Chef Jimi’s Cooking App Helps Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
At the age of 2, Jimi and Ginnie Taylor’s son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Jimi was just beginning his career as a New York chef and Ginnie was finishing her doctorate in psychology when they learned of their son’s diagnosis. Their lives changed in an instant.
The Taylors have since devoted themselves to the recovery of their son’s health. One key area of interest to them is nutrition and diet, particularly the gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet.
Jimi and Ginnie soon discovered the critical importance of nutrition in correlation to alleviating the symptoms associated with autism; more specifically, the benefits of creating and pursuing GFCF diet. After strictly following a GFCF diet for more than seven years, the Taylors can attest to the positive results in their son’s health, and their own.
But for many, adherence to a GFCF diet isn’t easy. So Chef Jimi, now an accomplished chef, recently teamed up with Generation Rescue on the development of an iOS app to help parents and caregivers with children on the autism spectrum who are also managing special dietary needs.
The app, “Cooking with a Cause,” shows parents where to begin, with instructional core cooking videos and 39 recipes, plus nutritional information, conversion tools, tips on label reading, shopping lists and social media capabilities to easily share tips and recipes with others. The app also has a “Hidden Treasures” feature that offers creative ways to incorporate nutrients and proteins into meals to overcome sensory issues associated with certain foods.
The aim of “Cooking with a Cause” is to ultimately provide parents and caregivers with the knowledge and skills they need to deliver healthy, nutritious meals to their child. It will help with the introduction of new foods, adhering to dietary restrictions, and it will help parents to better plan and schedule meals and snacks.
Abannan LLC, the app publisher, will also donate 12.5 cents for every download to Generation Rescue, which will benefit the 90-day autism treatment grant to directly improve quality of life of those affected.
