Part 10: The Gut, The Brain, and Everything In Between

“It is not autism, it is gut-ism,” my mother said when Krishna was six.

At the time, she and I knew nothing about the gut-brain axis.

And she was so right.

A major number of the issues autistic children face are closely linked to the gut. Pain, hyperactivity, and stimming can all increase because of gut-related issues. When the gut is soothed, sitting tolerance, eye contact, and focus may improve.

In short, for many autistic children, the gut-brain axis appears to be significantly involved.

What is this gut-brain axis?

It is the two-way communication between the gut and the brain through neural, hormonal, and immune pathways, with the gut microbiome playing an important role. Gut–brain axis

These complicated words simply mean that the brain’s emotional and cognitive centres are closely linked with intestinal function.

In simple terms, the gut can influence learning, mood, behaviour, and emotional regulation.

I had a small Eureka moment after learning this.

On the rare days when I had bad dreams, I realized my stomach was usually unhappy too.

Invariably.

But being otherwise healthy as a horse, it never affected me beyond that.

Not so my son.

I began observing Krishna closely.

On days when his stomach was happy—after eating the right food at the right time—he was markedly happier, more attentive, and less hyperactive.

I began maintaining a food diary to better understand him.

What a revelation that was.

Dairy products meant completely sleepless nights—and difficult days.

French beans and chickpeas meant manic hyperactivity: running up and down two flights of stairs thirty or forty times while laughing uncontrollably, and then sobbing just as uncontrollably from exhaustion.

Certain greens meant terrible pain.

He never liked sweets anyway.

And so began my research into diet.

Just as no autistic child is exactly like another autistic child, there is no universal “autism diet.”

But it pays to be observant—to identify foods your child is sensitive to, eliminate them where possible, and replace them thoughtfully so nutrition does not suffer.

It was both frustrating and fun to create cashew cheese gluten-free pizzas, shahi paneer without paneer, soft rice phulkas that puffed up as satisfyingly as wheat ones, and milk made from rice, lentils, oats, and nuts.

I could fill pages with my largely successful culinary experiments for Krishna.

Diet and nutritional support can go a long way in helping many autistic children.

Krishna has also undergone various alternative medical treatments. Of these, homeopathy and functional medicine helped the most—for a while.

Now, they serve more as temporary relief as his gut struggles further.

And so, our quest continues.