Tag Archives: autism

Yoga’s Benefits for Autistic Children

The week of September 20 is Autism Awareness Week at DietsInReview.com.

yoga by the dozenGuest Blogger JoAnna Ross is the founder of  Yoga By the Dozen, an online company which promotes a healthy lifestyle for kids through their highly acclaimed ‘Yoga By The Dozen’ DVD and their complete line of lifestyle products for yoga. She has been featured on Broadway, “The Rosie O’Donnell Show,” “The Today Show,” and “The David Letterman Show.”

Yoga is becoming one of the newest techniques to help an autistic child develop their cognitive and motor skills; and foster self-confidence and respect. Yoga is a calm place for an autistic child to feel safe in. The classic definition of an autistic child would be problems interacting socially and verbally, limited activities and interests. With the structure of a yoga class, an autistic child starts to develop their coordination and learns how to focus. (more…)

The Feingold Diet for Autism

The week of September 20 is Autism Awareness Week at DietsInReview.com.

Guest Blogger Karianna writes at The Karianna Spectrum. Her oldest son was diagnosed with PDD-nos when he was in pre-school.

picky eaterFood is sustenance, but it also has sensory and social components. All three of these come into play for individuals on the autistic spectrum.

Many kids with autism are affected by food in ways that neurotypical children are not. My son is on the Feingold Program, a diet that avoids certain salicylates and petroleum-based additives. Other children have found success with gluten-free/ casein-free diets, particularly when they also have celiac disease. Some autistic kids might have lots of food sensitivities, while others may have none.

Even without a specific food concern, kids on the spectrum typically have more pronounced reactions to food, so eating healthfully is even more crucial than for a typical kid who might be “off” after lots of junk food or without a well-rounded diet. (more…)

A Biggest Loser Family Fights Autism with a Healthy Lifestyle

The week of September 20 is Autism Awareness Week at DietsInReview.com. The Parhams join us to share their story.

amy and phillip parham familyPhillip and Amy Parham were contestants on season six of The Biggest Loser where they lost a combined total of 256 pounds. They have three children: Austin, (14), Pearson (12), and Rhett (9). They continue to inspire people through their website and social network PhilAndAmyFitness.com and through “90 day fitness challenges” that they conduct across the country. In June 2024 they will release a book entitled “Dream Again: Phil and Amy’s 90 Day Fitness Challenge” and a companion DVD.

When it was first suggested to me that my son Rhett might have autism I instantly thought about Raymond on the movie “Rain Man.” Suddenly my life became about trying to “fix” Rhett. So I went out in search of every therapy, diet, and program I could find to do this. I soon learned the reason that they call autism a “spectrum” disorder. (more…)

Jenny McCarthy’s Give It Up Before Summer Challenge

You may know her as a former host of MTV, Jim Carrey’s girlfriend, staunch advocate for autism awareness, or a Weight Watcher’s spokesperson. Jenny McCarthy, a comedian, actress, author and activist who now regularly sits next to Oprah on the Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss current events, has launched her Give It Up Before Summer challenge which she  chronicles on Oprah.com.

Jenny McCarthy giving up sugar. Photo courtesy of Oprah.com

Jenny McCarthy giving up sugar. (via Oprah.com)

So exactly what is Jenny giving up? Sugar and eating past 7 p.m. And she’s blogging and twittering all about it. As a self-professed sugar addict, Jenny is nixing the sweet stuff just for 30 days and encouraging other readers to give up a vice of their own choice, be it chocolate, gossiping, or coffee and share with others how awesomely well or how devastatingly bad they are sticking to their Give It Up Before Summer challenge. (more…)

When Eating Limitations Affect the Whole Family

DietsInReview Guest Blogger Jean is a work-at-home mom to three boys, ages 3, 5, and 7. She spends a lot of her time finding creative ways to parent and teach them, especially her 5-year-old, who has autism. Jean writes as Stimey on her personal blog, Stimeyland. There she writes about her kids, her work, autism, and her own struggle to find a healthy way of being.

Guest Blogger: Jean Stimey

Moms are always talking about how hard it is to lose weight when they have kids. And I agree. I find it incredibly difficult to cook a healthy dinner that my whole family will eat. Two of my kids are decent eaters, but Jack, my autistic son, is not.

I can count on one hand the number of times he’s eaten vegetables in the past four years and still have enough fingers left over to count the number of times he’s eaten fruit. He won’t eat meat unless it is in lunch meat or chicken nugget form, and strongly prefers only cheese, bread, and french fries. Those foods, last I checked, do not pave the way to weight loss. (more…)