This Spring I spoke at two national autism conferences on the efficacy of nutrition intervention. In presentations, books, and discussions by leading doctors and researchers, there has been a notable increase in the role of nutrition and diet to aid the health and healing of these children. This shift has come gradually over the last five years that I've attended DAN! Conferences, as science further validates what parents' and practitioners have been learning.

Initially, gluten and casein were recognized as problematic for many on the autistic spectrum, and there would be occasional mention of the importance of the gluten/casein-free diet by a doctor during a presentation (except GI specialists who've knows this for years). Now, most physicians presenting at the DAN! Conference in April mentioned the importance of diet, commonly suggesting it be the first intervention to be implemented.

Many practitioners and researchers are catching on to what parents who've implemented diet already know - diet works! Diet is effective in mitigating a range of symptoms and underlying causes from gut inflammation, to behavior challenges, and learning difficulties. Thousands of parents have shared their experience and success with the Autism Research Institute. Diets were among the most effective interventions and, across the board, diet and supplementation had significantly higher benefit (as well as much higher benefit to worsening ratio), Here's how diet faired:

• GFCF (Gluten-free/Casein-free) - 65% improved
• Feingold - 53% improved
• Yeast Diets - 54% improved

Now NUTRITION is stepping up to the plate. I define DIET as the quantitative steps of implementing an intentional health regime - typically, what not to eat. To me, nutrition is nourishment and what to eat. We started hearing 5 years ago about what not to eat: dairy, gluten, soy, etc. - and this was very helpful - take out the "toxic" foods. Now food quality is gaining importance - what to eat that is nourishing to the body, providing the needed nutrients in a digestible form. Profound shifts have occurred in these children when specialized focus is placed on their particular nutritional needs and deficits.

I'm grateful to have presented on this specific topic, "Nutrition Foundations for Autistic Spectrum Disorders." I spoke about the importance of getting:

• Good quality fats for the brain such as the DHA in grass-fed animal fats and foods such as pastured eggs and meat
• Probiotic rich foods such as kefired drinks, raw sauerkraut, kombucha and more for supporting digestion and gut health
• Vitamin and mineral-rich foods such as stocks and broths, vegetable juicing, and other nutrient dense foods that can be snuck into a picky eater's diet
• Soaking and fermenting foods to increase nutrient content, reduce inflammatory compounds, and increase digestibility

I'm encouraged by this trend in the medical community's understanding of the importance of diet and nutrition in autism treatment, and hope it extends to other specialties/conditions. The body is profoundly affected by what we put inside and comprehension of the significance of these biochemical circumstances greatly enhances our ability to restore health to an ailing system.

Julie speaks around the country on the topic of nutrition and autism. If you have a group and would like to invite Julie to speak, please contact us.

Julie presentation from the recent DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!) and Autism One Conferences can be downloaded here.

When it comes to determining, improving, or restoring your own health - only you can decide and implement what's best. The same is true if you're directly caring for another, particularly a child with specials needs needs and medical concerns.

No matter how much we'd like to blame the "system" for not fully supporting us, not informing us of available treatment options, and unwillingness to cover "non-approved" modalities despite their demonstrated efficacy - our health is in our hands.

I recently accompanied Julie to two national conferences on autism, at which she presented on Nutritional Intervention - an approach routinely proven beneficial for most who properly apply it. While nutrition is appropriately getting increased attention at select national conferences and cutting edge treatment clinics, the benefits of its application and even the sheer existence of this approach remains routinely underscored, ignored, or unknown in mainstream realms.

This is a shame - especially given that no other area of health intervention and improvement is more under our OWN control than Nutrition. The choices we make for ourselves, or others for whom we care, regarding a nourishing diet have profound affect on the physical manifestations of any illness or dis-ease. Science is increasingly validating this fact.

When faced with a trauma, one turns to trusted authorities and known professionals to provide hope that everything that can be done to help, will be done. With autism (and many other disorders) parents aren't getting this reassurance. Instead, many are told by their healthcare professionals that there is nothing they (the parents) can do. Often, the prognosis (for life mind you) is pharmaceutical intervention, institutionalization, and strong behavioral therapy to best cope with the condition.

I don't blame well-meaning doctors whose powerful words can strip hope from their patients - most of them do not know better - and this is a severe failure of a broken system of healthcare in our nation. Misleading "Op-ed" pieces like a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle further elucidate the system's inability to consider patients' input and identify all possible treatment modalities, tendency to discourage patients who pursue alternative or holistic means, and blindly debunk non AMA approved treatments despite its own admitted failure to provide plausible treatment. People are routinely denied coverage for therapies and treatments determined effective by most of the remainder of the planet.

Despite their tragedies, more and more courageous parents of autistic children, and those facing countless other health challenges, are accepting the undeniable reality that health is in their hands. People are researching, creating support groups, educating their doctors about alternative and holistic approaches, lobbying congress, writing articles and creating blog sites. In the autism arena, parents are putting on conferences, inviting experts, tracking their efforts with their own children in order to increase the collective knowledge base for all. Indeed, parents' efforts are feeding the inquiries and progress of science.

Whether it's autism or any other health challenge you're addressing, the time to take control is now. We've learned that no care is more effective and sustainable that SELF CARE. While doctors, diagnoses, and treatments are imperative, no one can be in charge of your healthcare for you.

Nutrition Intervention is but just one method that is literally in your hands. Explore others, research, connect with others, there is always a way. Choose to be pursue health.

How can we, as an evolving society, be moving towards: going green, organic, wholesome, and non-toxic, and yet in birth, we bombard our bodies and our babies with chemicals, ultrasound waves and narcotics, almost without question? An appalling 5% of the 4 million births that happen per year in the US occur naturally, that is to say, without drugs. Only 1 percent of births nationally are born at home

Morphine is one of the most powerful narcotics available. We rid our bodies in pregnancy of prescription drugs, pesticides, toxic environments. We even avoid foods that can contain harmful bacterias like soft cheeses and pates. Heck, many of us even give up caffeine which readily crosses the placenta and gives the baby a morning wake up call. And yet, today, natural childbirth in the hospital is a rare aberration. Labor and delivery nurses usually remember it for weeks. "Remember that woman who had a natural childbirth in room 5 two months ago."

What ARE the alternatives? Natural childbirth IS possible. Without pharmaceutical pain relief, we (midwives, that is) rely on water, warmth, love and encouraging words to support a woman through the challenges of birth. And challenging it is! Yet, that is not a reason to shy away. Mothers describe birth as amazing, ecstatic, transforming, life-changing. It is a rite of passage that prepares you for motherhood. Going through natural childbirth, reaching the other side, allows a woman to know her own strength, determination and integrity. Many women state feeling empowered by their births. By meeting the challenge head-on, women grow and transform into the strong mothers that they are today

There are so many resources out there waiting for you if you are interested in natural childbirth. Awesome blogs include:
· Giving Birth Naturally
· Homebirth Talk
· Have a Natural Childbirth
· Women in Charge

Videos include:
· Birth As We Know It
· Birth Day
· Born in the USA
· It's My Body, My Baby, My Birth (to be released in Aug 2007)

My favorite books include:
· Born in the USA, by Marsden Wagner
· Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin
· Birthing from Within, by Pam England

Be a part of the change in childbirth. Go natural, go green! Get the support you need in a local midwife (BayAreaHomeBirth.org). Just say NO to unnecessary C-sections, induction for convenience and caregivers who only have 10 minutes to offer you. There is another way: natural childbirth, midwifery care, homebirth, waterbirth. If you are low-risk and willing to do the work, empowerment will be yours. Ask questions, lots of questions. Find what is right for you. Find what birth options resonate with your lifestyle. Have a green, organic, non-toxic baby!

Maria Iorillo is a Licensed Midwife. She is a trusted collegue of Healthful Living and can be reached through her website at WiseWomanChildbirth.com

One reason dieting is painful is that dieters often struggle with themselves over whether or not to eat something they know they shouldn't. For example, you're at someone's house and even before you see them, you can smell the scent of fresh baked cookies. You begin to go back and forth in your mind about eating or not eating them.

Sabotaging Voice: Those cookies smell so good!
Logical Voice: You know you're not supposed to have them.
Sabotaging Voice: But other people are eating them.
Logical Voice: It doesn't matter. You're dieting.
Sabotaging Voice: I don't know if I can resist them!
Logical Voice: You'll be sorry later.
Sabotaging Voice: Oh, I just don't care. I'm going to have one anyway.

This internal struggle is unpleasant. Many times dieters end the struggle by giving in and eating. They get momentary pleasure, but then feel terrible afterwards.

One of the many techniques in The Beck Diet Solution to handle situations like this is learning how to say, "NO CHOICE." If you think about it, you probably have put many things in your NO CHOICE category. When you walk through the mall, don't you see dozens of things you wish you had? Why isn't it a struggle to keep yourself from buying them? Because you don't give yourself a choice.

Imagine how difficult it would be if you struggled over every item you wanted! "Oh, that big screen television looks great! I wish I could have it. I know I don't have the money for it but I really want it. I know I have to pay for essentials first, but I don't know if I can stand not having it!" Imagine if you struggled not only over this television, but also over items of clothing, electronics, DVDs, appliances, watches, furniture...It would be torture.

Fortunately, you don't struggle over every item that calls your name. You don't fight with yourself. Whether you're aware of it or not, you've put these items in your "NO CHOICE" category. You need to do the same with food that you haven't planned in advance to eat. Did your coworker offer you a brownie-but you brought low-fat yogurt for a snack? NO CHOICE. Is lasagne on the dinner menu at the restaurant-but you planned to have a salad topped with chicken? NO CHOICE.

Dieting will become so much easier when you do two things: When you accept the fact that you can eat whatever you want OR you can be thinner, but you can't do both. And when you become proficient at saying, "NO CHOICE" to any food you hadn't planned in advance to eat.

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D. is the Director of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research and a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania. Listen to her interview on Healthful Living's Reality Sandwich Radio where she speaks in detail about The Beck Diet Solution.

Nuts are an extremely nutritious food if properly prepared. Traditional people always soaked or partially sprouted their seeds and nuts before they were eaten. This is because nuts contain numerous enzyme inhibitors, such as phytic acid, that can put a real strain on the digestive mechanism if consumed in excess. Nuts are easier to digest and their nutrients are more readily available if they are first soaked overnight in water and then dried. This method imitates the Aztec practice of soaking pumpkin and squash seeds and drying them in the sun before eating whole or grinding them into a meal. Soaking the nuts and seeds in water neutralizes the enzyme inhibitors and can increase the vitamin and mineral content.

Phytic acid and various enzyme inhibitors are naturally found in all grains, nuts and seeds. Phytic acid combines with iron, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc in the intestinal tract and interferes with the absorption of these important substances. Heat does not neutralize phytic acid or enzyme inhibitors. For this reason, all grains, nuts and seeds should either be sprouted, soaked in an acidic medium (such as lemon juice or whey), fermented or sour-leavened in order to make them more digestible and nourishing. Many people who are allergic to grains can tolerate them when they are prepared in this way.

TAKE ACTION > Learn to sprout your almonds, read Carla's article Turbo Charge Your Almonds.

OPRAH LEARNS THIS LESSON > This is the look on Oprah's face when she learned from Dr. Oz that roasted almonds are not good for you... Visit Oprah.com and see the video The Hall of Fame with Dr. Oz.

Carla Borelli is a contributor to the Healthful Living Advocate, visit her website at LocalForage.com

Shortly after learning that I was gluten and dairy intolerant I had a dinner party. While planning the menu my husband innocently asked, "What are you going to eat?"

My abrupt reply, "The same thing you're eating," caused him to fire back, "you aren't going to serve your weird food to our guests!"

I love food - cooking, eating even grocery shopping. I read cookbooks like novels. My determination to prepare delicious meals is not easily swayed. When my teenaged son became a vegetarian we included vegetarian entrées that everyone could enjoy. Years later stories of "mysterious bean glop" remain fun family memories. One common meal bonds families, provides an inclusive and supportive environment for everyone to eat a healthy delicious meal.

While gathered at the dinner table we have an opportunity to model positive behavior. Whatever we focus on grows. If the focus is on what's missing or different, dislike for the new and different will grow. When the focus shifts to include all that we can have and upbeat comments like, "Wow, that gazpacho is delicious," the result is optimistic and constructive. The stigma and segregation of being different may be unavoidable at school and in some social settings, but at home an inclusive and loving attitude prevails.

Involving the family in meal planning lets everyone feel their opinion is valued and encourages cooperation and compromise. If no one liked meatloaf before, trying to force a gluten-free version may not be the solution. However if spaghetti and meatballs is a family favorite, converting to a gluten- and dairy-free recipe is the answer. Meal planning also helps avoid last-minute mealtime frustration and reduces the temptations to indulge in forbidden foods.

Family meals can be a casualty of busy fast-paced lives. But family meals don't have to be difficult or stressful, unless you are trying to be a short-order cook. When one meal is prepared, there are fewer opportunities for cross-contamination with gluten or other forbidden ingredients. Allow time to locate hard-to-find ingredients that may have to be special ordered. The internet and mail-order shopping provides an abundance of gluten, dairy and allergy-free products. With one meal to plan, shop and prepare everyone can enjoy a delicious meal and mealtime becomes a pleasant opportunity to share, "The Family Table"

My first gluten and dairy-free dinner party was a success and no one suspected they were eating "special food" - we all simply enjoyed a delicious healthy meal.

Strategies for Success:
Adopt a new strategy for mealtime, one that assumes the family eats at least one meal a day together. Here are some tips to get started:

• Look for meal inspiration in new places, such as international or vegetarian cookbooks and magazines, seasonal cookbooks, cooking magazines, newspapers and websites. When you find a recipe with an appetizing photograph, clip it and place it on the refrigerator. Then listen for family feedback.
• Remember that simple meals can be delicious and healthy. For example, grilled turkey burgers with a gluten- and casein-free bun, paired with grilled sweet potato spears and steamed veggies make a balanced and quick-to-the-table meal.
• Leftovers - double the meal that you're preparing to eat on another evening or freeze half for a fast weeknight meal.
• Meal planning is essential. It helps avoid last-minute frustration and reduces the temptation to indulge in forbidden foods. The Internet and mail order shopping provide an abundance of gluten, dairy and allergy-free products. Allow time to locate hard-to-find ingredients that may have to be special ordered.
• Enlist family assistance. Involving everyone in meal planning means their opinions are valued and encourages cooperation and compromise. In addition, children who participate in cooking are more likely to taste and enjoy what they help prepare.
• Cook more on weekends or when you have extra time. Precooked chicken breasts can be sliced and added to a salad or casseroles. Ground meat that is seasoned and precooked turns a pasta salad into a healthy entrée with minimal fuss. If you don't have a family helper, get together with friends and prepare multiple meals to freeze and share.
• Take advantage of seasonal goodness. Shop at a local farmer's market for fresh fruits and vegetables that are locally grown.

Sueson Vess is a Professional Chef. Sueson has celiac disease and cannot consume gluten. She has become an expert at preparing gluten free and other foods requiring particular dietary restriction. Sueson's written a cookbook, prepared instructional videos, runs a support group for those on the GFCF Diet, and is a frequent speaker/guest chef at conferences across the country. At the recent Autism One Conference, Sueson, Betsy Hicks, and Julie Matthews presented a day long cooking education and demonstration for parents of children with autism.

Last weekend we were invited to see an advanced screening of Michael Moore's new movie, SiCKO, which opens nationwide this Friday, June 29th.

Finally, someone is talking about our broken healthcare system! Not broken because 50 million Americans don't have healthcare, but because for the 250 million who do, the "system" isn't very "healthy."

SiCKO is an extraordinary feat for this filmmaker - he's bridged the political gap that too often prevents us from addressing issues imperative to us all. In the past, it was easy to dismiss Moore's movies at political rhetoric when his messages countered your party's stance. However, in this case, health and healthcare know no boundary. This is evidenced by the fact that conservative FOX news has hailed it as, "brilliant and uplifting."

This film teaches us to stop fighting and pointing fingers between political parties, to get to the heart of this issue. SiCKO tells the story of our broken FOR PROFIT healthcare system. How, in order to make profits and please shareholders, healthcare decisions are based on financial reasons. In fact, our healthcare system needs to deny more and more people (the healthcare they need) in order to keep the façade going (ala Enron). And for others, they are denied coverage all together - there is a 37-page list of preexisting conditions that will get you denied including an autism diagnosis. Unlike France's universal healthcare system (France ranks first in the world) where doctors are financially rewarded based on the HEALTH of their patient population, in the United States INSURANCE companies influence decisions and the people of that system are rewarded for saving as much money as possible - decisions have nothing to do with what benefits the patient.

In the United States, our doctor's opinion and expertise can be overridden by insurance companies - and what they are willing to pay for. These institutions are not motivated to make nor keep the population healthy, but rather to maximize their earnings. This is not simply an opinion Michael Moore is putting forth, the film elucidates the compensation mechanisms that are in place in our system of healthcare. A simple analysis (if we stopped to look - which is why he's made this film no doubt) reveals a design that drives profits over people.

A most powerful message in the movie - When profit enters into decisions on someone's health, it is wrong! I'll add - it should be criminal.

In the film, a man I believe he's from France said (I'm paraphrasing), "If a country has money to bomb and kill people, they have money to take care of people."

WHAT'S BROKEN

The system is broken when:

• Healthcare lobbyists outnumber congresspersons by FOUR to ONE.
• Congressmen make hundreds of thousands in incentives to "pay back" the industry with policies that support their profits.
• The President signs into law a bill supporting the healthcare industry against the people, disallowing negotiating of pharmaceutical prices for the profit of the industry, after receiving $800,000 from the industry itself.
• The United States is 37th according to the World Health Organization. Behind France, Italy, Japan, Columbia, Saudi Arabia, Chili, Costa Rica and 29 other countries. We have a shorter life expectancy, higher rate of infant death, and larger number of people without access to care than many countries in the world.
• A country leaves their most vulnerable - the old, sick or dying - literally dropped off on the street corner with no access to help because of concern for profit

People, we have a problem.

The question remains; when are Americans going to stand up and say this is WRONG?

DENIAL?
One of the most disturbing things about seeking the pre-screening of SICKO wasn't even the movie itself - but rather that after film attitude of some movie going companions. The majority of them felt they "needed to research it future," then further went on to justify why we can ignore the messages of the film.

Here are some reasons we overheard from moviegoers, or have read from critics, as to why people should ignore the film's messages - and my thoughts: (you may feel or encounter these)

• "We don't know a better way." The rest of the first world have adopted or evolved systems that, WHILE NOT PERFECT, certainly work financially and serve people's health, for ALL people. The system is broken and people are suffering. Let's wake up and address (accept) reality so we CAN figure out a better way.
• "Michael Moore is probably stretching the truth to make his point." Sure, everyone has an inherent bias. Of course, he as a point and perspective he is trying to illuminate for us. However, this does not make what he is stating untrue. It still warrants further investigation - especially since he DOES have a pretty good track record regarding the insights he's been sharing on screen.
• "He didn't present a solution." Firstly, it's not his intention to solve the problem, but simply to wake us up from our ignorance of it - so the People can return to choice about what to do about it. Secondly, the film did show how universal healthcare is working around the world - with access for all, decisions made based on medical need not finances, and with longer life expectancy and lower infant mortality. It is difficult to acknowledge that there is a problem for which we do not have a solution yet, and its easier to stay in denial if we dismiss a problem. For those of you who use this argument, I ask, "Because we don't have a solution, does that mean there is no problem?"
• "Michael Moore is saying our healthcare system ought to be run by Fidel Castro." This silly and immature comment came is by a movie critic for the New York Post. The film points out that the 9/11 workers presented in the documentary had better access to care when they went to Cuba, than in their own country the US. This is a fact - they did not get the care they needed in the US system. They got the care they needed in Cuba. Moore did not say the United States should be run by a dictator. Period.

A defining moment in SiCKO in when Linda Peeno, Formal Medical Reviewer from Humana, testified in congress in 1996 to "confess" that she was the direct cause of a man's death (and many others like it) due to denying access to a medical procedure (in her words, "simply because he was too expensive"), and that she earned promotions and gained financially for such behavior. This is a woman with courage! This is the courage we all need to have right now - to admit our wrongdoing and take action to make things right.

How do skeptics and critics ignore testimony like this?

Like any documentary on this complex of a subject, there were certain things missing. Moore did not really address the pharmaceutical and medical industries, and their role in the deterioration of the healthcare system. While he did explain the "revolving door" between members of congress and the healthcare insurance industry. He did not go into detail on the same revolving door that exists between congress and the other industries vital to our health care: the pharmaceutical industry, medical industry, food industry, agricultural industry, etc. So while what he did explain was informative and enlightening, I would have love to see more in depth information on these other players.

All in all, I thought it was a great movie and opportunity to get this information out into the public and for that I'm grateful. I recommend people see this movie with an open mind and share it with your friends and congressmen.

We don't need any sitting monarchs or law-studied congressmen to tell us how complicated or difficult it is to create a plan for our nation's healthcare. When we finally sit down to reorganize (and reprioritize) this mess, here are some of Healthful Living's basic principles (common sense) that we all could agree on as we get started (hopefully soon) on a new road.

1. The "organization" (governmental or not), which oversees healthcare should be an independent entity non-influenced by corporate greed.
2. All Americans should have access to healthcare.
3. Payment (if any) by the patient should never run the risk of bankrupting a person.
4. Decisions should be made based on the health of the patient, not motivated by profit.
5. Doctors should make a reasonable wage and not be fighting with insurance companies for fair payment.
6. Doctors should be protected from outrageous legal suites so doctors can practice what they feel is best for the patient without fear of financial ruin or outrageous insurance premiums that inhibit doctors from practicing and providing best care.
7. An advocate for the patient to negotiate fair prices for drugs, supplies, and fees. Aspirin should not cost $30 at the hospital and pharmaceutical companies should not be able to influence laws that prohibit negotiating price.
8. Preventive healthcare should be primary. Keeping people healthy is cheaper than taking care of sick patients. Diet, nutrition, and lifestyle make a profound impact on health for a low cost. Complementary and alternative medicines have been demonstrated effective for many chronic illnesses.
9. Healthcare should be prioritized over military might.

Martin's further thoughts on SiCKO -

SICKO shows us that in France and elsewhere, civilized culture can put health (of everyone) above economic or political concerns. Because people value themselves and others equally, a national governmental system for collective healthcare is a natural "way of being." It works because their societal "default" is the pursuit of health.

We don't have this in America. We are not collectively pointed toward health. Sadly, the typical American "way of being" and the many systems we have in place to sustain our way of life are more focused on individual greed, bottom line profit, and maintaining the status quo than they are on being healthy or "doing the right thing." We have allowed unparalleled toxicity of the foods we eat, the environment in which we live, and the systems meant to serve us. It's costing us.

It's easy to walk out of SICKO in denial. It's scary to learn how broken our healthcare system is, and that at any time, any one of us could fall prey to it - despite our belief that "we're covered." We have all allowed this to happen, and owning up to it is perhaps more personal responsibility than we're accustomed to. That's why it's easier to vilify Michael Moore for showing it to us - because we'd really rather not see - because learning it is painful. And painful even more so due to the fact that we haven't any idea what we can do about it - at least not yet. We can't just "be" like the French, care about ourselves, and insist that that everything around us adjust to meet our newly health aligned needs. The American system is too designed to serve itself (and not you!), and currently, we are too addicted to it (abdicate to it) to change.

I believe that things will change when we Americans decide to value ourselves as people more, learn to value our individual and collective health more.

The path to this collective shift of our manifested social paradigms and systems, I believe, begins with the individual. One person at a time, waking up to the reality that they are indeed at choice over how they choose to be in the world - then, choosing to orient toward health - in all walks of life. One person at a time, turning this way and connecting with masses of like oriented others will, I feel, naturally lead to evolvement of new systems to serve the needs of the systems' participants, not just the "providers" to the system.

Change is inevitable and must start from within. Is this not what Gandhi has taught us, to "be" the change we want to see? Challenging times are ahead, we mustn't let the woes of the world detract us from our individual focuses on what we desire for ourselves and loves ones

Use the coupon below when you schedule an appointment with Julie through July. CLICK HERE to read more about how nutrition can help you restore balance in each of these areas: Autistic Spectrum Disorders, including ADHD, Children's Health Women's Health, Digestion, Detoxification, Immune Support, Weight Management, Emotional Health, Endocrine Function, Heart Health.

Suffering from Stress? Schedule a stress reduction/deep relaxation hypnotherapy session with Martin. Remind your mind how to relax your body, your body may have forgotten.

Healthful Living requires resources to further aid holistic health and healing for autism, healthy babies and moms, and the co-creation of a healthful living community of familes and practitioners.

Healthful Living is positioned to provide great resources to many in need. Our Nourishing Hope (Nutrition intervention for Autism) and Nourish The Future (Nutrition for Pregnancy) campaigns empower moms to optimize the health of babies and families with autism to better navigate dietary interventions to help their children recover.

Immediate resources are needed to expand website functionality to aid the autism community, as well as further current book projects, research assistance, marketing intiatives, and community education.

Please contact us to explore and learn more, or CLICK HERE to donate to Healthful Living.

Healthful Living is a recapturing of innately human conscious ways of being that nourish HEALTH. Our holistic model encourages living that supports the flourishing and sustainability of all living things and systems. Read more here.