Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet and Autism Ranking:

Key Features

The gluten-free, casein-free diet (GFCF diet) is designed to exclude all foodstuffs which contain gluten and casein. The gluten-free diet is designed to exclude only gluten and the casein-free diet is designed to exclude only casein.

Gluten is a protein found in some cereals such as wheat, rye and barley. Oats contain a similar protein called avenin and are usually processed in the same factories, so are often included in the list of foods to be avoided for people following this diet. Casein is a protein found in dairy products such as milk, butter, cheese and yoghurt. 

If you are following the diet you may prefer to make all of your meals yourself by purchasing gluten and casein-free ingredients. Naturally gluten-free, casein-free foods include meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, rice, potatoes and lentils. 

Alternatively you can purchase a wide-range of ready-made meals. However it is important to remember that small quantities of gluten and casein may appear in foodstuffs that appear to be safe. For example, gluten or its derivatives can appear in a wide range of things including biscuits, nuggets and chips, as well as some flavourings.

If you are following the GFCF diet, you should ensure that the rest of your diet is healthy and well-balanced. For example, you may need to eat foodstuffs or take dietary supplements that provide alternative sources of calcium, iodine and fibre.

Because it can be difficult to balance a GFCF diet, we strongly recommend that you seek advice from a responsible health professional such as a health visitor or GP. This may lead to a referral to a dietitian – in particular one with experience of working with autistic individuals.

Some experts, such as Martinez-Barona et al (2017), have warned that substituting every day food with gluten-free foods could increase the risk of obesity, after finding that such products often contain higher levels of fats than the food they replace. 

Updated

16 Jun 2022

Last Review

01 Aug 2017

Next Review

01 Nov 2023