Why is there a difference of opinion between GF/CF and SCD regarding dairy ?

[Guest guest]

Why is there a difference of opinion between GF/CF and SCD regarding

dairy ?

GF/CF bans all dairy, whereas SCD permits certain kinds of cheese and

24 hour yogurt. Many people on our list have found that their ASD

children do best with non-cow dairy products, such as goat and sheep.

Goat yogurt, that has been fermented for 24 hours to completely rid it

of any lactose, is tolerated by many ASD children, and so are the

recommended types of goat and sheep cheeses, which are all

pre-digested by being aged more than 6 months. In addition, the proper

fermentation of cheese and yogurt breaks down the casein structure of

milk*, making it more readily tolerated.Why then are these foods

banned by GF/CF?

To better understand the difference of opinion between GF/CF and SCD

regarding dairy , it is helpful to read the thoughts of psychologist

Bernard Rimland, co-creator of GF/CF. He was instrumental in making

GF/CF the diet for ASD. ' book, " Special Diets for Special

Kids " , the official book on GF/CF, gives the reader insight into why

Rimland formulated this diet. Rimland wrote the forword to the first

version of " Special Diets for Special Kids "

In the foreword Rimland cites two main examples that convinced him

that cow milk was detrimental for ASD. The first example tells about

an American family who moved to a remote part of Northern Canada where

only reindeer milk was available. Under these circumstances, their

autistic daughter greatly improved. When they went back to the USA,

the daughter's severe autism returned. To quote Rimland:

" The answer: the autistic girl could tolerate reindeer milk but not

COW'S milk! "

This demonstrates that cow milk was the culprit. Other types of dairy

were not necessarily problematic since reindeer milk was tolerated

without any problems by the child with severe ASD. It is clear from

this example that Rimland believes that reindeer milk is fine for some

people with ASD. Why then was reindeer milk or goat milk not part of

GF/CF?

At the time that GF/CF was formulated as a treatment for Autism there

was no research on the effects of non-cow dairy products on autism .

Since so few kids in the US drink reindeer or goat milk no one paid

attention to the fact that the casein in reindeer and goat milk is

different from the casein in cow milk in a very important way; it is

much more absorbable. Also at that time there was little research

money for ASD to further research this matter.

We have even heard reports from the adult SCD list of parents in the

Middle East using camel milk for their casein-sensitive children

without any problems.

The second example that Rimland cites for banning milk is the book

" Fighting for Tony " , by Callaham This book describes how Tony

overcame severe autism by avoiding milk. Tony's mother noticed that

Tony could tolerate cheese, but not cow milk. Why then did Rimland

exclude cheese when formulating GF/CF, despite the fact that the book

" Fighting for Tony " influenced him?

One reason may be this: the fact that Tony tolerated cheese is buried

in a book that is mostly a family's memoir. Tony's mother hardly

mentions the cheese issue; it is a minor detail mentioned only once

when she describes Tony's refusal to feed himself. Rimland, a very

busy man, probably had no time to read the entire book, so it is

likely that he skimmed through that particular section and missed that

detail. I myself had read the library copy of the book long ago. I

decided to order a used copy to refresh my memory. It turned out that

not only was the cheese detail easy to miss - it was almost impossible

to find. I finally located it on page 85.

Another reason for the cheese ban might lie in the fact that

individual children's tolerance for cheese is a complex issue. Dr

Haas,the originator of the SCdiet, found that some kinds of cheese are

not tolerated by those with digestive problems. Then there is the fact

that some children with ASD cannot eat cheese made from cow milk, only

those from other animals. In addition, a small minority of ASD kids

cannot tolerate any cheeses at all until their gastrointestinal tracts

have been healed by the SCD diet, and might need to be on SCD for a

while before they can tolerate any dairy cheese. So maybe the cow milk

intolerance issue was simplified by banning all dairy.

Some of the children on our list cannot tolerate regular store-bought

yogurt but can tolerate homemade 24 hour goat yogurt. When GF/CF was

formulated, there were no ASD children who were were eating the

homemade 24 hour goat yogurt, so no one thought about making an

exception for it.

The children on our list start out implementing SCD without any dairy.

A few weeks later, they have the option of trying the 24 hour goat

yogurt. A small number find out that they still cannot tolerate

yogurt. They will need to wait to try it again until further healing

of the GI tract takes place. But for most kids it goes very well.

It is not a big risk to try the 24 hour yogurt. Unlike gluten which

stays in the body many months after ingestion, casein leaves the body

after about 10 days. The most common symptom of intolerance is a

stuffy nose. Many children on our list who start out SCD without dairy

find out that their healing speeds when they introduce the 24 hour

yogurt. Yogurt, properly made and fermented for 24 hours, is a super

food with many great healing properties. The advantage of SCD is that

it gives you the choice of whether to include cheese and yogurt in

your child's individualized diet.

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*THE PROCESS OF MAKING YOGURT ALSO CHANGES THE CASEIN

When we make yogurt and the pH falls to about 4.5 rather than 7.1 or

7.2 (as in fluid milk), the proteins are denatured. This means that

because of the acidity, the proteins lose their 3 dimensional

structure (sterochemistry), the reason allergists worry about casein.

In yogurt and in naturally made and aged cheeses, the casein is

denatured into a two-dimensional structure which is less likely to

cause allergic reactions.

Elaine Gottschall

Update on the latest scientific research on the dairy debate.

The Jyonouchi research article says that :

" Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently reveal

various gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms that may resolve with an

elimination diet along with apparent improvement of some of the

behavioral symptoms "

The eliminated foods were: " gliadin, cow's milk protein (CMP),soy... "

So it is obvious that Jyonouchi says that the DAN leadership is right

about its ban on cow dairy.

The Jyonouchi article also vindicates SCD.It says that this

intolerance to cow dairy is caused by endotoxin, a product of the gut

bacteria.

Our list recommends that ASD children wait at least 2 weeks before

starting GOAT yogurt.This gives them time to get rid of the endotoxin.

Moreover,a big percentage of our children cannot tolerate cow yogurt.

We even need to have a starter made with goat milk for our goat

yogurt. Most goat cheeses found in the supermarket are not OK.

Our list only recommends SCD type GOAT yogurt(fermented for 24 hours

and started with the right probiotics) and certain rare GOAT cheeses.

Our list bans 99.999% of the available dairy. The DAN leadership was

right about our children and dairy.Only the ASD children who follow

SCD can have dairy.

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I wrote this ages ago,I hope you find it helpful. I have been on the

SCD lists that have a ASD majority since those lists began. The SCD

yogurt has been a great success if done right. Sometimes there is a

die off reaction and there is a small majority of kids who cannot

tolerate it but the bad reaction stops after a few days.

Most of the list members do not even try the yogurt...what a shame

because it has miraculous results with kids with autism.

Mimi