Welcome back to another episode of Autism Parenting Secrets. In this episode, we’re discussing a secret weapon you need in your healing toolkit. Food! The truth is, food matters so much more than you think. Tune in as we examine the gut and brain connection and how it can relate to your child with Autism.Early on Len and I thought we were eating healthy.  But after our son was diagnosed with autism, what we thought was healthy, really wasn’t.  We had heard a lot of buzzes about a variety of diets, but when you would ask your doctor about them, they usually would just dismiss them.  The more we learned, the clearer the picture became. There’s a clear and direct connection between the brain and gut health.  And most kids with Autism have GI issues.  After our son was diagnosed with autism, and we went to see a GI doctor about his GI issues...the doctor told us that’s what happens...kids with autism have GI issues.  They called it a “co-morbid” condition.  Our son, Ry, was dealing with lots of stomach pain. He would attempt to relieve his gut pain by posturing his belly into furniture. Once we started changing his diet and healing his gut issues, the behaviors went away. The findings reveal that bringing gut health back into balance helps improve brain function. We found this to be true with our own experiences. We switched to an anti-inflammatory diet and saw a tremendous change. Now, the goal was never to put our son “on a diet”. Our goal has always been to nourish his body (and ours too) with nutrient-rich and non-toxic foods. Foods free from harmful dyes, chemicals, and preservatives. From the research we’ve done and the recommendations from our doctors, the goal is to choose to nourish with each bite.  This is such a big topic and one we’ll continue to cover in future episodes. We just wanted to open the conversation by having you consider food as a part of your arsenal. Remember, a healthy diet will look different for every child. And the truth is, it will take a lot of trial and error. Don’t get discouraged and stay committed to finding a meal plan that works for your family. It’s not about perfection but progress. And we’re determined to help you find that balance. Tune in!Key TakeawaysFood is essential in helping your child with Autism(1:30)Gut health and Autism are related (4:16)Eating the right foods helped us transform (6:10)A healthy diet is going to look different for everyone (8:27)Finding our sons food triggers (12:20)Prepare for resistance (14:40)You have to become a food detective (18:08)Check it out...Autism Parenting Secrets is number 12 on the Top 20 Autism Podcasts by Feedspot?  https://blog.feedspot.com/autism_podcasts/