Variations

[Guest guest]

Hello. We´re new with the diet, but we´ve been through quite a few

things previously. My son, 12, is autism spectrum. His sister has

tried SCD for digestive problems and was very happy with it. The

Pfeiffer Center has recommended it for us, as a preliminary step.

Naturally, as anybody would, we have a million questions after reading

the book and the web site. But for the moment:

-- How strict this diet should be? I´m seeing mixed signals. What

sorts of variations have caused the greatest adverse reactions?

Obviously, all diet regimes have to adapted to individuals´ medical

conditions, problems, allergies. But we're trying to figure out where

the pitfalls might be, especially in an autism case. The blunt use of

" illegal " v. " legal " makes me very nervous. There is a vast difference

between jayalking on a country road to help a friend across the way

and committing a premeditated murder.

To give an important example -- has anybody in autism spectrum had a

clear reaction to things like the inulin in a capsule (e.g. Culturelle

GG) or, say, the filler in methylcobalamine powder?.

-- Given that all the experts we know have strongly discouraged the

idea of yogurt or cheese or any dairy (beyond ghee) at this stage,

we´re worried about adequate carbohydrates and possible health damage.

A biochemist friend, who is deeply involved in autism issues,

expressed deep concern about it. A fairly prominent herbalist today

suggested that small -- repeat, small -- amounts of brown rice

(rotated with other products) would be useful. The diet seems to

recognize that SOME complex carbohydrates, at least those in most

vegetables, are OK. It´s fuzzy about the specific issues that make a

complex carbohydrate good or bad. If taking a fair amount of a complex

carbohydrate in a vegetable or nut is ok, albeit with caution, why is

a minute amound of inulin illegal?

-- The issue of sweeteners. I wish there was a more sophisticated

explanation on things like xylitol and stevia. Xylitol, for example,

is double-blind proven to have anti-bacterial qualities in saliva

(hence the use in toothpastes, etc.). The book says stevia is suspect

because its structure seems to resemble that of a steroid. And that

means. . . . what, in terms of the gut issues?

We are committed to trying this diet, in a very serious way. The basic

ideas seem enormously logical.

Many thanks for any help.