Rotation Diet and Hints!

Going gluten-free / casein-free (GFCF) was the hardest thing I have ever done. But after a month, it become second nature. Bottom line, my child with autism eats much healthier than before and we have less “stimmy” behaviors, better night sleeping, better “poops,” good behaviors, ready to learn, and wonderful eye contact. Did I mention speech too? I miss nothing about his old diet other than the convenience for me and the positives completely out weigh this factor.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I did not start a rotation diet until I had the GFCF and allergy issues related to Jeff “down to a science.” Going on a GFCF diet for a child with autism is hard enough so give yourself some time before you embark on this step. Typically adding the rotation diet time period is about 3-6 months after starting the GFCF Diet.

We started GFCF for a few months and then went to a rotation diet to prevent food allergies / intolerances and to identify foods that were a problem for our son. These allergies are outlined further in the Karyn Seroussi's book “Unraveling the Mystery of Autism.” It is also important to note that some children with autism spectrum disorders can get in a rut and want to eat the same foods day in and day out. Rotation diets can serve and address both of these potential problems.

This document attempts to highlight the ways to start a rotation diet for your child. You start by grouping all food intakes into categories.

For organization purposes – here is are some suggestions of these “groupings:”

  • Drinks: You can always rotate DRINKS too (except for water.) Some good choices are: Pacific or Lundberg Rice Milk - plain, Pacific Soy Milk, Darifree, Almond Breeze, diluted pear or cranberry juices (go light here – juices and some milk substitutes have too much sugar! It is important buy 100% juices that are organic and to stay away from less than 100% juices!). It is important to note that some of these products work for some children and others may have issues or allergic responses to ingredients. Allergy testing is key for dietary success.
  • Flours: Choose a flour for the day's baking activities (for example: rice, potato, quinoa/tapioca, garbanzo bean, sorhgum/jowar, buckwheat, teff, corn.) When they call for multiple flours in a recipe – just use one type of flour and blow them off. They turn out OK (I find the potato flour is a very dense flour and has to be cooked a little longer. Also, it appears never to cook fully – it is a little gooey – but don’t worry they taste OK.) All the flours make great muffins, breads, waffles.
    If it calls for multiple flours - use one or ones from the same food family as outlined above.

Here are some examples of good food families for flours that can be rotated:

  • 3/4 c. potato flour and 1/4 c. potato starch
  • 1/2 c. quinoa flour and 1/2 c. tapioca starch (these two go together on quinoa day!)
  • 3/4 c. rice flour and 1/4 c. rice starch
  • The Bette Hagman Mix is the best non flour ever! (see recipes for how to!)

Eggs: I use chicken eggs on one day and rotate alternatives such as duck or quail eggs (which can be found at most asian food stores.) For children with allergies here is a list of replacements for eggs and for rotation diets. These all bake well and I have used each one of them in my recipes (see recipes for details!)

    1. One tsp arrowroot powder and 1⁄2 tsp of water for every egg a recipe calls for
    2. Try 1 Tablespoon of acceptable purred fruit from Gerbers like prunes, or pears
    3. Just Whites is a powder product found in health food stores for folks not allergic to the whites
    4. Egg Replacer from Energ is a great alternative (but this product contains corn)
    5. One cup of water and boil 1⁄4 cup of flaxseed powder – use 2 tsp for every egg.
    6. Duck or quail eggs are another alternative. These egg types have a different molecular structure over chicken eggs and could be a viable option. Typically you find these eggs in asian stores or via online specialty stores.
      • Special note: Duck eggs are a 1:1 ratio to chicken eggs. Quail eggs are much smaller and are a 4:1 ratio to chicken eggs.

Sweetners: I use honey one day (there are about 7 different kinds of honeys so you can rotate a different honey EACH DAY if you want), date sugar, maple syrup. Stevia is a good alternative to sugars for children with yeast issues. I avoid REFINED SUGAR due to the process it goes thru to be usable – use a natural substitute. It is recommended to please never use artificial sugars such as Sweet and Low, Nutrasweet, (also known as aspartame) and Sucralose. These are not good for any body to ingest. I would avoid all products that contain these artificial sweetners.

  • Special note, I use about 1/3 of the amount a recipe calls for sugar. You NEVER need that much sugar and I am worried about yeast growth so I either cut it down or eliminate it all together. You have to do a lot of experimenting here. I have thrown away a lot of bad batches of food!
  • ALL TACA RECIPES INCLUDED ON THE WEBSITE AND PREVIOUS DOCUMENTS IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE SUGAR HAS ALREADY BEEN CUT IN HALF!  DO NOT CUT THEM AGAIN!

Oil/butter substitute: Same thing here – corn oil (If your child tolerates corn), vegetable, safflower, sunflower, olive, and coconut oils. You can skip margarine and use the oils – use 3/4 cup oil versus 1 cup butter or margarine. Or I use ghee (an Indian word for clarified butter which is GFCF) and which spreads a little like butter (kind of.) GHEE IS SAFE I PROMISE. Please do not make ghee yourself – buy it!

Meats: chicken, turkey, beef, pork (I stay away from all fish including Salmon, Halibut and Tuna – they have a lot of mercury issues here.) I know a mom that uses ostrich, alligator, buffalo and other exotic meats! (AND HER SON EATS THEM!! I am too grossed out. I like my meat in a cellophane and un-identifiable!!). MY PREFERENCES AND RECOMMENDATION: Buy organic meats. They are expensive but the best thing you can do for your family.

Vegetables / Fruits: on potato day I use sweet potato baby food in his muffins (get it?) I rotate yellow squash, summer squash, celery, carrots, zucchini, pears, corn, pears, peaches, prunes, papaya. It is important to also note that my son does not tolerate all fruits. That may be the case for your child too. I use Gerber baby foods to make it easier - they cook great and I eliminate having to prep these and they give baked foods a great texture.

Special note On Calcium: Eliminating MILK and CHEESE and other products in a GFCF diet can deplete a child of a necessary supplement, calcium. You can supplement calcium via rice, soy and other casein free drinks or via a calcium supplement. No supplement is as powerful as through the normal way via food. Here are some other suggestions for calcium replacement.

Calcium in Milligrams per 100 Calories

Arugula..........................1,300
Watercress....................... 800
Turnip greens....................650
Collard greens.................. 548
Mustard greens..................490
Spinach........................... 450
Broccoli........................... 387
Green onions.................... 240
Okra............................... 213
Cabbage.......................... 196

And if your child turns his nose up to these – try Calcium Powder from www.kirkmanlabs.com is a great alternative too! Please note: calcium (and all other minerals) can be cooked, thus calcium powders can be added to batters (muffins, pancakes, waffles, etc.) as well as milk substitutes.

Rotation diets can vary by child and an art you perfect over time. Some other helpful hints on rotation diets include these lessons learned:

  1. DOCUMENT FOOD INTAKE: Keep and food and behaviors journal. Track all intake and yes out take (Questions should answer: did he do good “poops” today or were they runny and icky; how much liquids did he drink, what supplements, what foods and when.) This helps tracking down food allergies, problem supplements and other issues that will crop up.
  2. GO SLOW AND INTRODUCE FOODS ONE AT A TIME: Do not introduce things all at once ! Go slow! IT is easier to track down a problem when they are introduced slowly - one at a time. I introduce no more than 1 new thing each week – that could be a food or a supplement!
  3. READ ALL FOOD LABELS. When in doubt - make it your self. Any unquestionable ingredients are probably not good for them. I avoid words with more than 3 syllables!! When in doubt, call the food manufacturer. I have spent many hours on the cell phone in the grocery store calling food manufacturers! Some good questions to ask are:
    • After reviewing the ingredients, confirm the GFCF status of the product.
    • Ask if the food is processed on a shared line with other gluten or casein based products. For many kids this cross contamination can completely sabotage the dietary efforts you endure.
  4. BE WATCHFUL AND CHECK FOR ALLERGIES AND INTOLERANCES: Watch for face and bottom rashes. This is how something is telling you “this is not working”. Most food allergies or intolerances will show up in 2 hours or 1 day. I was able to pin point bad behavior in therapy to the food Jeff ate the day before. We eliminated those foods and the behaviors went away. Common GFCF Allergies are: SOY, CORN & EGGS. These the ones to watch for and at one time try a removal period of these ingredients for 2-3 months to see if your child is sensitive to the common allergens of soy, corn and eggs.
  5. HIDDEN GLUTEN CAN SABOTAGE YOUR EFFORTS: There are hidden sources of gluten in; baking powders, shampoo, MEDICINES, diaper ointments, lotion, lip balm, baking powders, sun screen, play-doh, toys, rubber, glue. Watch www.gfcfdiet.com or TACA's list for all sources that are approved! (This source is updated frequently so stay tuned! Each new parent to the GF CF diet needs to spend at least two hours studying this web site. It is invaluable.) These evil sources of gluten will ruin the best set plans and make all your efforts fruitless. Watch for these!
  6. OBSESSING FOODS? When your child obsesses with a food or an object (by smelling it a lot or wanting to eat the same thing for each meal) it is a good sign to get rid of it. Remove it for at least 2 weeks from the diet and reintroduce them back into your child’s repertoire slowly.
  7. WHEN IN DOUBT – GO WITHOUT: Watch out for ingredients you do not understand!! They can contain hidden gluten. A rule for me if it has more than 10 ingredients, I do not buy it!! (For example, Barley Malt in Rice Krispies has GLUTEN!)
  8. CHANGED LABEL ON A FAVORITE PRODUCT? If a manufacturer changed their label - most likely they changed the ingredients. Be careful! When in doubt - CALL!
  9. BAKE LOTS & FREEZER STORAGE FOR EASY ACCESS: Buy a garage freezer and cook on the weekends or at night when you have time. Check out garage sales or relatives upgrading their appliances. We got ours from Sears for less than $400.
  10. EASY TO FIND FOODS FOR ROTATOR FAMILIES! Color code each food day and the food in one bucket. That way when you are not there, it is easy to feed your child with no mistakes (Jeff can have everything that is marked with BLUE dot and in the BLUE bucket because it is RICE day.)
  11. ALLERGY WATCH! Watch for allergies to newly introduced foods. Because something is gluten / casein free does not mean your child can automatically eat it!! This is why it is important to document and rotate foods to spot trouble items for your child. The most common food allergies are corn and soy. But each child is different, so be alert to yours! Allergy testing is something you should explore for your child to know if there are new food allergies. Again, the most common GFCF allergies are SOY, CORN & EGGS. If you suspect these – eliminate them for a minimum 2 week trial!
  12. DID I SAY BE WATCHFUL? HOW ABOUT ANOTHER WAY! Be anal retentive on anything that comes in contact with your child!! Gluten can be absorbed via the skin not just in the stomach. So watch your child carefully. Give explicit instructions to the child care or school on what your child can eat.. Make sure they do not leave food lying around. Also, if they have a freezer ask to store emergency supplies for your child. A good thing to store is frozen cake or cupcakes so your child can participate in birthday and other celebrations. (A great idea is to make the cupcake or cakes look very special so they do not feel left out.)
  13. STORING GFCF BAKING PRODUCTS: Keep your flours in the freezer or refrigerator after you open them. They tend to go stale or will go bad faster. I store mine in tight Tupperware and or plastic sealed containers. BE AWARE that bugs tend to like both gluten full and non-gluteneous flours.
  14. STORING GLUTEN FOODS FOR OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS: Keep GLUTEN foods in a separate place, optimally in a separate kitchen cupboard. I bought a separate cupboard for GF CF ingredients at the Container Store. This makes sure no cross contamination will happen.
  15. SNEAKY GFCF KIDS: Some kids will go out of there way for forbidden foods! Be careful here. Young children typically do not reach for others foods (some do, some don’t!!) If your child is going out of his/her way to get the forbidden foods you need to store them out of reach. Some families go completely GF CF to prevent this from happening. Each family is different.
  16. LAST WORDS - So... you start by diving in! The water is just fine. You will make mistakes. Except it, learn them and MOVE ON. Start with a 2 or 3 day rotation and add days when you feel OK. Take one day at a time. It is frustrating. But – so is driving on freeways.