This year has been an awaking for me. Early in the year, clues started to come in about my Asperges Symptoms. That led to a good bit of research on people with similar issues. I read an interesting post at MeetTaylorMorris about ”Dairy as a Disaster“. This family took their autistic daughter off dairy products with fantastic results. It wasn’t long after, I found the ANDI article with a similar story.
It has become clear to me that there is a connection, even though several doctors claim their is no connection at all. Some articles go as far to make threats like, “Taking your kid of dairy could be dangerous!“. It almost reads like dairy industry propaganda. This whole nation has been brought up to believe we need milk or we’ll die! That’s a powerful lobby and further more; that’s a powerful lie. Even though humans like to eat a lot of cow, the milk part was intended for the calf. Human circuitry is not engineered for it.
Since doing the research a couple of days ago, I have completely shunned dairy products. I’ve begun to see immediate results:
- I have better clarity of thought.
- I’m more peaceful
- Extra sensory noises, sights still bother me, but a little less.
- I am starting to enjoy working again.
- I seem to have a much better sense of humor.
- I’ve been able to concentrate more on what I’m reading.
I am also abstaining from wheat as well because both dairy and wheat have caused me major indigestion throughout life. This is a documented problem with people on the autistic spectrum, although controversy rages onward.
You could look at the issue two ways, “The Direct Autistic (opiate) Connection” or “The Cumulative Theory“. You could say there actually is a connection or you could just say, “It’s food allergies” like the detractors say. Proponents of the idea believe in the highly controversial ”Opiate Theory“.
To me, the truth is in the trial runs. If I take myself of dairy and wheat and my Asperges symptoms are reduced, then I draw a connection. There could be a direct connection. It could be a combination of things. Asperges Syndrome drains you in the first place. Ask any Aspie and they’ll say normal social tasks take 3 times the effort as others. A food allergy would further exasperate that condition. In the latter, cumulative theory, you are trying to give yourself an edge in any way possible. Getting rid of nagging allergy issues, better helps you to deal with the social stress, loud sounds, bright light, etc.
At any rate, I think I’m on to something here.
So these days, cutting out diary and wheat provides a lot of challenges. The first couple of days were interesting, but now I see that I’m in for the long haul. Just what the hell do I eat now? The first great loss was bread. I had a ritual of eating toast in the morning and now that is gone. The replacement candidate is corn. Now, I’m keenly aware of all the things you can do with corn.
For breakfast, I’ve tried some polenta with pretty good results. It’s still a pain in the ass to cook up a batch and fry it in the morning. I still miss my simple slice of toast.
Lunches used to be sandwiches all the time. Now I have a huge stack of corn tortillas for wrapping things up in. The first couple of tries were not so good. These shells taste like complete gack when raw. I experimented with frying them up in a pan. It got kind of tedious. Then I finally came around and realized they will fit in the toaster. If you toast a corn shell to medium, they have a nice roasted flavor. Now just plop down the filling of your choice.
For tostadas, I’ve experimented with beef strips, salmon, onions and mayo. If you don’t over-toast the shell, you can wrap it up taco style. The corn shells don’t do so well for peanut butter sandwiches, but if I’m hungry enough, It tastes OK. I was very excited to tell my wife about “this fantastic creation” I just made. She kind of shrugged and said, “Yeah, that’s called a tostada.” I’m like, “Oh yeah, that’s the thing that comes on the combo plate at the Mexican restaurant.” You are usually not too interested in it. Believe me, now I’m very interested.
Dessert continues to be a problem, but I’ve found some good alternatives. With these diets high in meat and vegetables, I find a much bigger urge to finish with something sweet. Just about 98% of the desserts out there are a lethal combination of wheat and dairy products. I try to keep hard chocolate bars on hand, but most of the time I make a concoction of hot Columbian coffee, sugar and cocoa. This seems to be a nice boost of sugar and caffeine, which signals me to stop eating.
This diet is nothing new to me. Like many out there, I’ve flirted with the Atkins and South Beach “low-carb” diets. They made me feel good, but this time I hope to increase my clarity of thought and reduce the extrasensory pressures that are so common on the autistic spectrum.
(P. S. Do I get points for the BattleStar Galactica reference?)
