Autumn Lautar: Saved by Paleo and Justin Bieber

Palm Coast Observer
Neighbors

Inside the Lautars’ kitchen on a Tuesday night, Autumn Lautar – an 18-year-old autistic student who mentally functions at half her age– prepares a meal that sounds delicious to the ears: steak and potatoes, a salad and a waffle. But, here’s the catch. Nothing except the salad is actually normal.

The steak is organic, grass-fed beef, and the potatoes are sweet potatoes. The waffle is made from plantains, and the noodles are zucchini. Welcome to Autumn’s new lifestyle, the Paleo diet.

Growing up around her siblings, Autumn ate normal food during her elementary years. Because of her food allergies, she couldn’t process everything, causing her to put on an abnormal amount of weight – 266 pounds to be exact.

“She would often experience really bad heart palpitations and sweat a lot,” said Ann Lautar, her mother. “She underwent every diagnostic for her heart, but the doctors couldn’t figure out why she was sick.”

When she was 14 years old, a doctor at Florida Hospital Flagler proposed she take up Paleo, and he also suggested she look into the “Dr. Oz Show” for health tips.

Watching the show, she began vigorously researching Paleo, learning how to cook healthier meals – all on her own.

But, three months into her new lifestyle, Autumn became depressed. Maintaining her diet grew tiresome, preparing all of the meals, and the taste was unpleasant.

When she considered giving up, she found motivation from Justin Bieber’s “Believe” song and continued her nutritious journey – and became a faithful “Belieber,” flooding her room with all of her memorabilia, which included a 6-foot cardboard cutout that would often frighten her mom.

In less than a year, Autumn dropped from 266 pounds to 152.

“She didn’t do anything else except eat differently,” Ann said. “The amount of food she can eat without gaining weight is impressive, because she can eat.”

“Normally, she functions on a fifth-grade level, said Kevin Lautar, her dad, “but, in this area, she’s comparable to doctorate level in many ways.

Not only has her health improved, but Ann believes Paleo has helped Autumn’s social skills. She went from antisocial and lethargic and depressed to wanting to meet people and being able to attend church without her parents.

“She’s more into trying new things and having people over,” Ann added. “We couldn’t have done an interview in the past; it would have very much upset her.”

Now-a-days, Autumn owns the kitchen. She uses her $120 bi-weekly budget to buy all of her necessary groceries every Thursday. Then on Saturday, she diligently prepares enough to last for 13 days.

Autumn has given up trying to entice her family to like her diet. To them, most of the food is tart and smells bad – especially kale chips. But, according to both Ann and Kevin, she makes a delicious sweet potato casserole that she doesn’t allow anyone to eat on most occasions.

“It’s great that she’s able to do the grocery shopping,” her mother said. “We still have to work constantly on the budget, but it makes me feel good that she can actually prepare meals and take care of her allergies as well as her health.”

"She has excelled in ways that are truly remarkable, showing independence and growth," Kevin added. "She has gained confidence in this area of her life, which has helped her in other areas as well."

Say what? “The amount of food she can eat without gaining weight is impressive, because she can eat.”

ANN LAUTAR, Autumn’s mother on her Paleo diet

Autumn’s past Christmas lists: In the last four years, Autumn has not asked for clothes, shoes, makeup or anything else common to teenage girls. Instead, she’s requested a zoodle machine, a food processor, cook books and a ninja blender. This year, she wants her own pots and pans and a kitchen aid mixer.