The Body Ecology Diet (BED), developed by Donna Gates, was developed to address the issue of systemic fungal infections, most notably, candida albicans.  Donna herself had struggled with food allergies for a long time, and had a massive candida infection due to long term antibiotic use for acne. She studied a variety of dietary interventions.

As she studied and tried these dietary methods, she found that each diet helped a little, but did not bring complete healing.  She then came in contact with the work of William Crook, and discovered the candida connection.  So, she extracted the principles from each of these diets that worked, along with principles from both Western and Eastern medicine, and combined them to form the BED.

The problem: the BEDROK view of autism
Over the last few years Donna and followers of the Body Ecology Diet have been impressing doctors from groups like Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!), started by doctors whose own children suffer from the condition.  They done  an excellent job of diagnosing what's gone so seriously wrong with millions of children -- mostly in the last five years.  They have consistently found a combination of conditions including severe intestinal dysbiosis, systemic fungal and viral infections, mineral deficiencies, abnormal serotonin levels and an abundance of toxic materials including pesticides and other chemicals, mercury and other heavy metals. 

To date, attempts to solve autism focus on the use of supplements and various therapies to correct the disorder (and its milder forms, including Aspergers syndrome, ADD, ADHD and ODD). And yes, diet is key: the recommended gluten-free, casein-free diet has proven to be extremely valuable. But while some health-care professionals can be commended for their sincere attempt to find a more natural solution to the problem, they are meeting with only limited success. The missing piece needed to solve the mystery of autism lies deep within the intestinal walls.

A lack of understanding of the role of our inner ecosystem and how diet can actually alter genetics is preventing researchers from unlocking the mysteries of autism. If we fully recognized the value of the amazing ‘subculture’ of microflora that our intestinal tracts are designed to support, we would discover the key to preventing and healing this dreaded disorder.

They view autism as a combination of disorders…all correctable. A gut-brain infection in the early stages of the disorder distances the child from his surroundings and the goal of dietary intervention is to “bring him back to himself.” Environmental toxins inherited from several previous generations, undetected infections, weak endocrine organs, stuck detoxification pathways that prevent toxins from leaving their body, congested livers and weak immune systems from the lack of an inner ecosystem form a complex disorder that takes our children away from us and ultimately will prevent them from being normal

This infected, wounded gut is unable to perform its job as the first line of defense for the immune system. While permeable and infected, it is unable to confine undigested nutrients inside the gut wall (leading to allergic reactions), and is unable to properly absorb nutrients to nourish the body (leading to nutritional deficiency, weakened inner organs and biochemical disturbances especially in the brain).  The brain in our head is intimately linked to the enteric nervous system or “second brain” in our gut. If the brain in our intestines is suffering and infected, the one in our head becomes infected too.  So we start with healing the gut….We have a profound respect for Nature so we copy her as closely as possible.


The Inner Eco System (IES) is complex civilization of microflora that must inhabit our intestines in order for us to thrive…or indeed survive in a world where potentially pathogenic virus, bacteria and yeast also co-exist with us. While critical to our well-being, most professionals are still clueless about our inner ecosystems and it goes overlooked and under appreciated. A probiotic supplement is not going to help you establish a healthy inner ecosystem in your child’s wounded gut. It takes potent fermented foods and beverages in large amounts and a systematic step-by-step process to do it. So we copy Nature precisely with the BED.

Following conception, a child grows for nine months in the sterilized fluid of the womb -- free of bacteria. But as soon as the mother's cervix begins to dilate in preparation for her baby’s entrance into the world, bacteria from her birth canal contaminate the sterile fluid and begin to coat the body of the emerging fetus and even enter his digestive tract. Since this phenomenon is literally unseen, it goes unnoticed as people focus on the obvious things -- for instance, the mother’s well-being and whether the child has all his fingers and toes. No thought is given to the critical importance in these first few days of life to the development of the baby’s inner ecosystem – intended by nature to help ensure human survival in a world dominated by bacteria (mostly beneficial, but sometimes harmful). It’s this inner ecosystem that will determine the effectiveness of the child’s immune system and ability to digest nutrients and remain free of toxins, and thus the quality -- and even the length -- of his life.

Unfortunately, because cultured, fermented foods are not a part of our western diet, few mothers have a healthy predominance of beneficial vaginal bacteria needed to "inoculate" their babies at birth with these vital components of a healthy inner ecosystem. Instead, all too frequently, they unsuspectingly pass on pathogenic bacteria and yeast to their newborn child. In addition, many infants begin life with the added disadvantage of inheriting from their parents weakened adrenals and congested livers. These factors often combine with a lack of colostrum at birth to build the immune system to fight fungal and viral infections, the use of soy formulas (high in copper, manganese and plant estrogens) and the early introduction of sugars and carbohydrates that “feed” the yeast and viral infections. While the child may seem healthy from all outside appearances, the stage has been set for autism.

Once the infection in the gut has taken hold, several additional long-term problems continue.  The persistent fungal infection in the gut causes the intestinal lining to become wounded.  This wounded gut is unable to perform its job as nutritional traffic cop- absorbing the things the body needs, and keeping out the things that the body should not be exposed to. The inability of the gut to absorb what it should leads to maldigestion and malabsorption.  Over time, the inner organs, which rely on this continuous supply of nutrients, become malnourished.  Even good foods when not properly digested can become very toxic and bad for our children.  Our children can become very deficient in calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, and vitamins.  Their serotonin levels are either too high or low.  (They are protein deficient and lack the good fats. Their bodies have not been able to adequately eliminate toxins or absorb good foods properly.  Over time, this leads to a highly malnourished state.

The flipside of the wounded gut is that things “leak” through the gut lining that don’t belong in the body.  Some of these things can cause allergic reactions, leading to poor health, behavioral problems, and even autoimmune disease.  Some of these chemicals also affect the brain, leading to learning problems, inability of the child to control themselves, and even self-injurious behavior.  Some of the most potent hallucinogens known to man are products of molds and fungi- including LSD.  Pathogenic intestinal fungi also produce mycotoxins which can affect health and behavior.

One thing has become increasingly clear: autism isn’t the congenital condition that it was once assumed to be.  We think it is preventable – and even treatable- if we understand the multiple causes of the “systemic failure” that brings it about.  Many children are blood A types.   These children have been all found to be extremely lof in hydrochloric acids which help digest proteins.

Donna Gates, author of the Body Ecology Diet, has a passion for helping our kids. The program she and parents of autistic children have been developing for almost five years is called BEDROK…Body Ecology Diet Recovering Our Kids.  BEDROK has a strong spiritual component to it.  Donna truly believes that the children coming into our world today are highly evolved beings…and need to be treated as such. She explains, “Our planet is in such turmoil at the moment and many of our children in this new generation carry priceless information and solutions to our most serious health problems.. These highly-evolved souls will grow up and reach the age where they are ready to fulfill their missions but will be unable to do so because of their physical and mental health. Basically, environmental toxins inherited from several previous generations, undetected infections, weak endocrine organs, stuck detoxification pathways that prevent toxins from leaving their body, congested livers and weak immune systems from the lack of an inner ecosystem form a complex disorder that takes our children away from us and ultimately will prevent them from accomplishing their missions. It is our responsibility to bring them back. The world needs this generation…we can’t afford to lose them