No-Fenol was developed by Dr. Devin Houston in response to requests for a product that would allow users to eat fruits and vegetables without the problems thought to be associated with some phenolic compounds. Initial responses from many indicate that No-Fenol can allow the addition of these foods to the diet without complications.

All plants contain some degree of phenolic compounds. The phenol structure itself is ubiquitous in nature, and is actually essential to many of life's processes. Current thinking by many is that some subset of children on The Spectrum have difficulty in the processing of phenolic compounds, which may present as behavioral problems and physical symptoms such as red ears and cheeks, and dark circles under the eyes. While the basic mechanism behind this phenomenon is not well defined, it is thought that perhaps the phenolic compounds become "trapped" in some part of a metabolic cycle, presumbably involved with various detoxification pathways.