The Role of Nutrition in Autism: Caring for Your Brain and Your Loved Ones During Autism Awareness Month
April is Autism Awareness Month, so in today’s blog post we’re going to talk about the role nutrition can play in regards to Autism, as well as caring for yourself and others.
My oldest son, Jack, has a chromosomal abnormality called Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, which actually shares a lot of similarities with Autism. In 2017, we went through the process of also getting him an Autism diagnosis so that he could attend Lighthouse Autism Center. So I am personally very familiar with Autism and the things it entails (although I’m well aware that every person with Autism is different). I know what a struggle daily life can be sometimes. I hope by reading this post you are able to get some ideas that may have a positive impact on your and your family’s life.
The brain is heavily affected in most people with Autism. So one way we can help those who are autistic is to make sure we are taking care of the brain in the best way we can, and it just so happens that optimal nutrition is the most important factor in keeping your brain healthy. What you put in your mouth provides all the raw materials for building the structure of your brain cells and keeping all the communication systems running coherently, so you can think, emote, learn, and remember. And scientists have discovered that our brains are capable of change. That even if our brain starts to break down, we don’t have to be stuck with it.
So how exactly do we best feed our brains? Let’s take a look:
Remove sugar – sugar is one of the biggest contributors to brain health. It has also been shown to worsen the health and behavior of children with Autism.
Eat whole foods – think something that came from a farm instead of something out of a factory.
Include lots of colors when eating fruits and vegetables because each color offers a different nutrient that helps your body get everything it needs to function properly.
Include beans, nuts and seeds.
Incorporate non-gluten whole grains.
Remove the bad fat – this includes saturated fats and highly-processed vegetable oils.
Eat plenty of healthy fats – fatty fish like salmon, avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil.
Eat quality protein – Eggs high in omega-3s, nuts and seeds, grass-fed meat, wild fatty fish.
Supplement wisely – we recommend having a doctor do some lab work to see if there are any vitamins that might be low. Always try to first get everything you need from food, but sometimes when that isn’t enough, supplementing can help tremendously.
Food plays such a critical role in how our bodies feel and behave. It will never hurt to play around with your child’s diet to see if better nutrition can have a positive effect on the way their body functions. I know in regards to my son, Jack, he is completely non-verbal. He can’t tell us when his stomach hurts or if he is having any other kind of symptom. There are already so many unknowns with him, that I feel like if I can at least feed him a healthy diet, maybe I can lessen the chances of him having to go through any unnecessary symptoms or diseases as he gets older. It’s at least one area I have control over.
Now that we’ve covered what you can do to help someone with Autism, let’s take a look at what you can do for yourself. Being a caretaker of someone with special needs is exhausting. You have to make sure you are also taking care of yourself, otherwise, you won’t have much to give to others. I know there never feels like there’s enough time in the day, but if you take a look at how you actually spend your time, you might find that there’s a pocket or two in your day that you can take a few minutes for yourself.
If getting out of the house is not an option, because I know it’s hard to find others to help with your child, what can you do at home to carve out some time to take care of your? Can you workout to a YouTube video, or sign up for a virtual class? Can you take five minutes out of your day to sit outside in the sunshine and just breathe or meditate? Stress takes such a toll on the body, so finding ways that work for you to de-stress are critically important to allowing you to best take care of your child.
If you don’t have a child with Autism but know someone who does, reach out to them. Having a child with special needs can feel very isolating and lonely. I encourage you to ask them to coffee, or bring them to a workout class. If it’s difficult for them to leave their home, can you take coffee to them? It takes a village to raise kids in general, but when one of your children has special needs, sometimes it’s harder to find that village. Reach out and let others know that they are not alone. Become a part of their community and invite them into yours. Unfortunately, Autism is not going away. But together we can make a difference in how the world views and treats it.
