The Food-Regulation Connection | The Telepathy Tapes: Now What

Nutrition can feel overwhelming for any family. Add sensory differences, limited diets, food sensitivities, gut issues, and a nervous system that may already be working overtime, and figuring out what to put on the plate can become one more enormous task for caregivers. In this episode of Now What?, Betsy and Libby sit down with nutritionist Kelly Dorfman to strip the conversation back to the basics. Rather than prescribing a single “autism diet,” Kelly explains how protein, plants, blood sugar, food quality, and nutrient deficiencies can affect how comfortable someone feels in their body, and why nutrition may be especially worth examining when a nonspeaker is struggling with regulation. They also explore picky eating and ARFID, why introducing new foods can be particularly difficult for people with sensory and motor challenges, the limitations of food-sensitivity testing, and what families should know before experimenting with supplements or restrictive diets. Most importantly, Kelly offers overwhelmed caregivers a manageable place to begin: reduce artificial dyes and highly processed foods, rethink sugary drinks, and build a better breakfast. https://youtu.be/8kRIhSUsHsQ