The best food for autism or the best diet for autism is not a big task that you can adopt. Autism is a complex condition that requires balanced food. In recent years, there has been evidence arising in the body, which indicates the role of nutritional imbalance and lifestyle in autism. And the best diet for autism can help to manage balance.
An investigation found insufficiencies of nutrition in kids with autism and mainly fiber, folic acid, calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamins A, C, D, E, K, B6, and B12. there is a detailed study on food that can be helpful in autism.
Because of food choices or habits, some children may have too much of a particular nutrient. While equal amounts of all nutrients are required. Food avoidance leads to nutrition insufficiencies in autistic children that need to be addressed.
To assist your child in getting the best food for autism with the right balance of nutrients, try adding the below-mentioned foods to their diet. These are safe foods for autism.
Autism Food List: The best food for autism:
Here is an Autism food list, the “best food for autism” that you can eat easily. These are also called autism-friendly meals. this is the duty of the parents or caretaker to create an “Autism Food list“.
- Eggs
- Seafood
- Chia seeds
- Soya milk
- Almonds and almond milk
- Dried figs and apricots
- Edamame
- Black beans, navy beans, and pinto beans.
- Peanuts and peanut butter
- Sunflower seeds
- Cruciferous vegetables like kale and broccoli
- Spinach
- Chickpeas
- Oatmeal
- Green peas
- Mango
- Fortified breakfast cereal
- Lentils
- Dark chocolate, as an occasional sweet treat
- Lean beef, turkey, and chicken
- Citruses like oranges and grapefruit
- Mushrooms
- Beet greens
- Butternut squash
- Avocado
- Rice
- Onions and garlic
- Melons like cantaloupe
- Tomatoes and tomato juice
- Carrots
- Sweet red pepper
- Pumpkin
The best autism diet food: Autism food list
Many foods mentioned above have multiple nutrients, so combining them with “autism diet food” or “autism diet menu” can help your child get high-quality nutrients and an absolute autism food list. Do not forget to avoid foods that cause distress, and gradually add new experiences to your child‘s eating habits.
Start planning to feed (autism diet foods) that contain high vitamins and minerals like several fruits, vegetables, and grains. And try the new options of foods that are like your child.
List of vitamins that help in “nutrition for autism” and their sources: Autism food list
We are sharing the list of vitamins (autism food list) and their sources that can help you manage your kid’s best diet and food balance.
| Vitamins | Sources (Autism Food List) |
| Vitamin A | Fish, eggs, beef, shrimp, carrots, spinach, fortified milk, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and mangoes. |
| Vitamin C | Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, and sprouts. |
| Vitamin D | Fortified milk and cereals, fatty fish |
| Vitamin E | vegetable oils, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, nuts |
| Vitamin K | Cabbage, eggs, milk, spinach, broccoli, kale |
| B1 | ham, soymilk, watermelon, acorn squash |
| B2 | Milk products like cheese. yogurt, and enriched cereals and grains. |
| B3 | Seafood like fish, meat, poultry, whole grains, potatoes, mushrooms, etc. |
| B5 | chicken, whole grains, broccoli, avocados, mushrooms |
| B6 | Fish, meat, poultry, bananas, tofu, and other soy products. |
| B7 | Whole grains, eggs, soybeans, fish |
| B9 | legumes (black-eyed peas and chickpeas), Fortified grains and seeds, spinach, broccoli, orange |
| B12 | Fish(primarily Tuna), milk, cheese, fortified soymilk, and flaxseed. |
List of minerals and their sources: To get the best food for autism (Autism Food List)
Here is the list of minerals and their sources and nutrition for autism.
| Calcium | broccoli, yogurt, cheese, milk, salmon, leafy green vegetables |
| Fiber | dried beans, peas, whole-grain foods and brans, strawberries, carrot seeds, colorful fruits like apples, raspberries, etc, and vegetables. |
| Chloride | salt |
| Magnesium | Spinach, broccoli, legumes, seeds, whole-wheat bread |
| Potassium | Bananas, cantaloupe, raisins, nuts, fish, spinach and other dark greens, meat, milk, fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes |
| Chromium | meat, poultry, fish, nuts, cheese |
| Fluoride | fish, teas |
| Sodium | Organ meat, seafood, walnuts |
| Copper | Shellfish, nuts, seeds, whole-grain products, beans, prunes |
| Iron | Fruits, red meat, eggs, poultry, green vegetables, fortified bread |
| Zinc | meat, shellfish, legumes, whole grains |
Closing Line:
A concrete diet plan should be adapted to ensure your child gets sufficient nutrients, to avoid digestive discomfort and nutrient imbalances. It can be vital to your child’s overall mental and physical development. In this article, we have talked less about specific foods that your kid should eat or not and more about a balanced course of eating and nutrition.
References:
- Dalton, N., et al. (2014). Gut permeability in autism spectrum disorders [Abstract]. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/aur.1350
- Clapp, M., et al. (2017). Gut microbiota’s effect on mental health: The gut-brain axis. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5641835/
- Grossi, E., et al. (2016). Unexpected improvement in core autism spectrum disorder symptoms after long-term treatment with probiotics. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5006292/
- de Magistris, L., et al. (2013). Antibodies against food antigens in patients with autistic spectrum disorders.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3747333/ - McElhanon, B. O., et al. (2014). Gastrointestinal symptoms in autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis. https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/133/5/872.full
- Dinan, T. G., et al. (2014). Genomics of schizophrenia: Time to consider the gut microbiome?
https://www.nature.com/articles/mp201493 - Klinder, A., et al. (2016). Impact of increasing fruit and vegetables and flavonoid intake on the human gut microbiota [Abstract].
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2016/FO/C5FO01096A#!divAbstract
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