https://www.celiac.com/blogs/blog/1215-a-healing-kitchen/enhttps://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2347-a-decade-of-determination-pays-off/This will be my shortest blog. After a decade on The Specific Carbohydrate Diet, I am once again able to eat occasional moderate amounts of restricted sweets and starches with no apparent consequences. Since my celiac disease was never formally diagnosed, I cannot claim it is curable or was cured but it is now six weeks since I resumed eating foods I have not had in ten years as well as foods purported to be cross reactive with Latex Allergy. Ultimately I decided to be very cautious and not push the envelope since the SCD has been enjoyable and a great asset to regaining some resistance to chemical sensitivities. I also developed a real enjoyment of SCD recipes and still prefer many of them over their conventional counterparts. I am not suggesting others digress from their gluten free diets, just reporting what has happened in my case so far. Scott has suggested I monitor my maintenance with periodic blood tests for anti bodies and I plan to investigate that as it makes good sense. Finally, I do feel it is easier to maintain a proper weight with SCD although it is not a weight control program.2347Mon, 20 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2344-the-grill-of-it-all/Everything old is new again, at least it is in my kitchen. The neighbor passed along a lovely little George Foreman grill she had no interest in and although I can't take photos, text or place phone calls with it, the shiny little white griddle looks fine next to the juicer and food processor. It cooks a range of foods in no more than ten minutes and they are done on both sides with the juices dripping into a little tray placed at the front. Pluses: The food is juicy, cleanup is relatively quick and easy, the house doesn't smell of cooking, the grill marks are attractive. Shitake mushrooms come out ready to substitute for tofu. Steak and burgers are tasty. Zucchini slices are tender and juicy. Minuses: Breast of chicken is breast of chicken and no matter how I season or marinate it, it still tastes like styrofoam. The grill is a good hurry up tool for weight loss diet but once winter comes, I want to do my favorite more detailed recipes that I use for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet on the stove or in an oven Finally, I tend to use very new gadget on a daily basis for about two weeks and then rarely. Meanwhile, I'm letting George do it! 2344Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2335-recall-of-the-wild/
When it comes to this the label is a fable, because there is rarely public notification on the part of the product producer. One example is Applegate Foods which has made a number of changes in their hot dogs and deli meat over time making it sometimes suitable and sometimes not. What we do to validate ingredients is request a hard copy signed letter on company letterhead listing ingredients. If there are spices, we need a declaration that no anti-clumping or anti-caking agents have been added (I call them agent provocateurs). Larabar, which was taken over by General Mills, has long been a bar of contention and happily supplied us with detailed information both in both email hard copy. It remains a personal responsibility to periodically check with the companies supplying foods we find acceptable to see if anything has been changed because these recalls are wild!]]>2335Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2331-those-little-white-lies/So you cheated on your celiac diet and got away with it? ( Or so you may think.) The IRS may not come after you but the BGB (bad gut bacteria) are almost certain to. The wrong foods feed unfriendly bacteria and cause them to overgrow and interfere with digestion. You say, you felt no immediate pain? The consequences may be delayed for weeks, but you are not likely to draw a "Get Out of Jail Free," card. If you have been on a healing diet like the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for many months. All those poor microvilli which have been knocked flat were just beginning to pull themselves up again, and you have just given them a kick in the groin with that one grain croissant or bagel. This past weekend, seven locals on Specific Carbohydrate Diet met at our Whole Foods store. Four of us have been on our diet for up to a decade were asked why so long since so many people's main interest seems to be getting back to the Standard American Diet which is not called SAD without good reason. Our main explanations for keeping the faith were: even if we are not cured the diet enables us good management. The celiacs among us know we have to avoid grain and equally important, we really enjoy the purity and taste of "legal" foods. There are so many suitable foods available for gluten free diets especially the super stuff that originates in our own kitchens. It is just plain foolish to take chances and easy to be ambushed by undisclosed ingredients in many commercial foods. The best eating means no cheating! 2331Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2326-smoke-gets-in-my-eyes/2326Thu, 20 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2327-my-fair-breakfasts/

1. Egg crepe topped with sliced strawberries, honey and garnished with a dollop of yogurt.
2. Breakfast cheesecake, Crumbled Specific Carbohydrate Diet nut muffin, mixed with dry curd cottage cheese moistened with yogurt, sweetened with honey.
   
3. Grilled cheese on Specific Carbohydrate Diet toasted nut flour bread
   
4. Midas Gold Pancake, with orange juice and honey syrup.
   
5. Specific Carbohydrate Diet quiche. (Egg, yogurt, grated cheese and onion. Optional crust of pressed almond flour and melted butter baked first.)
   
6. Specific Carbohydrate Diet granola made with dried fruit and nut pieces and homemade nut milk poured over it.
   
7. Homemade sausage with an Specific Carbohydrate Diet omelet (include diced vegetables of your choice, pieces of cheese and even cooked bacon pieces.
8. Poached egg on steamed asparagus or spinach or even mashed butternut squash.
9. Naturally smoked salmon with dripped yogurt cream cheese, and herbs. Specific Carbohydrate Diet crackers.
10. Specific Carbohydrate Diet Biscotti with homemade jam. Try coffee that sings. Make your coffee with added vanilla and cinnamon Add legal sweetener, honey or saccharin if you like. Breakfast may become your favorite meal.

]]>2327Thu, 20 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2325-outside-insides/Open Original Shared Link and can really relate. Despite my having developed some good dining out strategies, invitations to leave home for a meal still generate some conflict and anxiety. Breakfast is a cinch. The family likes a retro grill which has been operating successfully for thirty five years. The O.J. is freshly squeezed and I dilute it with water. My order is bacon and poached or scrambled eggs.(I can have conventional bacon once a week, otherwise it must be sugar free) I request sliced fresh tomatoes on the plate. If the restaurant has steamed spinach, the eggs can go on top. I pick at the hash browns. Coffee gets diluted. On that topic, this week friends served me a frothy thick coffee made on their Jura Espresso machine. It was not actually Espresso but a steamed decaf. I was sure it was Cappuccino and knew the steamed milk was off limits but was assured no cow or goat was touched in the preparation of the beverage. The machine grinds the beans for each cup and extreme steam pressure froths the liquid. .This was the most delicious coffee I recall having in years. It was as thick as cocoa. Their machine was a gift and they warned it was expensive (that was the understatement of the year). I rushed home to Google "Jura." The machine costs $1398 (without the tax) That would be $4.00 for a single cup each day for a year not counting the cost of the beans. Best for the budget to stick to the Melitta cone and paper filter method. French restaurants work best for me when it comes to dining out.. French chefs seem overall to disdain additives and prefer pure ingredients. They are not insulted when questioned. Some practical lunch and dinner menu selections at restaurants are Steak and Frites, Steamed Mussels, Liver Pate (checked for no wheat added) roast chicken, steak, lamb chops, roast beef, broiled fish, steamed vegetables, and for dessert, fresh fruit, or the types of cheese allowed on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (aged 30 days, no bifidus in the bacterial culture) While others are busy with the bread basket, I sip a nice glass of wine that has a zero sugar rating and go to work on field greens dressed with olive oil. The waiter at the beautiful Studio Cafe in the Toronto Four Season's restaurant upon being told I am a "Silly Yak,"garnished my meal last week with delicate onion rings battered in rice flour, a rare treat. (After ten years on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet I occasionally have rice or French Fries. "Occasional" is the operative word.) What really puts a slight damper on the festivities is discussion about how and why I am ordering and why, like the woman in "When Harry Met Sally," I can't have what she's having. Not every meal out will be in a restaurant, which brings us to Eating "OP" (at the homes of Other People) After all these years, I still get quizzed by the family on the "no, no's" and answering makes me feel like a demanding Diva so I have found it is best to bring some of my own food just in case. There is nothing worse than sitting with an empty plate and a forced grin while having illegal food paraded in front of you. The one thing that would be worse would be pouting at home and missing occasions to get together. Fortunately, one of my best friends with her own nutritional challenges enjoys consulting to provide a meal with "the right stuff." It does get tiresome to have your world revolve around your stomach but there are many things that are worse and hey guys, our food is better. Don't you agree? Get out, but consider your insides. ]]>2325Tue, 18 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2324-stop-thief/
If Martha Stewart, no stranger to judgment herself, were to judge, she might say, "It's A Good Thing." Why would a kindly almost eighty year old granny be a swiping viper? It is out of love for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and the need for you to know it does not deserve to be called "too restrictive" just because it has restrictions. A lot of people who are considering the diet insist they will not be able to manage it without some convenient ready made foods.

Others are high speed individuals who have lived their lives on fast food (which may have been what brought them to the point where they needed a special gastrointestinal diet). And then there is my beautiful wealthy cousin who welcomed us to her architect designed home, offered us refreshment and asked if someone could please come to the kitchen and show her how to make instant coffee. People like this actually exist and must have been the original reason behind the Diners' Club. Convenience foods do exist for Specific Carbohydrate Diet but I for one cannot attest to all the ingredients as being compliant.

What often happens is once on the diet and either getting the knack of cooking or help in cooking ahead in large batches and freezing, Specific Carbohydrate Dieters come to the point of preferring "homemade." That's where the celiac copycat capers come in. It is fairly simple to take a conventional recipe and tailor it to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet with very few substitutions. Sugar becomes honey Flour becomes ground nuts ...and so forth. Sometime in the next few months, Specific Carbohydrate Dieters in the Greater Toronto area will enjoy a Potluck Luncheon. I have been to five of these over time, and the home cooked food is amazing. Some of the recipes come directly from "Breaking the Vicious Cycle," some from Specific Carbohydrate Diet cookbooks.

Naturally, my contribution will be plucked from the cache of borrowed bounty. If you are in the GTA or Southern Ontario area, on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and would like to attend and bring an Specific Carbohydrate Diet compliant homemade recipe, you can email me for more info at: carolfrilegh@yahoo.com No spam please!

Many many Specific Carbohydrate Diet recipes exist in Specific Carbohydrate Diet cookbooks and are also found FREE on the Internet. Since website links are subject to change you can Google "SCD recipes" or you can Google the specific type you would like: Example: key in the words "SCD cookies" and troves of links will appear. All our recipes are gluten, starch and sugar free. If those don't have appeal, steal,...but please give credit where credit is due. I always do! ]]>2324Thu, 13 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2322-a-higher-quotvegicationquot/
My pre-Celiac days with The Ladies Who Lunch, passed pleasantly for decades before celiac disease found me. In the forties we liked Danish pastry and crullers, in the fifties, ordered toasted English muffins or bagels. Next we graduated to continental croissants and Caesar salad following was the launch into an era of Muffin Madness...up to twenty variations or more, and they reached gigantic proportions. Muffins became so popular bakers started offering muffin tops. Then it was Krispy Kreme, now forgotten and maybe even gone.

Time passed and along came designer pizza, let's not forget risotto, and Sushi, currently and rapidly being eclipsed by raw food and vegetarianism.

In the absence of grain, I am finding vegetables a great bonus. They help with constipation by providing fiber. They are rich in vitamins and minerals. They artfully mimic things you may not be able to have.

Beets are my Ex Lax ! I boil and cool them and then remove the skin, slice or dice, add parsley, capers, garlic, rosemary, thyme, raw onion, salt and pepper and olive oil. (wear kitchen gloves or put plastic bags on your hands to keep from turning glowing magenta.)

I mentioned in an earlier blog making "fries" and there was concern expressed about saturated fat.) I don't deep fry often, but do frequently toss vegetables in olive oil and bake them in a hot oven until very crisp. I do this with beets, mushrooms, squash, zucchini, turnip (on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet turnip is a very advanced food) and even onions. (you can also dip these in egg and then almond flour first.)

Cauliflower is my rice although I eat real rice from time to time. Hand grate cauliflower or use the grating disc in a food processor. Simmer it in boiling water for three minutes then drain and rinse it with cold water. Now you can stir fry it, or make a sauce or even add beaten egg, grated onion and almond flour, salt and pepper, a pinch of baking soda and bake it in a little heated oil in a hot oven for nearly an hour until it is a crispy pudding.

One of the delights associated with getting a "vegecation" is the new trend to Eat Local and patronize farmers' markets. It gets you up early, out into the fresh air and you are an audience to a glorious rainbow of treasures from the earth. And you can usually bring your dog

There are days when I go meatless and marvel and how satisfying my meals are using a lot of veggie variety. I add substance with properly soaked (overnight) and pre cooked legumes.

Another nice thing about vegetables is they are included in both the gluten-free casein-free and Specific Carbohydrate Diet diets. I also notice that the carbs in vegetables don't seem to cause me weight gain like the ones I used to have from grains. Scientifically that may not be logical but the fact that I've kept off eighty six pounds for ten years must mean something.

It's all part of a higher "vegetation!"
]]>2322Wed, 12 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2320-old-hands-old-pans/
My mother in law always declared her secret...old hands and old pans. Her Primo, Numero Uno prize winning dish was Potato Pudding or "kugel" as it is also known. It was light and fluffy inside and had a hard crisp outer crust with magnificent crunchy corners. We all vied for the four only corners.

I have been able to make a reasonable clone with butternut squash, because I have had to survive the past ten years without potatoes. They are starchy root vegetables and consequently, non gratis on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

My MIL overcooked everything and in pans they that been used for years yet somehow survived disintegration. Her ancient overused aluminum baking sheets were bronzed and approaching black.

People who were late for dinner got the better version of her roast chicken as it remained in a warm oven long after those present were served and in so doing, developed the patina of cherry wood.

Despite the fact there are countless Specific Carbohydrate Diet recipes in cookbooks and on the Internet, I find as I approach eighty, I am my own grandma and do not always rely on measuring devices, but more on techniques.

The Browning Version
I use the same drill for my favorite saucy meat and poultry one pan dishes that are very French in style. Add some vegetable or olive oil to a heated pan, and also some butter. Brown sliced onions and some garlic. I add slices of butternut squash and brown them too. Then everything gets pushed to a corner and I brown the meat.

That could be pork tenderloin, a chicken breast (bone and skin still on), veal cubes, or lamb etc. Apply big sprinkles of seasoning, basil, oregano, rosemary and parsley, sometimes thyme too and of coarse osier salt and freshly ground black pepper. I remove the pan, splash in chicken stock and grape juice, even a drop or two of honey and part of a teaspoon of mustard. Sometimes I add a little tomato juice.

The lid goes on, the heat is turned down and I add frozen peas and simmer this until the sauce is reduced and the meat tender. Everything gets removed to a plate, while the sauce cooks on super low until it is as thick as I like it and then I add a large pat of butter which gives a lovely gloss. Everything gets put back in the pan, stirred gently until nicely coated and then is ready to serve.

Usually, I start out making this midday so I won't have to cook dinner, but have always ended up eating it on the spot!
]]>2320Sat, 08 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2318-what-do-the-specific-carbohydrate-diet-and-cirque-de-soleil-have-in-common-they-both-require-balance/
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet starts with a brief introductory diet that clears the decks and notifies bad bacteria that change is on the way. In fact their sugar, starch and gluten party is nearly over. Immediately after this two to five day startup regimen new foods are added gradually, depending on their degree of tolerance which is monitored through journaling. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet then becomes a carbohydrate restricted program but only in the sense that certain types of carbs are eliminated.

What remains has no limits beyond good judgement since Elaine Gottschall* clearly stated in "Breaking the Vicious Cycle"* that the Specific Carbohydrate Diet is designed to be balanced (There are always exceptions. A lower carb version of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet is considered useful in instances of seizure inclined individuals).

You might think that the Specific Carbohydrate Diet is somehow connected to the Glycemic Index, but it is not. That index does not differentiate between monosaccharides and polysaccharides and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet does. The "monos" are directly absorbed into the bloodstream, the "polys" must be broken down further to become digestible. That's why honey is a real asset to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. The bees have predigested it.

There are two ways to achieve balance. One way to get up and running and develop a feel for balanced menu choices is to open a free account at fitday.com and keep track of very mouthful. I normally don't get beyond breakfast because spontaneous balance comes easily after my many years of practice.

I just include a protein, fruit and vegetable with almost every meal. This can mean a vegetable, even at breakfast like poached eggs on a bed of mashed butternut squash or cooked spinach or an omelet studded with diced veggies. Fruit juice set with unflavored gelatin is a neat way to spoon in some extra carbs at or between meals. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet includes legumes as advanced foods. They require overnight soaking and precooking to eliminate starch but they still retain generous amounts of carbohydrates.

Other "advanced" items like dried fruits are also excellent sources. If I reviewed what I have had most days, Fitday's little pie chart graph usually comes up fairly even in all three categories, fat, carbohydrate and protein. Eating rice and pasta on the standard gluten-free diet is going to increase the carb count and I believe that not having these for so many years is what helped me easily maintain a substantial weight loss which happened eleven years ago. I may not be able to stand on my head at the top of a pyramid of trapeze artists, but balancing the SCD diet is a breeze.

*Editor's Note: Elaine Gottschall claims in her book "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" that the Specific Carbohydrate Diet can cure celiac disease, which is false.
]]>2318Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2206-what039s-your-operating-system/
Once on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, I noticed there were a few people either implementing or asking about using it in the mode of a ROTATION diet (when a food is eaten repetitively, it can trigger a reaction in allergy-prone individuals or people with “leaky guts”). A rotation diet consists of eating biologically related foods on the same day and then waiting at least four days before eating them again. Naturally, we will never want to include grain or glutinous foods in these trials since they are the established culprits in the life of a celiac and strictly forbidden. Rotation is helpful in identifying foods you may not have thought of as problematic. Allowing a few days of relief diminishes the effects of the antagonizing antibodies and obscures them and can highlight a reaction that gets masked when a particular food is consumed daily.

Using the rotation approach means you may be able to eat foods not implicated as a major allergy triggers, foods classified as "borderline." Keep in mind that reactions are also associated with stress levels, illness or infection, lack of adequate rest, or the season of the year. We know our grain allergies are often heightened in pollination and grassy seasons. It is imperative to use some sort of food tracking method. I find Fitday a useful Internet tool to record what is eaten daily; (Open Original Shared Link) Trying out EXCLUSION or ROTATION methods separately does not require you to make them your permanent DOS. Employing either one as required for separate periods can be useful in pinpointing allergies and sensitivities, lessening dietary discomfort and help to make you "A Smooth Operator." ]]>2206Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2205-celiac-makes-strange-bedfellows/
Here is the sequence. I awake from a sound sleep - conscious of a localized hot spot which is red and round and very visible. Quickly it becomes pimply and extremely itchy. I try to get back to sleep but usually start scratching and wind up applying cortisone cream and taking compounded Benadryl (starch and gluten free). If I do scratch there are visible marks in the morning, but often there is no indication at all that the skin was so irritated.

Attempts to link this consistently with specific foods fails.

This is not the kind of night life you want to find but is is featured on a regular basis in The Celiac Nightclub. What I would give to cancel my membership! ]]>2205Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2204-i-had-my-cakes-and-ate-them-too/
I tried two types of rice. One was a processed white rice which was combined with vegetables. It tasted like chlorine or iodine so I don't plan on that again.

However, brown rice cakes were a limited success. I say "limited" because I had no reaction and relished the first nicely buttered crisp slab of puffed rice compressed into a hockey puck shape.

Here is where the problem started. I kept wanting one more... and eating one more. I went through a package of ten in two days. After a two week abstinence, I tried again and the same thing happened.

It is not uncommon to be addicted to starchy foods so there I was right back where I started before going gluten and starch free, craving the crispy stuff again.

If I am offered one or two rice cakes (and doubt this is likely as most people dislike and ridicule them) I will accept, but no more ten packs in the cupboard.

I had my cakes and ate them two--I mean ten!


]]>2204Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2203-snacks-for-quotyaksquot-specific-carbohydrate-diet-ideas/
I could make an entire box of Wheat Thins disappear faster than David Copperfield.

Bars lost money when I dove into their pretzel bowls.

My kids knew if they asked me to babysit they would have to replenish their stock of Saltines, Triscuits, Cheese Ritz and Goldfish crackers the following day. I had to say goodbye to those forever. But hope and snacks spring eternal. A door closes, an oven opens!

By gosh I still nosh, but it's different snacks for us "Silly Yaks" ( a.k.a. celiacs).

Good Eats, Safe Treats

• Stuffed Dates wrapped in sugar-free bacon and baked until bacon is crisp.
• Cauliflower popcorn, pieces of cauliflower, tossed in oil and spices and baked until brown and crisp.
• Fruit Leather- fruit pureed and spread on a cookie sheet until it firms up.
• Crackers made of baked Goat Cheddar cheese.
• Roll-ups using smoked salmon or roast beef and stuffed with any number of different fillings - I like French Goat Brie.
• Nuts tossed in spices and roasted.
• Granola made of nuts, dried fruits and dried unsweetened coconut.
• Thin slices of Butternut squash or beets deep fried.
• Fried Carrot Curls.
• Sliced mushrooms tossed in oil and baked until crisp.
• Smoked oysters.
• Truffles made of dried fruits and nuts processed with the blank cone of my Omega juicer and rolled in coconut.
• Specific Carbohydrate Diet Chicken Nuggets with Peanut Sauce.
• Crackers made with nut flour.
• Stuffed Mushrooms.
• Sun Dried Tomatoes.
• Chilled Shrimp dipped in Ramesco (Roasted red pepper dip).
• Shrimps dipped in egg or homemade mayonnaise and unsweetened coconut and fried.
• JK Gourmet's paper thin Biscotti with pistachios and dried fruit morsels.
• Tiny Specific Carbohydrate Diet egg rolls.
• Dill pickles.
• Deviled Eggs.
• Mini meatballs.
  

And there are more where these came from! ]]>2203Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2201-laundry-list-quothold-the-starchquot/
All are gluten free! Yet, all are prohibited on the diet I have been following for celiac disease management, since December 2000, the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

Why? Because they may be gluten- free but they contain starch.

Digestion of starch is effected by hydrolyzing enzymes in a complex process which depends on many factors; these include the botanical origin of starch, whether the starch is amorphous or crystalline, the source of enzymes, substrate and enzyme concentration, temperature and time, as well as the presence of other substances in the multicomponent matrix in which starch occurs naturally.

In 1951, Dr. Sydney Valentine Haas, and his son, Dr Merrill P Haas, published The Management of Celiac Disease. It remains one if the most comprehensive medical texts ever written on celiac disease

Less than a year following launch of the book, a lone report was published in the English medical journal Lancet. After testing only ten children, a group consisting of six faculty members of the Departments of Pharmacology, Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Birmingham, concluded it was not the starch (carbohydrate) in the grains that so many had reported as being deleterious, but the protein gluten in wheat and rye flour that was causing celiac symptoms.

Based on this limited study, they contradicted all previous work by stating that there was no need to restrict carbohydrates. This opened the floodgates to a vast choice of food as long as wheat and rye gluten were absent. They further advised that, "a high caloric diet may be given throughout with biscuits made from corn-flour, soy flour, or wheat starch instead of wheat flour."

Although, many patients showed remarkable clinical improvement after following a "gluten-free" diet, microscopic biopsy samples unearthed intestinal cells that were still definitely abnormal. There were some patients who started eating gluten with no ill effects at one time but became extremely ill at other times.

Further observation revealed how Celiac patients could be inconsistent in their response to a gluten-free diet; the same patient could vary from time to time. Following a relapse, the patient was most often suspected of having inadvertently consumed gluten. Indeed, many patients were unclear about what constitutes "gluten" and assumed that anything that begins with "glut" must be gluten. (glutamic acid, glutamine, monosodium glutamate, etc.) or that gluten had been hidden in the food in spite of the fact that it did not appear on the label (2% of ingredients do not have to be included on labels under Federal law).

It was seen that grains which contained proteins other than gluten were having deleterious effects on the digestive tract. Selected patients suffered relapses and microscopic surveillance exhibited damaged intestinal cells following ingestion of soy products. Oats and barley were seen to contain gluten-like proteins which aggravated symptoms in many celiac sufferers. Rice and other grains were indicated in additional reports as being harmful to intestinal cells.

Anecdotal documentation among 3,000 parents subscribed to Pecanbread, the support list for the autism community using the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, indicate about 80% of list members transitioned from the gluten-free casein-free diet to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. Many have done better as a result of the change.

There are other restrictions on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet that differ from what is permitted on the gluten-free casein-free diet. In addition to the products I listed at the start. In looking down all the lists of what the latter permits, I found many items I never even used on the Standard American Diet prior to requiring any restrictions .

Although I never have tried the gluten-free casein-free diet, I found the Specific Carbohydrate Diet very workable because so few additives are allowed in permitted foods.

It took me some time to realize the differences between starch and gluten. Both are considered harmful by Specific Carbohydrate Diet advocates ------ which is why my nutritional laundry list specifies:

"Hold the starch please."

]]>2201Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2202-it039s-the-dairy-harry/
My friend Jenny, who is celiac makes her cheesecake by dripping yogurt through a filter or cheesecloth. She cannot tolerate the dry curd cottage cheese. She makes her yogurt for cheesecake with cow's milk and drips he yogurt through a filter to drain off the galactose liquid. I use the default dry curd cottage cheese method and can react on occasion with classic bloating, itchy knees and stuffy nasal passages .

Two separate issues arise around dairy difficulties. There is a great deal of confusion between milk allergy and lactose intolerance, Both adverse reactions are attributable to milk.

Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance is a non-allergic food hypersensitivity, arising from a lack of production of lactase, the enzyme which is required to digest the predominant sugar in milk. Lactose intolerance is a condition but not actually a disease or malady, and affects 70% of the world's population. Both lactose intolerance and allergies are more prevalent than most people realize.

Among those over the age of five, approximately 90-95% of black individuals and 20-25% of white individuals world wide have a partial or complete lactose intolerance.

Casein Intolerance
Milk allergy is a true food allergy, the adverse immune reaction to a protein in food that is normally harmless to the non-allergic individual.

The milk protein intolerance produces a non-IgE antibody and it cannot be detected by allergy blood tests. The protein intolerance invokes a range of symptoms very similar to milk allergy symptoms, and may also include blood and/or mucous in the stool. Treatment for milk protein intolerance is the same as for milk allergy.

A protein can become denatured when its native structure is modified, even slightly modified. "Denaturation" means that the natural structure of the protein has been disrupted and consequently the protein has taken on a new structure, a change even if minimal. Heat and pH variations will cause whey protein to change structure. Once that structure change occurs, in chemical the protein is considered denatured.

Once again, it is vital to understand that lactose intolerance and cow’s milk intolerance are not related.

Inability to tolerate cow’s milk is an allergic reaction triggered by the immune system.

Problems with Lactose intolerance are caused by the digestive system.

These differences have caused the gluten-free casein-free diet community to misunderstand and appear critical to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet because the diet allows dairy that has been treated to eliminate the lactose. In consideration of the true casein intolerance, the Specific Carbohydrate Diet is clear that dairy is not mandatory.

On the other hand, home incubated yogurt has powerful probiotic properties that they have the ability to neutralize bad digestive bacteria. Yogurt is highly promoted for use on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. Some of those who initially react to casein may be able to eventually tolerate yogurt since the protein molecule is somewhat denatured in the fermentation process.

Seven percent (7%) of U.S. children show symptoms of cow-milk allergy such as wheezing, congestion, frequent ear infections, eczema, skin rashes and digestive troubles. In the vast majority of cases, these problems are eliminated when goat milk is substituted for cow's milk.

Goat's milk lacks the group of proteins that are the main stimulants of allergic reactions to cow dairy products. Thus, goat milk may be tolerated once tuned into yogurt if it no longer stresses and depresses the immune system. Those who transition from gluten-free casein-free diet to Specific Carbohydrate Diet frequently find that they tolerate the goat yogurt when it is introduced gradually in tiny amounts once thre is some healing to the damaged gut.

Cheese
The story is similar when it comes to cheese. Bacterial culture used in cheese making consumes lactose during a minimum aging period of thirty days. Soft immature cheeses still contain lactose. Soft ripened cheese like Brie is permitted but used less often than firm cheeses like Havarti, Swiss and Gouda, for example ( Cheddar is permitted but some people have a problem with the enzymes in Cheddar cheese). We suggest cultured butter on Specific Carbohydrate Diet because it has added bacterial cultures or Ghee which has had the whey skimmed off. None of the cultures in any of the approved dairy may contain bifidus.

So Harry and Mary, "How now brown cow?" (or maybe later) because, as you make progress, happily you may be able include the Specific Carbohydrate Diet correct dairy in your daily menus. ]]>2202Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2200-there-are-nuts-in-my-soup/
Nuts are gluten free! They do not have cholesterol. While nuts and seeds tend to be very high in fat and calories, most of the fat is polyunsaturated or monounsaturated (e.g. almonds, pecans, walnuts).

Nuts are high in vitamins and minerals and are an excellent ingredient for creating muffins, cakes, breads, candies, crackers, waffles, pancakes, pizza crust and the like on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet we use finely ground, high quality skinless blanched almonds in place of grain, rice or potato flour.

Lucy's Kitchen Shop, Digestive Wellness and JK Gourmet (Canada) are sources of quality nut flour. Pecans can be ground in a food processor (Nut butter can also be used).

Many kinds of nuts are useful on the diet, but almonds and pecans are the most popular for baking. Other tree nuts like walnuts , Brazil nuts and hazelnuts can be used too (Cashew is actually a fruit and pine nuts are a seed, but each has a place on the menu).

Cashew must not be roasted as they usually have an anti-caking agent containing starch added to prevent clumping. Legumes and seeds are also advanced foods.

Unfortunately nuts are now persona non gratis at schools because of allergy concerns. About 1% of the population has nut allergy. Peanut is a legume and there is a prevalence of peanut allergy in three million Americans. Peanuts and peanut butter are allowed on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for adults but are considered an advanced food and not recommended for children. Whole nuts and nut pieces in general should be reserved until healing in the gut begins to progress.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet dieters are cautioned not to overdo nut consumption and to be aware that Specific Carbohydrate Diet is not a "nut diet."

Here are two of my favorite ways to use nuts:

In soup- make dumplings. They taste just like Matzoh balls . Start with a mini recipe:

1/4 cup almond flour
1 extra large egg, lightly beaten
Dried parsley
Pinch of baking SODA
Salt and pepper
Drop of honey
2 drops of cooking oil
1 teaspoon grated onion

Combine and stir ingredients until blended. Heat 2 cups homemade chicken soup in a saucepan. Drop batter from a round measuring teaspoon into soup. Cover tightly and simmer 10-12 minutes (no peeking) The dumplings will get much larger. Serve in the soup and cool as they will be very hot.

This muffin recipe is very basic and appears in Breaking the Vicious Cycle. I use pecan flour (just finely ground pecans). Do not eat more than four muffins a day. Easy to stop at four? Not for me: :-)

2 1/2 cups ground nuts
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup filtered pasteurized honey
1/2 teaspoon baking SODA
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 375F. Grind nuts in a food processor and leave in food bowl. Add other ingredients, butter last and bring batter to muffin consistency. Don't over process. Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers and fill halfway with batter. Bake 15-20 minutes. Muffins will be moist rather than light and springy.

Editor's Note: Celiac.com supports the idea that the Specific Carbohydrate Diet is gluten-free and can be very helpful for many people, depending on their situation. We disagree, however, with the assertion that Elaine Gottschall makes in her book Breaking the Vicious Cycle that people with celiac disease can be cured by the Specific Carbohydrate Diet after being on it for a certain time period.]]>2200Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2199-outnumbered-celiac-disease-and-multiple-chemical-sensitivities/
Over seven decades, I've won once at roulette, once on the slots and asked someone at the racetrack to put down my two dollars on a thirty three to one shot- - - a filly with the same name as my poodle. The horse won but the friend forgot to place the wager. What was even worse, subsequently the poodle ran away and died from eating garbage. With health matters, bookmakers would have a blast with me.

The National Institutes of Health reports that one of every 133 Americans has celiac disease. Only a small fraction have been diagnosed and Americans are not routinely screened for celiac disease.

Food allergies affect almost four percent of North Americans.

A surprising number of people report sensitivity to ordinary everyday chemicals. The figures range from an average of eleven to seventeen percent, with spikes as high as thirty percent of subjects who report reactions to multiple chemical incitants.

Reports about the prevalence of latex allergy vary greatly. This variation is probably due to different levels of exposure and methods for estimating latex sensitization or allergy. Recent reports in the scientific literature indicate that from about 1% to 6% of the general population and about 8% to 12% of regularly exposed health care workers are sensitized to latex.

It's a home run and then some! I'm batting, or battling four out of four and am not alone. I have noticed various health support lists have their own quota of unfortunates afflicted with the quadruple whammy. I checked some gluten-free forums and noted many respondents reporting assorted sensitivities were also following gluten-free diets.

"Rachel" reported from the Gluten-Free Celiac Disease Forum (Open Original Shared Link), "Yes...I have chemical sensitivities. Its better since gluten-free but the sensitivities are still there...it gets worse or better according to my diet which I'm still trying to figure out. I've been gluten-free for over a year now so its something else that is triggering the sensitivities, not gluten. I have problems with fragrances...some perfumes kill me. I work in a grocery store and when they wax the floor I can always tell as soon I walk through the doors."

Chemical sensitivities have many symptoms such as light-headedness, fatigue, headaches, and recurrent illnesses that have no other explanation. Reactions may vary widely from one person to another but the treatment for all is avoidance. Direct contact with the substance is not always required to cause a reaction. It is a difficult sensitivity to pin down, and may require close and prolonged observation to make the connections. Irritants lurk just about anywhere — carpets, laser printer toners, housing insulation, household cleaners, etc. Those affected often have to practice complete avoidance of many common substances.

Tests have been developed for some of the aforementioned four conditions.

Dr. Scot Lewey, a contributor to this board has written, "Those with known pollen or latex allergies, any known food allergies or intolerance including gluten intolerance (celiac disease) and casein intolerance, are asked to complete a series of symptoms assessment and severity rating scales followed by a strict elimination diet. This is followed up by re-assessment of response of symptoms while re-introducing foods one at a time while monitoring for recurrence."

Regarding multiple chemical sensitivities, which were not recognized by my physicians (who sent me to a psychiatrist), I received this nebulous diagnosis from the Environmental Illness Clinic at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center: "Ideopathic Environmental Illness" (meaning "cause unknown.")

After "cherry picking" the Internet in search of the likelihood that celiac disease, multiple chemical sensitivities, latex allergy and food sensitivity can go hand in hand. In time I untangled and managed to detach my celiac symptoms and isolated a typical and definite reaction to grain and lactose.

One thing is certain, I am outnumbered! I feel under attack by a chain gang. And they are an elusive aggregation because what bothers me one day may not on another.

Presidential candidates are not the only ones who want change!
]]>2199Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2196-quotsugar-ah-honey-honeyquot/
What a melodic way to describe my primary sweetener of choice and necessity. HONEY! Golden, clear pasteurized honey with few or no traces of bee pollen is a natural, anti oxidant and an ideal ingredient for cooking and baking as well for use as a syrup. Once accustomed to honey, you may find refined sugar and even raw cane organic syrups actually taste peculiar.

Elaine Gottschall, author of Breaking the Vicious Cycle and custodian of The Specific Carbohydrate Diet describes the sweet bee stuff in these words, "Honey is legal (on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet diet) because it contains only single sugars (monosaccharides) which do not need microvilli enzymes in order for the two sugars of which it is composed to be absorbed into your bloodstream." These two sugars are already in the absorbable form.

However, sucrose and lactose, etc. need the action of the microvilli enzymes and in people with IBS and other illnesses, research shows that these enzymes are not active (I explained in a previous blog about this problem also being present in Celiac Disease. The microvilli are flat, knocked onto the ropes and rendered inert by bacterial overgrowth).

Elaine goes on to say on her website that the enzymes inherent in honey continue breaking down the bit of sucrose and other oligosaccharides in the honey as it stands.

She emphasized we simply cannot believe that eating refined glucose and fructose from corn could possibly be better. Refined crystallized corn sugars are really a mixture of short chain (triscaccharides, tetrasaccharides, etc.) even though they are listed as dextrose and fructose.

Many large food processing companies, including the grain giants, are producing something called ISO-GLUCOSE and are obtaining it from crops which are high in a fructose-type-starch such as inulin, fructooligosaccharides (highly present in Jerusalem artichoke) and subjecting it to an enzyme which breaks it down to single fructose molecules.

Honey is not ingested at the rate that the iso-glucose is ingested because of its viscosity. This slows down the rate at which the sugars in honey reach the liver considerably.

I make a host of tasty recipes fudge, cookies, cakes, pies candies, toppings syrups, and sauces, thanks to honey. I keep honey in a cool dark place so it won't crystalize (when this occasionally happens I set the container in a pan of hot water and the viscosity is restored).

Since I switched from sugar to honey, I have gotten very few head colds.

It's neat, it's sweet. It's golden!

Editor's Note: Celiac.com supports the idea that the Specific Carbohydrate Diet is gluten-free and can be very helpful for many people, depending on their situation. We disagree, however, with the assertion that Elaine Gottschall makes in her book Breaking the Vicious Cycle that people with celiac disease can be cured by the Specific Carbohydrate Diet after being on it for a certain time period.
]]>2196Sun, 06 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2197-what-a-swell-party-this-is/
The diet I follow does not mandate avoiding substances that are not ingested. So while toothpaste would qualify for restriction, glue and play-dough would not.

Which is why historically, I paid little attention to the typical environmental gluten restrictions. I have been very preoccupied with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity triggers, plastics, inks, pesticides, perfume and cleaning agents. Throw latex allergy into the mix and life is an on-going game of dodge ball :-(

No doctor or allergist ever advised me about the danger of non-food gluten exposures. Today, following an envelope episode, I got the wake up call and began to research this. I learned what most of you probably know already--that Gluten exposures may be generated by the smell or touch of gluten.

My waistline will expand up to two inches from an exposure. I notice the smell of freshly baked bread and touching certain pills mean I am going to need to yell, "Lace me tighter, Mammy," like Scarlett O'Hara did sixty-nine years ago in the film "Gone With the Wind."

As I read more about non-food items containing gluten what I experienced was confirmed. Glue on "lick-able" envelopes and stamps can be culprits. Self-stick labels and stickers may contain gluten. Latex or rubber gloves are often dusted with wheat or oat flour. Since I am allergic to the gloves themselves, its not a problem I've encountered. My, dentist uses non powdered vinyl gloves when he treats me.

Gluten hides in art supplies, and materials like the aforementioned play dough. It lurks in many personal items such as lipstick, lip balm, sunscreen, shampoos, soaps, cosmetics, skin lotions, toothpaste, and mouthwash. Fortunately, over time I have isolated friendly cosmetic products and soap but by trial and error.

Since household products such as cleaning solutions, detergents, even bar soap may contain gluten, I'm beginning to think what I believed was provoking Multiple Chemical Sensitivity reactions is primarily due to being Celiac. I might never known had I not subscribed to this list.

Medications frequently contain gluten. Pills get dusted with flour during manufacturing so they won't "clump" and capsules may have gluten hiding in the oil inside. I am one lucky lady as our city's most skillful compounding pharmacist is located less than a mile away, and even provides free delivery service.

Meanwhile there is quite an obstacle course spiked with gluten land mines for me and other Celiac to navigate if we don't want to be guests of honor at that "swell party" ]]>2197Sun, 06 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2194-it-takes-a-villus/
Our insides exist largely as an invisible world until something goes wrong, something like Celiac Disease. Electron microscopes provide two million degrees of magnification making close observation of the digestive tract possible. The intestinal lining with its microvilli, goblet cells, plasma membrane and other components can all be explored with intense scrutiny.

The microvilli play an important role in absorption and secretion. When the delicate microvilli are diseased, their tiny filaments are no longer able to generate the waving motion that plays such an important role in the digestive process. Just picture a tractor running over a beautiful lawn and how it flattens out the area.

We can change worn down brush attachments on a vacuum cleaner but when several thousand of the microvilli that are present on the surface of a single cell in human small intestinal cells get mowed down, the digestive process is in trouble.

The exact cause of celiac disease is not known, but inheriting or developing certain genes increases susceptibility. Celiac disease can occur at any age and although as yet has no known cure, it can be treated and controlled.

The smallest amount of gluten aggravates symptoms. Excluding gluten from the diet is estimated to be about 70% effective in reducing symptoms. However, for some people, the removal of gluten is not enough. They frequently are able to benefit further by also eliminating sugar and starch. This means no corn, potatoes, rice and soy.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet fills this requirement. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet excludes carbohydrates not easily absorbed directly into the bloodstream and relies instead on monosaccharide carbohydrates that do no further harm to the system. The diet is also effective against yeast overgrowth and fungus. Research indicates starches and certain sugars feed microbes, such as bacteria, yeast and fungi. These harmful microbes in the intestinal tract can cause gastrointestinal problems, autism and other illnesses. Specific Carbohydrate Diet eliminates these microbes by starving them while continuing to nourish the body. As the body heals the gut/brain connection is repaired.

The person currently on a standard Gluten Free diet, who migrates to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet will encounter some additional restrictions.

Despite the fact that the Specific Carbohydrate Diet diet has not received major publicity or media exposure it is well worth exploring. I blog almost daily about the diet because I have followed it for eight years and seen a substantial number of reports from people having success with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet after disappointments on other diets.

Learn more about the Specific Carbohydrate Diet diet by reading "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" by Elaine Gottschall

You can view her website at:
Open Original Shared Link.


Editor's Note: Celiac.com supports the idea that the Specific Carbohydrate Diet is gluten-free and can be very helpful for many people, depending on their situation. We disagree, however, with the assertion that Elaine Gottschall makes in her book Breaking the Vicious Cycle that people with celiac disease can be cured by the Specific Carbohydrate Diet after being on it for a certain time period.

]]>2194Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2193-second-helpings-more-specific-carbohydrate-diet-cake-recipes/
Over time, the roster of homemade food from these occasions has become classic.

We are such a small segment of the world-wide Specific Carbohydrate Diet community, so it is flattering that our recipes rank high in popularity among those recipe sites and cookbooks that abound with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet gluten-free creations.

The recipes are convenient because they mainly call for readily available ingredients. Eggs, honey, nut flour, vanilla, and baking soda are leading staples. We also list recipes without eggs or without dairy.

Last week, I asked subscribers to the two support groups in which I participate, to list their top ten Specific Carbohydrate Diet favorites.

One of my selections, a date cake, was not picked by anyone else and yet everyone who tries it is amazed that it is not just moist and "fudge-like" but it tastes like chocolate cake. Yet, it hasn't a smidgen of cocoa or baking chocolate.

California Medjool dates are the not-so-secret ingredient.

The Bavarian topping contains dairy and is OPTIONAL. This recipe was originated by Sue Krivel and has been widely shared with Sue's consent.

If you want more of our Specific Carbohydrate Diet Canadian kitchen creations just google UCLBS which is the silly nickname we gave our group. It stands for Upper Canada Lower Bowel Society.

Sue's Fourteen Date Cake
This cake is great on its own, or topped with Yogurt Bavarian (recipe below)
14 Medjool dates ( or about 3/4 lb.)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup boiling water

Pit and chop dates finely. (Place pitted date, skin side up and slice in thin strips. Slice again at 90 degrees.) Scrape the chopped dates up. Place in a small bowl, sprinkle with baking soda and add boiling water. Mix well and stir occasionally while cooling to room temperature. The mixture will become thick and soft.

1/2 cup butter at room temperature
3/4 cup honey
4 eggs, separated
1 2/3 cups almond flour (skinlesss, blanched almonds finely ground)
1 teaspoon baking SODA
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
Beat egg whites with lemon juice until stiff. Set aside. (The lemon juice stabilizes the whites.)
Beat butter and honey together.
Add egg yolks and beat well.
Add cooled date mixture.
Mix almond flour, baking soda and salt together and add. Mix well.
Gently fold in the stiff egg whites.
Put mixture into a 9" spring form pan. Place the pan on a cookie sheet and bake at 325F for 60 - 70 minutes or until the centre feels just firm to the touch. Cool.

Sue's Yogourt Bavarian
8-10 ounces of pear juice (homemade)
Bring the pear juice to a boil and reduce until 2 Tablespoons remain. Watch carefully as once it is almost reduced the juice can burn easily.
2 Tablespoons (2 envelopes) gelatin
1/2 cup water
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup honey
2 Tablespoons reduced pear juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup yogurt
1 cup creme freche (yogurt made with whipping cream)

Sprinkle the gelatin over the water, let soften and then heat to dissolve. Beat the egg yolks and the honey until thick and light. Add the pear juice (If you are concerned about using raw eggs you may heat the egg mixture using a double boiler). Add the vanilla and yogurt and then stir in the gelatin. Beat the creme freche until it is stiff and fold into the yogurt mixture. Pour mixture on top of the Date Cake. Chill for at least 1 hour.

To serve: decorate the top with fruit and remove the sides of the spring form pan. ]]>2193Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2190-the-celiac-kiss-keep-it-simple-stupid/
I've been here less than a month and although I haven't read every article and blog, I certainly plan to. I've been too busy writing my own thoughts and have some about the old KISS formula, "Keep It Simple Stupid."

Well, we are neither simple nor stupid; Celiac disease is far from simple.

I am going to over simplify the comparison of two diets: The Gluten-Free Casein-Free diet and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. Both diets are gluten-free, essential for a Celiac diet!

Why make comparisons?

Because, from my writings, it would appear I am trying to shove the Specific Carbohydrate Diet down your collective gullets. Such is not the case, (I don't get any remuneration for perching on a Specific Carbohydrate Diet soapbox, I don't bake for it or stamp tee shirts LOL).

The Gluten-Free Casein-Free diet is almost a universal default protocol and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet is lesser known. We are a bit like the MAC and PC guys you see on TV commercials.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet has a reputation for being difficult, yet those who follow it don't have to be cautious about contamination of utensils, etc. A very positive feature of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet diet is its effectiveness in addressing yeast and fungus issues (Anti-fungals may sometimes be required at the start).

Changing to any diet with restrictions is a challenge if you've been on the "SAD" (Standard American Diet) for your life before celiac struck.

On the Gluten-Free Casein-Free diet, dairy is a definite "no no" because of the opioid peptide theory. The caution is justified among those with true casein intolerance. Liquid cow's milk isn't even a good choice for healthy adults. It's mainly milk marketing boards that disagree.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet allows certain selected dairy, sometimes called "treated dairy." This includes cheese that has had bacterial cultures (without bifidum) added and is then aged at least thirty days. The cultures feed on lactose in the milk and after the minimum aging period, the cheese becomes almost entirely lactose free.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is known for recommending the use of home incubated yogurt. It has a gazillion more active pro-biotic bacteria than commercial yogurts including Dannon "Activia" brand. Yogurt is powerful food. It should be introduced very slowly and started in tiny increments.

It is very very important to remember that dairy is NOT MANDATORY on a Specific Carbohydrate Diet. If you are dairy intolerant that may change as progress takes place.

Children are advised to avoid it for the first three months on the diet. It is suggested that goat's milk makes a better tolerated yogurt because it has smaller molecules.

If you plan to start a Specific Carbohydrate Diet for trial (a month is a reasonable period) and are currently on the gluten-free casein-free diet because of dairy concerns, dairy is not mandatory on a Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is a "stand alone" diet. Best results are obtained by strict adherence and not combining it with protocols from other diets.

Over time I will blog on the other main differences which are fewer than people realize.

More about differences and similarities in my next blog entry.
]]>2190Thu, 03 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000https://www.celiac.com/blogs/entry/2191-let-them-eat-cake-specific-carbohydrate-diet-cake-recipe/
When Marie Antoinette uttered her most famous quote, she didn't have us in mind. Still it's good to know that "Let them eat cake," can be applied to us.

Elaine Gottschall had her daughter treated by celiac specialist, Dr. S.V. Haas over half a century ago. She received few instructions. and she left his office wondering what kind of treats she could feed the child. Suddenly she recalled a friend who baked those classic Viennese tortes made with ground nuts. And thus it came to pass that people on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet got very just desserts, cakes, cookies, muffins, biscotti and meringues that were "gut-friendly" and an absolutely superb cheesecake that takes about five minutes to get oven ready in a food processor!

Below are the ingredients in "Susie's Cheesecake" (That entire gluten-free recipe is elsewhere on this site).

Ingredients:
¼ pound gluten-free sweet butter
1 ½ cup sugar
32 ounces whipped gluten-free cream cheese
16 ounces gluten-free sour cream
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla
1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice
5 eggs


Now here is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet version.

I wish someone would make the recipe more difficult as I tend to make the cheesecake often and eat the whole thing over a two day period.

2 cups dry curd cottage cheese
3 eggs
2 teaspoons Frontier vanilla (it's gluten free)
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1.2 cup Specific Carbohydrate Diet home made yogurt or filter dripped Specific Carbohydrate Diet yogurt
1/3 cup clear honey no syrup or added sucrose

Combine the yogurt and cheese in a food processor and process four minutes. Scrape sides down. Add remaining ingredients and process just until blended. Pour into a pie plate or loaf pan and bake in a 350F oven, on the center rack for 20 minutes. It will be jiggly. Turn off the oven, open the oven door slightly and allow to cool in the oven one hour or until it is room temperature. Chill at least two hours, but overnight is best. You can swirl in fruit or nut butter or add strong coffee to the batter for variations. ]]>2191Thu, 03 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000