Autism And Our Eating Habits

This lasagne was in my freezer (now in the bin) most of the ingredients are recognisable, but this small portion is high in salt, sugar and fat, which will be hydrogenated, see previous post.

"To better adress the explosion of autism, it's critical we consider how unhealthy diets interfere with the body's ability to eliminate toxic chemicals, and ultimately our risk for developing long-term health problems like autism"
-Dr David Wallinga

I spent ten years working in special needs education and of all the gorgeous children I worked with, the burning question was always: why are some children born with special needs?

Many of the children I worked with had an autistic spectrum disorder, studies have shown that in the 1980s around one in 2,000 children had autism, in recent years this changed to one in 150, however, autism has steadily risen and today it is estimated one in 68 children has ASD. Getting to the cause, or causes of autism is proving difficult.

Some evidence suggests a variety of environmental triggers as a cause or contributing factor to the development of ASD. Pesticides or pollutants that have built up in the environment and vaccines are areas of concern. The immune system functioning of the mother is under investigation as to whether this plays a role in the child's development of autism. And while some evidence suggests that genetics play a role in autism, 90% of cases are still a puzzle to the experts.

In yesterday's post I wrote about trans fats which are just the tip of the iceberg! Processed foods contain phosphates and GMOs which have been linked to many health problems and are prolific in processed food. Excess consumption of these poisons can permanently alter the composition and function of our intestinal flora. Our body processes natural foods completely differently than it does refined, processed and heavily modified

We know that foods high in trans fats, sugar and chemicals are directly linked to negative emotions and consequently behaviour, so, are our eating habits affecting our unborn children? Unfortunately mass food production is a global money spinner and it seems that our health is of little consequence in the grand scheme of things.

Jamie Oliver has been a trail blazer with regard to junk food and our children's health, he's taken on the government, food manufacturers and fast food restaurants such as McDonald's! But we as as a society have to stop being the unwitting victims of being drip fed a cocktail of chemicals.

This is a highly controversial subject, it certainly is debatable and I am not one to shy away from controversy if it is for the better good, it's certainly food for thought!

'If we're not willing to settle for junk living, we certainly shouldn't settle for junk food!'
-Sally Edwards


Love Donna xxxxxxx