Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)

[AliB]

Another book worth reading Susie - if you can find the time is Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Natasha Campbell-McBride. She outlines how the poor gut flora situation gets passed on from mother to child. She is a great advocate of the SCD and how beneficial it is. The book is aimed mainly at childrens' health, both mental and physical, but is full of interesting info for us all.

On a different note, I found the book 'Fast Food Nation' in a charity shop the other day. I never did like fast food but it's enough to put even the most die-hard burger scoffer off for life! Oh yuk. Trouble is the practices get through to our basic food too - when cows are fed dead chickens and chickens are fed dead cows the world really is in a mess..........

[pele]

Hi Susue

It must be really hard to have gut issues during pregnancy. When I was pregnant (eons ago) I lived on wheat and dairy. Pregnancy was uneventful, delivery easy, but my son was colicy and cried for months, even though I breast fed exclusively for 5 months. I am sure now that had I been gluten-free while nursing, he would have been happier.

Anyway, as far as the weight loss thing, I am skinny and have lost a little weight on the SCD, enough that people I know want reassurance that I am not trying to lose weight. My friends want me to eat more bacon (nice thought, but I don't really like the taste). The good news is that even as a little bit of cellulite is melting away, I am growing muscles!!

Things that fill me up in a warm and fattening sort of way include avocados, red lentils and winter squash. Would these foods work for you?

[pele]

I finally talked to a customer service rep at the place that makes Muir Glen canned organic tomatoes and sauces. She said they DO NOT ADD ANY SUGAR, STARCH OR ANY INGREDIENT NOT LISTED ON THE LABEL. They use steam to peel the tomatoes and do not use any ingredient to adjust PH or sweetness. She said if citric acid is used, it is on the label. She said she does not know all about lableing laws and cannot speak for other companies or other processors.

Ali--I see you are reading Fast Food Nation. In the potato chapter, they mention adding sugar to the potatoes to create uniform taste. But that's Mac D's and we don't eat there.

[pele]

Susie--sorry I spelled your name wrong. Proof reading failure.

[GermanMia]

Hi all,

I followed the thread but couldn't write because I felt too ill - thought it was the SCD, but on Sunday I started having back pain and fever. It's a pyelonephritis again. Seemingly I suffer from recurrent urinary tract infections - maybe this correlates with the dysbalanced gut flora. So that encourages me that I'm on the right way with SCD now.

Susie, I also have the problem to be underweight (bmi 16), and I lost four more pounds during the SCD so far, although I really had a sufficient calorie intake. But first of all I know that due to the leaky gut my resorption is pour; then I'm used to do lots of jogging, so my metabolism is a fatburning one. That is helpful because I can't digest fat very well - but on the other hand it's a problem when I don't eat enough carbs, i.e. fruits, veggies, honey. BUT I suppose that if the idea of SCD works, your gut will heal and start absorbing normally. As I said, the first two weeks I lost four more pounds and although I was eating lots I always felt hungry. Last week, before this infection started, I recognised that I stopped feeling hungry all the time. It started to feel normal.

Think I go back to bed...

Mia

[aprilh]

i WISH i had known more when i was pregnant. My son is 4 now and is still healing from gut damage that he inherited from me through pregnancy. he is underweight and has ADD type behavior. He had diarrheah and was in poor health as an infant and toddler with recurrent ear infections among other things.

I truly believe that if I had started SCD while pregnant or at least when he was a baby, that he would be healed by now. He went gluten free about 2 years ago. I just started him on SCD this week because I feel that he still has more healing to do.

I usually do lose weight initially but I think its more inflammation type weight instead of fat. Although I do have fat to lose too.

I have only been doing SCD partially and still am able to tolerate more foods than before! I think it allows more variety of foods than the strict candida diet and it does allow fruits. I avoided fruits for so long because of candida, but now that I am eating them again - i feel so much better.

I wish I had done the scd instead of the candida diet. I think the candida diet is a short term gain while SCD is a long term solution for most.

[mftnchn]

Mia, my initial response was similar to yours, hang in there and hope the infection clears quickly.

Yes, I wish I had started SCD much sooner too! I also think that the weight loss for me was mostly inflammation. Because it happened all at once (10 pounds) and then has been stable, I've also gain a little back. Susie, I think if you plan ahead so you have plenty of food to eat and have variety--with plenty of protein to build muscle, that you would do quite well even during pregnancy.

Everyone, the chef at the hotel here has fixed me some creative things and given me some new ideas. He has cooked my fruit with various whole spices, like a cinnamon stick, anise, and something last night I am dying to identify! I've been successful getting my yogurt going here, so it has been a resounding success overall. I am still struggling with symptoms though, hoving not recovered yet from my relapsed period.

[aprilh]

Everyone, the chef at the hotel here has fixed me some creative things and given me some new ideas. He has cooked my fruit with various whole spices, like a cinnamon stick, anise, and something last night I am dying to identify! I've been successful getting my yogurt going here, so it has been a resounding success overall. I am still struggling with symptoms though, hoving not recovered yet from my relapsed period.

I am glad that you are doing well and that the chef is being so helpful. I hope you will find some relief soon from the last setback.

Is this a vacation for you or are you working?

[GermanMia]

So nice to hear that there are great chefs like in your hotel! Very encouraging :-)

I also hope that you find some recreation and healing at last!

[Yenni]

Hello everyone! I am pretty much following this already without knowing it. Except I can't do casein.

I think I am going to look for that book..

[AliB]

Hey everyone, I have just made my first jug of fresh coconut milk. It is gorgeous. Tastes like creamy milk. I was reading in the 'Gut and Psychology Syndrome' book that canned commercial coconut milk is often hydrogenated, rendering the fat into trans-fat and has been implicated in high cholesterol. She advocates using plenty of fresh coconut which contains lauric acid (monolaurin) - a good anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungicide and caprylic acid which is effective against Candida.

I used the coconut pulp left over to make a coconut, carrot and banana cake which turned out ok and would have been even better if I hadn't forgotten about it and let it get it bit over-done!

[ShayFL]

Fresh coconut milk is the bomb.

[mftnchn]

I am glad that you are doing well and that the chef is being so helpful. I hope you will find some relief soon from the last setback.

Is this a vacation for you or are you working?

It's a business trip for my husband for a group he consults for. There have been meetings all week and many of them I sit in on. However, yesterday all day was a wonderful outing. The chef prepared a lunch box for me, too! We got to take an elephant ride. It was up and down hills, not just a ride around a circle, LOL! Quite an experience!

[mftnchn]

Hello everyone! I am pretty much following this already without knowing it. Except I can't do casein.

I think I am going to look for that book..

Hi, Yenni.

Reading the book is important, and then also check out www.pecanbread.com. The site has lots of options for casein free approaches. Also do read the section on yogurt. Many people have been able to reintroduce small amounts of goat milk yogurt after an initial period on the diet.

Its fascinating that you figured out this worked for you already!

[mftnchn]

Coconut milk sounds so good. I think after I stabilize and heal a bit, I will try the fresh and see if I can tolerate it. I haven't done well with coconut so far.

[Yenni]

Hey everyone, I have just made my first jug of fresh coconut milk. It is gorgeous. Tastes like creamy milk. I was reading in the 'Gut and Psychology Syndrome' book that canned commercial coconut milk is often hydrogenated, rendering the fat into trans-fat and has been implicated in high cholesterol. She advocates using plenty of fresh coconut which contains lauric acid (monolaurin) - a good anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungicide and caprylic acid which is effective against Candida.

I used the coconut pulp left over to make a coconut, carrot and banana cake which turned out ok and would have been even better if I hadn't forgotten about it and let it get it bit over-done!

Wow, that sounds so good.

[aprilh]

I totally need that recipe on how to make fresh coconut milk!!!! That sounds like something i need!

Can you post? Or send me to a link? What about the recipe you made with the pulp? I would LOVE to try that too.

Everyone,

My daughter doesn't like the Cow yogurt I make (from whole milk) because its too runny. I am thinking of using fresh raw cream in there (its more like 1/2 and 1/2) to make a thicker yogurt.

I have noticed a HUGE improvement since starting the yogurt, the acidophilus pills AND since using the Iodine in my mouth. I think the bacteria from the mouth were entering the bloodstream.

Even though I am not sticking to the diet 100% I can tolerate more foods than in a long time. I don't bloat as much anymore either. Still 5 pounds down - which is needed. I would like to lose more weight, but I don't think I will until I committ to the diet 100%.

I had come a long way, though, with digestion, so those of you bad off don't think you can't do the diet 100%!! You'll notice more faster if you stick to it!

[aprilh]

Hey everyone, I have just made my first jug of fresh coconut milk. It is gorgeous. Tastes like creamy milk. I was reading in the 'Gut and Psychology Syndrome' book that canned commercial coconut milk is often hydrogenated, rendering the fat into trans-fat and has been implicated in high cholesterol. She advocates using plenty of fresh coconut which contains lauric acid (monolaurin) - a good anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungicide and caprylic acid which is effective against Candida.

I used the coconut pulp left over to make a coconut, carrot and banana cake which turned out ok and would have been even better if I hadn't forgotten about it and let it get it bit over-done!

The coconut I was buying in the can had Guar Gum added. I couldn't find any without - even organic.

[AliB]

Hi all.

I removed the pieces of coconut from the shell carefully by slicing into the flesh in smallish pieces and then prising them away from the shell. I put the flesh including the brown 'skin' into the blender and added 2 cups of boiling water. Then I pulped it for several minutes. I strained it through a fairly fine sieve then returned the pulp to the blender and added another 2 cups boiling water and blended and strained it again. I let it sit for a while then pressed it to get any remaining liquid out.

I put it into a clean lidded container and left it to cool before putting it in the fridge. It should last a good 3 or 4 days (not that it will be around that long!).

The site I got the info from said to discard the pulp but I couldn't bear the thought of throwing it away so I put it in a large bowl, threw 4 or 5 carrots and an odd banana that needed using in the blender and chopped and added them, added a good tablespoon of honey, 5 eggs, a good tablespoon of melted butter, a sprinkle of mixed spice and a few handfuls of soaked sultanas and a generous teaspoonful of baking soda and popped it in the oven on a medium heat (170 degrees C) It came out pretty moist - a little like bread pudding! I might try separating the eggs next time and whisking the whites and fold them in to see if it makes it a bit lighter.

In any case it was ok and would have been even better if I hadn't given it a nice brown coat. It would be nice as a pud too with some yogurt.

The coconut milk is a bit time-consuming, but well worth the effort and to get the cake as well, it paid for itself!

As it cools it separates so you need to shake it before using. If you want coconut cream you can leave it to settle and skim the thick 'cream' off the top. Yum.

[mftnchn]

Are all of you pretty much following the full version of the diet? I'm wondering about the bloating and whether it means I need to stay back on the early portion of the diet.

[mftnchn]

I found this on a page giving answers from Elaine G about canned fruits and veggies.

7) Why are canned vegetables forbidden even if the ingredients

don't include anything forbidden, especially since canned fruit

and vegetable juices are allowed?

Answer:

Canned fruit and vegetables are just fine if you do them yourself. There

are pages and pages of legal testimony showing how deceptive the labels

are on commercially canned products. One case has been in the Federal

Courts for 10 years filed against Everfresh, one of the biggest producers

of juice. I am just afraid of deception. But if you do it yourself, that

is just fine.

[ArtGirl]

Hi all you SCDers.

I'm giving serious thought to going on the SCD also. I've read the book (checked out from the library) and already have a no-grain cookbook.

I read through the previous SCD thread and got about 5 pages into this one. There's a lot to get through!

I've been slowly weaning myself from sugars. Going cold-turkey gives me terrible withdrawal symptoms which I'm not willing to go through. So I thought I'd at least reduce the sugars and carbs over a few weeks' time so that when I start the diet the detox won't be so severe.

I'm casein intolerant so was thinking I'd try making coconut yogurt. I'll use the canned coconut milk first and if I like it, I'll certainly consider making my own from Ali's directions. I've never really liked yogurt (or milk for that matter except in ice cream and cheese) but I do like coconut milk. I'll need to get a yogurt maker, too.

Questions... what do you use as a starter for the coconut yogurt? Whole Foods had a starter powder but it contains powdered milk.

[mftnchn]

Hi ArtGirl, welcome! Be sure to check out www.pecanbread.com for an SCD source that has a lot of info about a dairy free SCD approach. If you click on the yogurt tab it talks about making yogurt with non dairy milks.

Most canned coconut milk has guar gum in it and that isn't allowed on SCD. You could try it before starting the diet though. Some people here are not totally SCD compliant but are still getting better. I am trying to be fully compliant as my system seems pretty damaged.

The site also discusses how you can test the dairy yogurt once you are into the diet, as many people do become tolerant of small amounts of yogurt once you do SCD for a time. Especially goat milk yogurt.

You could have a withdrawal/die off even off sugar but you are right, it might be easier. Also you can use honey and I used it a lot during the intro because I was craving/hungry all the time. It settled down soon and I didn't need so much. I used grape juice a lot at first and made gelatin (sooo much better than boxed Jello!), and added honey, sometimes just had a spponful of honey if I felt a crash coming on. Now I just use honey with my yogurt once a day or so, and don't have symptoms in between or cravings.

[fig girl]

Hi everyone,

Today is my 1 month mark on SCD - give or take a day or 2...i ate some raw fruit a couple of days into the diet but like you Sherry i've been strictly on it since. I've had to go really slow but recently made some things with the almond flour and they seem ok. I tried the cooked fruit too soon but it seems to be more tolerable now. I'm still eating a lot of the carrot/chicken soup - i make a big pot every weekend along with the goat yogurt.

Hi Art Girl - I had cut out sugar a little while before starting SCD because it bothered me so (even anything sweetened with dates bothered me a) and it wasn't too bad when i started the scd. I missed the rice and corn chips, potatos and gluten-free bread but the way i felt was such a motivation to continue the diet. I have felt like i live in the kitchen but it's getting better and easier. If I make a good bit on the weekends and don't have to cook a whole lot during the week it helps a lot and to have ready made food to nibble on or to defrost something in the freezer. Lately keeping a lot of broiled/boiled chicken and cut up avocados helps when i get hungry.

Hi Susie - I have lost a little weight on the diet also but I wonder if mine was from inflammation also.....April & Sherry i'm glad you guys mentioned that because i would have never thought that. My joint pain is one of the biggest improvements on the SCD....that and brain fog and gas. I think my weight is stabilizing now too - maybe from getting used to the diet and learning to have more available, ready to eat food in the fridge. As Pele mentioned, avocados seem to fill my belly as well....today i had a good bit of boiled chicken dipped in avocado w/lime juice and a little sea salt. It was really good and filled me up!

Hi Yenni - I weaned myself off sugar before SCD as well and it helped a lot - i've had no sugar cravings and i don't use the honey yet. I feel like i need to wait a pretty good while before using it....cooked fruit even bothered me in the very beginning but it seems ok now. I've made the eggless anna's muffin and eggless bread recipes on pecan bread and use the cooked fruit in them and they seem to be ok. I was lactose intol. before going gluten-free and i'm not sure if casein is a problem or not (so many things were bothering me besides gluten) so i was pretty much dairy free before the scd. I make the goat milk yogurt and it doesn't bother me....my tummy rumbled some when i first tried it but it could have been the probiotics. I use the Kirkman Lactobacillus Acidophilus (3.0 billion, 1 strand) and it contains no milk. I ordered it from ourkidsasd.com. GI ProHealth has a dairy free yogurt starter that contains the 3 strands but from what a few people have mentioned on here it's on back order until Nov. i believe. I'm going to order that next when it's available. BTW - love your doggie picture!!

Pele - thanks for mentioning the avocados filled you up - i've been eating more and it has helped. Also thanks for the canned fruit/veggie info. I was just thinking today i need to stock up on baking pumpkins, butternut & acorn squash and bake them and freeze them....i'm hoping to be able to eat them soon and i don't think they stay in season too long but could be wrong.

Ali - thanks for the coconut milk recipe - i can't wait to start drinking coconut milk....hopefully not too long from now! The bread sounds so yummy too...i'm so looking forward to when i can eat more things!!

April - I made some almond nut butter with the omega juicer and it's pretty tasty! I think next time i'll run it through a second time to try to make it a little more creamier. I put it in the food processor for a few min. afterward with the oil - i had to put a container up under it like you do when you juice because the oil started seeping out. I mixed the oil in with the butter but it was still hard to mix up - the food processor helped but next time i'll run it through a second time i think or try to mix it up as it comes out because it's still warm then. I've been nibbling on it and it seems to agree with me....yay! Oh and i froze small pieces of banana and ran it through there today and made some banana ice cream and it was good too!

Sherry - the elephant ride sounds like a lot of fun and i'm glad you got a box lunch too...how nice!

Good luck to all of you about to start the scd....it has helped me to feel so much better.

fig

[GermanMia]

Hi Sherry,

I also stick to the SCD closely. Only I don't follow the steps from pecanbread but make my own, trying what I can tolerate. Almond muffins already are fine, raw and cooked veggies (except cabbage) and bananas and cooked apples, but no other fruit. Hard cheese is okay, too. At the moment I'm taking antibiotics because of that pyelonephritis I got. As I eat one container of yoghurt per day, I think the damage to the flora will not be too bad, and I found that I can tolerate the antibiotics astonishingly well. My newest snack are raw carrots smeared with natural peanutbutter - very filling and satisfying!

The bloating is nearly gone, only the yoghurt seems to cause some, but not bad, so I think I'll just sit it out. Saturday we had our yearly sauerkraut making workshop. We teach people how to make real sauerkraut, i.e. lactic acidic sauerkraut to keep your flora healthy and have something raw and fresh during winter. It's fun to have those bubbling big earthen pots around you :-) After making it we had fresh cabbage with a potato gravy (I didn't eat that!!!) and roast wild boar from a hunter friend. I eat some of the roast but got some of the roast gravy, too, which immediately made my guts cramp. So I know I still have to be very careful.

Hi Art girl,

funny enough I never liked sweet things and never got along with them well. But following the SCD I not only started liking bananas and dates, I really needed them, and I felt very good eating some. I even like some honey in my yoghurt now. But it never came to sweet cravings, perhaps because I fed my body just what it wanted? Depending on what you can tolerate you should not cut out all sugars because the body needs a certain amount of glucose. It can start to produce glucose from fat, but if your body isn't otherwise healthy, you should avoid that process. During SCD your body is detoxing a lot, so don't further disturb it by ketons (waste products when it produces glucose from fat). Normally I eat tons of fresh fruit and veggies so my body gets all the glucose it needs from that. But as I cannot have raw fruit now I feel I have to substitute the lack of glucose somehow. The raw carrot with peanut butter helps me like avocado to get over crashes.

Ali, thanks for that coconut recipe :-) Sounds gooood!!! I'll try it as soon as I feel well enough again!

Fig girl,

I also still make lots of chicken/carrot soup because I started liking it and it goes so well :-)

There is a wonderful blog with great SCD recipes; one of them has become my favourite recently:Open Original Shared Link

Good for you that you kept track of the diet - keep on!!

Mia