The Role of Diet in Autism (SHOCKING)

Can the food we eat really affect autism symptoms, behaviour, and overall wellbeing? In this episode of The Aspie World Podcast, we dive into the shocking connection between diet and autism — what the science says, what parents and autistic adults are reporting, and how simple nutritional changes may impact sensory sensitivity, focus, mood, and energy levels.

This isn’t about “curing” autism — it’s about supporting your autistic brain and body with the right fuel to feel your best. Whether you’re an autistic adult, a parent, or just curious, this episode breaks it all down in a simple, relatable way.

• The surprising role diet plays in autism and overall brain health

• How certain foods may increase sensory overload and anxiety

• Diet patterns linked to improved focus and emotional regulation

• Insights on gluten-free, casein-free, and elimination diets

• How to make simple, realistic changes without added stress

Food is fuel — and understanding how diet interacts with autism can be a game-changer for managing energy, focus, and emotions.

• Autistic adults exploring diet and sensory health

• Parents supporting autistic kids with nutrition and wellbeing

• Teachers and professionals wanting to understand diet’s role in learning and behaviour

• Anyone curious about how food impacts autistic brains and bodies

You deserve to feel your best, and sometimes small changes in what you eat can make a big difference.

🎁 FREE Download: Get your Autistic Adult Bulletproof Brain Starter Kit and learn science-backed strategies to reduce overwhelm, manage stress, and improve your overall wellbeing → www.bulletproofbrain.org

If this episode helped you, please:
✅ Subscribe to The Aspie World Podcast so you never miss future episodes
✅ Leave a review — your feedback helps us reach and support more autistic adults and families
✅ Share this episode with friends, family, or anyone exploring the link between autism and diet

With the right knowledge, you can make informed choices that support your autistic brain and body. 💙

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:Who This Episode Is For:Resources & Support for Autistic AdultsLet’s Stay Connected

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
OK, so does a diet play a role in a better condition of life if
you have autism? Well, let's discuss it right now
guys. Let's go on and welcome back to
the Aspy world. My name is Dan.
I have autism and ADHD and I make quickly videos all about
this stuff because I'm obsessed with helping autistic people,
individuals like yourself reach full potential, reach maximum
life capability because I know it's in you.
I know you're amazing and we cando this together.

(00:21):
You are awesome. That being said, if you want to
come along for this journey withme and be part of this movement,
you can do by clicking the subscription button down below
but click on notification bell. If you click that then you'll be
notified. Every time I upload a video
which I do quite often. And actually if you follow me on
social media, you'll see 4 videos a day from me because I'm
just obsessed with born to help people.
Guys, this the whole idea of diet is quite a controversial 1.

(00:41):
You hear some kind of people saying like, oh you know, the
gluten free diet helps people with autism overcome some issues
and all this kind of stuff. And what I do believe that
gluten intolerance is, you know,can create a difficult life for
anybody, not just one of the autism spectrum.
I don't believe it's the sole way to overcome issues or or
help manage issues on the autismspectrum.
However, I will say though, is that because autistic

(01:02):
individuals have such fast-pacedbrains and their minds go only
1000 miles an hour, they're burning 2 calories like nobody's
business. And they're chasing dopamine
constantly. Which means that fizzy drinks,
high caffeinated drinks and, andcandy and, and soda pop and, and
stuff like pizza and junk food, like all these things are
dopamine rich, right? And so they're going to create a
dopamine high for anybody who who's chasing those.

(01:25):
And so autistic people are, you know, susceptible to that.
Now if I were to say that the chicken that it should be the
international symbol for then everyone would be agreeing
right? Now give this video the thumbs
up if you agree that the chickennugget is kind of like the
symbol of autism. But unfortunately the chicken
nugget isn't very varied in nutrients.
It's not very high in anything other than protein and fats.
So this leads me to the rule of diet in autism.

(01:47):
Now, in order to function, autistic people will need a lot
of varied nutrients because whenyou're faced with a fast pacing
brain, you're burning through calories, you're burning
through, you know, mega amounts of energy all day.
You can't just really survive inchicken Nuggets, you know, yes,
it's going to give you protein, yes, it's going to give you a
little bit of energy, but you doneed good carbohydrates.
You need a mix of vitamins and multivitamins.

(02:07):
Now the best way to do this obviously is have a varied diet
because then you keep your brainat maximum function, keep your
brain at maximum efficiency. And the autism brain is
delicate, perfect, amazing thing.
So you want to treat it as such.But I know artistic individuals
do not like a lot of varied foods.
This is very common and I get it.
So what did I do to change this?Now I'm just like any other, you
know, autistic individual. If I could just eat chicken

(02:28):
Nuggets for the rest of my life,that would be the same.
Even though I'm vegan, I still eat vegan chicken Nuggets,
right? However, I decided to add in
smoothies to my diet because I like fruit juices and I like
kind of fruit in general. I like sweet tasting things.
So if you can have a smoothie that tastes like a milkshake
every day, you win because you with much nutrients and that's
possible. The gel pack full of all good
healthy stuff. I actually prefer green juices

(02:49):
now because they look green, butthey taste like tropical juice
because you can put in like lemons and pineapples and apples
and berries and stuff in it. By introducing those into your
diet, what you will do is cover the fact that there's a deficit
for nutrients in the autism dietand also satisfy that need for a
bit of dopamine hit. It's a win, win situation.
Now. I'd love to know your like
experience on this and your yourinput.

(03:11):
Pop in the comment down below. I read every single one by the
way, and I have a free Autism Life Hacks PDF book you can
download from autismhacks.net right now.
Check the link down below.