Autism Awareness, Real Food, and Real Life
Thomas Cuisine President and CEO, Alison Patt Shares a Real Food Experience
How do you find your calling in life? Many of us are called to do work that parallels our values and lifestyle, and for many of us, nothing is more compelling than the ability to help your children thrive. Such was the case with Alison Patt, who joined Thomas Cuisine in 2020 with the desire to further our mission around Real Food. Her passion around food, service, and building relationships was top notch, but it was fueled by an underlying current of passion from personally witnessing the impact of real foods on the health of her son Joey, who lives with Autism. In a recent internal meeting, Alison shared a bit of valuable insight around the positive impact that Real Food can have on managing Autism symptoms and the ease that whole foods can offer to those who experience our world differently.
Autism Awareness, Education, and Food
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is estimated that 1 in 54 children in the United States has Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a developmental disability associated with differences in the brain. Some people with ASD have a known difference, such as a genetic condition. Other causes are not yet known. Many parents and caregivers of individuals with Autism have found that a real food diet can help alleviate some of the symptoms associated with the condition. Due to a variety of factors around food preference and texture aversions, research shows that those experiencing Autism often have an increased risk for nutritional deficiencies, and those deficiencies can impact the individual’s ability to thrive1. Like most parents, Alison’s greatest desire was to see her little boy, Joey experience feeling his best, so she took a chance on Real Food. With extra amounts of love, dedication, and patience, the Patt family explored different foods, textures, and presentations of meals and snacks featuring whole foods while reducing processed items. In time, Joey experienced true transformation. He began to play. He began to thrive.
Real Food and a Real Responsibility
You can easily see how this Real Food experience propels Alison’s vision to further Real Food availability within Thomas Cuisine’s foodservice approach; after all, our on-site dining programs provide over 22 million meals per year. This far-reaching impact means it’s our responsibility to offer the very best ingredients, foods, and experiences to those we serve in senior living, healthcare settings, independent schools, and nation-wide corporate cafes. Our personal experience with food is life-changing, impactful, and ultimately, sacred. The Real Foods aspect of dining is so important, that we’d like to share Alison’s story with you, and encourage you to try a Real Food approach for your own life, business, and future wellness.
References
- “What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9 Dec. 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html#:~:text=Autism%20spectrum%20disorder%20(ASD)%20is,most%20common%20ways%20people%20develop.
