Can diet affect autism?

Image: Kristie Baxter

Autism is a baffling condition that has come to the forefront of medical news and research. It is characterized by symptoms which can include difficulties with speech, problems with understanding the feelings of others, sensory and visual misperceptions, anxiety, fear, and behavioural problems. The condition is being increasingly diagnosed without a known cause or cure, leading many families with autistic children to turn to dietary intervention.

The most common diets used to treat autism are the Gluten-free diet and Casein-free diet. The Gluten-free diet is most commonly used for people with Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten. Gluten is a protein found in some grains. Some people claim that children with autism are unable to digest grains easily, which can lead to high levels of gluten by-products and affect behaviour. Casein is one of the proteins found in milk and dairy products. A similar idea to the gluten theory makes the casein-free diet increasingly common.

Many parents have reported that these types of dietary interventions have improved behaviour, sleep, activity level and social interactions for their children with autism.

What the science says:

Research in this area is relatively new. Autism Canada reports that some studies have shown gluten- and casein-free diets to reduce symptoms of autism, while others have not. Also, most studies conducted on dietary intervention in autism use both casein and gluten-free diets, so we are unable to determine which dietary intervention (or both) are making the difference. However, most physicians and scientists are skeptical of the “gut-brain” connection. Recently, one tightly-controlled clinical study concluded the diet had no effect on symptoms of autism. However, the study's downfall was the small sample size. Only 14 kids were included in the study, which makes it impossible to draw a firm conclusion (see video below).

There is the possibility that improvements are a result of the “placebo effect”, in which parents see improvement even when there are none because they want so desperately to help their children. Although the science doesn’t currently support dietary therapy for autism, if a family feels it has helped their child and decreased stress on the family, who is science to say otherwise? For them, dietary interventions may hold some hope for a seemingly hopeless condition.

The downside is that these diets are extremely difficult to follow, as gluten and casein can be found in everything from food to pills, and even lipstick. These diets can also be very restrictive and careful planning must be done to ensure children are getting all the nutrition they need for growth and development. Always talk to your doctor or Registered Dietitian before drastically changing your child’s diet, or before taking any supplements.

Resources:

AutismCanada.org
Autism Society Canada
Defeat Autism Now (DAN)

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BBQ Trout with Lemon Garlic Butter

An easy, delicious, healthy and speedy summer recipe. We served it with grilled asparagus, zucchini and yellow bell peppers.

Ingredients:

10 oz trout filet
3 Tbsp Butter
1 clove Garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 tsp fresh Lemon zest
Salt, pepper, to taste.

Preparation:

Saute butter and garlic in pan. Add lemon and lemon zest and remove from heat.

Sprinkle salt and pepper over trout. Brush grill with olive oil so fish won't stick. Place trout on BBQ over medium heat. Brush fish with garlic lemon butter and cook about 2 min. Flip fish over, brush with rest of butter and cook another 2-3 min. Remove from grill and serve.

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Contest! FREE 7-day meal plan!!

Exciting news! I will be giving away a FREE 7-day meal plan to one of my followers on Twitter! That's a $200 value!!

Follow me on Twitter and retweet contest details to be entered to win. Draw will be May 31st.

Good luck!!

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Green Dining: LEAF

Nearly 2 years after the idea came to mind, Leaders in Environmentally Accountable Foodservice (LEAF) has hit the ground running. This post is less of a shameless plug, more of a proud mama bragging about her new baby. What's more, I truly believe LEAF fills an gap in the Canadian environmental industry, and is an important step in the "greening" of the country.

LEAF was started in response to a recognized need for a service which helps restaurants reduce their environmental impact, and makes it easy for diners to identify green restaurants. LEAF provides a benchmark to measure the environmental sustainability of foodservice establishments in Canada, and fosters sustainability by working with the local community to support the local economy. LEAF-certified restaurants serve local, organic food, reduce their energy and water use, use supplies made from recycled materials, reduce consumption and waste, and much, much more.

What does LEAF have to do with nutrition? 

Most consumers are becoming increasingly aware of and concerned with food additives, pesticides, and food safety because of the tremendous impact they can have on our health. As a result of this, we are shopping smarter, cooking more, eating out less, and generally taking better care of ourselves. So why is it that all that goes out the window when we sit down at a restaurant? For some of us, it doesn't. We look for wild fish as opposed to farmed, we choose restaurants that claim to purchase locally, and we opt for organic when its offered. In fact, more and more of diners are trying to make better choices when eating out. In fact, The 2010 Zagat survey reports that 61 percent of diners are willing to pay more for green products and menu items, up 5 percent from last year despite the recession? Also,

60 percent of consumers say they are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers food that is environmentally responsible.

44 percent of consumers say they are likely to make a restaurant choice based on a restaurant’s efforts to conserve energy and water.

Whether you're doing it because you care about the planet, or just your own health, choosing green restaurants is important. What most people don't realize, or at least don't really think about, is that our health is inextricably linked to the health of the planet. There's no getting around it: We can not be a healthy population on an unhealthy planet.

Dining out and the Environment: the impact

I won't bore you with stats about how much waste comes out of the foodservice industry each year, or tell you that the foodservice industry is the most concentrated user of energy than any other sector, but it's important to know that eating out has a huge carbon footprint. Food waste, excess packaging, imported goods, chemical usage, and carbon emissions all take a toll on the earth every time we eat out.  Cooking, heating, cooling, lighting and sanitation all contribute to the foodservice industry’s massive energy consumption. The good thing is that in there is a ton of room for improvement, and more and more restaurants are looking to make changes to decrease their environmental impact. You, as a diner, can help reduce this impact by choosing restaurants that are using "green" food practices. 

How to know if a restaurant is really "green":

With all the greenwashing these days, it's hard to discern what's really environmentally-friendly, and what's a wolf in sheep's clothing. It's tempting to throw our hands up in frustration, and say "forget it!". But there is an alternative. As consumers are becoming more wary of green-washing and more knowledgeable in environmental matters, they can look for companies that achieve accreditation as environmental leaders by an independent third party. EcoLogo, LEED, and now LEAF, are all examples of these symbols you can look to to know you're making a "green" choice. LEAF certification means that a restaurant has been audited and certified by an independent third-party, and has made a commitment to becoming an environmentally-friendly foodservice establishment. Look for the LEAF logo to know you're making a smart choice.

How is LEAF different?

LEAF is different from other certifications in many ways. For one, LEAF is Canadian, which means we are in touch with the needs and concerns of Canadian restauranteurs, and up-to-date with Canadian Government rebates and environmental policy. Perhaps most importantly, we believe in accountability and do not offer online or independent auditing or self-certification. LEAF certification is only available through accredited LEAF consulting agencies in Canada and is not available for online or independent certification. In addition, LEAF has a thorough and comprehensive evaluation which adequately addresses the environmental issues posed by the foodservice industry.

You can support your local economy and the environment by looking for LEAF-certified restaurants in your area. Just look for the LEAF-certification window sticker.

Want to get involved? Join the LEAF Facebook group and Follow us on Twitter. 
Contact me for more information.

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Whole wheat Vegetarian Bean Pizza

It was Meatless Monday yesterday and I was being adventurous in the kitchen. I took whatever I had on hand and ended up with this delicious homemade pizza, so I thought I'd post this recipe. We usually have at least a few meatless days each week, but I like the idea of Meatless Monday for those who are just dipping there toes into the meatless waters.

Most people wouldn't think to add mixed beans to a pizza, but it added more substance, and the herbs in the crust really make this dough something special. Between the beans and the whole wheat flour, it's a very filling pizza as well.

Ingredients:

1 cup white flour
1cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1tsp oregano
1tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil

Toppings:

1/4 cup Tomato sauce (I used basil-flavoured)
1/2 - 1 cup Shredded Cheese (I used extra old cheddar)
1 tomato, sliced
2 green onion, sliced
1/4 cup Mixed beans
2 cloves garlic, minced

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Prep:

1) Heat oven to 425°F.
2) Measure ingredients into a bowl (except olive oil and pepper flakes).
3) Stir together until it doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl.
4) Gather dough together and press into a ball.
5) Knead dough 10 times to make smooth then divide dough in half.
6) On lightly floured surface roll each half into a 13-inch circle.
7) Place on pizza pan.
8) Turn up edges 1/2 inch and pinch.
9) Brush with remaining 2T olive oil.
10) Add toppings and bake for 20-25 minutes or until it looks cooked.

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How to achieve your nutrition and health goals

Goal setting is a great tool to help you accomplish many things in life. Unfortunately, few people set goals in a way that sets them up for success. Often times, when people decide on a goal, they envision the glory at the end, and think about how great it will feel to reach that goal, without planning exactly how they’re going to get there. This is a mistake that will set you up for failure. Strategic planning, setting "mini goals", and mapping out each of the steps you’re going to take to get to your BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) are of huge importance and shouldn't be underestimated. Unfortunately, these parts are often over-looked because, let's face it, it takes work. But, if you're willing to work so hard to reach your goal, you should be willing to put in the effort to strategize. Going forth towards a lofty goal without first designing your path is like trying to find your way through an unfamiliar house in the dark. Setting mini goals also increases increases your confidence each time you achieve one, making it more likely that you'll achieve your overall goal. Here are some of the critical elements to setting and (most importantly) achieving a goal:

1) Define what you mean

It is incredibly important to define exactly what you mean and what you want to accomplish. A goal like "I want to be in shape" is vague and doesn't allow you to exactly pin down an end point. Determine how you will measure success, what will it look like and feel like? How will you know you've reached your goal? Set specific deadlines. "I want to be able to run a 10-minute mile by August 31st" gives you a concrete goal and end point.

2) List your reasons

This will be important when you’re not feeling motivated, and those days will come. Have a list of the reasons why you’re doing what you’re doing, so you can refer back to it in times of need. Don't just make the list in your head, but physically write them down, say them out loud and burn them into your mind. Make sure your reasons are true and come from you, not just reasons you think you should want to achieve this goal, or reasons other people want you to. If they're not your reasons, they're useless, and they won't motivate you.

3) Define your strategy

Think about and write down exactly what you’re going to do and, more importantly, how you’re going to do it. If your goal is to “lose 10 lbs”, how are you going to do that? What do you need to be successful? Will you join an online community for support, join a running group, hire a personal trainer or see a dietitian? What kinds of obstacles might stand in your way? What do you plan to do about these obstacles? If your plan is to ride your bike to work each day, what will you do if it rains, or you have a flat tire? Always have backup plans in place.

4) Break it up

As I mentioned, you want to break up your big goals into smaller ones. Essentially, all your small goals will piece together to achieve your larger goal. This allows you to have set times to re-evaluate the process, what’s working and what’s not? Did you achieve your mini goal? Why or why not? What do you need to do differently for the next mini goal?

Also, break your strategy down further, and again, really push yourself to BE SPECIFIC. It’s easy to say “I am going to exercise 5-6 times per week”, but how will you achieve that and what will it consist of? If you sign up for a yoga class 3 days a week, what will you do the other 2 or 3 days? Find activities you enjoy and plan your schedule around them. 

5) Be realistic

It's great to have a BHAG, but keep it within reason. Setting unrealistic goals is one of the biggest reasons that goal-setting fails. This goes for your BHAG, as well as your mini goals and your strategy. If you haven't exercised in 10 years, it's not likely you're going to jump into a hard core workout program 5 days a week without paying some price, likely injury or burnout. Maybe your first mini goal is to workout twice a week, and work up to 5 times a week by the end. 

5) Remind yourself

This is another important aspect of success, and ties in with your list of reasons you wrote out (above). Place reminders on your iPhone, computer, daytimer - anywhere you look often - so that your goal is always front and center, and any decisions you make will be with that goal in mind.

6) Reward yourself

Finally, don’t forget to include things to stop yourself from going crazy. Determine how you will reward yourself for achieving each of your mini goals and your final, bigger goal. It doesn't have to be anything big, but you should take a moment to pat yourself on the back.

Use these tips and you will reach your own goal in no time!

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Pasta & Bean Salad

This is a really easy, fast, healthy and delicious recipe... what more can you ask for! I like this dish because it's warm and feels like a real pasta dinner, without being quite as heavy. Feel free to play around with the spinach to pasta ratio to make it a even lighter dish.

Ingredients:

6 cups spaghetti (cooked)
4 cups packed baby spinach
1 can of mixed beans (540mL)
1/3 cup pesto sauce
1/4 cup tomatoes, sliced
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Toss all ingredients together (except cheese), mix well. Sprinkle cheese on top and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

This recipe was adapted from Compliments magazine.

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Healthy Sweet & Sour Pineapple chicken

This isn't your Chinese take-out sweet & sour chicken, but it's just as good and MUCH healthier. This recipe only makes enough for 2, so you may want to double, or even triple it. B liked it so much he was licking the plate (I wish I was joking).

Ingredients: 

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large chicken breasts
1/2 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup pineapple
2 tbsp cornstarch

Preparation:

Heat oil in skillet. Add garlic and onion and saute until soft.

Add paprika, tomatoes, black pepper, carrots and red pepper. Heat for 5 min, stirring occasionally.

Add orange juice, soy sauce and honey. Stir until comes to a boil.

Add chicken to slow cooker, pour tomato mixture on top. Add pineapple.

Cook for about 4 hours, until chicken is easy to pull apart.

Move chicken and veggies to the side.

Whisk cornstarch in 1/4 cup cold water, add to slow cooker. Add green pepper and cook until tender, about another 15 minutes.

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Fitness Tip: Signs of overtraining

This is a guest post from Vancouver Personal Trainer Virgil Isaacs from Kalev: Personal Training

Overtraining is a physical, behavioral and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual’s exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness. Overtraining is a common problem in weight training, but it can also be experienced by runners and other athletes.

A common misatake among many. According to some “experts” overtraining is a mistake amongst all. Others will tell you its merely imposible to overtrain. Clearly the line sits somewhere between the two extremities, and as with every matter concerning the human body, crossing that line is different for every individual. Here are some indicators:

Energy Levels- One of the most common and embraced benefits of working out is increased energy! Sure, maybe not RIGHT after your workout are you gonna feel at your greatest, but during your regular moments throughout the day you should feel more “alive”! When you wake up in the morning, arrive at work, cook dinner…these are some of the moments during which you may, or should, be feeling like you have an extra hop in your step. Be careful, though, not to mistake low energy levels as a result of overtraining when in actual fact you could be just plain ol’ lazy! As you advance in your fitness, you will discover your body and be able to distinguish between the two.

Strength Gains- Pretty simple…. If you’re training for strength, you ought to be getting stronger. If you’re not getting stronger, there’s something you’re not doing right. Overtraining could be that “something”. Ensure your muscles have enough recovery time both inside and outside of the gym.

Bodyweight- You can look at this from two angles. If you’re training to build mass, and….you’re not building mass!, you could be overtraining. Take your time using progressive overload, but don’t OVERload. You’ll tire your muscles out to fast, and they’ll need much more time to recover and progress. If you’re training to lose weight, and….you’re not losing weight!, you could be overtraining.

Again, take your time. You’re body needs to be tricked into losing weight. You’re body tends to “fight” whatever change you’re trying to give it. If you train to hard, or diet to hard, you’re body will say “f@ck off!” and try to hold on to whatever it is you’re trying to deprive it from.

Speak to your personal trainer to find out if you’re on the right track to your fitness goals, and look for the proper signals that indicate you are training at optimum intensities.

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Is it OK for kids to follow a vegan or vegetarian diet?

In the past, vegetarian and vegan diets were associated with being a hippy. Things are changing, and plant-based lifestyles are becoming more and more mainstream. Many vegetarian or vegan parents have strong beliefs and are choosing to raise their children with the same diet and lifestyle. As a parent, this is completely logical. Who wants to be cooking two separate meals?

As you may know from my vegan experiment, vegan and vegetarian diets vary in terms of what foods are allowed and what foods are not, and can fall anywhere from quite liberal to extremely strict. Should kids be on a restricted diet at all? What risks are involved with these types of diets for kids?

One of the biggest risks with these diets are nutritional deficiencies. Depending what types of foods are restricted, children (and adults) may be put at risk for deficiencies. Because children have higher needs for growth, they are more at risk than their parents.

First off, we have to separate vegan and vegetarian. Vegetarian diets may or may not include eggs, dairy, and even fish. Because of this, some vegetarian diets are nutritionally complete. The less restrictive the diet, the more variety of nutrients that diet can provide.

Vegan diets are much more restrictive because they eliminate any foods of, or containing, anything of animal origin. This includes meat, dairy, eggs, and anything with traces of animal product as an ingredient.

These diets are high contenders for a potential deficiency in B12, calcium, iron and other nutrients. Vegan kids will need a lot of high Calorie foods like nuts, nut butters, seeds, beans, and vegetable oils to make sure they’re getting enough Calories and protein for adequate growth.

There are many benefits to these diets and they can be very healthy. For one, they eliminate a lot of processed and high calorie foods that we don’t need. Secondly, they are often high in plant-based foods which provides a diet rich in vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants, and low in Calories and harmful fats.

The key to following a vegan or vegetarian diet successfully is planning and knowledge. Knowledge of what nutrients are in which foods, and planning a variety of foods to make sure you get enough of each. Again, this is particularly important for vegans due to the highly restrictive elements of the diet. It’s a lot of work if done properly, but it can be done. If you’re not able to or don’t want to spend the time to plan properly, I wouldn’t recommend this diet for you or your kids. Alternatively, you can visit a Registered Dietitian to get help with planning.

This post was adapted from my original post for My Family Nutrition.

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What parents should look for on a Nutrition Label

Here's a post I wrote for My Family Nutrition:

Since nutrition labeling became mandatory in 2005, many people have started to take advantage of this extra information and be proactive about their health. As a parent, reading labels for yourself can be confusing enough. You might look for things like sodium for your high blood pressure, or fat content for your waist line or cholesterol levels. But should you be looking for different things for your children? This partly depends on the age of your child. Do you know what to look for on a nutrition label for your kids?

For children, there are certain nutrients that are of concern:

Sodium (salt): young children (under the age of one year) are not recommended to have foods that are high in salt (such as deli meats) because their kidneys aren’t fully developed and extra sodium puts extra stress on them. Unfortunately, many processed and packaged foods are very high in salt, including snack crackers and soups. For young children it’s best to limit their intake of processed and packaged foods.

Fat: Unlike adults, young children should not be on a low-fat diet. Children under 2 should be drinking full-fat (3.25%) milk and eating full-fat yogurt. As children get older you can switch them to lower fat dairy products. However, just like adults, intake of unhealthy fats (saturated and trans) should be limited. Try to avoid trans fats from processed and packaged foods altogether.

Fibre: Whether it’s adults or kids, fibre is always a good thing. High fibre foods fill you up faster and slow the release of sugar into the blood, which helps control hunger and blood sugar levels. Fruits and vegetables are always high in fibre. For cereals and other foods, look for 3-4g of fibre per serving. However, if your child has a small appetite, fills up easily, or is underweight, you may actually want to limit high fibre foods in favour of getting your child to eat more Calories. Speak to your physician or dietitian if you are concerned with your child’s growth or appetite.

Iron: Iron is especially important for young children under the age of one and those that don’t like a lot of meat. Iron will be listed as a percentage daily value (DV) which can make things confusing. If you’re child doesn’t eat a lot of meat, look for high iron foods with more than 15% DV for iron. Good non-meat sources of iron are: iron-fortified cereals, beans (kidney, pinto, navy, etc) and lentils, such as chickpeas.  

Sugar: Excess sugar intake in children and adults can lead to unhealthy weight gain. Many processed and packaged foods have tons of sugar added to them. Check the ingredient list for words such as “high-fructose corn syrup”, “glucose”, “sucrose”, and “syrup”. These words mean “sugar”. The best way to avoid added sugar is to cook as much as you can from scratch, but sometimes convenience foods win out. When grocery shopping, look for items where sugar is not in the first 5 ingredients on the list.

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Veganism: The end

It's finally here, the end of the vegan experiment. Well, truth be told, the end came a bit early.

Following a vegan diet wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I never really felt deprived or like we were restricted to surviving off vegetables alone, although, after about a week I did really start to miss dairy. Never thought I'd say this, but I've been taking skim milk for granted all these years.

The thing about veganism is that it's not automatically a healthy diet. That is a misconception. Like meat-eaters and vegetarians, vegans, too, have to put effort into making healthy choices. As a vegan, it would be  easy to live of a diet of refined carbohydrates and high-fat foods, but certainly not healthy.

If you want to avoid processed foods while eating vegan, which is what we tried to do, it means a lot of cooking from scratch. It's not hard to find delicious, healthy vegan recipes, but all that cooking takes a lot of time and effort. Not something that's easy for everyone.

If you want to be the lazy vegan and opt for processed foods, it means a lot of label reading and an extensive knowledge of all ingredients. It often means going to different grocery stores to find what you need. For these reasons, I found it more annoying than anything. If I didn't feel like cooking, it meant a lot of extensive searching to find foods that fit the bill. Even many vegetarian foods you'd think would be fine (such as pasta sauce), often have some sort of animal by-product added for flavouring or as a preservative. B claimed he hadn't been in a good mood since we started the experiment, and I felt no different (for better or worse). After about two weeks, it got to the point where it felt like more of a self-imposed inconvenience than anything else, and thus, the vegan experiment came to an end.

So, with the click of my mouse I unsubscribe from my vegan blog subscriptions. Although some of the foods were delicious, I don't think I'll be making any of them any time soon. From now on, the only regular vegan meal in my diet will be breakfast. My ritual of natural peanut butter and whole wheat toast is always vegan (unless I have coffee with milk :) ).

The only way I can see a vegan diet being worthwhile for someone is:

1) if they have a strong ethical reason for following this lifestyle, or
2) if they truly feel being vegan has benefited their health in large some way.

Failing that, I think it would be hard for anyone to find the motivation to follow such an inconvenient way of eating. For those who do follow a vegan diet for one of those reasons, or any other, and are able to do so with healthy foods and get all the nutrition they need, I commend you. It's not easy.

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