About this episode
Welcome to Episode 248 of Autism Parenting Secrets . We’re excited to welcome back Julie Matthews to the show. In episode 201, she shared how science supports diet changes—and this week, we’re diving even deeper. Julie Matthews is a Certified Nutrition Consultant and published researcher specializing in personalized nutrition for complex neurological conditions like autism and ADHD. For over 20 years, she’s helped families use food to support their child’s health and well-being. She’s the author of the award-winning book Nourishing Hope for Autism and co-author of two research studies demonstrating the power of nutrition and therapeutic diets for autism. Her latest book, The Personalized Autism Nutrition Plan , was just released in March 2025. It’s a step-by-step guide designed to help parents like you optimize nutrition for your child’s unique needs. The secret this week is… Stop Guessing – PERSONALIZE Your Child’s NUTRITION You'll Discover: Why PERSONALIZATION Is So Key (5:38) A Step By Step Plan To Diet Changes (9:10) Common Root Causes You Can Address With Diet (16:25) Gut Issues Are Easy To Miss (20:48) Intuition vs. Addiction (25:30) Ways To Help Your Child Get On Board (29:58) Why Comfort Foods AREN’T Helping Your Child (34:09) The Balance To Strike (38:54) About Our Guest: Julie Matthews is a Certified Nutrition Consultant and published researcher who received her master’s degree in medical nutrition with distinction, from Arizona State University. She has specialized in children’s nutrition and complex neurological conditions, most notably autism spectrum disorder, for over 20 years. Julie sits on the Nutritional/Medical Advisory Board of the Autism Nutrition Research Center and helps children, families, and clinicians from 146 countries with her online resources, nutrition programs, and professional training courses. Julie has educated parents and health professionals on how to use personalized nutrition and therapeutic diets to help children thrive at conferences in more than sixty-five cities over three continents including Medical Academy of Pediatric & Special Needs (MAPS), Integrative Medicine for Mental Health (IMMH), and American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M). She has been featured in newspapers and blogs, and on podcasts, radio, and television including CBS. She has co-authored peer-reviewed research studies demonstrating the efficacy of nutrition and therapeutic diet intervention for ASD. When she is not studying the latest nutrition research, supporting families, or experimenting with new recipes in her kitchen, she can be found camping with her daughter, hugging redwood trees, and gardening. nourishinghope.com BioIndividualNutrition.com References in The Episode: The Personalized Autism Nutrition Plan: Nourishing Hope for Kids with ASD, ADHD, Anxiety, and Neurodevelopmental Delays by Julie Matthews, M.S. Autism Health Summit April 11-13, 2025 in San Diego, CA - use code AHS50 for a discount Additional Resources: Take The Quiz: What’s YOUR Top Autism Parenting Blindspot? To learn more about Cass & Len, visit us at www.autismparentingsecrets.com Be sure to follow Cass & Len on Instagram If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends.