I agree that the GFCF diet is well worth a try. We started it several years before we picked up that dad is intolerant of gluten and mom is intolerant of dairy so he is a perfect mix of both of us. We also steer clear from as many colorants, preservatives and processed foods as much as possible. Not only were we able to help my son grow out of the excessive weight gain caused by taking Risperdol but his other Bioink therapy is affected if he has a lot of sugar, colorants etc. It takes some effort to prepare most of our meals from scratch but we have even got my son involved in this now as he will load the vegetables into the steamer and get that going while we handle the more delicate cooking. It was the best day ever when he helped bake our first gluten free, dairy free cake using coconut oil and he could "lick the bowl" knowing all the ingredients were safe for his consumption.

Please consider reading this: http://www.lifewiidopen.com/#!Gluten-Free-Diet-...

The first step you should take it speaking with your child's pediatrician, getting allergy testing done, testing for celiac disease and getting in contact with a unbiased nutritionist. A healthy diet is great for anyone!

There are going to be people who absolutely swear by the GFCF diet. And then there are others who have attempted it and see zero results. I have stated this before (and everyone yells at me for it) but you're more likely to see improvements in children who have GI problems or certain food allergies. This is proven. I would do a lot of research on this diet before you jump into it and not rely on hearsay alone. It may or may not work for your child. But before make a dramatic change to their diet, I would strongly suggest discussing it with their doctor and during the duration of the diet, have them checked on regularly by their pediatrician.

In my opinion, it would be better to swear off unhealthy foods and stick to a more natural and healthy diet. Avoiding sweets, sodas, juices high in sugar, fast food, fried food and milk products (this I agree with, tell you why in a moment). Eat a lot of raw fruits and veggies, use a steamer to replace pan frying, make homemade fruit snacks in the oven or with a dehydrator. Never eat ANY farmed fish (always only fresh wild caught). I did the GFCF diet for quite awhile with my son. He showed absolutely no signs of improvement, my wallet was thinner and he actually ate less because his diet is already so restricted (the "bread" is horrible tasting and dry... he couldn't eat it, we gave it to our chickens). But what I DID notice is when I removed sugar from his diet (the exception being natural sugars found naturally in foods like fruits and veggies) and stopped giving him processed foods (aka hot dogs, chicken nuggets, etc) and stopped allowing greasy foods... his hyper activity went way down, he slept better, he wasn't as gassy and bloated and began having more regular and less painful bowel movements. And he eats bread like it's going out of style.

Regardless, milk isn't as healthy as they lead you to believe. We'd all be better off not drinking milk. The problem isn't that we don't exactly digest it well and need to drink MORE. Actually, MORE is even more harmful. Cows milk acidifies in our bodies and the only way for our body to fight off this acid in our blood caused by cows milk is to draw calcium to neutralize it. It takes this calcium from our bones. In other words the very thing cow's milk is supposed to "help" it's actually destroying it.

A marriage of Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) has worked very well for us.

I am not suggesting anyone STOP. Just that anyone who is considering the diet take the appropriate steps before and while doing so.

And of course, not to be afraid to admit when it does not work. It does not work for everyone. She asked for input from those who have tried it and if it was "good". Like with any diet, for any reason, it needs to be strict and stuck to for at least 60 days before you begin seeing any type of results. Within 6 months you will know if it has any effect on your child.

Unfortunately, some people are too closed minded to see that it doesn't work for everyone, and for those of us who it did not work for, we still have a right to give our side of the story, too...

And having the backing of a pediatrician before taking on such an extreme diet is a MUST. GFCF diets lack many essential vitamins that will require supplements in the right dosages. You cannot simply rely on a multivitamin to fill this void as the multivitamin generally is for people who still receive good doses of these vitamins in their daily diet. It mainly just gives you a boost in areas that may be missed. Such as potassium, we could eat a few bananas a day, but we're all probably lacking it in our diet and a multivitamin helps fill that void.

Vitamin B6, B12, D, Calcium, Iron and Folate tend to drop in people on a GFCF diet. It's even worse for people with food allergies and/or sensory sensitivities while on the GFCF diet (which is a big chunk of those who are on the diet related to an autism diagnosis) as they tend to shy away from many foods (especially sea foods and nuts) that can easily make up for what the GFCF diet lacks.

As an example, very few foods contain natural vitamin D. Some fish probably has the highest amount, and the smell keeps many at bay, sensory related or not, fish isn't something everyone will enjoy. A single egg yolk only contains 10% of the recommended daily dose of vitamin D. So you'll need to back it up with Vit. D fortified foods (which is easy when you're not on a GFCF diet) but otherwise, you'll have to really look for it in juices and supplements.

Again, I highly recommend first speaking with your child's doctor and if you're able to, get a nutritionist involved.