Can I wean my autistic son off his awful diet?

CAMILLA’S RIGHT OVER FAD FEARS

MY ADORABLE 11-year-old son is autistic, and until four years ago he survived on only porridge. Now he eats pizza, fish fingers, waffles and broccoli. Fortunately, he also likes berries, pineapples and oranges. But I worry about his diet – and I feel as if I’m failing my son. CHILDREN’S eating habits are a common worry for parents as we are so aware now of how important diet is in terms of long term good health. However, health is not merely down to diet alone – it is a part of a bigger picture. Exercise, sleep, genetics and lifestyle contribute to our risks of developing physical and mental health issues.

Some children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have a restricted diet. This can be related to sensory issues: the sight, smell, taste and texture of food. Even the sound can have an impact for a child with ASD.

Rigidity around food can also be related to a desire for routine, the social circumstances of eating and the environment.

Rather than the focus being on what is being omitted, parents are encouraged to concentrate on what is being eaten with a food diary. This helps to make a true assessment and is worth doing over a two-week period. If there are more than 20 different foods on the diary, there may be little to worry about. Even a small number of fruit and vegetables will deliver vitamins and fibre.

Processed food choices can be fortified with vitamins and minerals, and processed fish will still contain omega-3 fats as well as protein. I’VE had terrible eczema for years and recently read about a link between an overgrowth of candida and skin problems. Friends tell me candida is also linked to other infections. How do I treat it? BELIEVE it or not, many kinds of fungus live on the human body, usually quite harmlessly. Candida is one of them: it’s a type of yeast that tends to live in warm, moist environments such as the gut, mouth and on the skin, in crevices, between the toes and in the armpits.

For much of the time, this isn’t a problem. But given the right environment, the yeast can get out of control. This is known as candidiasis, and leads to thrush in the mouth or genitals. This is simply treated with antifungal medication, and would rarely cause a widespread infection or condition unless the immune system is severely compromised from illnesses such as cancer or due to HIV, for example.

In eczema, the skin can become cracked and broken, and not be the strong barrier to infection that it should be, so it is vulnerable to bacteria and yeast infections.

Candida skin infections in eczema can be treated by adding an antifungal treatment cream to the usual eczema-specific moisturiser.

A bacteria known as staph aureus is far more likely to worsen eczema than anything else. This bacteria is found on everyone, but with eczema an overgrowth can make the condition worse.

Dermatologists may recommend the use of ‘bleach baths’ to decontaminate the skin. This is usually done by adding 125ml of the baby sterilising fluid Milton in a bath containing about 60 litres of water.

Overgrowth of candida in the digestive system is commonly spoken of in alternative medicine and cited as the cause for many conditions, including skin and stomach problems. However, this is rarely backed up by scientific testing and is considered questionable. CAN a high-fat diet of sausages and pork scratchings cure erectile dysfunction? Of course not. But when did scientific facts ever get in the way of a good celebrity fad diet.

Last week, advertising watchdogs slapped down radio host Jon Gaunt’s Simple As Fat plan for over-promising on the health front.

But this is just a drop in the ocean, as the Duchess of Cornwall, above, recognised last week when she expressed concern about ‘Skinny Lizzies’ peddling fad diets to young girls.

Regular policing and tougher rules are needed if there is any hope of protecting the most vulnerable from this nonsense.