Musings and What-not

I'm not a fan of doing laundry. Quite frankly, the only reason I do it at all is because I'm a pretty big fan of clean undies. But this post isn't about my underwear, and for shame on me for sharing something that intimate. ;) This post is about allergies. It's about why most people on the spectrum seem to have a ridiculously long list of the what-nots in their lives. It's about my son, and oh, it's about me too! ;)

It is common for a person with autism to have certain food allergies.  And it is also common, within the community, for those individuals to be on very restrictive diets; the more popular being GFCF (Gluten-free Casein-free). Although, precautionary measures are taken to ensure one does not consume foods containing any triggers, some thought may not be given to whether or not the allergen-free foods are manufactured by companies who do not use genetically modified ingredients.

As a mother to a child with autism, I am already very careful about what my son does and does not consume.  However, there was some recent news that I found deeply disturbing. I have often said that there is more to the extreme rise in childhood disorders these days, particularly autism, than just vaccines. You already know my stance on other contributing factors such as our severe environmental changes and other toxic and unnecessary food additives.

If you pick up a can of soup and find that the sodium levels are lower than you expected, or that a food item advertises it has “less sugar” or “no MSG” ... then there may be cause for alarm. A relatively young company, Senomyx, may be responsible for the sodium and sugar levels falling in various grocery store items. They may be putting chemicals into your food right now, without telling you and without you even realizing. Under the law, they don’t have to. Senomyx has contracted with Kraft, Nestle, Coca Cola, and Campbell Soup to put a chemical in foods that masks bitter flavors by turning off bitter flavor receptors on your tongue. The companies can then reduce sugar and sodium levels by approximately half without affecting the flavor. All of the companies declined to identify which foods and beverages the chemical additives have been or will be added to. These chemical compounds are not required to be listed separately on food labels; they are grouped into the general category of ...