Pica in children with autism, touching on its link to PANS, nutritional deficiencies, emotional factors, and gut health.

Pica is a complex and often misunderstood condition that can be particularly concerning when observed in children with autism. It involves the persistent eating of non-food items such as dirt, paper, chalk, hair, or even small objects like coins or toys. While pica can occur in children of all backgrounds, it is significantly more common in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Understanding the why behind this behavior is crucial for parents, caregivers, and professionals who want to provide appropriate support.

Pica is defined by the DSM-5 as the repeated ingestion of non-nutritive substances over a period of at least one month, and at an age where this behavior is developmentally inappropriate. In children with autism, pica can often persist beyond toddler years and may require clinical attention due to the risks involved, including choking, intestinal blockages, poisoning, and exposure to harmful bacteria.

There are multiple factors that can contribute to pica behaviors in children with autism, including sensory processing differences, emotional regulation difficulties, nutritional deficiencies, and underlying medical conditions. Here are some key contributors:

One of the most common underlying causes of pica is a deficiency in essential nutrients and minerals. When the body lacks certain elements, it may instinctively seek out non-food items that contain trace amounts of what it’s missing. In children with autism, this is especially relevant due to dietary restrictions, picky eating, or poor absorption caused by gut health issues.

Common deficiencies linked to pica include:

• Iron – Low iron levels (anemia) have a strong correlation with pica. Increasing heem foods which are rich in iron are suggested. Thai is much better than supplementing with iron since iron supplements can aggravate virus activity. Food-based supplements are a much safer way to increase iron naturally.
• Zinc – Important for taste, smell, and immune function.
• Magnesium – Needed for neurological and muscular function.
• Calcium – Can influence cravings for chalk or dirt.
• Vitamin D and B12 – Deficiencies can affect mood, energy, and neurological health.

Children with autism may be more susceptible to these deficiencies due to selective eating, inflammation, or gut dysbiosis.

Pica can also be a self-soothing or sensory-seeking behavior. Children with autism may have heightened or lowered sensory sensitivities and may find certain textures, smells, or even the act of chewing or swallowing non-food items calming or stimulating.

Other emotional and psychological factors that may drive pica include:

• Stress or anxiety – Non-food chewing may become a coping mechanism.
• Communication challenges – Inability to express discomfort or emotional needs might manifest as pica.
• Obsessive-compulsive tendencies – Some children may develop ritualistic eating of non-foods.

Providing alternative sensory activities and emotional regulation tools can help reduce the compulsion.

PANS is a neuroimmune condition characterized by the sudden onset of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, eating restrictions, tics, or emotional disturbances following infection or inflammation. Interestingly, pica has been observed in children experiencing flare-ups of PANS, particularly when inflammation in the brain affects areas related to impulse control and appetite.

In these cases, pica may appear suddenly and be accompanied by other neuropsychiatric symptoms. If this is suspected, seeking a qualified PANS/PANDAS specialist is critical, as treatment often involves addressing underlying infections and modulating the immune response...

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Fluoride has long been promoted as a critical ingredient in the fight against tooth decay. It’s added to public water supplies, found in most commercial toothpastes, and endorsed by many dental organizations. But growing research raises valid concerns about fluoride toxicity—and many health-conscious individuals are choosing to go fluoride-free.

In this episode, we’ll break down what the science really says about fluoride, why some experts are calling for caution, and the potential health benefits of switching to fluoride-free products and water.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral known for strengthening enamel and helping prevent cavities. Since the mid-20th century, it’s been added to drinking water and oral care products as a public health measure to reduce tooth decay.

But here’s the thing: more fluoride isn’t always better—and studies suggest that long-term exposure can come with unintended health risks.

Most of us grew up being told how important and beneficial fluoride is.We were told that it was important for strong teeth. Because of this, it is much harder for most people to accept its downfall.

There are over 25 human studies and 100 animal studies connecting fluoride to brain damage and lowered IQ. Several peer-reviewed studies have shown fluoridation to weaken bones. Dental fluorosis is when tooth enamel becomes discolored and is due to fluoride disrupting the enamel during development. However, dentists will often tell us it’s because of poor hygiene.

Please recognize that the dangers of fluoride are real. What they did not tell us is that fluoride damages a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which has no blood-brain barrier to protect it. The hippocampus is responsible for emotions, behavior, learning, memory, and spatial awareness. It is the primary part of the brain affected by those with Alzheimer’s.

We absorb fluoride from dental treatments, brushing or rinsing with fluoride, and drinking water with added fluoride. When aluminum and fluoride are combined, as in fluoridated water in an aluminum pan or using fluoride toothpaste from an aluminum container, the toxic effects are heightened.

There are two factors of fluoride toxicity that are of greatest concern.The first is genetic damage. Damage to DNA repair enzymes affects the reproductive cells and is inherited by our children...

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Learn the benefits of regenerative farming and Eating Organic Regenerative Foods!

Proper nutrition can create defenses against toxic impact, including those from heavy metals such as mercury, and assisting in its excretion. Nutrition also protects the nervous system in many ways by keeping cell membranes strong or strengthening weak ones, protecting DNA, improving the production of energy within the cells, and reducing inflammation. Proper nutrition also protects the enzyme systems that detoxify the cells and the liver.

What the average person, and the average professional, thinks good nutrition is are often vastly incorrect. Many Americans still think the french fry is a valid, nutritious vegetable and we eat from boxes and cans. A compromised digestive tract does not allow the nutrients from fresh foods to absorb into our cells and fulfill our body’s needs.

Read your labels. Know what to look for. Our foods today are poisoned routinely by large manufacturing companies that choose to add ingredients that are chemical in nature. Many of these foods actually make us crave more food.They also contain sugars and toxins that will invade the central nervous system—this means your child’s brain!

How we grow, feed, and prepare our food is another issue altogether. Conventional food is grown in soil that is so depleted of nutrients to feed the growing crops that when the crop is mature enough to eat, it lacks sufficient quantities of nutrients. We eat food thinking it is giving us the nutrition we need. Most grains, fruits, and vegetables are genetically modified and are grown in toxic pesticides. Our livestock are fed grains grown in these same pesticides, and they are fed antibiotics and hormones that remain in the meat we eat. This means more toxic overload.

Children with autism, ADD, food intolerances, or an improperly working digestive system are already deficient in vital nutrients that their growing brains need. It is never a deficiency of just one nutrient—when one vitamin or mineral is lacking, additional deficiencies develop. These children are usually not absorbing the nutrients from the good foods they eat, and they have a breakdown in the metabolism of nutrients as well. We all need supplementation along with good nutrition, but these children especially do.

Another very important aspect is that our food sources are severely depleted of nutrition due to over-use of soils, therefore limiting them of vital nutrients. Seeds for grain are mutated, often to the point that our bodies do not even know how to digest them. These same grains, also laden with chemicals, are given to the animals that we eat, along with hormones that have been ingested and injected.

When we put this into our bodies, we not only lack what we need for good nutrition, but we ingest so many chemicals ourselves that we need supplementation to combat the toxicity.

The main reason our food today has fewer minerals is that modern farming practices have depleted the soil. Here’s why:..

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