I appreciate the research and passion Julie S Matthews has for this topic. However as a dietitian myself I often try to look at diets/nutrition and think about what can I add to make this meal more nutritous. So if you enjoy pop tarts could you add some strawberries and maybe a greek yogurt to your meal to fuel your body?

I am not saying this to disregard allergies and intolerances that may exist, however this book walks parents through elimination diets which are very strict. I found it hard to imagine implementing her suggestions and many of her recipes/food list unrealistic for many families. Families would need to invest a lot of time and resources to carry out on her suggestions fully. Not to say that it can't be done, but I would imagine the parent would also need to balance out behaviors and pleasure for their child. Often times food is a great sense of pleasure and comfort for the child, so if no medical reason limits a particular food from a person I would not want to cut it out. Of course everything must be done in moderation, I am not saying to only give your child cheetos, but at the same time, a child who is only eats cheetos and suddenly you are asking them to replace that with chia pudding or kale chips? Hmm....

Also this book created a lot of food anxiety for me, I can imagine what it would do to a parent who is already somewhat overwhelmed. She goes through a list what certain foods do to the body-inflammation. It felt like with each chapter foods went from being "bad" to "good" to "bad" to "good" it was just a lot of information. We all know foods have no moral ties, and I would hate to create fear in someone surrounding foods (When the discussion of seed oils and nightshades came up I just had to take a deep breath).
At the end of the book it felt like the only options I could eat were water.

Again though this author has done extensive research and if you are willing to put in the time, make some extreme food choices it may be worth trying but it just felt overwhelming. Maybe if you read it in slow doses...?

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to review this advanced copy of The Personalized Autism Nutrition Plan: Nourishing Hope for Kids with ASD, ADHD, Anxiety, and Neurodevelopmental Delays

I was not paid or influenced in exchange for my honest opinions.

“The Personalized Autism Nutrition Plan” by Julie S. Matthews, MS is an engaging audiobook for parents or caregivers who are on a journey to help the children in their care using food as medicine to reduce negative symptoms due to ASD, ADHD, Anxiety, and neurodevelopment delays. The forward was particularly powerful. I enjoyed the audiobook, the narrator was excellent. This was a great listen and has inspired me to make changes in my own family’s diet. I did not have access to the charts and graphs that were mentioned in the forward since I received this as an ARC. I purchased a copy of this book with my own money to highlight and tab so that I can reference it periodically.
Thank you to NetGallery and Brilliance Publishing for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I was extremely pleasantly surprised by this book. So many times these types of books are really just the same type of information presented in a different way, without the feeling of lived experience, without giving you any real lifestyle actionable tools but this was different. We are a family of neurodivergent parents and kids, nutrition is a CONSTANT struggle and this book really validates, and addresses those struggles in a compassionate and normalizing way. I think this book will be so incredible valuable to a lot of parents and people who may have late diagnosis and may not have realized the difficulty of nourishing self.

Thank you so much to the publisher for this ALC opportunity and the Author for sharing their wisdom and knowledge.

I was really impressed by the compassionate presentation of such a complex and important subject. Neurodivergent folks struggle so deeply in all aspects of life. For a young, vulnerable child the complexities of a neurodivergent brain can feel completely crippling and isolating. Heck, as an adult it’s not uncommon to feel isolated and alone with similar struggles. It’s not uncommon for children to mask their feelings and personalities, doing whatever small things they can do to feel as though they fit in. The most empowering thing we can teach ourselves, and our loved ones is to encourage self acceptance and practice kindness - instead of self punishment. Children see how adults treat themselves and poor self esteem and self bullying is not something we want our young ones to mimic. They are listening, especially when you don’t think they are.

As adults we are accountable for the wellbeing of our communities, whether it is a close knit family or friends - we all rely on one another and we need to strive to do better for the next generation. In the digital age, more information is readily available than ever before - a press of our fingertips and we have unlimited access. There is serious danger in young, inquisitive minds falling prey to misinformation and over-saturation of misguided content. We need to stress the importance of safe spaces and safe hubs for factual content.

I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of useful information supplied in such a small amount of text. The obvious nutritional recommendations and recipes are outstanding. The science of food and how our brains react to different diets is riveting information. She takes that knowledge into developing a meal plan that the Autistic brain will thrive on.

Beyond that, is where this book really shines as a general “ Neurodivergent Manual,” sort of read. It serves as a tremendous guide to learning more about the varying spectrums of autism and how they can manifest in different ways. The human brain is utterly fascinating. I learned more from this book than I did in six months of psychology studies.

can’t recommend enough for anyone that works with children, personally struggles with their own experiences on the spectrum and quite frankly - anyone that loves someone that has dealt with mental illness and challenges. The tips and tricks to ease into conversation are fantastic. An abundance of small ways to better word dialogue openings for important conversation.

I bought this book for myself as a neurodivergent adult. My therapist has always had a more holistic approach really focusing on diet. I really enjoyed the material in this book. I currently take some supplements to boost my NAD and gluthione, but I would like to consult a nutritionist to boost my natural nutrients and cut out the garbage. I know that a balanced diet is a big key (plus exercise!) and this book gave me a few good points to bring up to my doctors.

Thank you to Julie S. Matthews, Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As a mama a neurodivergent kiddo and holistic nutritionist, I absolutely LOVED this book. I wish this book existed years ago when we were just beginning our journey to discover how foods can heal and aid the body and brain work as it was meant to.

The science that was used to back up her findings was top notch! I will be purchasing my office a copy of this book for future use with clients.