Autism Recovery Story: Dr. Katherine & Brooke Reid
Dr. Katherine Reid is a mother of 5 and a PhD biochemist. Her daughter Brooke was diagnosed with moderate autism at age 3. She had no eye contact, she was unable to play with other children. She was expressionless. She couldn't have a conversation with anyone, all she could do was repeat words she had heard. She couldn't answer questions. She had sensitivity to light and sound.
Dr. Reid enrolled her in a special school, and in ABA therapy, but things didn't change for the better. Soon she began researching the impact that food has on the brain.
She started Brooke on a 3 phase recovery program.
Phase 1 included Nutrient Supplementation and detoxification. She gave Brooke multivitamins, Magnesium, Vitamin D, Probiotics, Omega 3's, B Complex. She put all these supplements in a morning smoothie along with vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and herbs. Giving her the smoothie was hard, but she drank it. Eventually she replaced the supplements with whole foods. She still gives Brooke this smoothie today. (To view the smoothie recipe she gives Brooke look below). Within days, Brooke had more eye contact and started responding to her name.
Three weeks later Katherine started her on phase 2: the Gluten Free Casein Free Diet. They did this for 6 months. As she explains, when milk is pasteurized (processed by food manufacturers) fat is removed and the protein chains become free, in essence increasing free glutamate in the body. The same goes for gluten, the way grains are processed today (steel milling) frees the glutamate in the protein chains, stimulating allergic reactions.
They did the GFCF diet for 6 months. Her social skills improved and communication opened. But she still wasn't able to play using her imagination. Her sensory perception problems were still there. And she had repetitive behavior. She would go through abnormal tantrums for hours on end. These tantrums were putting the family under tremendous stress.
Since she had seen improvements with diet change, Dr. Reid decided to investigate further as to what in Brooke's diet could be causing this abnormal behavior.
She began researching MSG, a common additive added to many processed foods. She discovered that there were over a million publications connecting various illnesses and glutamate dysfunction. Glutamate is an amino acid which plays an important role in the body. But there are different forms of glutamate. Most of the glutamate found in nature is in bound protein form. That means it gets digested slowly by the body. MSG (monosodium glutamate) is free (unbound) glutamate; it's a single unbound amino acid. MSG gets digested very quickly, it bypasses the digestive process.
Bound glutamate can be processed by the body. MSG, on the other hand, is incredibly toxic to the body in high amounts. Free Glutamate (MSG) can be found in tiny amounts in (a fraction of a percent) many natural whole foods. But when it's used as an additive, MSG (free glutamate) can be found in many processed foods in incredibly high amounts (at 5, 10, or 20%). MSG is added to foods as a flavor enhancer. Processed foods which contain MSG, flood the bloodstream with free glutamate contributing to all sorts of illnesses: digestive disorders, ADHD, eczema, autism, Type 1 &2 diabetes etc.....
Phase 3 involved Reducing Free Glutamate (MSG) in Brooke's diet. There are over 50 ways food manufacturers label MSG in foods for example: gelatin, natural flavors, citric acid, hydrolized oat flour, soy protein, maltodextrin, yeast extract. Since MSG is disguised under other names, if your food label contains an ingredient that you don't understand or that you wouldn't stock in your kitchen, don't buy it. There is a popular saying "if you can't pronounce it don't eat it."
So, for Dr. Reid it meant cooking everything at home from scratch for her daughter. From the minute they implemented this diet, Brooke's behavior improved. She never again had a crazy tantrum. Soon, she was kicked out of special ed school because she was too advanced! Brooke is no longer on the autism spectrum. She is fully recovered.
To watch Dr. Reid's amazing TEDx Interview click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL4SD5f2toQ
To find out more about Dr. Reid visit her website www.unblindmymind.org
Author's Note: In my opinion, the problem with gluten and casein can be solved or at least alleviated by drinking fresh unpasteurized or minimally pasteurized goat's milk (pasteurization destroys the structure of milk), and by eating only stone ground bread. Steel mills grind grains at high heat destroying the molecular structure of the grain. Stone grinders on the other hand, grind at low heat, preserving the molecular structure of the wheat grain.
Detox. Detox. Detox. Detoxification helps the body remove toxins to achieve optimal brain & body health especially for autistic children.
Dr. Reid's Detox Smoothie for Children:
Green's are great for detoxification. These smoothies are full of leafy greens! A Vitamix or a high powered blender is recommended for smooth consistency. Only use organic vegetables and fruits.
Ingredients: Cucumber, dill, parsley, fennel, cilantro, oregano, raw pumpkin seeds, fresh ginger, coconut, walnuts, almonds, kiwi, strawberries, apple, tangerine, nectarine, wheatgrass, red kale, dinosaur kale, and carrots, collard greens, orange, pear, melon
Dr. Reid's Basic Smoothie: 1 orange, 1/3 cup almonds, 3 big leaves red kale, ice, add water to achieve desired consistency. Blend
Dr Reid's Variety Smoothie: 1 orange, 1/3 cup almonds, 3 big leaves red kale, 1/4 apple, bit of lemon juice, melon, 3 strawberries, bit of mango, 1/2 kiwi with skin, 1/3 nectarine, cucumber, pinch of dill, 1/2 cucumber, 1 carrot, handful of collard greens, 1/2 pear, 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, dinasaur kale, coconut meat, fresh cilantro leaves, ice, add water Blend and Enjoy!
M.P. Geulah's Detox Juice
Ingredients: 1 Fuji or Green Apple cut into strips, 2 kale leaves, 3 cups spinach, 6 swiss chard leaves, romaine lettuce, a bit of cilantro leaves or you can buy an organic green spring mix and juice with an appl . Make sure you add a lot of greens- that's where all the nutrients are (the apple is just for flavor). Juice the apple along with the greens, otherwise the greens won't juice well. Juice and enjoy!
