A New Support Groups For Adults On The Autism Spectrum In The Milwaukee, WI Area

Due to a shortage of support and services for adults on the Autism Spectrum in our area, I have been involved in starting a support group for adults on the Autism Spectrum, specifically for those who have been known as having Asperger's Syndrome, although we are not sure what to call it since the diagnostic manual has nixed this syndrome in favor of lumping Asperger's into the Autism category. 

For now, it is called "Aspie United."  It is on Facebook and there is also a blog with the same title on Blogspot.  Its goal is Aspies supporting Aspies, and this will include meet-ups, Advocacy and outings.  There is some talk of starting a 501C3 and forming a way to fundraise so we can have more meeting space, and even have some kind of living arrangements for those needing to transition out of their parent's homes without going into a generalized setting that does not understand Autism that well. 

This group is an offshoot of a group for people with Asperger's Syndrome that meets at Independence First once a month on the second Thursday of the month at 6pm, in Downtown Milwaukee, WI.  The focus of this group is Independence and Employment.

One of the founders of that group is part of this new group.  The idea was to meet more often than once a month.

One of the older members took the Mentoring class at Independence First and began to mentor a younger member for a year.  This person is now mentoring another young adult for the next year.  Mentoring is encouraged to help teach what the older Aspies have learned to younger ones, hopefully so that they can avoid common problems and be more successful and less stressed-out because of having a mentor to go to.

Two additional groups have been formed, both meeting at member's houses.  The first is a planning group that is called Aspie Adventure Association.  This group will meet to plan outings and social get-togethers for the month.

This group meets the Second Thursday of the Month at 6pm.

Then there is

Biological Treatments For Autism Spectrum Disorders Support Group

Information and Support for those following a Biological Treatment Plan for Autism Symptoms.

Topics for discussion will revolve around evidence-based treatments with observable outcomes, which are cost-effective and practical for the individual to do.

Resources and referrals to experienced professionals will be available.

Specific areas to be discussed are:

Autism Research Institute's DAN protocol

Special Diets for Autism, including:

GF/CF diet

Feast Without Yeast Diet and Treatment Plan

Body Ecology Diet

Blood Type Diet

Feingold Diet

Vitamins and Supplements Recommended for Autism Spectrum and ADD

Lab Testing, and prescriptions

Other tests such as Sleep Studies, EEG's, PET scans

Removal of exposure to allergens and toxins which trigger or worsen symptoms in Autism

Shopping, Meal Planning, and Cooking

Making and keeping appointments

Questions to ask

Record keeping

An extensive Library of books, scientific articles and resources on the latest research findings with regard to the treatment of Autism spectrum disorders from a biological standpoint will be available.

Meet and talk with people who have improved following the use of biological treatments.

Third Thursday of the Month at 6pm

Note:

This group is focused on Biological Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorders only. It will not be addressing the large topic of rehabilitation therapies, such as ABA, and other educational approaches, such as Rapid Prompting Method, Floor Time, Relationship Development Intervention, Auditory Integration, Hippo Therapy, Companion Animals, and the Association Method.

However, if there is enough interest, this can be the subject of another group.

Autism Treatments Update
May 2013

My son is now 19 and still doing very well.  We are looking into getting an "official" DAN Doctor so that we can get certain kinds of labwork and try other treatments that need a prescription.  However, doing things the low-tech, inexpensive way has taught me a lot.  I do a lot of research on everything I do for my son and that saves me from having to pay a specialist to figure things out.  However, many families might prefer just paying some professional to do all the research and planning and making all the decisions on what to do next.

David is starting to date, and has been on several dates with several people.  These dates are mostly invites to birthday parties, group dates to movies and the mall, dances, a trip to a roller coaster park, and most recently, a wedding. Oh, and lots of texting and Skyping and such. 

He graduated High School at 18, with a regular diploma, having completed all the necessary coursework.  He is working at 2 volunteer jobs, practicing independence skills at an apartment (not living there) going to the YMCA twice a week, attending a Bible study group for young adults on the spectrum every Sunday, and hanging out with friends.  He is studying Geometry and English at the High School to make up for missing so much regular classwork because he used to be in Special Ed.  He recently learned soldering and took apart a Game Boy system and added a lighted screen to it.

Learning to Ride A Bike

I haven't written an update for a while, so the biggest thing we worked on since my last update was learning to ride a bike three years ago, which took an entire summer but was well worth it.  Over the years, since he was small, I was buying all different kinds of bicycles to see what he would like best, including a nearly adult-sized tricycle, but nothing really worked well.  All our ABA therapists gave it a try teaching him, but to no avail.  He would panic and jump off the bike almost immediately. 

Finally, I heard about a specialized bicycle training program for teaching children with special needs to ride, called "Loose the Training Wheels." 
http://www.lttwsew.org/index.php
"Dr. Richard E. Klein., an experienced engineer from Illinois, is the creator of Lose the Training Wheels, a training program that teaches disabled children and adults how to ride a conventional bike. Richard and his wife Marjorie travel extensively every summer to conduct camps across the nation.   With a proper environment and training with adapted bikes, children who are disabled are taught how to ride and transition to a conventional bike within a 5-day period." 
Loose The Training Wheels is Now called "I Can Shine"
http://icanshine.org/

 The program, (as with most things we need for David) was too expensive for us, so I called them and asked them some advice about what kind of bike to try.

They said to prepare for the program, they had these recommendations:

Buy a good helmet that fits well, and some
elbow pads and knee pads,

And find a bike that has

• balloon tires, 
• upright handlebars
• no hand brakes (back-pedal brakes), 
• no gears at all, 
• a "girl's" type bike that has no straight bar from the seat to the handlebars (it doesn't have to look girlish, of course)
• no basket, mirror, or anything to obstruct forward vision or distract

Remove the pedals from the bike to begin so he would just push with his feet on the ground.  Make sure the bike is short enough that he can sit on the seat with his feet on the ground.  You can lower the seat at first, and then raise it later on when he's riding.

We found a low traffic spot with a very slight incline for him to practice on.  Then when he could just barely ride, we put the pedals back on, and we went to a nearby cemetery where there was no traffic to practice more.  (He didn't take offense at the cemetery at all.)

So we did this and got an inexpensive bike from Sears in Red and White that he liked that looks very retro.

I decided that instead of arguing about going out each day to try to ride, we would simply have a ten minute bike riding practice every single day.  We even set a timer so he would know it would be just 10 minutes.  He seemed to like the consistency.  He got a prize from the "Prize Box" each time just for trying.

I keep at box at home with all kinds of stuff I am certain he will like.  (Certain is the important word, here.)

It took all summer, but with lots of help and encouragement, and often two people, running along on each side, he finally learned.

He loves his bike now.  He rode it to and from school on good weather days for the last two years.  We've finally been able to go trail bike riding as a family. This is important because bike riding is my favorite sport.

We kept the bike simple at first, but as soon as he was riding comfortably he got a bell, a mirror, lights for riding at night, padded bike gloves, a lock, and some other accessories.  He knows how to inflate the tires and lubricate the chain, and takes very good care of it. 

Bike riding is a whole new freedom for him.  Its good exercise, free fun, practical because you can get places you need to get to, more social than being inside a car, and good for the environment.  Its social in that so many people have bikes, and its something he now has in common with just about everyone.

He also learned important rules of the road for any moving vehicle.  This has prepared him for learning to drive a car, which he is now working on.  He has his temps and has been driving for about 9 months now. 

Update on GF/CF Products we really like:
In a previous post I listed our favorite pantry and refrigerator additions.
I have been really enjoying the Shaar bread products.  They are packaged so that they keep on the shelf until you need them.  I like the French Baguettes for making garlic bread with olive oil and garlic.

David has learned to make GF/CF pizza with
Organicville pizza sauce,
Applegate nitrate-free pepperoni,
Daya vegan mozzerella,
organic diced sweet red peppers, (very high in vitamin C) 
Italian Seasoning from Penzy's Spices from where he works 
and we are using plain "Against The Grain" Pizza crust.

Ener G makes gluten-free communion wafers for Church, and

San-J makes organic gluten-free single serving Tamari (soy sauce) packets I can take with us to restaurants.  I requested these from our local co-op and they finally started carrying them a year ago.

He started buying soda on his way home from school, so since he's an adult now, I eased up on our restriction against soda (because of the high fructose corn syrup which has traces of mercury in 30% of it and the food colorings and artificial flavors.)  I found an organic soda made by Blue Sky which he can have no more than one per day.  It used to be an occasional treat, but now is one of the few things I have relaxed on because he's an adult.  

The biggest change with his diet is that he finally began eating some animal products.  I decided I didn't know anybody that doesn't like bacon, so we began with nitrate-free bacon.  It took about a year to get him used to it.  Now he eats very well-cooked bacon (no fat on it) and the nitrate-free pepperoni I mentioned above on pizza.  I think he is more flexible about a lot of things now that he has been feeling better on this diet.

I don't think anybody needs to eat a lot of meat, since the Seventh Day Adventists actually on average live longer than the rest of us and they don't eat meat.  But David doesn't get enough protein yet from just a few nuts and seeds, and he still doesn't eat beans yet.  I do supplement him with sub-lingual vitamin B12.

I read a book on Enzymes for use with Autism treatment and was inspired to try them as a next step.  Both of us now take Gluten Ease digestive enzymes every time we go out to eat even if the server insists its gluten-free, because it takes care of any possible contamination concerns I have had.  I notice it most with myself, since even a tiny crumb can make me sick for hours to three days of feeling lousy.   Now I won't go anywhere without them.

.

My Concerns About Tapioca as a Gluten-Free Ingredient

 

Tapoica as a Gluten-Free Ingredient

Tapioca and exposure to Cyanide

I have a concern about the large amounts of tapioca being used in making gluten-free products. Usually, the main ingredient is rice flour, and potato flour/starch, and then tapioca plus a lesser amount of variety of other ingredients.

Lately, I have been getting a reaction from eating certain GF pre-prepared foods. It could be cross-contamination if it is in a restaurant. But my home is gluten-free. It could be that I am reacting to one of the ingredients. It could be that the flours are processed in facilities that process other white flours, and they could easily become mixed up in the packaging process, or during storage or transportation.

People with Autism are suspected of having an inherited or pre-disposed lowered or impaired ability to detoxify toxins from food and exposure in the environment. This could be from liver damage, also. This makes them more suseptible than the average person to poisoning from heavy metals like lead, mercury, arsenic, and cyanide.

The tapioca plant contains a substance that converts into cyanide in the body unless it is processed carefully to remove this substance. I am asking myself many questions:

How carefully is this process being done in America, and if the tapioca is imported, how carefully are we monitoring the tapioca for remaining amounts of this substance?

And, if tapioca has the potential to cause cyanide poisoning at all, is it safe to be used in products that are being given to people who have Autism, not to mention Celiac disease?

Here is some research I did:

Tapioca is made from the root of the cassava plant.

The cassava plant has either red or green branches with blue spindles on them. The root of the green-branched variant requires treatment to remove linamarin a cyanogenic glycoside occurring naturally in the plant, otherwise it may be converted into cyanide. Konzo (also called mantakassa) is a paralytic disease associated with several weeks of almost exclusive consumption of insufficiently processed bitter cassava. The toxin found in the root of the red-branched variant is less harmful to humans than the green-branched variety. Therefore, the root of the red/purple-branched variant can be consumed directly.

So the question is, which kind of tapioca is in a given product? I wish there was a requirement for labeling a product as to which kind of tapioca the flour is made from.

Tapioca is almost completely protein-free, and contains practically no vitamins. Tapioca is used as a thickener because it never discolors and contains no discernible taste or smell. Moreover, it never coagulates or separates when refrigerated or frozen, and it leaves baked goods (especially bread) with a white color.

Despite being a convenient and functional thickener, however, tapioca flour’s nutritional value leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, from a nutritional standpoint, it is almost worthless.

Aside from being very high in carbohydrates and therefore calories (100g of the flour contains a whopping 340 calories), tapioca flour contains hardly any fiber, fat, or protein (indeed, protein deficiency is a common characteristic amongst people living in regions in which tapioca is a staple food), and practically no vitamins save for trace amounts of niacin, a B vitamin that helps the nervous system to function properly.

Tapioca flour does contains some minerals. 100g of the flour provides us with 1mg of magnesium and iron, 7mg of phosphorous, 20mg of calcium, and 10mg of potassium. However, these are unimpressive figures. To put things in perspective, enriched white flour (widely considered to be unhealthy) exceeds tapioca flour’s mineral content in every regard, often considerably. For example, 100g of white flour contains over 100mg of phosphorous and potassium.

So tapioca flour is a poor substitute nutritionally, even for replacing processed white flour.

The cobalt in artificial _{vitamin B12} contains a cyanide ligand as an artifact of the purification process; this must be removed by the body before the vitamin molecule can be activated for biochemical use.

Cyanide poisoning occurs when a living organism is exposed to a compound that produces cyanide ions (CN⁻) when dissolved in water. Common poisonous cyanide compounds include hydrogen cyanide gas and the crystalline solids potassium cyanide and sodium cyanide. The cyanide ion halts cellular respiration by inhibiting an enzyme in the mitochondria called cytochrome c oxidase.

The cyanide anion is an inhibitor of the enzyme cytochrome c oxidase (also known as aa₃) in the fourth complex of the electron transport chain (found in the membrane of the mitochondria of eukaryotic cells). It attaches to the iron within this protein. The binding of cyanide to this cytochrome prevents transport of electrons from cytochrome c oxidase to oxygen. As a result, the electron transport chain is disrupted, meaning that the cell can no longer aerobically produce ATP for energy. Tissues that depend highly on aerobic respiration, such as the central nervous system and the heart, are particularly affected. This is an example of histotoxic hypoxia.

Cyanide poisoning is a form of histotoxic hypoxia because the cells of an organism are unable to use oxygen, primarily through the inhibition of cytochrome c oxidase. If cyanide is inhaled it causes a coma with seizures, apnea, and cardiac arrest, with death following in a matter of minutes. At lower doses, loss of consciousness may be preceded by general weakness, giddiness, headaches, vertigo, confusion, and perceived difficulty in breathing. At the first stages of unconsciousness, breathing is often sufficient or even rapid, although the state of the victim progresses towards a deep coma, sometimes accompanied by pulmonary edema, and finally cardiac arrest. Skin color goes pink from cyanide-hemoglobin complexes. A fatal dose for humans can be as low as 1.5 mg/kg body weight.[1]
Blood cyanide concentrations may be measured as a means of confirming the diagnosis in hospitalized patients or to assist in the forensic investigation of a criminal poisoning. Cyanide toxicity can occur following the ingestion of large doses of amygdalin (found in almonds and apricot kernels and marketed as an alternative cancer cure), prolonged administration of sodium nitroprusside, and after exposure to gases produced by the combustion of synthetic materials.
In addition to pesticide and insecticide, cyanide is contained in tobacco smoke, smoke from building fires and some foods, like almonds, apricot kernel, cassava, yucca, manioc, and apple seeds. Vitamin B12 in the form of hydroxycobalamin, or hydroxocobalamin, may reduce the negative effects of chronic exposure, and a deficiency can lead to negative health effects following exposure.
Exposure to lower levels of cyanide over a long period (e.g., after use of cassava roots as a primary food source in tropical Africa) results in increased blood cyanide levels, which can result in weakness and a variety of symptoms, including permanent paralysis, nervous lesions, hypothyroidism, and miscarriages. Other effects include mild liver and kidney damage.

Most significantly, hydrogen cyanide released from pellets of Zyklon-B was used extensively in the systematic mass murders of the Holocaust, especially in extermination camps. Poisoning by hydrogen cyanide gas within a gas chamber (as a salt of hydrocyanic acid is dropped into a strong acid, usually sulfuric acid) is one method of executing a condemned prisoner as the condemned prisoner eventually breathes the lethal fumes.

Cyanide poisoning is sometimes treated with Oxygen, which may explain why hyperbaric oxygen works for some children with Autism.

It can also be treated with a form of vitamin B12:

Hydroxocobalamin

Hydroxocobalamin, a form (or vitamer) of vitamin B12 made by bacteria, and sometimes denoted vitamin B12a, is used to bind cyanide to form the harmless cyanocobalamin form of vitamin B12. Hydroxocobalamin is newly approved in the US and is available in Cyanokit antidote kits.

And an antidote can be from the use of glucose and nitrites, which might explain why people in our country prefer sugary foods and foods preserved with nitrites.

Food additive

Due to the high stability of their complexation with iron, ferrocyanides (Sodium ferrocyanide E535, Potassium ferrocyanide E536, and Calcium ferrocyanide E538) do not decompose to lethal levels in the human body and are used in the food industry as, e.g., an anticaking agent in table salt.

This could be why iron supplementation can benefit persons with Autism.

I am concerned that anti-caking agents are not listed as an ingredient on food labels except as a number. For people who have trouble detoxifying cyanide these agents could be very harmful to them, adding to their total toxic burden.

Autism Topic -- Main Posting

I am the parent of a child with Autism.

I created this website for practice with keeping a blog.

I have since created another website called "Ideoforms Indications" at Blogspot to put a lot of the things I have posted in Forums and other places to consolidate them for my use. I have begun to post some information there on Autism.

http://ideoformsindications.blogspot.com

I think that one of the Forums I have regularly posted to might be closing down soon. I collect quotes and do some writing and opinion pieces and was using that Forum to do that. It was nice to have my favorite stuff in one place, but now that place is changing, and so I am copying postings to Ideoform's Indications.

Background on the Autism information on this site:
My son went through a treatment program funded through research. At one point I was asked to write down other treatments I had tried, and things I was doing to help his Autism symptoms. This is the original source of the Autism information on this site. Because its such a large amount of information, when I consult with parents and teachers about Autism treatments and what I did with my own family, I have found it easier to just refer them to this website instead of printing up everything each time. People can print out what they like, or just read it online.

I have used quotes in IEP meetings, and articles on various things I think will help someone working with an Autistic person to teach them and relate to them.

Eventually I am only going to maintain one site and will combine the two. I am linking this blog with that one, instead of moving all the posts to that site because I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

So this site has only a few of my recent items. For more information and quotes, please go to Ideoform's Indications.

What's for dinner Saturday night?

A Gluten-free choice for dinner:

In my City, Wauwatosa, we have a new Farmer's Market this summer. Organic produce, live music, fresh made drip coffee, crepes made while you watch, the very BEST apple cider I have ever tasted (I hate the taste of preservatives.) Its close to my house and we take our bikes there every Saturday morning.

Farmer's markets are my favorite places because I get to watch puppies and children and cyclists. Our market is right on a railroad track and we get to see the trains close up. It's on a beautiful scenic bike trail, and also alongside the Menomonee River, by a bluff filled with old trees that provide shade. A tiny red historical building that just was remodelled sells candy nearby, and our favorite restaurant, Noodles, is just over the bridge.

My friend Linda runs a business making naturally gluten-free Mexican food using grass-fed, hormone-free meats. She sells them at the Farmer's Market in pans, frozen, and so every Saturday all summer, this has been dinner. My favorite is the vegetarain ones with spinach and black beans.

Linda Mulholland is the owner of Cocina DeLeon. Linda's enchiladas and side dishes are based on her mother's recipes from Monterrey, Mexico. In creating her recipes, Linda took the flavors she loved growing up; lime, salsas, chiles, garlic, corn tortillas, and Mexican cheeses.

Cocina DeLeon
18900 W. Bluemound Rd., Suite 117
Brookfield, WI 53045

(414) 403-8650

Linda@cocinadeleongourmet.com

Update on what we are doing

Years ago, while searching for products to use for our GF/CF diet, I discovered that we have a place in Wisconsin, in the City of Grafton called Slow Poke's.

Slow Poke's is run by a mother who had a son with ADD and some other health and emotional issues.
She did a ton of research and changed the way the family ate.
This worked and her son is now off to college and his health is much better. She opened a store to provide information and products she had trouble finding when transitioning to this style of eating.

Its part of the Slow Foods movement, cooking from scratch, and going back to some traditional cooking and eating methods that went out of favor when people wanted the convenience of fast foods and using packaged foods. Our culture changed our diets when newer methods of preserving foods came into common usage, and even though they were improvements in food preservation and distribution, not all of them were improvements for our health. Certainly we had fewer germs, but we also lost some of our natural ability to harbor good organisms that are essential for our digestion and assimilation of nutrients from food.

The GF/CF diet which helps some people with Autism, is also part of this larger eating/cooking style.
We have been on the GF/CF diet for almost three years, and did the diet with my son about 10 years ago, but it was much more difficult for us to do back then, and so we didn't try again for a while. Now there are so many more GF/CF products available, and more support and community awareness, and that makes it so much easier this time. Who knew just trying to eat a certain way would be so difficult in life?

I have tried years ago to follow some of the additional guidelines recommended at Slow Poke's, but until my son got somewhat better it was very difficult to implement any changes, and too much change all at once was difficult. Plus, I had only so much energy myself, because I was also not feeling well at the time, and I have another child with a very different disability to care for also.

Well, we are all doing much better. I implemented the GF/CF diet for the whole family 3 years ago and within 2 weeks, my own long-standing health symptoms improved. This gave me more energy to work on refining things better for my Autistic son. My Autistic son is doing really well. His grades in high school are good, and he has friends.

So I went back to Slow Poke's, the store I mentioned above, and picked up the book that she recommends and designed her store around. I have been doing parts of it's recommendations already, but I am ready to try more of them.

The method is called Body Ecology, and it focuses on the intestinal flora and fauna that help us digest our food, along with other methods for maximizing digestion and assimilation of nutrients from food.

I decided to post what I am doing and putting updates on it. Is anyone else trying the Body Ecology method/life style? It fits well with GF/CF.

^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

So after talking with some people who have been doing this for a while, reading one of the books on it, and doing some on-line research, I have implemented these things:

* Rinsing, soaking, rinsing and soaking some more all seeds, beans and nuts before cooking/eating them.
There is a chemical that is released by any seed, nut that is meant to start growing after being planted and watered to keep fungus and from degrading too much before sprouting. This chemical can inhibit the enzymes we need to digest them.

This was the best suggestion! I have found that doing this has made all these things much easier to digest for myself, but I still can't get my son to eat beans. It certainly makes almonds much nicer to eat. I buy raw, organic almonds, and soak them in the refrigerator. You can slip off the brown "jackets" and end up with a creamy white nut that is easy to chew and tastes better than the plain raw almond.

* Individualizing for Blood Type
I was pleased to see that the Body Ecology diet recommends individualizing diet for each person, particularly based on blood type, which I have done. The hardest part of this change was getting our blood types, because Doctors don't seem to keep this information on file for anyone any more. However, it was worth doing, because I found some foods I had never tried before that were recommended for my blood type, that I now eat on a regular basis because I really like them, and I feel really good after eating them (In particular, for me this has been making black-eyed peas and turnip greens, yum! I have never tried them before.) Its like someone just knew what would give me extra energy and taste good. Because I follow the GF/CF restrictions already, it seems like its hard enough to figure out what to make for meals, and so being able to add these new foods was very helpful. (GF/CF is recommended for my blood type, so no conflict there.)

* Using Fermented and Active Culture Foods
In the past, I used acidolphus-bifidus supplements, and yogurt. But many yogurts have modified food starch added, which is often made with wheat starch. And there is casein in the dairy. I am told that one breed of cattle produce dairy that has much lower casein in it, but I haven't been able to go that far...as to finding the right cows!

* Raw Dairy
Our state is currently battling out whether to allow raw milk to be sold to consumers. The Body Ecology diet recommends raw milk products and particularly cultured products and butter made from raw milk. This is tricky to do, because if you go to a farmer in our state, (we are a big dairy producing state) you have to ask for "milk for my pet" or give some such excuse. I know of an elderly woman in my area who lost her son to a disease he got from drinking raw milk, so I know there is some risk involved. You have to know the farmer and that the cows and milk are being handled properly.

So I have tried various forms of Kefir that are available at our local co-op, and a home-made version made at Slow Poke's. I don't like the artificial sweetener they use in some of them. I like the version made from coconut milk the best so far. The raw milk ones taste the best, but probably because of all the milk fat. I noticed I gained a pound after drinking a lot of this, so I am going to cut back a little. My son likes the Kefir strawberry flavour.

Once I find a type of Kefir I like the best, I am going to try making it myself with a starter available from Body Ecology.

* Food Combining
I started doing food-combining, but this has been tricky to implement for the whole family, because right now I make one son's lunch and he loves this gluten-free bread for sandwiches (made by "Against The Grain -- The Gluten-Free Gourmet." Against the Grain's recipe is really excellent, but has a small amount of dairy.) Most sandwiches combine a starch with a protein, which is not recommended.

* Sea Vegetables
Because I was a vegan macrobiotic for a year a long time ago (before kids), I learned to use sea vegetables in cooking and so I have already been doing that, but I have increased my use again. I am going to try using them as snacks sometimes.

* Sauerkraut
I have been reading about how to make living sauerkraut, or fermented vegetables, but I just can't picture it. I have a reluctance to let anything ferment, probably my ultra-clean upbringing. (My Mother could have been Martha Stewart.) Has anyone else tried to make sauerkraut?

* 80/20
This one is tougher if you have a really tasty meal in front of you. The idea is to stop eating after you are 80% full, leaving 20% of your "room" for digestion. It helps to wait 20 minutes before even thinking about getting seconds, because that's how long it takes for the hormone that signals your brain that you are full to get to your brain.

80/20 also refers to having about 80% of your plate be vegetables, and 20% proteins.

* Cooking some things and not others
Some vegetables (and even meats, like Sushi) are best eaten raw, particularly in the summer when they are fresh and in-season. Others are best eaten cooked because they have things in them that need to be neutralized. For instance, I need to always cook cauliflower because it can interfere with my thyroid, and I am already on thyroid medication for an underactive thyroid. Fermentation helps this, too. For one thing, as far as I know, all forms of non-fermented soy suppresses thyroid function. I'm still trying to memorize the lists of foods to eat raw versus cooked.

None of these changes is as dramatic as the change to GF/CF was. The results are pretty good. I find that cooking this way so far is helping me, and my kids are still getting used to it, but haven't complained about anything so far.

Slow Poke's Local Food, Grafton, WI
http://www.slowpokeslocalfood.com/

Body Ecology Diet
http://www.bodyecology.com/

Temple Grandin Movie

Check out the movie about Dr. Temple Grandin on HBO, which is now out on DVD with commentary from Dr. Grandin.

Dr. Grandin is a successful author, designer, speaker, and advocate for the humane treatment of animals. She also has Autism.

The movie swept the Emmys.

Its worth seeing if you know anyone with Autism and want to know more about how it feels to be on the Autism spectrum.

It's also are very well made film that is fascinating to watch.

Gluten Free Living Magazine

Another great resource for GF/CF living! Nice glossy photos, recipes and helps me keep motivated.

A new magazine I just got and has some really great articles, such as:
"Children with Autism; more are following a GFCF diet."
"Safe Sips - Beverages to Quench Your Thirst"
"Tricky Triangle - Gluten Intolerance, Gluten Sensitivity, Celiac Disease"

"Gluten-Free Living Magazine; Leading the way to a happy, healthy, Gluten-Free life."

www.glutenfreeliving.com

I particularly liked the article on the tricky triangle. I think that each person in our family is different with regard to how our problems with gluten could be diagnosed.

Common Mistake

"One of the tragedies of modern times is that people have come to believe that something said by someone in the past, perhaps for illustrative or provocation purposes, actually represents that person's beliefs at the time.”

~Idries Shah