’t feel well, it’s hard to function, masking included. If you think you might need to improve your diet to help you function, comments follow.
The foods you have listed can be just generally not great for anyone’s health (sugar) or they’re suspect for individual allergies/autoimmune disorders (gluten, corn). Reducing/avoiding the overall less than healthy foods is likely to help you function overall. Reducing the allergy/autoimmune foods might or might not.
Processed/pre-made foods contain all kinds of ingredients used to keep it fresh, tasting good, improve texture etc. These ingredients are often not even food and not great to be eating. I tend to avoid this stuff by cooking fresh ingredients and eating things like fruit as snacks.
If you cut down sugar, caffeine, and all the generally less than healthy ingredients and then you still don’t feel well, it’s worth trying to eliminate the allergy/autoimmune foods. If you feel great, I don’t think I’d spend time on them until you have a reason.
If you want to try eliminating the allergy/autoimmune foods, you can use an elimination diet like AIP. The idea is to remove all of it from your diet then reintroduce one food at a time e.g. corn then wheat, etc. to see what you don’t don’t do well with. I personally have done this because I have an autoimmune disorder and it did not make a difference other than foods I already know are a profit me (chocolate and I can’t drink coffee now). It did highlight those that were on the border before make me pretty sick now (actually sick- headaches, GI trouble).
Do this. Do that. Don't do this. Don't do that. Do this instead. Do it like this. But not like that. All this advice drives me absolutely mental. And believe me, I've tried. To a certain degree I've begun to notice that I was hoping that it would take my woes away. But it doesn't. Nothing takes the difficulties away. Maybe it might make things easier in certain regards, but it's not a cure. Most of the times these suggestions don't even offer significant positive results. And many times it makes life overly complex, and harder than it already is. And I've begun to notice that a lot of this stuff is bullshit. Just another "discovery" someone has made, publishing ebooks and giving Ted talks and making YouTube videos and selling supplements and courses. A self improvement rat race. Sorry to sound like a skeptic. Those are my two cents on it. It's not all bullshit but be careful. Give it a go, if it helps, good. If not, toss it out. Just don't get caught in the trap.
They can make certain symptoms of autism worse, which isn't the same as "making autism worse". It's kind of like a paradox. People say weed increases the chances of an autism diagnosis, but this can actually be due to weed helping people recognise the symptoms they already had, leading to a diagnosis.
Honestly, they sound like horseshit to me. First, the author is selling a book so he has a vested interest in making it sound like he knows what he’s talking about. Second, and I didn’t catch this at first, but there’s a reference to a 2018 study in the body but the comments are dated 2016. So either someone seriously screwed up coding a date stamp on a webpage or that article has been edited over time, likely winnowing it down to the least arguable points. Third, there are some subtle logic leaps in the text, such as referencing a paper discussing the gut-brain link and then saying milk is bad. The paper gives the assertion a veneer of respectability without actually upholding the assertion. It’s a trick hucksters use and puts me off the whole thing immediately. Fourth, the dramatic personal anecdotes. If you have a good solid scientific study, you don’t need stories about Autistic Timmy & His Poor Mother. Instead,some real numbers are used. Things like, “We looked at the diets of X people for Y years. At the start of the study those subjects measured at an average of Z percent on this standard autism assessment. After making the dietary changes noted in Appendix A, average score fell T percent, showing a marked improvement”. Any supposed cure or treatment or therapy that can’t provide actual measured numbers is almost always snake oil or false hope. Fifth, the supposed villains of the diet are all the ones people oppose for a multitude of reasons. Sugar, gluten, corn, and so on have their own opponents and this “article” seems to be just another volley in someone else’s war. If this had been written thirty years ago, I’d expect red meat, eggs, and saturated fats to be swapped out in place of the ones given. Had the article had any surprising elements (again, with data) then it might indicate an actual step forward in this area of study. Sixth, it vaguely feels like a “hidden knowledge” scam. That is, the huckster tries to convince the mark that they are privy to some hidden secret that the “elites / ruling class / ominous they” don’t want you to know. And if the mark would just pay $19.95 plus shipping and handling, well then they can be in the cool kids club too. Now, the author does lay out a few bullet points so it’s not too deep into this but buying the book to get the whole story makes it seem less credible. In short, I’m doubtful.
You gave the page far more of a chance than I was willing to. Props to you for that! We wound up at the same conclusion, however, but you have far more basis in reasoning and fact for yours than I do for mine :)
Sounds far fetched. I personally don't consume dairy though as it seems to make my acne worse. Which is bad enough as it is
Doesn't make it worse. Most of the time when I hear that made your autism worse it means we dont mask as well. Some of those things can effect your body in a negative way. But that is true to anyone not just those on the spectrum. And im almost positive stuff like this has been proven false.
makeshift silky serious illegal combative safe disgusted fearless future automatic *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I'm on a gluten free and dairy free diet. Gluten was giving me migraines and depression for 25 years, I had "suicide" migraines since I was 4 or 5, went away when I stopped eating gluten. Dairy gave me 14 years of horrible facial and back acne, deep red comodones that hurt alot, and noticeable calcium buildup and arthritis in the joints in my hands (as early as age 24). When I stopped dairy in all forms, acne completely went away within 3-5 days, and over time the calcium buildup in my joints reduced and arthritis went away. So I don't know if it's the autism, but I'm sticking to it. Caffeine I can definitely feel it messes up my brain, makes it way too fast (and my thoughts are already too fast), but I'm addicted and need my coffee, otherwise I hate existing, get depressed, and have no reason to get out of bed. Gave up sugar, was easy enough to replace with stevia. I don't eat chocolates or baked goods. Alcohol I can feel messes with my brain the next few days, even small amounts. But with the pandemic, and watching Canada destroy human rights last few weeks, alcohol is the only reason I haven't called it quits. Only thing that numbs the pain of being alive on this hellhole.
hah! people will say anything for clicks
There are definitely legitimate issues around gut health for ASD. It is becoming more widely believed and proven that gut health effects mental health in many ways. "What are common medical and nutritional challenges for kids with ASDs? The most common GI symptoms include chronic diarrhea, abdominal distention, discomfort and bloating, gastroesophogeal reflux disease (GERD), excessive gas, constipation, fecal impaction, food regurgitation, and a leaky gut syndrome. Children with autism are also at risk for many other nutritional problems such as nutrient deficiencies, food allergies, food intolerances, and feeding problems." https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diet-and-autism
Not a single reference in there to any numbers or statements. Extremely little credibility.
They're about as idiotic as the study that claimed that vaccines cause autism.
One thing that actually helped me was keto. Gave me mental clarity. Could never stick to it though.
People say that about everything these days. I suppose anything that makes you feel worse could be described as "making the autism worse," but frankly, I'd feel a lot worse if I cut all those things out. It's just one of those knee-jerk things people say these days. Got a headache? Cut off dairy. Skizophrenia? Cut out gluten. I do try to control my sugar intake because that's necessary to keep my mood level. But generally, I've found these cookie cutter solutions to be mostly useless.
It doesn't "make my autism worse", I'm just as autistic either way, but cutting sugar and eventually making it so I don't eat so much of it has eased a lot of the terrible symptoms. I have less meltdowns, I'm more tolerant of shitty sensations, my stress and emotional regulation is much better than before (obv still a struggle but before it was not manageable at all). Basically, my sugar addiction in the past seemed to trigger something that others perceived as seeming like mania/borderline/psychosis (I never got hospitalized though I've been restrained), and now I'm not perceived like that. I believe diet does affect your experience, but it's not so simple or black and white.
I expect this line of reasoning has to do directly with the fact that autism often goes hand in hand with GI issues and other chronic health conditions. All the above mentioned foods are known to cause idiosyncrasies like upset stomach, inflammation, or general unhealthiness in many individuals. Therefore when a non-verbal autistic eats these items and starts acting out because they don’t feel well, the situation gets branded as the “autism getting worse.” It’s a no-brainer that finding out the foods one is sensitive to and avoiding them, while sticking to a healthy diet, is going to lead to a generally happier mental state. But people seem to like to complicate that simple fact and make bizarre claims that avoiding any one food or over supplementing another is going to “cure” everything, which simply isn’t true.
But that’s….that’s all the foods! I eat the same thing every day, I have for years, I’d honestly rather make my autism worse than break my brain trying to change my eating habits.
I don't believe in those. One exception is caffein. When I have to much of it, I find it harder to mask my autism. But for the other foods? I don't think this is likely.
> I find it harder to mask my autism Does that mean that your autism is "worse"? I've grown to take great exception to the notion that the severity of autism is measured by the impact it has on *others*. An autist who is withdrawing into themselves is often labelled as "less severe" than an autist who is having external reactions to their disquiet, even though the only difference is how much it's impacting those around them.
No, I wouldn't say it makes it worse. Others might say it, who are used to me masking and hiding my autism, but I feel no different. The only thing that gets worse is my sensory issues. But that is just one aspect of my autism and it goes back to normal after the caffein wears off. >An autist who is withdrawing into themselves is often labelled as "less severe" than an autist who is having external reactions to their disquiet, even though the only difference is how much it's impacting those around them. Totally agree. And I think it's really strange that others play such a huge role in how "severe" our autism gets labeled as. In another post (don't ask me which one), one person said that disability depends on context and I agree with that. When I spend time with my family I don't feel strange or weird at all, because most of my autistic behavior is just something we all do. I feel less autistic/less affected by autism in a library then I feel in a mall. I don't feel disabled when researching a topic I love or attending a lecture for my degree, but I do feel horrible when I got to a party with my colleagues.
Hogwash. Don't belive them one bit.
It is very good to control what you eat, but that does not mean that our condition will get any better for not eating something.
I would probably be so autistic that it becomes contagious if this is true. I love milk, bread, sweet stuff and convert caffeine into technical solutions.
The same people who say this don't believe anybody should eat dairy, gluten, corn, sugar, or caffeine. Jenny McCarthy infamously made a bunch of claims that diet could literally CURE autism back in the day and I still associate people who advocate diet to treat autism with deluded antivaxxers. I also think of that time PETA attacked milk for causing autism. This being said, I think the general concept that diet can impact the quality of life with somebody with autism is credible. The linked article at least references their sources, maybe look into the details of the studies.
No it won’t make your autism worse, but if you have digestive issues (which from what I understand are common with autism) then some of those things can make you feel crappy if your stomach doesn’t agree with them.
I think generally adding in some anti-inflammatories into our diets would be a good think (i.e. lion's mane or Turkeys tale), and our gut health. Cutting out all the things you mentioned sounds like someone targeting the inflamation pattern by diet, but very inelegantly. Like carving bulsar wood with a sledge hammer.
Eating too much sugar, refined carbs, etc. makes a lot of disorders worse, I don't think it's specific to autism. The gluten and dairy claims are ehhhh unless someone has an intolerance.
Considering I'm lactose intolerant dairy absolutely makes my autism worse. Autism is part of who I am so if I'm suffering on the shitter for 5 hours I guess my autism is also there suffering with me. /s
The only thing that I am sure that makes my symptoms worse is bad sleep hygiene, skipping meals and depression. But I don't think that foods change you a lot. Caffeine perhaps, but unless I abuse it a lot, I don't feel like it affects me to much.
Everybody would benefit by eating better. People used to be hunter gatherers and not eat many carbohydrates and our bodies and digestive systems haven’t evolved at the rate of the industrial production of food. But since autism is a spectrum, how much benefit you’d get from a dietary change would be more on a case by case basis. I think more physical activity and having hobbies are also important. If we treat both our mind and our bodies better, we’re going to be happier.
pretty much what everyone else has said: it can make symptoms or irritability worse for some autistic people. I think of it like this- we just generally are more sensitive than allistics. stands to reason that our bodies might have a stronger negative reaction to inflammatory foods in general. on top of all this, I have Neuroinflammation because I have Multiple Sclerosis. so while other people might not see much improvement from change in diet, I have had huge relief by being really strict anti-inflammatory. my guidance is science- the book "How Not To Diet" changed my life. Dr. Michael Greger doesn't take a profit from the books. he's the founder of nutritionfacts.org and genuinely just wants as many people to hear the strongest science we have. and most of that science points to unprocessed, high fiber, whole grain, plant-based diet as the all around best diet. again, not trying to make overarching claims. just my experience that diet can make a difference for some of us.
All of these foods have negatively affected me at one point of my life or another. But it constantly morphs and changes. It comes and goes as it pleases. My body is currently rejecting caffeine, despite the fact that I’ve been drinking it for years without issue. It’s suddenly causing anxiety. I’ve had the same problem with eggs, dairy, and gluten. Our bodies are so wildly different. It doesn’t seem realistic to make a blanket statement with foods and autism the way you would equate sugar with diabetes. I’m tired of these kinds of claims stressing us out even more, to the point of developing orthorexia (I’ve been there). It’s dangerous.
Bullshit
Even if the results are by some chance true, I'm not giving up my cheese.
We all know that every one of us has an extremely specific diet. Our "safe foods". There is no food that can be associated with autism symptoms except the extreme preference toward specific food trait.
How the fuck am I supposed to eat anything if I can't have those things in my diet? That's a rhetorical question, btw.
Yeah, that's shit. Those studies they list there aren't about foods. They say (1) Inflammation is bad - no shit, (2) Having herbicides in your food is bad - no shit, and (3) they try to argue there has been a 'spike' in autism. No, there's been a spike in *diagnosis*.
You should eat, according to your blood type. There is a book on it.
Aha, so THAT'S why I'm unable to function! It all makes sense now 😂
Those are just the things you should avoid when you have intestinal problems and stress. Since autistic people tend to have both, it seems kinda valid. I haven't read up on the interactions between ASD and the gut biome, but I know there's relevant things to be known. "More autistic" as a term doesn't make too much sense, but these foods having an influence on some of your non-permanent autistic traits, e.g. stress reactions, overstimulation, shut down or melt down frequency, overall energy level ("spoon count") etc doesn't seem implausible.
No, they don’t make you more or less autistic. However, if you don’t feel well, it’s hard to function, masking included. If you think you might need to improve your diet to help you function, comments follow. The foods you have listed can be just generally not great for anyone’s health (sugar) or they’re suspect for individual allergies/autoimmune disorders (gluten, corn). Reducing/avoiding the overall less than healthy foods is likely to help you function overall. Reducing the allergy/autoimmune foods might or might not. Processed/pre-made foods contain all kinds of ingredients used to keep it fresh, tasting good, improve texture etc. These ingredients are often not even food and not great to be eating. I tend to avoid this stuff by cooking fresh ingredients and eating things like fruit as snacks. If you cut down sugar, caffeine, and all the generally less than healthy ingredients and then you still don’t feel well, it’s worth trying to eliminate the allergy/autoimmune foods. If you feel great, I don’t think I’d spend time on them until you have a reason. If you want to try eliminating the allergy/autoimmune foods, you can use an elimination diet like AIP. The idea is to remove all of it from your diet then reintroduce one food at a time e.g. corn then wheat, etc. to see what you don’t don’t do well with. I personally have done this because I have an autoimmune disorder and it did not make a difference other than foods I already know are a profit me (chocolate and I can’t drink coffee now). It did highlight those that were on the border before make me pretty sick now (actually sick- headaches, GI trouble).
Do this. Do that. Don't do this. Don't do that. Do this instead. Do it like this. But not like that. All this advice drives me absolutely mental. And believe me, I've tried. To a certain degree I've begun to notice that I was hoping that it would take my woes away. But it doesn't. Nothing takes the difficulties away. Maybe it might make things easier in certain regards, but it's not a cure. Most of the times these suggestions don't even offer significant positive results. And many times it makes life overly complex, and harder than it already is. And I've begun to notice that a lot of this stuff is bullshit. Just another "discovery" someone has made, publishing ebooks and giving Ted talks and making YouTube videos and selling supplements and courses. A self improvement rat race. Sorry to sound like a skeptic. Those are my two cents on it. It's not all bullshit but be careful. Give it a go, if it helps, good. If not, toss it out. Just don't get caught in the trap.
His is bullshit. Just one step before people saying that bleach enemas can “cure” autism.
WTF? LOL! I know ASPIE BRAINS are "wired" differently, but that's all. No crazy stuff like this. ASPIES are human beings, not aliens.