Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)

[AliB]

Hi Rinne - how am I feeling today? Hmm. Today I am feeling a little better - the cold seems to be packing its bags. For the last 4 days i have just moped around feeling sorry for myself, but I think I am heaving myself out of that.

How am I feeling today, as in generally, well not so bad. When I first started GFDF I set out a list of all the things I could find wrong with myself - even down to things like dandruff and brittle nails as even those are manifestations of deficiency or something. I mean everything. There were at least 30 - I shan't regale you with them all as to be quite honest some of them are best kept private .

I set up the list as a spreadsheet and have logged the changes at different stages and I have to say that of the 30, 24 now range between a slight to 100% improvement, just 5 are unchanged and only the heart pounding thing appears to have slightly increased - but then maybe that is down to it being more noticeable now that other things are improved!!

Whilst some are less and some a bit more that equates over all to an average improvement of almost 70% - I reckon after a year on GFDF and 10 months SCD I am pretty happy with that. I still have issues with carb digestion and I suspect that will take some time to remedy, if ever. I have had the inability to digest carbs properly for many years and only time will tell if the diet is able to remedy that.

As my body gradually gets used to the lower quantity and improved type of carbs I hope that things may well start to work better as time goes on, but I am not getting my hopes up on that. Any improvement will be a bonus. If I am not expecting anything then I can't be so disappointed if it doesn't happen.

It does seem though that, although it can take a few years, it is possible to reverse conditions on the SCD and similar diets - I just think of Roger MacDougall's recovery from totally debilitating MS - it took 8 years but he eventually got his health back and went from being in a wheelchair and unable to even feed himself, to running up the stairs.

Where will I be in 8 years time? One thing is certain - I won't be where I was a year ago and I won't be where I am now..........

[Gentleheart]

Thanks everyone for the good advice so far. I'm taking note of it all. My next project is to wade my way through the 80+ pages of this thread and get up to speed.

I would still like to know about the nut flours. Do most of you make successful baked goods from the SCD recipes using nuts you just grind yourselves or do you buy the commercial ones with most of the fat removed?? If so, which companies are safe? Thanks!

[rinne]

.......

I set up the list as a spreadsheet and have logged the changes at different stages and I have to say that of the 30, 24 now range between a slight to 100% improvement, just 5 are unchanged and only the heart pounding thing appears to have slightly increased - but then maybe that is down to it being more noticeable now that other things are improved!!

..........

What a brilliant idea, I sometimes wish I had a better history of my pain and progress.

Thanks everyone for the good advice so far. I'm taking note of it all. My next project is to wade my way through the 80+ pages of this thread and get up to speed.

I would still like to know about the nut flours. Do most of you make successful baked goods from the SCD recipes using nuts you just grind yourselves or do you buy the commercial ones with most of the fat removed?? If so, which companies are safe? Thanks!

Wade away or not. Jumping in is fine from my perspective but then I did that after wading through some pages, not all.

I use almond flour I order through the Grain Free Gourmet and it is much superior to Bob's, it has a lovely fine texture that makes fabulous baked goods.

[mftnchn]

I would still like to know about the nut flours. Do most of you make successful baked goods from the SCD recipes using nuts you just grind yourselves or do you buy the commercial ones with most of the fat removed?? If so, which companies are safe? Thanks!

I've mostly been grinding my own nuts so far. I just got back to the USA so tried a bag of Bob's Red Mill that someone gave me. I didn't care for it too much. I have some from Digestive Wellness to try which Shay highly recommends and is safe.

[julirama723]

Gentleheart, if you're in a pinch (and making something more rustic/simple) you can make your own almond meal. I make mine in a small coffee grinder. Just place the almonds in and grind on the "espresso" setting until it is to your liking. Don't grind too long, or else you end up with almond butter! I started making my own almond meal because I couldn't buy almond flour locally.

I used to make a nice little single-serving almond cake with this. (I also added flax but that's not SCD-legal, right?) Just mix almond meal, egg, water, oil, cinnamon, sweetener, baking powder and bake until golden. I think I baked it at 350 for about 15 minutes, it's been a while since I made it! I used to put some sort of nut butter on it, or cream cheese and berries. Cream cheese isn't legal, but I bet you could use some SCD yogurt instead?

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I am happy to report that I've had no tummy troubles at all since cutting back. I've basically been eating lots of veggies (both raw and cooked), eggs, mayo, olive oil, and meat. I hope this continues, it's nice to have 3 days symptom-free! I plan on sticking with this more restrictive eating for a couple of weeks, then I might be a bit daring and add some more foods back in.

[AliB]

Gentleheart, I use hazelnuts either whole and ground myself or ready ground, cashews, pecans, walnuts - it's just a case of experimenting.

Do you have a reaction to whole almonds, or just almond meal? What is your reaction? Again, I found that nuts were problematic for me when my digestion was bad, but gradually I have been better able to cope with them as time has gone on (except for when they are hot straight out of the oven )

I made the Pumpkin Vanilla pie (in the recipe thread) from Naomi Devlins' blog with half and half almond and hazelnut meal and it was delish. I am sure it would work with all hazelnut.

It is funny how we get so daunted by the diet and yet after a while we have great fun experimenting. There is such a huge range of food out there within the structure (I nearly put limits and then thought, no, this is NOT limiting) of the diet. The only thing that limits us is our imagination. There is a wealth of recipes and ideas out there now, loads of sites, loads of blogs, and they are growing by the minute.

[Gentleheart]

Gentleheart, I use hazelnuts either whole and ground myself or ready ground, cashews, pecans, walnuts - it's just a case of experimenting.

Do you have a reaction to whole almonds, or just almond meal? What is your reaction? Again, I found that nuts were problematic for me when my digestion was bad, but gradually I have been better able to cope with them as time has gone on (except for when they are hot straight out of the oven )

I made the Pumpkin Vanilla pie (in the recipe thread) from Naomi Devlins' blog with half and half almond and hazelnut meal and it was delish. I am sure it would work with all hazelnut.

It is funny how we get so daunted by the diet and yet after a while we have great fun experimenting. There is such a huge range of food out there within the structure (I nearly put limits and then thought, no, this is NOT limiting) of the diet. The only thing that limits us is our imagination. There is a wealth of recipes and ideas out there now, loads of sites, loads of blogs, and they are growing by the minute.

A couple of years ago I did a big comprehensive ELISA test of 96 foods. Almonds was one of my highest reactors for some silly reason. So since I'm still not well yet, I'm assuming it still goes. My reactions are not reliable. They are vague, delayed, non-classic and very difficult to use as a barometer. Like I've said before, as BAD as it is, quick D has to be a really useful tool for determining when you've been glutened. I really have little to go by and am flying blind most of the time on this.

[chatycady]

Thanks, Ibd. If I could have one thing added back to my diet, it wouldn't even be gluten. It would be dairy. But I just can't. I seem to be solidly allergic to all aspects of dairy.

Gentle heart have your tried the 24 hour yogurt? Or Dry Curd Cottage Cheese. I loved dairy and that was harder to give up than the gluten, but I am able to tolerate the yogurt. It is so very good. I think I read in BTVC that you can try the yogurt cheese - that it might be more tolerable.

Now for a question.

My sister is struggling to find a thyroid medication that doesn't have illegal ingredients. She found a pharmacist that makes the medication from scratch, but it didn't work. She gets hypoglycemic type reactions and is miserable. She was going to go back to the pharmacist and find out what was in the med. The pharmacists doesn't appear to understand the "food" problems she experiences. ANy help?

Thanks

chaty

[Gentleheart]

Gentle heart have your tried the 24 hour yogurt? Or Dry Curd Cottage Cheese. I loved dairy and that was harder to give up than the gluten, but I am able to tolerate the yogurt. It is so very good. I think I read in BTVC that you can try the yogurt cheese - that it might be more tolerable.

Now for a question.

My sister is struggling to find a thyroid medication that doesn't have illegal ingredients. She found a pharmacist that makes the medication from scratch, but it didn't work. She gets hypoglycemic type reactions and is miserable. She was going to go back to the pharmacist and find out what was in the med. The pharmacists doesn't appear to understand the "food" problems she experiences. ANy help?

Thanks

chaty

I am supposedly allergic to all parts of dairy, not just the lactose. The SCD 24-hour processed yogurt is very good at eliminating the lactose and that's why it works well for those whose dairy intolerance is just lactose and caused from gluten induced damage. That lactose allergy can possibly even go away once the gut heals. But the rest of the offending casein and whey proteins in a true dairy intolerance are likely still there. Someday when I get well, I may try it to see if my allergy happened to not be permanent. But since I can't tell immediately whether something is hurting me or not, elimination experiments are particularly hard to judge in my case.

They are called 'compounding pharmacists' and they are usually VERY saavy about allergies. It's what they do. So maybe you just haven't found the right place. I would use an actual compound pharmacy which specializes in these things and I'm sure they can help you. Any gluten sensitive person, especially those with multiple starch allergies, would do well to get their meds that way. It is easier to make sure there isn't gluten or other allergens in them. Most meds have to have some kind of substance as a carrier of the actual medication itself. It can be anything from wheat starch, corn starch, potato starch, rice starch, lactose (from milk) or whatever. This is one of those areas that are sometimes missed when a gluten sensitive person is trying to track down where they are STILL getting gluten.

[pele]

My sister is struggling to find a thyroid medication that doesn't have illegal ingredients. She found a pharmacist that makes the medication from scratch, but it didn't work. She gets hypoglycemic type reactions and is miserable. She was going to go back to the pharmacist and find out what was in the med. The pharmacists doesn't appear to understand the "food" problems she experiences. ANy help?

Thanks

chaty

My understanding is that compounded thyroid meds do not work well for everyone (myself included apparently). I am using armour which most definitely contains illegal dextrose, but otherwise seems to work way better than any other thyroid med I have been given in the past 30 years, so I figure it is worth it. And it is a tiny amount, it's not like I'm going through a bag of tootsie rolls or M & Ms.

[Gentleheart]

Pele,

Is there an explanation as to why compounded thyroid doesn't seem to work? Just curious as to why.

[mftnchn]

My post maybe was just lost. The compounding pharmacist said there are certain benefical components included in Armour that they are unable to reproduce when they compound.

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This pharmacy told me there is another brand that is safe to use that is similar to Armour, and much cheaper than compounding. Sorry I can't recall the name of the brand. I might be switching too. You can call them and ask, though. They do mail prescriptions.

[AliB]

I thought Dogtor J's explanation of the problems with milk was very enlightening - he was saying that although some seem to have a problem with lactose it is usually the casein that is the main problem - the protein part of the milk, like gluten protein is in wheat. Not only does it glue up the digestive system but it provides casomorphins, which like gliadorphins can also affect the brain.

Apparently people are less likely to react to the 24-hour yogurt because the long fermentation not only digests most, if not all of the lactose, but the bacteria also convert the casein into a more digestible form. If the gut is very badly damaged then some may still have a problem with it but I would say that most, even though they have problems with dairy in general, can cope with the yogurt ok. That is why Elaine advocated the long fermentation. Commercial yogurts are only fermented for 6-8 hours which is not long enough to pre-digest it properly. The long fermentation also provides a higher amount of bacteria too.

[rinne]

I can attest to mood changes with dairy, I feel mean and bitter.

I know I overdid the dairy when I first started the SCD but even a little is too much for me at this point, the goat milk yogurt I seem to tolerate better. I am hoping to get some non-dairy yogurt starter so that my goat milk yogurt won't have any cow milk in it.

[AliB]

I can attest to mood changes with dairy, I feel mean and bitter.

I'll have to watch my husband with that then - he's off gluten but still on dairy. When he's in a mood, it's never him, it's everyone else that is the problem! His moods are better since he went gluten-free but there is always room for improvement!

I have managed to just get him on to goats milk and it will be interesting to see if it makes any difference. He didn't even realise it was goats milk he was drinking so that was a good start!

Be interesting to see if it has any further improvement on his Fibro and Osteo-A as well.

I rarely get moody it just hits me with the fatigue and lethargy instead and I would not be surprised if it had a significant contribution to the diabetes.

[Gentleheart]

I thought Dogtor J's explanation of the problems with milk was very enlightening - he was saying that although some seem to have a problem with lactose it is usually the casein that is the main problem - the protein part of the milk, like gluten protein is in wheat. Not only does it glue up the digestive system but it provides casomorphins, which like gliadorphins can also affect the brain.

Apparently people are less likely to react to the 24-hour yogurt because the long fermentation not only digests most, if not all of the lactose, but the bacteria also convert the casein into a more digestible form. If the gut is very badly damaged then some may still have a problem with it but I would say that most, even though they have problems with dairy in general, can cope with the yogurt ok. That is why Elaine advocated the long fermentation. Commercial yogurts are only fermented for 6-8 hours which is not long enough to pre-digest it properly. The long fermentation also provides a higher amount of bacteria too.

I won't try the yogurt now when I'm experimenting with this whole thing. But I sure might consider it later. In the meantime, can I get similar benefits from a homemade 24-hour coconut yogurt? If so, what do I use for starter? Can I just use a few SCD friendly acidophilus probiotic capsules I wonder?

Do those of you on this diet use the Freeda vitamin line? Are you happy with it? I do like Kirkman, but they don't have very many things SCD legal.

[rinne]

I know some are making yogurt with coconut milk, I think the trick is to find coconut milk without any preservatives. The result is apparently more like kefir in thickness, now I am inspired so I am going to try and make some.

The other thing is to make sure the starter, and I have heard of people using the capsules although what amounts I don't know, has no bifidus in it. Elaine did not think this strain of bacteria was beneficial for anyone but babies. Apparently it is the only bacteria present in a breast fed babies stomach.

It also makes me wonder if so many of our problems started as infants being fed formulas that created a whole different bacterial environment in our guts.

When I learned this I wondered if that was why I always had such problems with probiotics and it really makes me wonder what companies are doing with the various strains of bacteria. It often seems to me that we have very simplistic thinking when it comes to food science.

An example of that is soy, I think what Doctor J has to say about it is very interesting. Particularly when you realize that recent studies show a 13% increase in estrogen levels in children who were fed soy formula.

[AliB]

It also makes me wonder if so many of our problems started as infants being fed formulas that created a whole different bacterial environment in our guts.

When I learned this I wondered if that was why I always had such problems with probiotics and it really makes me wonder what companies are doing with the various strains of bacteria. It often seems to me that we have very simplistic thinking when it comes to food science.

That's me - I was formula fed and wouldn't be at all surprised if that's where it all started. Funny isn't it, my Mum couldn't feed me properly so I was formula fed, I only managed to feed both of my children for 6 weeks before my milk dried up, and my daughter only managed to feed both her boys for about 6 weeks before hers dried up. Talk about history repeating itself! Something about all three of us has linked us on that one for some reason.

An example of that is soy, I think what Doctor J has to say about it is very interesting. Particularly when you realize that recent studies show a 13% increase in estrogen levels in children who were fed soy formula.

Man meddles with what he does not know.............

[julirama723]

Ali and rinne, isn't there a link between non-breast fed babies and health problems later in life?

I'm also one of the formula-fed babies. I'm not sure why I was given formula. Whatever the reason, I was on formula, and it was discovered I was EXTREMELY lactose intolerant (we're talking projectile vomiting), so I was fed SOY formula instead, eek!

I know there's a connection between soy and thyroid problems, which I've had...

[rinne]

Ali and rinne, isn't there a link between non-breast fed babies and health problems later in life?

I'm also one of the formula-fed babies. I'm not sure why I was given formula. Whatever the reason, I was on formula, and it was discovered I was EXTREMELY lactose intolerant (we're talking projectile vomiting), so I was fed SOY formula instead, eek!

I know there's a connection between soy and thyroid problems, which I've had...

Sorry to hear that.

I've never come across any studies but they could be out there.

[julirama723]

Well, I'm sorry to say that I've got a migraine today, and I am so lethargic and tired I could fall asleep here at work. This definitely feels like some sort of die-off or withdrawal reaction, yuck. But still no intestinal troubles so I'm counting my blessings.

As for the health-breastfeeding link, I found a couple of articles:

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From the last link:

For example, the use of formula instead breastfeeding in industrialized countries is associated with:

More cases, and more severe cases, of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. (1)

Lower scores on tests of neurological development. (2)

Increased risk of allergies and greater intensity of problems from allergies. (3)

Increased risk of childhood lymphomas (cancer). (4)

Increased risk of breast cancer in women who were not breastfed. (5)

Increased risk of breast cancer in mothers who don't breastfeed. (6)

Increased risk of type I (juvenile, insulin-dependent) diabetes. (7)

Increased risk of adult intestinal disorders (ulcerative colitis, Crohn's). (8)

It's definitely very interesting reading! I have never had kids, but my good friend has a baby, and she is very pro-breastfeeding. It was actually she who gave me a lot of information about it (since she knows I'm very concerned with staying healthy and eating good foods.)

[pele]

Ali and rinne, isn't there a link between non-breast fed babies and health problems later in life?

I'm also one of the formula-fed babies. I'm not sure why I was given formula. Whatever the reason, I was on formula, and it was discovered I was EXTREMELY lactose intolerant (we're talking projectile vomiting), so I was fed SOY formula instead, eek!

I know there's a connection between soy and thyroid problems, which I've had...

I was fed soy formula, too. Yuck. And have thyroid problems.

We have to remember that for decades, women were automatically given milk-suppressing hormones right after delivery, and the babies were fed formula while still in the hospital. Breast-feeding was considered an unnecessary mess and mothers were given little or no help or encouragement. Good thing that policy has changed.

[pele]

Pele,

Is there an explanation as to why compounded thyroid doesn't seem to work? Just curious as to why.

I don't know much about compounded T. My NP, who just switched me to Armour, told me many people can't handle it, possibly due to time release features.

[pele]

I know some are making yogurt with coconut milk, I think the trick is to find coconut milk without any preservatives. The result is apparently more like kefir in thickness, now I am inspired so I am going to try and make some.

I read somewhere (here?) that the probios need something to eat, which is why you need to add a tablespoon of honey to the coconut milk in order to ferment it. It does come out thin, but tastes good.

[fig girl]

Hi everyone,

I've been trying to catch up on the posts - i haven't been able to get on much lately. Just an update - I had tried coconut flour a while back but I don't think my system is ready for it yet. I did find some organic raw sunflower seeds though and soaked them for about 8 hours (dissolved sea salt in warm water) and then dehydrated them for about 24 hrs (i got an excalibur dehydrator for Christmas and love it!). I then made some sun butter by running them through my juicer. They seem to be doing ok now if i don't eat too much at one sitting - i think i ate too much when first trying them and they gave me some joint pain....Rinne, i get joint pain in my hands too which usually seems to be my first indication i'm not digesting something well - then i'll get it in my left big toe....go figure. I made some spinach crackers with the sun butter and they're very yummy! I'll post the recipe on the SCD recipe thread. Oh and i've been making my goat yogurt in my dehydrator - it's taken a while but i think i'm getting it....it was a little tricky on getting the temp. just right.

Pele - thanks for posting a while back that you had found nut butters to work just as well as the flours - i used the sun butter instead of flour for the spinach crackers and they turned out great!

Gentleheart - Maybe you could try the spinach cracker recipe with sun butter or hazelnut flour/butter - it doesn't have eggs in it. The hazelnuts sound good - I have some hazelnuts in the freezer so i may try making some flour or butter out of those soon to try. I also am very limited in what i can eat - i can't eat eggs, nuts, squash and when i started i couldn't eat dairy but i do well making the yogurt with goat milk (store bought or raw - i like raw best) and i used Kirkman acidophilus capsules which are dairy free but now am using GI Pro Start dairy free starter - both of them make great tasting yogurt. I want to try making yogurt from coconut milk maybe when i've healed more. I had to go really slow with the intro and was only eating the carrot/chicken soup, steamed green beans (de-seeded), goat yogurt, ripe bananas and broiled chicken or fish, steamed carrots and avocado for a good while. It got a little old after a while but i felt so much better it was well worth it. I've been able to determine what food intolerances i have and just have to go slow and eat just a little when adding a new scd food. I've been taking the Freeda multivitamins and B-complex and do well on them - in fact i need to order some more.

Sherry - thanks for mentioning about bone broth. I try to make it when i can find organic bone-in chicken but i'll try letting the bones simmer for a really long time like you said. I seem to feel a lot better after eating the bone broth. I may try and do a couple of days on the intro soon just to see if it'll help me heal more. I have some Welch's grape juice too so i may make some jello....yum!

Ali - i used to get the itchy back too and mainly on my left side in between my shoulder blades! Funny huh!? It had went away i think after going gluten free but came back a little not long after starting scd when i had tried something that didn't agree with me. I haven't had it since though...yay! I hope yours goes away soon. I'm glad you don't get the back pain and palps anymore - i haven't had back pain either in a while (knock on wood). My breath is better too - i still scrape my tongue every morning and night. I will get that yucky taste in my mouth if i eat something i'm not tolerating yet but it's not as bad as it was before scd...thank goodness!

I'm still eating a salad with romaine lettuce, lime or lemon juice and olive oil well and have just started adding some raw blueberries and bing cherries - and so far so good. Everything else besides ripe bananas and avocados are still cooked. Well, better get to bed. Have a good night everyone.

Michelle