It was not so long ago that autism was believed to be a hopeless problem; there was not even the consideration of the possibility of recovery. But in recent decades a number of dramatic improvements and recoveries have been achieved with autistic children. Some children have responded to consistent, persistent physical stimulation; some have responded to patterning; some have responded to auditory therapy. In the continuing search for underlying causes the importance of food allergies and sensitivities and chemical sensitivities has begun to be considered with increasing interest. There are reports of dramatic improvements involving the avoidance of glutens and gliadins, avoidance of caseins, and supplementation involving biochemical interventions.

One of the strategies to definitely consider is whether food allergies or sensitivities and the accompanying chemical sensitivities could possibly be underlying causes of your child’s symptoms. It has been suggested that the underlying cause of autism-related symptoms may be food sensitivities in as many as 40-60% of children (Baker, 1995). This means that food allergies and sensitivities should at a minimum be given careful initial consideration for every autistic child.

The potential importance of evaluating food allergies or sensitivities and the accompanying chemical sensitivities is increased when one considers that multiple causes may frequently be involved. Food allergies and sensitivities can be completely avoided by changing the foods one eats, and thus it is relatively easy to eliminate food-related problems. When this is accomplished first, other contributing factors, if present, will be much more easily discerned and addressed.

In addition food allergies, sensitivities and intolerances can express their effects in myriad ways that result in substantial alterations of biochemical processes and interference with the body’s ability to absorb and assimilate nutrients from food. This causes a ‘chicken or the egg’ type dilemma, ie, which comes first, the malabsorption and/or biochemical imbalance or the food sensitivity?

When dietary intervention is accomplished first, many food-related causes of altered biochemical functioning can be eliminated and the body will finally have a chance to function in a normal way. Then it is appropriate to consider whether biochemical imbalances remain. Generally the problems that remain are small, if any. And again when dietary intervention is accomplished first, other contributing factors, if present, will be much more easily discerned and addressed.

So then how does one determine whether food allergies, sensitivities, intolerances are important for your child? The list below provides some important clues to look for.

In general, food-related problems are multi-systemic. In other words, food related problems generally effect more than one system of the body. Even if autism-related symptoms are present, there generally should also be other body systems affected in some way on occasion. Food reactions give a unique, almost finger print-like reaction patterns that are generally unique to each food, even though the differences may sometime be subtle; however, because foods are usually eaten frequently, the symptom patterns merge and can almost become constant expressions. They still generally involve multiple systems of the body.

In my experience over the past 18 years of work with food allergies and sensitivities in family groups, food allergies and sensitivities tend to be inherited and can be tracked through several generations in many families.

These and other issues listed below should be considered in determining whether you believe food allergies, sensitivities or intolerances may be a contributing underlying factor in your child’s autism.

If the answer to one or more of the above is true for your autistic child, then dietary intervention to determine the importance of food allergies, sensitivities, or intolerances in your child's autism could be life changing.

The second step is deciding what approach to take. The alternatives to consider are a blizzard of confusing and conflicting approaches that are about as varied as there are persons with opinions and suggestions. The section below offers some assessments and suggestions to consider.

When food is the problem, food is the solution. Although this statement is absolutely true, and its simplicity clearly and directly suggests the obvious answer, achieving this goal is often made unnecessarily difficult by the plethora of conflicting goals, strategies and beliefs. Many of the most common of these are listed below:

Goals:

Strategies:

Strategies for identifying problem foods:

Strategies for Nutrition - Nourishment:

Beliefs:

Is it any wonder that figuring out how to effectively address a food allergy problem is so difficult and confusing?

We suggest that the goals listed above are wrong. Although of course symptom relief is desired, the more important goal is the elimination of the problem. When foods are the problem, the goal has to be to find foods that do not cause the problems. Eating as many of the 'old foods' as possible, although they are familiar and comforting, are foods from the very group causing the problems and must be avoided.

Goal: Eating only foods that are completely well tolerated (causing no symptoms) in optimally nourishing combinations for as long as it takes for the immune system to return to normal function.

With this new food allergy avoidance goal clearly stated, the inappropriateness of many of the strategies becomes quickly apparent. Accomplishing this new goal relies including only truly well tolerated foods in a diet, the ones that are as totally 'good' for the body as the previous foods were 'bad'. It is widely accepted that the food allergy testing strategies are not as accurate as would be liked, so how does one find the well tolerated foods? The simplest strategy is to select foods from the foods that are the most likely to be well tolerated (these are exotic roots, the most hypoallergenic carbohydrates in the world, as well as meats and vegetables from unusual and uncommon sources), and then include them in a rotation diet of so many days that any foods that do happen to cause problems can be identified and eliminated. Simultaneously, these foods are eaten in the absolute best combinations so that all of the body requirements for calories, carbohydrates, fats and proteins are met, thus providing the optimal nourishment of a lifetime. Finally waiting, and giving the body time to recover, while feeling great as you go.

Strategy: Rotating only optimally nourishing, body friendly foods
selected from unusual and uncommon sources in balanced food combinations in at least a 7-day rotation plan while avoiding all other environmental exposures to achieve total food and environmentally-related symptom relief for at long as it takes.

This strategy is simply not possible to achieve with a belief system based on compromises. Relief needed by the immune system is complete; it is extremely important to find ways to eliminate all triggers causing the immune system to over react; only when this is achieved can the immune system begin to respond more normally. It has to, because it does not have anything to react to!

Belief: Expect to achieve total symptom relief from symptoms caused by foods and environmental exposures.  Know that this is possible to achieve. Expect that if this is achieved consistently, for a long enough period of time, eventual recovery from food-related sensitivities is a very real possibility.

III.
A Personal Example of Trials and Triumph

The goals, strategies and beliefs that are so fundamental to the approach and philosophies of the Special Foods Diet were developed during a desperate search for foods for the infant son of the founder of Special Foods when he was desperately ill, suffering from extensive, severe food allergies, sensitivities and intolerances. This story is told here because the baby suffered not only from severe physical symptoms but also neurological effects that were obvious even as an infant. Neurological symptoms included extreme hypersensitivity to sound, motion, light, and touch, extreme terror from even mild stimuli; active avoidance from stimuli such as trying to burrow beneath the arms of people holding him; disturbed sleep and wakeful patterns. It was if I was watching my son's brain being destroyed right in front of me! Please view this story in several ways: as an illustration of the improvement possible with the right dietary intervention, as an example of how ill a person can be and still recover completely, and as a narrative telling how the underlying principles were developed, how they were and can be implemented, and how important they are in creating the opportunity for successful dietary intervention.

'When my son was 5 months old, he was discharged from our local hospital, essentially to die from his extensive, severe food allergies and sensitivities. Knowing he had reacted severely to each food that had been offered, they tried to soothe my fears with the words, 'somewhere in the world there are foods your son can tolerate, and we know you will find them'! I realized that the only one standing between my son and almost certain death was me!

I wished for the right foods in a hurry. Because there was very little time - literally - I wished for, not the familiar foods closely related to the foods that already made him so ill, I wished for the foods that would be absolutely the most hypoallergenic foods in the world! The foods the least likely to cause his problems, the foods that would agree with him so completely, that it would be like a sigh of relief to his body.

Where were my chances the best? What are the foods with the highest probability of being well tolerated? I reasoned, I now know correctly, that the best chances would be with foods that were totally unfamiliar and preferably from entirely new and well tolerated food families.

So I made a list of every food that had been fed to the baby, his reactions, and classified the foods into food families. Then I crossed each of those food families off of my list of possibilities, and did not consider that food family again.

Next I made a list of the food families that were left. Then came innumerable trips to grocery stores, gourmet shops, and ethnic markets, simply looking for anything. I had my best results in ethnic markets where I would wander the isles, pick up strange things, ask a customer to tell me the name of the food in their language and write it out for me. I then went to the library where I translated the words into English, and classified them into food families. I then selected the ones to try that came from new food families. If he reacted to any of these foods, I eliminated the entire food family.

The good news is that I slowly began to find foods that worked, and I mean really worked well! As soon as I found a few well tolerated foods, I based the baby's entire diet on them, and within four days, ALL of his symptoms disappeared.

While my son was feeling well, no, wonderful, I began to work quickly to exploit these few food families by finding many foods, not just one from each of the new food families I had found. For example, I learned that sweet potato leaves are edible, and that the leaves of most exotic roots are edible. From sweet potatoes alone, your can have green, orange and white vegetables to eat. Similarly, virtually every part of the lotus water lily is edible.

Although I worked hard to provide variety in a rotation diet, so many vitamins and minerals and enzymes would be included in the diet, I followed the accepted wisdom, that children should be allowed to follow their own instincts. I relied on what I was told, that children on their own would eat until satisfied, and would eat all they needed.

Well, this was just not true. In frequent pediatrician checkups, the doctor became alarmed as the now toddler slipped farther and farther behind in the growth charts in both height and weight. He was happily satisfied with a few bites of food and was much more interested in playing with the other children. I realized that on rotation diets where few foods are available, it is very easy to eat far less than the body needs.

Back in the library I worked with nutritional guidelines and translated them into daily quantities (pounds) of the basic macronutrients, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins the child would have to eat every day to meet his basic needs for calories. I learned first hand that balanced quantities of carbohydrates, fats and proteins were essential. Too few calories results in stunted growth and being too thin; too much fat produces rotund children who are too short; too little protein may cause bruising.

So I learned that the right foods alone were not enough. The very best foods, from the very best food families had to be rotated and absolutely had to be eaten in well specified quantities and with an optimal balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

It was when I began achieving all of these simultaneously, that I watched with wonder the amazing blossoming of health in my son, that I realized that there just might be hope for recovery. I could tell that my son, in spite of being so horribly ill, had achieved a 'zero point'. He was truly experiencing no symptoms at all, and you could see the health and vitality returning and increasing.

I vowed that my goal for my son would be to see him leave home for college without having to consider diet or sensitivities at all. I reasoned that if I took him off of his diet too soon, or if I started introducing closely related foods, or if I juggled foods, for example, one meal every 6 weeks is okay, but two meals every six weeks gives him problems, that he would likely always be ill. So instead, I stayed with the good diet, and waited. I watched him grow up as a pillar of health in the community! Everyone else got the colds!

Once or twice a year, we would gingerly let him try something and would track the symptoms. At first the reactions were severe and prolonged, lasting over four days. Gradually over the years, the reactions got shorter and shorter and less and less in severity. And the disturbing neurological problems? They disappeared four days after we changed the baby's diet, and never returned!

The day did come when we could not tell a difference between his well tolerated foods and his old foods that used to make him so ill. We waited two years after that, and then began slowly expanding the diet. As the foods were added, we watched for signs of viruses, infections, congestion, food cravings, anything. We saw absolutely nothing, and it quickly became clear that his immune system had become normal in virtually every way.

No we did not have to wait his entire childhood, the process, although gradual, was actually much faster than expected.

Although rotation diets are not new, it is the combination of expanded rotation of only well tolerated food families simultaneously accomplished with the optimal nourishment obtained from the foods and allowing enough time for the body to heal, that represents the important difference between long term gradual worsening of health and achieving the long term improvement and eventual complete recovery that so many have now achieved with this method.

Although the basic philosophy was devised from the urgent struggle to save the life of one severely ill child, it was used to fashion a protocol and framework that could be applied to others in many circumstances, and has now been successfully used by many individuals over the last 18 years. The possibility of actual recovery is not commonly encountered elsewhere regarding food allergies and sensitivities. We are proud that so many have gone on to careers in business, finance, theater, and the home without having to give a thought to their foods. And the children? Well, they just grow up!

I remember a frantic call from a mom who had worked so hard with her son. She called, worried about her son, who was eating standard 'teenage' foods away from home. When asked, she realized that absolutely no symptoms were occurring and absolutely no indications of possible symptoms were occurring nor had been occurring for months. I was pleased to remind her, that this was the moment she had been working toward since he was five years old, when he had been so severely ill with extensive food allergies!

What we learned, and have now shared with so many, is the fact that not compromising on foods at all, not compromising on macronutrients at all, and not compromising on time at all is almost always just what the body needs to relieve the burden on an overworked immune system, and to make possible the slow, steady and continual improvement in immune function as the immune system begins to return to normal, that makes complete recovery a very real possibility.

The best and quickest way to find out just how much of your child's problems are related to food allergies, sensitivities or intolerances, is to temporarily (we recommend five weeks) place your child on a diet of unusual foods and uncommon foods that your child has never eaten before - the Special Foods! Diet. After the initial period you will have a very good idea of just how many of your child's problems are food-related. If after five weeks without a slip-up you notice no appreciable change in your child's condition, then you may be able to reasonably conclude that this is not the answer for your child.

We strongly recommend that you use the Special Foods! Diet for the following reasons:

1. The best reason is stated above -- this is a way to quickly find out the benefits (in terms of improvement of symptoms) you are likely to obtain by making major dietary changes. After five weeks you will be able to decide whether the improvement is worth the effort in your case.
   
   
2. It is difficult to determine all of the foods that cause adverse effects in a child. The problem with existing food tests is the occurrence of numerous false positive and false negative results. Also some symptoms are subtle and the effects are difficult to discern. For these reasons, one cannot know the complete set of problem foods for a child.
   
   
3. A diet of unusual and uncommon foods is much more likely to be free of problem foods and all of the associated symptoms. This is because, in general, an individual will not react immediately to a new food, even if the person could eventually become allergic to that food, it usually takes a while for a reaction to begin to occur. By carefully rotating foods, by optimizing caloric intake and by balancing carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, emerging new sensitivities can be avoided. In addition the carbohydrates that are the mainstay of the diet are exotic roots that have been found to be the most well tolerated foods in the world; these are the foods most likely to cause no symptoms at all.
   
   
4. The Special Foods Diet will temporarily eliminate some foods that are eventually found to be just fine in order to eliminate virtually all problem foods and obtain an all-important zero-symptom baseline for a child. This zero-symptom baseline represents not only the absence of and complete relief from all physical problems associated with foods the child has been eating, but also will represent the complete elimination of all food-direct effects on autistic behaviors. This is generally achieved in the first 5-7 weeks of the diet. When the zero symptom baseline is achieved, the importance of dietary intervention to a child's autistic state can be assessed. At the end of the initial 5-week period, common foods can be carefully reintroduced one at a time. In this way it will be possible to determine those common foods that also cause no symptoms and add them back into the diet.
   
   
5. The alternative, eliminating a few foods from a regular diet, is generally confusing and frustrating. This is due to the fact that with this approach, problem foods remain in the diet. It is virtually impossible to determine the additional problem foods that should be removed, so problem foods remain in the diet. On diets such as this, there is generally a partial improvement in symptoms; this partial improvement is real. However, over time, the improvement does not last. The foods causing minor or subtle symptoms are invariably eaten more frequently because they have replaced the eliminated foods, and due to the increased frequency of consumption the child becomes more sensitive and the symptoms intensify. Then a new set of foods is generally eliminated; again, for the above reasons, the child becomes more sensitive and the symptoms intensify. This roller coaster cycle of improvement and decline is heartbreaking to parents, especially when they realize that because of their well-intentioned efforts, the child has become more sensitive than he or she was when they began.
   
   
6. When a diet includes both new well-tolerated foods and problem foods, an individual is much more likely to develop sensitivities to the new foods. The best way to guard against developing sensitivities to new foods is to include only well-tolerated foods in the diet, to optimize calories and nutrition and to rotate foods. By following this approach the risk of developing new food sensitivities can be greatly reduced.

We strongly recommend the Special Foods! Diet as the best, fastest way to know the improvement possible in your child from food-related changes in diet. You may wish to discuss this approach and its appropriateness for your child with your doctor or other health professional.

The Special Foods Diet is the first step in a three-step program intended to eliminate symptoms caused by food allergies and chemical and environmental sensitivities.  The Special Foods Autism Intervention Program is designed to give results quickly, avoiding the costs of waiting years for results.  The Special Foods Autism Intervention Program is a highly effective program guided by counselors who are able to work intimately with participants to identify cause and effect relationships between sensitivities and behavior patterns and physical effects.  This analysis is done in order to completely eliminate food-related reactions and environmental sensitivities that in many cases are at the root of autistic and PDD symptoms.  For most children, five weeks is all that is necessary to determine if the Special Foods Autism Intervention Program is an appropriate treatment for your child.

The Special Foods Autism Intervention Program is a comprehensive program aimed at achieving the quickest and most dramatic results for participants.  The initial phase of the Program involves placing participants on a strict diet, the Special Foods Diet, in order to eradicate all food-related symptoms.  In addition to providing direct symptom-relief, the purpose of the Special Foods Diet is to reduce the number of symptoms and change the child's familiar patterns so that any remaining sensitivities can be easily observed.  Once parents report additional observations our experienced counselors perform cause/effect assessments, verify the nature of the sensitivities, recommend techniques for complete elimination of exposure, and identify additional areas of related exposure. The last step of the intervention involves an assessment of symptoms and a gradual reintroduction of foods in order to maintain a zero-symptom level while expanding the child's diet.

The fees for the program are all-inclusive, the costs for the consultations are included with the price of foods, the weekly assessment consultations are essential and are designed to guide you and your child through the entire program. These assessments are invaluable as they help solve any problems with compliance and assist with complicated issues. These consultations are designed to provide assistance and guidance over a six-month period giving parents and participants the opportunity to raise concerns and seek any help they may need. The specific guidance previously mentioned is so critical to a successful dietary intervention that the Special Food plan is simply not available without these consultations.

When you sign up for the Special Foods Autism Intervention Program Special Foods counselors will work immediately and directly with you to design a plan tailored to your child's specific food related needs and preferences.  The Special Foods Diet will require an initial financial commitment of five weeks and the diet will consist of carbohydrates obtained from Special Foods, in addition to meats, oils, and vegetables from outside sources. 

After the first five weeks you will reach a decision point.  If you have noticed improvement we will continue with diet and environmental assessments.  If no improvement has been noted and there is no evidence of other causes prohibiting improvement, we will suggest that you look in another direction for the most effective treatment for your child.  There are some autistic children for whom food is not a problem.  However, many parents and professionals within the field do not realize the array of reactions possible as a result of food sensitivities.

Step 2: Environmental Exposures

With the removal of food reactions, many autistic children begin to exhibit the symptoms of chemical sensitivities.  Many parents are surprised to find their child reacting to gas fumes, shampoo, detergents, bath water or molds.  It is not until the food sensitivities have been eliminated that these sensitivities become apparent.  As part of a total Autism Intervention Program, our counselors will guide you in developing avoidance strategies for these environmental sensitivities.  The time period immediately following the first five weeks is the ideal time to address these issues.  For some autistic children these exposures are few.  For others, the effect of environment is as profound as the effect of food.  While keeping your diet constant (you must have consistency of diet to evaluate environmental changes) we will provide expert assistance and assist in problem solving in order to provide an accurate assessment of symptoms.  The length of this step depends upon the level of environmental problems.  During this time period it is essential to hold the diet steady.  During this step many families have a better idea of what foods their child likes and what to stay away from and tend to become accustomed to the Special Foods plan.

Step 3: Dietary Expansion

The Special Foods Diet is intended to be a relatively short-term dietary intervention.  When the food and environmental triggers have been eliminated the child will reach a zero-symptom point.  It is at this point that all direct effects from and environmental exposures are no longer occurring; and the quiescent period begins, followed by a period of rapidly accelerated learning and reintegration. 

During this step we will slowly and carefully direct the introduction of other foods into the diet.  With the help of the Special Foods Staff you will select foods likely to maintain a zero-symptom level.  The end of this step is the development of a long-term sustainable zero-symptom diet.  For most children this diet consists of a combination of more common foods and unusual foods.  The longer the zero-symptom level is maintained, the more improvement in overall well-being is possible.  The expanded diet represents the set of well tolerated foods available for a person and is maintained indefinitely.

Costs:

In comparison to a lifetime of specialized treatments and medications, the Special Foods Diet has a low cost and high benefit ratio. For approximately the same cost as other treatments you not only benefit from a specifically tailored diet, but also from the support of counselors experienced in guiding participants and families to achieving dramatic symptom reduction and quality of life improvements. Yet, your only costs are the costs for food.  We will send all of the carbohydrates for the first five weeks at one time- allowing your child the maximum in variety  The meats, oils, and vegetables will be purchased separately.  Their cost depends upon the sources available, but is generally a small fraction of the cost of the carbohydrates.

After the first five weeks of the program many parents have become accustomed to the new foods and are able to reduce costs of the foods by doing their own food preparation from flours and associated baking items. In addition, Special Foods gladly includes recipes with all products.  As discussed in Step 3 after full analysis of food and environmental sensitivities participants work with Special Foods counselors to begin a gradual dietary expansion. The benefits of expansion are that the diet becomes more varied and much less expensive. This allows your child to maintain a zero symptom level and continue the Special Foods plan for the long term.

The Special Foods! Diet

The Special Foods!^TM diet is a simple, fast way to determine the maximum benefit in terms of symptom relief that is possible to achieve from an elimination diet, while at the same time optimizing nutritional content and minimizing the chances of developing new food sensitivities.

Table 1 below is the Special Foods Diet. It is a gluten-free, casein-free, sugar-free, yeast-free, 'everything-free' diet that is based on the most well tolerated, hypoallergenic carbohydrate foods in the world--tropical roots. These complex carbohydrates are also very high in soluble and insoluble fiber, and contain very high levels of many vitamins and minerals. This diet is also for individuals who have been diagnosed with leaky gut, Candidiasis, and who have mold sensitivities.

The diet is really more like seven diets, since drastically different foods are included each day. The foods for each day are simple, and fairly few in number. Keeping the diet simple is very important; this makes it easier to find any problem foods, should there be a few still present. It is important that the diet also contain only foods that your child has not eaten before and experiences no known symptoms from.

Table 1. The Special Foods Diet for Autistic Children

When you are ready to begin this diet, evaluate each food in Table 1 above as follows: 1) Evaluate each food and determine whether your child has eaten that food more than once or twice a year; if the answer is 'yes' for a food, cross that food from the list. Duck may be an example. If your child eats duck more than once or twice a year, then you should cross out duck. 2) Next consider the remaining foods; are there any that you know from personal observation that your child experiences symptoms from? If so, also cross out those foods.  When the Special Foods staff creates the individual diet for your child, make sure to alert them to any foods you have crossed off the list.

As we have said many times already, nutrition is extremely important in any diet, and particularly important in this diet. When a diet is comprised of unusual foods, the numbers of the standard Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) become almost meaningless. Therefore we have translated these values (RDA) into quantities your child needs to consume throughout the course of a day in order to meet the requirements of the RDA. Although these numbers seem high, they accurately reflect the RDA values, and illustrate very vividly why so many people get into trouble when they try to make dietary changes. When one type of food (carbohydrate source), ie, mashed potatoes has to stand in for several forms of carbohydrates, ie, bread, milk, dessert etc, then multiple servings of the one food must be eaten. This is where most people make their mistake and end up eating only 20-25 per cent of what their body needs.

Table 2 below, presents the recommended daily quantities for children. Select the column in Table 2 that corresponds to your child’s age. During the time on the diet, after the first 1-2 rotations, you should make sure that you or your child eats, as a minimum, the recommended quantities listed in the appropriate column of Table 2.

For more information on specific quantities for your child speak to the Special Foods staff member who prepares your diet or refer to 1b below.

Table 2. Daily Quantities for Children on the Special Foods! Diet

Other Things to Do and Know While on the Special Foods! Diet

These recommendations will help make the diet easier to follow and will help make the diet more successful.

1. 1. The quantity recommended for meats is a maximum quantity to obtain optimal amounts of protein; you should not exceed this amount, especially since there is non-meat protein in some of the other foods in the diet.

      For all other categories of foods, the quantities listed are minimum quantities; that is, the child may eat more but not less of the foods in any category. Children can be large or small for their age, may or may not be growing rapidly, may have a high or lower activity level, and so forth. There are many reasons that the recommended quantities may be low, and the child will want to eat more. Do not restrict the total amount a child wants to eat; if he or she wants to eat even 50% more, let them, but do insist that they eat all foods in the general proportions given. In other words, no pigging out on one item; the child needs to eat everything at each meal. So if the child consumes 50% more, it should be 50% more of everything.
      

   2. For each meal, have a balanced array of foods, i.e., include roughly one third of the recommended daily amount of each type of food at each meal. Resist the temptation to have carbohydrates for breakfast, green vegetables for lunch, and meat for dinner (for example).
      

   3. Once you start on your diet, follow it carefully. When need be, the Special Foods staff can help you switch foods around, but then continue to follow the changed diet. One important feature of the Special Foods! Diet is that foods are not eaten more frequently than once every seven days. When food switches are made frequently this important time period begins to be lost.
      

   4. You do not have to include all of the vegetables suggested each day, although you may. As many choices are listed as possible because some foods are hard to find.

   5. For the five-week trial period, keep food preparation simple and as easy as possible. Forget about traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner meals, and fix similar foods for each meal. In George Washington’s time, breakfast was last night’s leftovers. Consider fixing all of one day’s food at one time, for example the afternoon before.
      
      
   6. For at least the first two weeks, do not worry about even finding a way that your child likes the food best. During this time period, your child is likely to undergo withdrawal and may not ‘like’ anything. Remember also, a normal response to a food is neutral, about as enjoyable as breathing or drinking water. Do not expect foods to provide a sense of euphoria, and if any foods on this diet do elicit immense pleasure, be suspicious of them!
      
      
   7. In the beginning provide simply cooked foods. This will allow you to get used to finding the new foods, shopping in new places and in new ways, cooking and storing the new foods and adjusting to your changing child. After you know that all the foods agree with your child, you can begin looking for the best ways to prepare meals.