Childhood Nutrition with Autism Spectrum Disorders and ADHD-Part II

In my last post about childhood nutrition, I wrote about the more commonly researched dietary issues associated with neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and ADHD. Parents, even if you only work with a few of the modifications discussed, you may see a substantial change in your child's behavior. The research still isn't completely conclusive, but making dietary changes has no side effects, so why not give it a try?

Today I want to discuss an article that Dr. Frank found recently which can allow parents to delve a little further into nutritional modifications for the children they love. For children who do not respond as favorably as desired to the more well known dietary restrictions (wheat, dairy, preservatives, dyes, etc.), this may be the next step. The Great Plains Laboratory has evaluated a few of our patients for us, and children with autism came up with having high levels of oxalate. High oxalates are associated with elevated levels of yeast in the system and have been classically identified with kidney stones. It is possible to manage yeast with antifungal drugs, but it also may be managed with diet and probiotic supplementation.

The foods which are labeled as high in oxalates are:
Drinks
- Dark or "robust" beer
- Black tea
- Chocolate milk
- Cocoa
- Instant coffee
- Hot chocolate
- Juice made from high oxalate fruits (see below for high oxalate fruits)
- Ovaltine
- Soy drinks

Dairy
- Chocolate milk
- Soy cheese
- Soy milk
- Soy yogurt

Fats, Nuts, Seeds
- Nuts
- Nut butters
- Sesame seeds
- Tahini
- Soy nuts

Starch
- Amaranth
- Buckwheat
- Cereal (bran or high fiber
- Crisp bread (rye or wheat)
- Fruit cake
- Grits
- Pretzels
- Taro
- Wheat bran
- Wheat germ
- Whole wheat bread
- Whole wheat flour

Condiments
- Black pepper (more than 1 tsp.)
- Marmalade
- Soy sauce

Miscellaneous
- Chocolate
- Parsley

Fruit
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Carambola
- Concord grapes
- Currents
- Dewberries
- Elderberries
- Figs
- Fruit cocktail
- Gooseberry
- Kiwis
- Lemon peel
- Orange peel
- Raspberries
- Rhubarb
- Canned strawberries
- Tamarillo
- Tangerines

Vegetables
- Beans (baked, green, dried, kidney)
- Beets
- Beet greens
- Beet root
- Carrots
- Celery
- Chicory
- Collards
- Dandelion greens
- Eggplant
- Escarole
- Kale
- Leeks
- Okra
- Olives
- Parsley
- Peppers (chili and green)
- Pokeweed
- Potatoes (baked, boiled, fried)
- Rutabaga
- Spinach
- Summer squash
- Sweet potato
- Swiss chard
- Zucchini

Obviously, this can create a problem for parents because it removes many of the foods we turn to when we remove gluten and dairy, and children with neurodevelopmental problems often have taste and texture issues as well. Don't give up! Start by limiting how often you use the foods on this list in the same meal (ex: don't use spinach, carrots, and zucchini together). This list seems to exclude a lot of foods, but there are plenty of others out there which are still excellent for your child. We have also seen that it IS POSSIBLE to heal gut dysfunction in many cases, and you may be able to add foods back in after addressing permeability issues.

If you don't want to tackle this by yourself and need someone to help you along the way, schedule a nutritional consult with Dr. Frank!

Yours in health,
Dr. Chelsea

*Any health topics that are covered should not be considered medical advice. If you have specific questions please contact your doctor or make an appointment with us. You should check with your doctor before making radical dietary changes, particularly if you have heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or are pregnant or nursing.*

Childhood Nutrition with Autism Spectrum Disorders and ADHD-Part I

In our office, we welcome, celebrate and nurture children! If you haven't seen Dr. Holstein's daughters in the office, you definitely haven't been in for a while! Dr. Holstein and I are both very passionate about working with children, and we both have had training in specifically evaluating, diagnosing, and correcting pediatric spinal misalignments. Chiropractic adjustments for children and infants are much more gentle and look very different from adjustments required for adults. In our tiniest patients, we don't use more pressure than you would to touch your eyelid!

It is important to note that (as so wonderfully written by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association): "The purpose of chiropractic is to find and reduce stress and interference to the nervous system, allowing the person to experience greater function and an overall improved quality of life."
That being said, here are some of the conditions that have been researched in conjunction with chiropractic care for pregnancy, infants, children, and adolescents by the ICPA:

• Abdominal Pain   ( 1 Article )
• Acid Reflux (GERD)   ( 1 Article )
• ADD/ADHD   ( 12 Articles )
• Asthma   ( 22 Articles )
• Ataxia, Dizziness and Visual Disturbance   ( 1 Article )
• Autism, Behavioral and Learning Disorders   ( 15 Articles )
• Bed Wetting   ( 10 Articles )
• Bell's Palsy   ( 7 Articles )
• Birth Abnormalities   ( 1 Article )
• Birth Trauma   ( 2 Articles )
• Blindness   ( 1 Article )
• Blood Pressure/Hypertension   ( 12 Articles )
• Brain Function/Emotional Health   ( 26 Articles )
• Breastfeeding Difficulties   ( 9 Articles )
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome   ( 16 Articles )
• Cerebral Palsy   ( 2 Articles )
• Childhood Diseases   ( 2 Articles )
• Chiropractic: Efficacy, Safety and Satisfaction   ( 18 Articles )
• Colic   ( 14 Articles )
• Common Cold   ( 6 Articles )
• Constipation   ( 3 Articles )
• Crib Death (SIDS)   ( 7 Articles )
• Crohn's Disease/Colitis   ( 3 Articles )
• Ear Infection (Otitis Media)   ( 25 Articles )
• Epilepsy/Seizures   ( 11 Articles )
• Erb's Palsy   ( 4 Articles )
• Facial Symmetry   ( 1 Article )
• Female Concerns   ( 5 Articles )
• Fever   ( 2 Articles )
• Growing Pains   ( 1 Article )
• Headaches / Migraine   ( 26 Articles )
• Immune Function   ( 13 Articles )
• Infertility / Inability to Conceive   ( 12 Articles )
• Injury   ( 4 Articles )
• Mind, Body, Spirit   ( 1 Article )
• Motor Tics   ( 1 Article )
• Neck Pain   ( 5 Articles )
• Pediatric Care   ( 2 Articles )
• Pregnancy and Adjustments   ( 12 Articles )
• Quality of Life / Wellness   ( 15 Articles )
• Respiratory Function and Breathing Ability   ( 19 Articles )
• Satisfaction, Cost, and Safety of Chiropractic   ( 21 Articles )
• Scoliosis   ( 10 Articles )
• Sinus and Respiratory Infections / Sinusitis   ( 5 Articles )
• Skin / Eczema / Psoriasis   ( 3 Articles )
• Sleep   ( 3 Articles )
• Speech Disorders   ( 3 Articles )
• Spinal Health   ( 7 Articles )
• Sports Performance and Chiropractic   ( 4 Articles )
• Stuttering   ( 1 Article )
• Thyroid   ( 4 Articles )
• TMJ Syndrome, Dental Health   ( 6 Articles )
• Tonsillitis   ( 5 Articles )
• Torticollis   ( 13 Articles )
• Tourette's Syndrome   ( 2 Articles )
• Tremors   ( 1 Article )
• Vision Problems   ( 4 Articles )
• Webster Technique   ( 7 Articles )-for pregnancy

If you have been into my office lately, you probably have read this sign. The statistic came straight from the CDC (Center for Disease Control)!

I will write more about ADHD in detail another day, but right now we're going to take a look at some specific thoughts about nutrition.

First and foremost, there is an growing database of research in the medical community suggesting that dietary modifications, particularly the removal of certain foods, are important in the treatment of ADHD and Autism Spectum Disorders (ASD), as well as seasonal and chronic allergies.

The most commonly discussed foods are gluten (from wheat), casein (from dairy), food coloring, and monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Recently, additional foods have been identified as irritants, including soy, corn, aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, and food preservatives such as benzoates, nitrites, nitrates, sulphites, sorbates, BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), EDTA (disodium ethylenediamentetraacetic acid), bromates, carageenan, chlorines, sodium erythrobate, and many others.

The bottom line is, if you can't pronounce it, it more than likely should not be in your food.

For any parent, these modifications may seem daunting at first, particularly if you are accustomed to eating the standard American diet. The good news is The Frank Clinic of Chiropractic is here to help! Our doctors and staff try to eat clean whenever possible, so we are familiar with shopping, cooking, and even dining out around these restrictions. If you haven't yet read any of the recipes on this blog, check them out! Something you would like to see or need help with? Post a comment below or send us an email.

The key is to make small, consistent changes every day which will add up to a significant change in your family's overall health. You have the power to change your family's future, let us help you get started!

Yours in health,
Dr. Chelsea

*Any health topics that are covered should not be considered medical advice. If you have specific questions please contact your doctor or make an appointment with us. You should check with your doctor before making radical dietary changes, particularly if you have heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or are pregnant or nursing.*

21 Day Sugar Detox Adventures

21 Day Sugar Detox Adventures

For those of us who have grown up in colder places, November means warm blankets, hot beverages, boots, football, and eating to compensate for calories lost to shivering. Comfort food comes out of its summer hibernation, starches and breads abound, and every recipe calls for butter. Going outside requires bundling up and is not always worth the added effort, so it is much easier to sit inside. Of course, when you're sitting inside, the pantry is much closer, and you have to be sure that no one slipped poison into the fresh batch of cookies. Obviously you must taste all of them just to double check.

November in Florida is very different from November up north. The sun still warms the land to 80 degrees most days and the evenings generally don't dip below 50. You may still find yourself by the pool Thanksgiving weekend (we did!). And yet there is still the temptation to delve into warm, calorie-rich foods, because that's what you do in late fall.

I eat fairly clean to begin with, but my sugar intake is definitely over my recommended daily allowance. Even worse if I include grains and starches as sugar sources, because they are quickly converted to sugar in the body. If all my meals are at home and they are all gluten free, sugar still makes it into every meal I eat. Eating out is significantly worse; food distributors of all kinds add sugar in ways you can't begin to imagine, because it is part of what makes the food delicious and keep us wanting more. It seems like everyone I know complains of gaining 10 pounds over the holiday season, not surprising given that increased sugar consumption decreases the intake of nutrients your body needs for survival as well as contributing to weight gain, according to a 2013 CDC study. So not only are you gaining weight, but your body also isn't getting nutrients essential for health. Do you think that factor and immune suppression from stress might contribute to the increase in flu cases around the holidays?

Five of us decided that this year, our sugar cravings were not allowed to rule the holidays. No more submission to the siren calls of the gingerbread men. No more being enslaved by our food.

Dr. Frank, Laure, Kristina, Jessica and I all elected to participate in the 21 Day Sugar Detox challenge starting November 1st. Everyone selected the level of the program that was right for them, and some diets were stricter than others, but we all made it through the 21 days. And...

...We. Had. A. Blast! 

Everyone had an assigned day to make lunch, so we only each had to make lunch once during the work week and we were able to try a wide variety of different recipes! We were surprised to find how many delicious things we could make without sugar, even Pumpkin Pancakes! 

We lost a combined total of 28 pounds!

One participant said:
"My personal experience with the 21 day sugar detox was hard in the beginning but I must say it did get easier after the third day. The reason I wanted to do the detox was to decrease my dependency on sugar. Very often I would depend on a sugar snack to fulfill my cravings for a boost of energy when feeling down, tired or simply bored. I felt that by the second week of the program my cravings were gone. I also noticed that I lost about 10 pounds during the program. The easiest was to complete the program was to have a meal plan in place and during the program be surrounded with people that are going to be supportive and encouraging."

These were Laure's thoughts:

"This past November, the good Dr. Frank and I decided to dedicate 21 days to a sugar free life. When we spoke about it at the office, we were very excited that 3 other office members wanted to join us. I had half halfheartedly participated in the 21 day detox in the past, but this was the first time I fully dedicated myself to follow the program through to the end.  With the encouragement and interaction of our staff members I felt confident that we would all have success!

We all familiarized ourselves with Diane Sanfilippos' 21 Day Sugar Detox manual and cookbook and chose recipes to share with the group. I feel her manual is extremely well written; detailing “the science behind cravings, sugar crashes”, tips on what to expect during the program, meal planning and great recipes for nutritious, delicious meals appropriate for the whole family.

I expected to deal with cravings during the program and truly I did. I had to keep myself out of the kitchen, finding things to keep myself busy until they passed. One of the pearls I came away with was the concept that we were resetting our taste buds. An example is that during the program the only “sweet” foods allowed are 1 green tipped banana or 1 green apple per day. In the beginning, the apples tasted somewhat sweet/tart to me. Much more so than a golden delicious or a fuji. At the end of the program the green apple tasted so sweet and delicious and fruits such as strawberries tasted like they had been dipped in sugar! So not only was this “resetting” of the taste buds a concept, but a true reality!

During the detox I slept better, had no digestive disturbances of any kind, had little or no swelling in my joints (could sugar do that?) and lost 5 pounds. I was ecstatic about all these results and felt I learned a lot about how my body reacts to sugar, and how I needed to re-arrange my lifestyle to limit sugars for good. I will say that I have indulged here and there over the holidays and visits with family etc. but I have kept away from refined foods primarily, and have been careful to watch my quantities of fruits.

I'm happy to do this challenge again anytime I feel like I've gotten off track or someone else needs the support. Cheers to a happy, healthy, sugar free 2016! Laure Frank"

Another participant said:

"Definitely I don't enjoy sugar the way I used to before the detox. I don't put it in my coffee anymore and I don't crave it as much. My clarity is much better and I am not as sleepy as I used to be during the day. In the first few days I struggled with cravings and had headaches while my body was weaning itself off sugar, then they went away. I know I lost at least 10 pounds! I still haven't returned to eating as much sugar as I used to and I'm more conscious, especially watching out for added sugar and sodium in the regular products I buy at the grocery store. I'm also keeping my drinks to coffee and water, I completely cut out soda and I have tea infrequently. When I do, it's half sweet, half unsweet to cut down the sugar. I would do the detox again, it certainly wouldn't hurt!" 

I noticed that I did best with the detox when I supplemented with one serving per day of a gluten free, sugar free baked good like my popovers (recipe to follow soon!) or quinoa. My body is so addicted to grains that it became overwhelmed at times when I had too much fat, and needed the carbohydrates to balance it out. What that actually means is I probably should have detoxed longer, and it's a great reason for me to jump back into it. My absolute favorite part about the detox is I really was able to enjoy eating healthy fats such as avocado and coconut daily. And I was able to eat bacon more often! It was obvious that when I had a sugar craving, I needed more protein and/or fat instead and I felt significantly better and felt satisfied longer than if I would have had a sugary snack. My downfall over the holidays was being at home with family and falling into old patterns.

So why am I writing about this now, months later? It's April and we are heading into beach season. Now is an amazing time to say goodbye to bad habits, lose some weight, and start fresh for spring! If we do another detox in the next month, can we count on you to join us?

Call the office at 813-788-0496 so we can embark on this journey together!

If you have Diabetes, are pregnant or are nursing, you should not begin a diet without first consulting with your doctor. 

Any health topics that are covered should not be considered medical advice, if you have specific questions please contact your doctor or make an appointment with us.