Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)

[Ms Jan]

Hi Jenn,

Glad you feel better.

I normally use all of the broccoli, stem and tree - cutting it into thumb sized pieces and letting it boil for about 20 minutes so it becomes all soft. As to whether broccoli and cauliflower produce gas, I don't know since that was never one of my problems. You'll have to see whether it agrees with you or not.

To pick out avocados depend a bit on the type. There are those that stay green always, they should just be well shaped and slightly soft when you pinch them (that's a sign of ripeness) - and no bruises. As to the darker more wrinkled ones, they should be as dark as possible, same softness, yet not too soft as that might show they are overripe (brown inside, which tastes nasty), and not with spots or 'scars' on the outside. It goes for both types that when you cut them open, they should be green almost yellowy, and slightly soft in the meat. Cut away any brown parts of the meat. It's often possible to find avocados on sale in large supermarkets, like 3 or 5 for a reasonable price. They taste well blended or mashed with just salt and pepper and maybe some olive oil and a squint of fresh lemon if you can have that.

I often eat it with pure canned tunafish in oil (make sure there are no additives/spices), which for some reason I find very easy to digest.

As to candida, I have done the prescription drugs initially with good results, but the candida returned, and when I took them a second time around they didn't work as well. So I moved on to natural anti-candida remedies, of which there are many (if you search in this forum on candida, you'll see the discussions). But off the cuff, I've found that caprylic acid, olive oil extract and the probiotic threelac have worked the best for me. But if I were you, I'd focus only on your diet right now, in order not to add any elements that might confuse the basic sorting of what foods you can tolerate or not. Once you're in a stabilized situation with the diet, you can then begin to experiment with the anti-candida remedies. I'd mention it to the doctor though. If he's good, it might help him get a more complete picture, and then you can always decide about the medicine later.

It's very easy to follow a candida diet within the SCD. The main thing is to also cut out sugar (that means honey and sugary fruits, juices etc), alcohol, vinegar, and cheese, as well as a few other things.

But get your stomach stabilized first of all. It sounds as if you're in dire need simply of some nourishment, that your stomach can cope with.

Hope you get better

Jan

[pele]

Hi Jenn

Welcome to the thread. I am sorry you are having such a hard time. I wonder if you are suffering from vitamin deficiencies. Very low levels of Vitamin D can cause the kinds of trouble you are having, as can B12 deficiency. If you have been an untreated celiac for a long time, you may also be deficient in other B vitamins, A, E, K, and deficient in magnesium and trace minerals. It is possible to get blood tests for these things but it sounds like you are on a budget. Hopefully your doctor can give you some good advice, or give you a B12 shot!

I would start with some sunbathing, a good D3 supplement and a sublingual B12, folic acid complex supplement. If you can tolerate chicken broth, make your own by boiling bones, preferably with some celery or some other vegetables that you can strain out if the fiber is too much. Can you tolerate cod liver oil? Egg yolk?

Unfortunately, it takes time to heal when the damage has been going on for years, but you are on the right track.

[fig girl]

Thanks, fig girl. I had both blood and fecal tests done on Tuesday, so now I'm just waiting for the answers. The specialist said that he did think that celiac, and the fact that I had carried it for a lifetime without treatment, was the basic course of my trouble, but also that I might have other problems as well, particularly with my liver. So we'll see. At least, I do feel very well these days.

How did your testing go? And how's the diet working for you by now?

I'm getting tired of my diet sometimes. Not because of the SCD, but because my food choices within the SCD are still so limited here after four months of it: no dairy, no eggs, no meats except chicken, no fish except for canned tuna, no nut flour products only whole nuts, no honey, and no spices but salt and pepper - and naturally no alcohol and just limited amounts of coffee and tea. But since I get so very sick every time I stray, I have no choice but to continue. And then I try to focus on how well I feel as long as I do stay strictly on my safe foods.

This thread also really helps me to stay on course, seeing both how much the SCD has helped many of you, but also how long it took for various levels of healing.

And Ali B.,

How's your cleansing doing? Yesterday I began on a liver cleansing programme that'll last two weeks. I hope it'll support the SCD in clearing out my system, so I can end up tolerating more foods.

I've given up on the yogurt and also on adding other new foods for the moment, considering that I need to improve more before I think I can tolerate it. And I just don't have the stomach to be sick for more days right now. Need to add to this strength I finally feel is building up in me.

Jan

Hi Jan,

I've been doing well, thanks. Well, except for the glass of wine last weekend and possible accidental glutening. I started feeling better again by Friday. I know what you mean about getting tired of the same foods and getting a little frustrated for not being able to tolerate new, SCD legal foods yet. I felt like that before just sticking with my safe foods. Since i've been on my safe foods for about 2 mths now i'm feeling much, much better and i haven't really gotten tired of them....maybe because i know eating them is helping me feel better. Right now all i can tolerate is chicken, fish, beef, bison, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, carrots, romaine lettuce, ripe banana, avocado, scd goat yogurt, olive oil, sea salt, black pepper. The only raw i eat is the romaine lettuce but have juiced kale, lettuce and carrot diluted with a good bit of water. I'm still taking 1 Capryl capsule per day (i'll take those until they run out - i think there's 100 in the bottle) and 1 Freeda scd legal multi vitamin, 1 B-complex, 1 P5P50 (activated B6) and 5,000 iu's of Vitamin D3 (i take 5 of the 1,000 iu's spread throughout the day - i seem to absorb it better taken this way).

My Dr. had tested my Vit D3 last month and it had went up (she had left me a message and said to call back for the exact no's but i never did) after she increased my dose to 5,000 iu's per day. She had said to continue the 5,000 iu's another month and then she'll test it again to see where it's at which i have an appt with her tomorrow so i'll get it tested again this week.

I'm glad you're feeling better and stronger. I've felt stronger as well and am planning on starting yoga and light weights (for bone health). I walk my dog about a couple of times a week but hopefully will increase that a little too.

I did try about a tablespoon of really cooked cabbage yesterday and it gave me a little joint pain in my hands and a few pains in my stomach but not too bad. I couldn't resist it, my Dad had given us a fresh cabbage from his garden and i cooked it until it was really soft with some olive oil and salt and pepper. It was so yummy.

This thread really helps me also and i always learn so much.

Michelle

[fig girl]

You could use coconut milk to make the yogurt - several have done that - if my memory serves me right I think Michelle (Fig Girl) has made hers with coconut. Goats milk is ok but you do have to get it, and use it very fresh. When fresh I find it tastes and smells just like cows milk, but it does get the goaty flavour and smell as it ages .

Hi Ali and Jenn,

I've only made goat yogurt but want to try the coconut yogurt sometime. I had tried coconut oil and dried coconut (no additives) and it didn't agree with me. I'll try it again in the future. I'll try the coconut oil first and if it agrees maybe i'll try to use some fresh coconut milk or the canned with no additives to make some yogurt. If I eat too much of the goat yogurt at one sitting i will get a little joint pain and a runny nose. I probably should see how i feel with not eating the goat yogurt but i'm still pretty limited in my foods and it's about my only dessert treat - i haven't tried doing without it. Maybe i'll try it for about a day or two and see how i feel. It seems to be fine if i don't over do it at one time.

Ali - I know what you mean about the goat milk has a smell to it when it's not real fresh. I try to make it pretty quickly after buying it. I like the raw goat milk i get from a neaby goat farm but they've dried up there goats for a few months. I freeze the raw goat milk if i can't make my yogurt within a day or two of getting it to keep it fresh and it doesn't kill the enzymes.

Jenn - i hope you're feeling much better and you're finding some safe foods to eat and to give you some nourishment. You've gotten some great advice from everyone. It sounds like you're making some improvements already on the diet so it seems you're headed in the right direction. The 19th of this month i'll have been on SCD for 9 months and in the past month or 2 is when i've really seen some improvements. I've had intolerances to many of the scd legal foods (nuts, eggs, squash, peppers are just some that come to mind) but with a lot of trial and error i figured out my safe foods and have felt much better just staying with those for a while. Hang in there and hope you feel much better really soon!

Michelle

[AliB]

Currently I am ploughing through a book I got recently called 'Not on the Label - What really goes in to the food on your plate' by Felicity Lawrence.

It is a real eye-opener. I am working through the chapter on bread at the moment. To summarise the portion I have been reading........

Modern bread is not made or baked the traditional time-honoured way.

[marthamom]

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all doing well. Jenn, welcome to the thread, and I hope you begin to feel better--in my short time here, I've gotten really great advice and support.

I had an experience over the weekend that sort of re-committed me to SCD and reminded me that we really need to listen to our bodies. I went to my GI on Friday for a check-in, and she took some blood to check my antibody level (I had it checked one other time since my diagnosis last fall--it was lower, but still not "normal"). I won't find out the results for a week or so. I told her that I was still having symptoms and that I'd been trying SCD for about a month or so.

I think she's a very good doctor, and is kind of a specialist in celiac, but I left feeling like even the "experts" don't have all the answers. She said that she knew of some people who have had good a good response on SCD but that it was very restrictive and took a big commitment to follow, and that people tend to lose weight on it and that she didn't want me to lose any more weight. She said that I probably just needed to give the gluten-free diet more time given my level of damage (almost total villous atrophy according to the endoscopy last fall). She also said that as long as I wasn't ingesting gluten, even if I did have some symptoms, it wouldn't be doing any further damage to the intestines.

So, I (stupidly) decided to take her advice and try some other foods this weekend and see how it went. In a word: BADLY. I know I did it in a stupid way, by introducing way too much too soon, but I guess I was just using the fact that a medical professional told me I could eat more things as an excuse to do so.....I had ice cream on Friday, Bob's gluten-free hot cereal (with brown sugar!) on Saturday and Sunday mornings, fresh mozzarella and roasted potatoes on Saturday night....Needless to say, by yesterday morning I felt horrible, and am now back to the intro diet to try to settle things down.

I'm convinced more than ever that SCD is what my body needs right now, but it was just discouraging to me that it just seems like there are no clear-cut answers, and that even the doctors don't always point us in the right direction. She did prescribe me some digestive enzymes (not sure they are SCD-legal, though---maybe I should just keep taking the ones from GI Pro Health?).

Sorry to write so much---just wanted to let you know that I'm very grateful for this thread....otherwise, I think I wouldn't have had the motivation to stick to this.

Michelle, I noticed that you eat the goat yogurt--I'm thinking of trying this since I had a bad reaction to the SCD yogurt I made with regular milk. Have you found it easier to digest?

Have a good week everyone!

martha

[clearsky]

I want to ask some of you who've been on the diet for a while now - how much have you gotten better overall? How much more do you have to go?

I'm nearing 3 months on the diet, and while there are some days when I feel great, there are many others when things seem to be sliding backwards. In the past week or so, some symptoms that I had thought were long gone (itchiness being the main one) have returned with a vengeance. Although I've cautiously added a few foods recently, there still hasn't been much expansion of my diet beyond the few core foods I've been sticking with (proteins and a few vegetables). Just eggs, coconut oil, bananas and a couple others. I'm going to try skipping the eggs and coconut oil for a few days to see what happens.

Reading all your posts is very encouraging, especially AliB's as she seems to have been on the diet the longest and has a good handle on everything. I'm just not sure if I could be doing things better, or whether its all just a matter of time and being patient...

[mftnchn]

Clearsky, for me there are many factors in my health problems, so its hard to say how much I have to go. On SCD, I have had improvement with constipation. It also helped a lot with overall energy. It clearly also had a cleansing effect with regard to parasites.

I have continued to have some bloating--which has been much worse over the past several weeks. I also have a lot of ups and downs with fatigue.

I'm suspicious that either some of my new meds/supplements are causing symptoms, or the parasite/protozoa treatment followed by a return to antibiotics (for lyme disease) have just wiped out the good bacteria. I'm going to try some extra probiotics today to see if helps at all.

I've been on SCD for 11 months now.

[pele]

Clearsky and Martha and anyone wondering if sticking to the diet is worth it

I've been on the diet for 14 1/2 months.

When I started I had been gluten-free for over a year and was not healed. Even though many of my gluten-caused symptoms, like joint pain, dizziness and bloating had abated, I still had lousy digestion and no energy or stamina. The SCD for me was a total change. I have gone through many stages of healing on this diet, many of which were totally unexpected, like smoother skin and a big reduction in brain fog.

It wasn't until mid winter, about 10 months on the diet when I really began to feel my gut was healing. It took that long to get to the point where I could take magnesium supplements without getting D. It took that long before I no longer wanted to eat probiotic pills every day. Now, I keep thinking I'm healed then I get even better.

When I hear about doctors telling people all they need to heal is a gluten-free diet, I think of this analogy:

If you are texting while driving and end up in a ditch, turning off your cell phone may prevent this from happening again, but it may not get you out of the ditch. Some people are lucky. They just drive out of the ditch and go on their merry way. Others of us had a major wreck. If the car flips over, you're going to need a tow truck and a body shop. So here we are, at the SCD body shop.

I plan to stay on the diet because while gluten is certainly a highly toxic substance for me, I think the western diet of refined grains and sugar is enough to send me sliding off the road. And I feel a whole lot better on grassfed meat, local eggs, nuts and honey, and homegrown produce.

[darkhorse]

Well, I have decided to try the SCD due to other food intolerances popping up now that I am gluten and diary free. I am hoping that the diet will allow my gut to heal enough so I can reintroduce nightshades.

I have been on the intro diet for one day and my cravings for something sweet or starchy have been out of control! I am drinking pure organic apple cider to help, but that only fixes my cravings for a short while. I have a feeling I am really on to something because of this.

I have not been brave enough to make the yogurt, and I don't think I will. My reactions to dairy rival my reactions to gluten and I don't want to put myself through that. So I have found a good "multi" probiotic and I'm taking the max dose for the time being. I hope that will be enough.

I am going to try to stick to this diet, but I can already tell it will be much harder than Gluten-free Casein-free. I am a sweet addict, and obviously, so are the baddies in my intestines. I will probably be needing lots of support!

[mftnchn]

Great post, Pele.

Welcome Darkhorse! I hope this proves helpful for you. Some people seem to be able to reintroduce some dairy after a period on SCD. On the www.pecanbread.com site, with kids they sometime start with only a 1/4 tsp of goat milk yogurt and work up.

The cravings at the beginning are very common. I had that too. I allowed myself some honey, like a spoonful, or made homemade gelatin and ate that. After about 10 days or two weeks, the cravings subsided, and I cut back on the sweets without any problem.

I'm wondering if I am just going through a major flare. About the only change in my diet has been adding raw again. I suppose that could be the culprit, but since it seemed to go along with my recent treatments, I'm also wondering if it is something else.

[pele]

Hi Darkhorse

Don't worry about the yogurt, you can do the diet without dairy. Have you ever tried making kimchi? It is a fermented food.

I hear you on the sweets. I was a major chocoholic and sugar addict when I started the diet. Like Sherry said, the cravings go away in two weeks or less. It is worth sticking it out just to kick this habit!

If you don't have "brisk" D, as Elaine calls it in the book, you can probably speed up the intro and add more legal foods. I found that peanut butter and honey helped me through the first weeks.

If you are hungry, eat more fat and protein. We have been brainwashed into thinking we shouldn't eat much fat and only eat small helpings of meat and eggs, but you may need to replace the grains, soy, corn that you are no longer eating.

Oddly, since going on the SCD, I no longer want to eat nightshades. I have however, been able to reintroduce some things I couldn't eat before, like apples (yay) and strawberries (yeehaw!).

[Ms Jan]

Hi there,

I was sick again for three days. This time I think it was because I'd eaten a little bit of organic minced meat. Did it as a test since I was feeling so well, but that I shouldn't have done . Back to my safe vegetables.

And it's good to be reminded Pele, that it took you 9-10 months to really get better, giving me some encouragements here 4.5 months into the SCD. I better just stick it out on my safe foods for quite a few months more before becoming adventurous again.

Jan

[mftnchn]

As I mentioned, I've had severe bloating again and some weight gain (I think it is water retention), so I asked Kim on the SCDinfo group. She said the bloating and gas are by products of the bacteria in the gut, so she thinks my gut ecology is way out of wack, probably secondary to my medication treatments.

So I must increase my probiotics.

Also she said I probably need to return to intro and the easiest digestible foods again. She suggested not too much fruits, sweets, and caution with high-carbs or nut flour items. She said it sounds like my digestion won't be able to tolerate much more, maybe until I can finish antibiotics (which is open-ended at this point since I relapse when I go off them).

I'm doing apple juice (homemade) today only and tomorrow a liver flush, and can only have fruit a little in the morning before that.

Then I think I'll do a couple of days on broth and ground meat, and see if that starts to help matters.

[Rhoger1]

Hi Everyone...

Was wondering if there are some good recommendations for SCD legal probiotics. I'm alittle confused reading the SCD book where its mentioned the Bifidus. I notice on most probiotics they call for Bifidoacterium....xxx, but not sure if it has to say "Bifidus" only to be illegal on this diet. The one I'm taking has "Bifidobacterium in it, which most do. Also an ingredient of Maltodextrin where the word Malt concerns me.

Any thoughts on the above and recommendations on high quality "legal" probiotics.

Thanks

[mftnchn]

Maltodextrin would be a sugar, so illegal. It may or may not be gluten as well.

GiProhealth makes a SCD legal probiotic. Kirkman acidophilus is also SCD legal. These are the two I have used.

Many probiotics also have FOS and Inulin which are not legal. So its not just the organisms but the other ingredients that have to be considered.

[dtgirl]

I've decided to formally start the diet. I ordered the book as well. Right now I am seeing 4 different doctors at a major research hospital here in the US.. even they are having issues with me! I do have celiac.. all my stomach issues are on my lower right side of my stomach. Whenever I eat fruits/veg/carbs I get bubbles in my stomach. Like when you press down, they burst.. it is SO weird. I have major bloating, fluid retention, and constipation. I also cannot properly sleep (I wake up after about half an hour to 1), my hair is thin and falling out, I bruise very easily, I am naturally very dark skinned, but now I am pale as a ghost, I have deep purpleish circles under my eyes and on the sides of my nose, I have not had a period in 8 years now, I fatigue very easily, my nails fall off, I'm losing muscle, I have osteopenia, the list goes on No one believes me! but my drs know there is something going on, they are just working to figure it out; basically I take tests and we rule out one thing at a time. It's complex. I think most people here can really relate though. I will be honest, I eat some offending foods I should not be eating: protein powder, diet coke (1-2 times a week), a packet of splenda in my coffee, salsa, mustard, and 1 carb ketcup. However, I will not anymore. anyways, for the time being I am not going to eat veggies or fruit, they cause me intense pain and constipation. today I've had avocado, chicken, salmon, some carrots. anyways, I am interested in reading more this thread is sooo informative!

[AliB]

I've decided to formally start the diet. I ordered the book as well. Right now I am seeing 4 different doctors at a major research hospital here in the US.. even they are having issues with me! I do have celiac.. all my stomach issues are on my lower right side of my stomach. Whenever I eat fruits/veg/carbs I get bubbles in my stomach. Like when you press down, they burst.. it is SO weird. I have major bloating, fluid retention, and constipation. I also cannot properly sleep (I wake up after about half an hour to 1), my hair is thin and falling out, I bruise very easily, I am naturally very dark skinned, but now I am pale as a ghost, I have deep purpleish circles under my eyes and on the sides of my nose, I have not had a period in 8 years now, I fatigue very easily, my nails fall off, I'm losing muscle, I have osteopenia, the list goes on No one believes me! but my drs know there is something going on, they are just working to figure it out; basically I take tests and we rule out one thing at a time. It's complex. I think most people here can really relate though. I will be honest, I eat some offending foods I should not be eating: protein powder, diet coke (1-2 times a week), a packet of splenda in my coffee, salsa, mustard, and 1 carb ketcup. However, I will not anymore. anyways, for the time being I am not going to eat veggies or fruit, they cause me intense pain and constipation. today I've had avocado, chicken, salmon, some carrots. anyways, I am interested in reading more this thread is sooo informative!

Hiya, welcome to the thread.

The bubbles are pretty intriguing. Have you been tested for different bacteria and/or parasites? Certain bacteria like Candida for instance do contribute to gas and can generate carbon dioxide when presented with certain substances. If in your lower right side it sounds as if it is concentrated around the lower area of the ascending colon. I bet that is pretty painful at times.

Their favourite food is undigested carbs and sugars and if your digestion is not working properly they are in food-fest heaven! That is why it is important to make sure you remove all di- and poly-saccharides from your diet as, unlike mono-saccharides that are found in vegetables and most fruits they need other enzymes to break them down into monos which a damaged gut is often lacking.

The other thing I am concerned about is your consumption of Diet Coke. Whilst I am sure that some of the negative claims made about Aspartame may be over-egged somewhat, there is usually a modicum of truth in amongst it and there are people out there who have claimed to have recovered from seemingly serious illnesses after removing sodas and soft drinks from their diet. Apart from the aspartame though, they are often full of other chemicals which can be just as, or even more harmful in their own way so are best avoided, especially when you are obviously not well, anyway.

Constipation means that your body is not getting rid of the food and toxins efficiently and the food is just sitting fermenting in your gut, hence the bubbles. The best way of protecting the gut is to get the food moving and the toxins out. Have you been tested for things like magnesium levels?

The fact that you are waking up so soon after going to sleep suggests to me that your liver is majorly clogged. If it is clogged, it cannot process food elements properly nor can it dispose of toxins effectively. Add that to the clogged gut and the toxins just aren't going anywhere.

The early hours are the 'Liver Time'. It is when the liver does most of its processing and cleansing work and if it is struggling then it can affect sleep. Liver problems can also contribute to the dark circles under the eyes but the biggest hint is that your hair is falling out. As I discovered, the fact that liver function tests come back normal, does not give any indication of how well the liver is working or eliminating, only that it is producing the enzymes and substances they have tested for. Shame they can't devise a 'clogged liver' test!

The fruit and veg may well cause you pain and more constipation because it is trying to cleanse your gut but can't get the stuff moving. Has any of the Doctors suggested that you perhaps could try having some colonic hydrotherapies to clear out the colon?

I had one recently and it helped so much (loads of Candida and toxins came out - sorry if that is too much information, but I was amazed) I am going to try and afford a few more over the course of the next few months as it can take several sessions to really sort it all out. As SIBO can often be a problem too, the quicker the food can get through the gut the more effective the environment will be for dislodging the pathogenic bacteria. If you are in the States I don't know if your insurance would cover that at all, but it may be worth considering.

The bruising can be linked to a sluggish liver, but it can also indicate low vitamin C. If you are not eating fruit then you may need to supplement with C if you are not already doing so. It is always better to have it from food when you can tolerate it but supplements are better than nothing at all. Can you cope with lemon or lime juice? That will supply C but is also good for the liver and kidneys - a quarter or half a lemon squeezed into a glass of water at any time is good, but first thing in the morning is even better and is a good, refreshing wake-up.

I do hope that your SCD journey proves to be as beneficial as it has for many others of us. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Ali.

[dtgirl]

Hiya, welcome to the thread.

The bubbles are pretty intriguing. Have you been tested for different bacteria and/or parasites? Certain bacteria like Candida for instance do contribute to gas and can generate carbon dioxide when presented with certain substances.

Their favourite food is undigested carbs and sugars and if your digestion is not working properly they are in food-fest heaven! That is why it is important to make sure you remove all di- and poly-saccharides from your diet as, unlike mono-saccharides that are found in vegetables and most fruits they need other enzymes to break them down into monos which a damaged gut is often lacking.

The other thing I am concerned about is your consumption of Diet Coke. Whilst I am sure that some of the negative claims made about Aspartame may be over-egged somewhat, there is usually a modicum of truth in amongst it and there are people out there who have claimed to have recovered from seemingly serious illnesses after removing sodas and soft drinks from their diet. Apart from the aspartame though, they are often full of other chemicals which can be just as, or even more harmful in their own way so are best avoided, especially when you are obviously not well, anyway.

Constipation means that your body is not getting rid of the food and toxins efficiently and the food is just sitting fermenting in your gut, hence the bubbles. The best way of protecting the gut is to get the food moving and the toxins out. Have you been tested for things like magnesium levels?

The fact that you are waking up so soon after going to sleep suggests to me that your liver is majorly clogged. If it is clogged, it cannot process food elements properly nor can it dispose of toxins effectively. Add that to the clogged gut and the toxins just aren't going anywhere.

The early hours are the 'Liver Time'. It is when the liver does most of its processing and cleansing work and if it is struggling then it can affect sleep. Liver problems can also contribute to the dark circles under the eyes but the biggest hint is that your hair is falling out.

The fruit and veg may well cause you pain and more constipation because it is trying to cleanse your gut but can't get the stuff moving. Has anyone suggested that you perhaps could try having some colonic hydrotherapies to clear out the colon?

I had one recently and it helped so much (loads of Candida and toxins came out - sorry if that is too much information, but I was amazed) I am going to try and afford a few more over the course of the next few months as it can take several sessions to really sort it all out. As SIBO can often be a problem too, the quicker the food can get through the gut the more effective the environment will be for dislodging the pathogenic bacteria. If you are in the States I don't know if your insurance would cover that at all, but it may be worth considering.

The bruising can be linked to a sluggish liver, but it can also indicate low vitamin C. If you are not eating fruit then you may need to supplement with C if you are not already doing so. It is always better to have it from food when you can tolerate it but supplements are better than nothing at all. Can you cope with lemon or lime juice? That will supply C but is also good for the liver and kidneys - a quarter or half a lemon squeezed into a glass of water at any time is good, but first thing in the morning is even better and is a good, refreshing wake-up.

I do hope that your SCD journey proves to be as beneficial as it has for many others of us. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Ali.

Hello,

Thank you for your detailed response. I have never been tested for any parasites.. I do not have insurance right now and am being seen at a research hospital for free. It has been a LONG process. I love low white blood cells and a high mch.. they asked, do you drink alcohol? I've never had a drink in my life, ever for various reasons. I def. believe I have a sluggish liver. I went 3 years without diet coke or splenda and about 1 month ago started again because I get SO frustrated, there is nothing I can eat many times, except air hah. I can eat fruit in very, very small quantities. I cannot afford hydrotherapy right now. I have never been tested for magnesium before, but it really constipates me. I have tried all forms of magnesium and it leaves me very constipated, for days. The last time I took it, my weight went from 137 to 152. After I stopped the mag, I had a BM and the weight tapered off. I am currently using lemon/lime with no problems. My most problematic foods are asparagus, broccoli, apples, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, letteuce, spinach, apples, ALL beans, figs, and sweet potatoes. I don't tolerate fiber at all, especially fos/inulin. anyways, thank you so much for your insight :0

[AliB]

Are you on any prescription medications?

Just trying to pick up clues as to why magnesium would make your constipation worse when for most people it alleviates it!

[mftnchn]

Welcome dtgirl!

From your description, I'd think the diet would be well worth trying. I think in your case that you'll need to start at a very simple level. When there is a lot of damage, the fiber worsens the C instead of helping. Intestinal motility is compromised. This can be for various reasons.

I had a very clear response on the SCD in the first couple of weeks--enough to know that it would make a big difference with C. And I had already been gluten-free for 15 months at that point, so clearly gluten-free hadn't allowed adequate healing in my case.

Although the book has a suggested intro to follow, what is really important is finding the safe foods that work for YOU. Unfortunately that means some trial and error. You might try giving your system a jump start by doing one day or even two with broth only. Try to make a really nourishing broth (the book gives you some ideas) and there is another website of a similar diet that I can't think of the name---that has some wonderful instructions about the benefits of broth.

At first, cook everything, and cook it well. No raw fruits and vegetables. These are too hard to digest. For a guideline as to what foods may be harder to digest for many people, check out the "stages" chart on www.pecanbread.com. You don't have to be rigid, but just learn what foods are easier to handle and start with those.

The other important thing is yogurt and/or probiotics. This is crucial, because as the diet clears out the bad organisms in your intestine you have to replace it with the good ones.

On the diet coke, I'd limit it to once a week. There are some nice herbal drinks that various people like. I boil ginger root (slice up a ginger root, and boil it for a half hour or so. Add honey if you wish) and it is good for the liver, and really helpful for nausea. The lemon juice in water is a very good idea for help with detox as well.

Sherry

[mftnchn]

That's a good question, Ali. Perhaps the form of magnesium makes a difference. The other thing I wonder, if the magnesium stimulates the intestine in a way that makes it spastic. So that the movements are chaotic and don't serve to move things along. Another thought is that it sometimes takes pretty high doses of magnesium to work. But if you think it is making it worse, I'd hesitate.

An alternative approach might be pure vitamin C powder. You could add it to juice that you tolerate. Vitamin C doesn't have the worry of overdose like magnesium has. You can take Vitamin C to "bowel tolerance" meaning until you get loose stools.

However, I'd first try the SCD intro and see what happens. Things can shift a lot back and forth the first few weeks.

On the pecanbread.com website, there is also an SCD constipation protocol, from Elaine. You can consider that as well.

[mftnchn]

It appears my severe bloating problem is either diet or medications. I just did two days of break from medications, while prepping and doing a simple version of liver flush. The first day I just drank homemade apple juice and nothing else. To my surprise, the bloating decreased and I also lost some excess fluid. I thought the fruit/juice might be part of the problem, but seems not.

I've gone back to my more simple basic diet, all cooked and no raw. I tried a few cashews, and that started some symptoms, so to me that's a good sign that I am just not handling harder to digest foods.

Kim, on scdinfo group, suggests that I go back to easy to digest foods, and may need to stay at that level as long as I have to stay on antibiotics. Her other suggestion, which I am trying now, is yogurt more than twice a day, 2 hours away from any antibiotic doses.

[Ms Jan]

Hi Sherry,

As to cashew nuts, it might be the mold that gives you problems. I can digest most nuts without any problems, but just tried cashews and immediately got a brain fog. And I read somewhere that cashews are particularly moldy.

Jan

[fig girl]

Michelle, I noticed that you eat the goat yogurt--I'm thinking of trying this since I had a bad reaction to the SCD yogurt I made with regular milk. Have you found it easier to digest?

Hi Martha,

I haven't made the SCD yogurt with cow's milk so i can't compare - i started off with the goat milk and have always eaten that. In the beginning the goat yogurt gave me the rumbly tummy and a little gas but i think it was because it was working on the baddies because after a short while that subsided. I started off eating a little and then increasing my amount.

I can tell you though that before i started on the SCD my Dr. had let me know about goat milk and goat cheese - she said some people who can't tolerate cow's milk do ok on goat milk and i tried both the goat milk and goat cheese and i did ok on it.

If i eat too much of the yogurt at one sitting it will give me some joint pain and a runny nose. Good luck with it if you try it....i hope it'll work for you! Let me know how it goes.

Michelle