Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)

[fig girl]

Thanks Ali for creating the SCD Recipes thread - that'll be nice!

I do better having some raw in my diet also - it definitely helps keep me regular. I've eaten 2 small salads with just romaine lettuce, olive oil, fresh lemon juice and a little sea salt this weekend and have had a good bm yesterday and one today. Yay!

Has anyone ever soaked their almonds or any nuts (i think overnight - 24 hrs.) and then dehydrated them in the oven or a dehydrator? I've been reading that that makes them more digestible (neutralizes enzyme inhibitors) so i was thinking about maybe trying it and making some nut butter. I think the temp. for dehydrating almonds (and maybe all nuts?) is 110 (no higher than 115) which my oven's lowest temp. is 170. Hmmm, do you think the oven method of making the scd yogurt with a 60 watt light bulb may work? For making almond milk i soak them overnight and just rinse and put them in blender, etc.- do you think i could just make the nut butter after soaking them without dehydrating - would that still make them more digestible without the dehydration? Thanks for any info!

[pele]

Does Elaine mention what type of Vanilla Exctrac to use specifically? I can't seem to find anything about it. I want to make the toffe candy in her book..

Some gluten-free vanilla extract is sugar or syrup based, rather than alcohol based. You want to avoid the sugar kind.

[pele]

Hello Everyone! I haven't been on here for a long time. .

Hi Brenda, long time no hear! Thanks for the update on how you are doing.

I am enjoying lots of raw veggies, and I am sad that the garden is pretty much finished except for kale and chard. I find raw vegetables very easy to digest. Funny how we were always told to eat crackers or toast for an upset stomach.

I have been losing a steady 1/2 lb a month on this diet. I really don't care for the baked goods enough to eat them more than occassionally. I agree with you that it's better to eat lots of fruits and vegetables and go light on the dairy and baked stuff.

Everyone's talking about sprouts which are ilegal on the SCD, but I think I'll start some anyway, maybe lentil sprouts.

[pele]

I just had a message from Scott to say that the SCD recipe thread has to stay in the recipes section - trouble is I can just see it ending up disappearing into the ether................

Actually, I think it is good there. A lot of people look at the recipe section and never the leaky gut section, and they will now find out about the SCD, which some of them probably need. I just heard a story about a celiac writing to a sugar company because she was convinced their sugar contained gluten because it makes her sick!

Let's remind each other to post there upon occasion to keep the thread out of the ether.

[kschauer]

Well I'm on Day 5, or is it 6, and I'm feeling better. I didn't feel nausea at all yesterday so that is a plus. I made another batch of soup and yogurt, so I am set for this week, but I travel on Thursday and I can already see myself eating some fruit or nuts, I have two ten hour flights. I had some wine with dinner last night, I saw that dry wine was legal, but I didn't see a mention of when, I feel fine, I hope I didn't screw anything up by doing that. Some of you have mentioned allowing illegals to creep in, when you do that, what do you do about it, do you go back to intro for 3 days or just cut out the illegals?

So now the important stuff, what do you do for CHOCOLATE? Is there a legal brand? I'm about to get back to the land of the living, I need to make my list!

[mftnchn]

Chocolate is not legal on SCD but the why is one of those more nebulous areas.

So glad you made through to day 5-6 and are noticing a lot of improvement. Way to go! Remember to try as much as possible to add one thing at a time so you know what is causing you problems.

Hope you can figure out the travel thing.

Sherry

[GermanMia]

So now the important stuff, what do you do for CHOCOLATE? Is there a legal brand? I'm about to get back to the land of the living, I need to make my list!

Kathryn,

chocolate is illegal because cacao contains several kinds of starches. There are pecan brownies, though, which seem to do quite okay for a chocolate substitute

[kschauer]

Wow. No chocolate at all. I wasn't expecting that.

I get the book on Thursday, maybe I'll understand a bit better then. Generally speaking, if I follow this diet for a year then I may be able to eat a gluten free diet again? I mean a gluten free diet that contains starches?

I do really feel better, no pain today, no nausea, and I feel clear headed, moreso than I have in months I'd say. I'll try to focus on that.

[DMarie]

This makes Day 7 for me. The main difference that I have noticed is that I have lost a few pounds. Still have mucous in my throat (comparable to the amount I had when I eliminated dairy, corn and eggs). I am still getting headaches. I seem to do okay in the morning, but toward the evening is when I will get a headache. I seem to only tolerate about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of yogurt (dairy based) per day. I do even better if I just mix in spoonfuls here and there with my soup and cooked fruit (which is what I am doing).

I made something called Rainbow Stew last night. It had beef, red onions, butternut squash, tomatoes, zuchinni, and carrots. It was tasty and I didn't notice anything after eating it. I still had a headache from the turkey breast I ate mid-day when I ate the stew though. I baked the turkey on Saturday. Gave me a headache, it seemed, then. Tried a few bites yesterday - headache. So I threw the rest out (no one else would eat it - and I had the meat in my freezer for a year - so I should have cooked it a long time ago). I don't know if it was the turkey breast itself (maybe it had broth added and it had something in it) but I know I have eaten ground turkey (made into sausage patties) without a problem.

This morning I had the pumpkin pie porridge (made with butternut squash) with a couple of spoonfuls of yogurt added in with some ground chicken and pork patties and a muffin made from the almond flour. I had a banana and 3 of those chicken/pork patties for a snack. I will have chicken soup for lunch, and a hamburger patty with some yogurt cream cheese on it.

I had to add my nexium back in. I don't know what I was thinking dropping it cold turkey like that. By 3 days after I stopped it I was having burning sensations. So I added it back in to get back to no pain. Then I will try maybe dropping to just 1 dose a day.

The mucous is at times bad; it depresses me. I have at times just sat and cried it makes me so miserable. I cannot picture living x amount of years more with this constant irritation. It is ridiculous to be drowning in this junk. Just eating anything sets it off. I am not having BM's (hence the almond muffin, and I bought some prune juice to boil down to prune nectar as recommended, plus am taking 1000 mg of magnesium per day). Prior to SCD, headaches and other symptoms were random. I am still having some headaches (can be after eating the chicken soup even). Normally the headaches are more likely to occur in the evening. As I am eating the same thing meal after meal - it doesn't make sense. So I am really not sure how this is going. I feel frustrated because I am not sure whether to try adding anything else food-wise, because I cannot keep living on soup and cooked fruit. I think the butternut squash is okay - but probably the next time I eat it something will happen and I won't be sure.

[mftnchn]

Dawn, sorry for the misery and hoped you'd have some relief. There are a couple of things that you could consider. One is that this general allergy response may not clear up until the leaky gut resolves more--just may take awhile. Two, you could try posting over on the OMG thread to Rachel--24. She has found out she has genetic defects in the methylation pathways needed for detox, and it is underlying her food sensitivities (almost everything she eats).

Three you could try non-dairy probiotic or yogurt and see if it helps.

Meanwhile, do you take vitamin C?

[mftnchn]

Wow. No chocolate at all. I wasn't expecting that.

I get the book on Thursday, maybe I'll understand a bit better then. Generally speaking, if I follow this diet for a year then I may be able to eat a gluten free diet again? I mean a gluten free diet that contains starches?

I do really feel better, no pain today, no nausea, and I feel clear headed, moreso than I have in months I'd say. I'll try to focus on that.

Kathryn,

The book recommends 1 year after the resolution of symptoms. Then a gradual trial of starches to see if you tolerate them. Hopefully you will.

Sherry

[mftnchn]

Dawn I also just read a patient on lyme net explain that borrelia (lyme) causes his multiple food sensitivities. When the lyme flares, he's allergic to everything. When it is in remission he can eat almost anything.

Sherry

[AliB]

Wow. No chocolate at all. I wasn't expecting that.

I get the book on Thursday, maybe I'll understand a bit better then. Generally speaking, if I follow this diet for a year then I may be able to eat a gluten free diet again? I mean a gluten free diet that contains starches?

I do really feel better, no pain today, no nausea, and I feel clear headed, moreso than I have in months I'd say. I'll try to focus on that.

I was a tinker for quite a while - not giving up chocolate. I was telling myself "it's only a square or two of the very bitterest choc", but it was still too much. I stopped it finally about a month ago and actually I haven't craved it at all.

Because I kept a bar going on the side, there was always that handy temptation, but not getting it out or making it available is the best way. I was also having peanut butter - congratulating myself that it was ok as I was having it with celery or apple, but in truth it was still not good for me then so I cut that out too.

I do need to have more veg as I keep getting awful backache from C so I am definitely going to try having a green smoothie for breakfast. I do make one with banana, raw chopped carrot, yogurt, a little fruit juice and water, but the green one would undoubtedly be better.

You may be able to reintroduce some starches eventually, but to be quite honest, so many have found that on this diet they feel so good they are not particularly bothered about having them. At the end of the day we don't want to go backwards. If we start to eat a lot of carbs, even gluten-free, we could end up encouraging the rogue bacteria to re-establish and end up back where we started.

I think we get a bit bothered by the 'diet' thing. At the end of the day, your 'diet' is what you eat. If you eat high-carb, you are following a high-carb diet, if you eat raw, you are following a raw food diet. we just happen to be eating a diet that is helping our bodies to heal from the damage that WE have inflicted on ourselves.

Ourselves? I know this will be controversial but I do not believe that Celiac is an inherited disease. I do not believe that Diabetes is an inherited disease. What I DO believe is that we have inherited genetic weaknesses towards certain diseases, but it hugely depends on the combination of bacteria within our gut as to whether we develop the diseases or not. Roy Jamrons' article suggested that Celiac is down to a reaction between the bacteria in our gut and the gluten. If the bacteria can be controlled or even removed, gluten would no longer be a problem.

That could explain why some who have the genetic markers don't actually develop the disease - just maybe they do not have a problem with the bacteria that trigger the disease. Ken posted a link on the gut dysbiosis thread that is VERY interesting, about gut bacteria and the discovery that it may well be behind weight issues. There is another link below that article that suggests that bacteria may also be responsible for diseases like Diabetes. If caught early enough before too much damage is done, by controlling the bacteria that causes Diabetes it may be possible not only to prevent it but also to even reverse it.

Apparently there is at least 500 different strains of bacteria living in the gut at any one time. People who live in totally different cultures would not cope with each others' food - because the bacteria in their guts that help digest it whilst present in one are not present in the other, well certainly not in enough quantity to enable proper digestion.

Makes me wonder whether we have brought this on ourselves in a way by our desire to consume a multi-cultural diet. Perhaps we have wreaked havoc on our guts without realising it! It kind of brings me back round to the Hunter/Gatherer thing, that perhaps because my ancestral digestive tract was inherited to consume a mainly colder Northern Hemisphere fish, whale and walrus diet, and in latter generations we have introduced a lot of foods, particularly carbs, that our gut is not bacterially equipped to handle we have ended up dropping ourselves into a maelstrom of disease.

Sorry, my daughter has always moaned at me for always having to analyse why? I inherited that from my Mum..............

[DMarie]

Dawn, sorry for the misery and hoped you'd have some relief. There are a couple of things that you could consider. One is that this general allergy response may not clear up until the leaky gut resolves more--just may take awhile. Two, you could try posting over on the OMG thread to Rachel--24. She has found out she has genetic defects in the methylation pathways needed for detox, and it is underlying her food sensitivities (almost everything she eats).

Three you could try non-dairy probiotic or yogurt and see if it helps.

Meanwhile, do you take vitamin C?

I am thinking the answer is likely time. Probably have to eat simply and very plain for some time. While I started out okay this morning (not so much mucous), it was really bad mid-day (I had chicken soup and a hamburger patty for lunch - banana for a snack) but almost non-existant for awhile this afternoon - and not so bad tonight.

I am not taking vitamin C; perhaps I should look into that. Is there a particular brand you take? Also, I think maybe I should look at the probiotics. I would like to try some almond milk and then yogurt out of that (or even the coconut yogurt). That just seems overwhelming right now. It seems all I do is make soup! I have the food for me, then the food for the others. The soup seems to be a 2 day affair if I have to make during the week.

I'll look up the info on lyme disease. I have seen the OMG thread - and I have to say - OMG!!! That gets very technical and really into something that would be very difficult (it seems) to get diagnosed. I don't think I have the energy to delve into something like that. I pray it is not something like that, because that would be it for me. It was enough to finally find a doctor who believes in adrenal fatigue. I have gone down the naturopath, alternative medicine route before - and my husband was not very supportive of that (he doesn't believe in that type of thing - let the doctors diagnose it - and quit diagnosing yourself off the internet). After seeing that I was right on some things for me, and seeing that it was me who figured out what was wrong with our daughter (after the doctors failed for almost 2 years) - perhaps he doesn't have quite so strong an opinion - but I spent alot of $$$ with one doctor that is always remembered. Unless this is something regular doctors can help with (but somehow I doubt it)...

Thank you for the support! I think this is hardest in the beginning, especially if not that much seems to change. And sometimes perhaps it just takes a bit longer to start noticing changes. It is easy to be discouraged, especially with such limited food choices right now.

[pele]

Well I'm on Day 5, or is it 6, and I'm feeling better. I didn't feel nausea at all yesterday so that is a plus. I made another batch of soup and yogurt, so I am set for this week, but I travel on Thursday and I can already see myself eating some fruit or nuts, I have two ten hour flights. I had some wine with dinner last night, I saw that dry wine was legal, but I didn't see a mention of when, I feel fine, I hope I didn't screw anything up by doing that. Some of you have mentioned allowing illegals to creep in, when you do that, what do you do about it, do you go back to intro for 3 days or just cut out the illegals?

So now the important stuff, what do you do for CHOCOLATE? Is there a legal brand? I'm about to get back to the land of the living, I need to make my list!

I sounded just like you about chocolate in my first two weeks. I wanted to make things with unsweetened chocolate and honey, but didn't. Hang in there, the craving goes away. Chocolate is addictive and when you have kicked it, you will be fine.

Fruits and nuts are LEGAL on the SCD. By all means take some legal food with you on your flights, so you are not tempted to eat something really bad. Raisins and nuts would be a whole lot better than M & Ms.

As far as illegal foods, there are two sides to this issue. Cheating with stuff like an occasional sweet potato, garbanzo bean, smoked salmon or bean sprout is a far cry from munching down candy bars or waffles made with tapioca and potato starch smothered with maple flavored high fructose corn syrup. The real key to this diet is cutting out the illegals, especially the processed food.

[AliB]

I am thinking the answer is likely time. Probably have to eat simply and very plain for some time. While I started out okay this morning (not so much mucous), it was really bad mid-day (I had chicken soup and a hamburger patty for lunch - banana for a snack) but almost non-existant for awhile this afternoon - and not so bad tonight.

I think you have hit the nail on the head - the simpler the better - I know it is boring but it is like anything - you know how you always had to eat your dinner before you got any dessert.............?

I actually couldn't cope with chicken soup initially either - I suspect it may have been that the cooking of the bones was actually drawing stuff out that wasn't good - kind of marks the benefit of getting Organic Free-range if you can, but a lot of the 'better quality' chickens are raised on wheat and corn anyway, residues of which must be in the birds. I also wonder if they are fed on some kind of soy meal - all products that many of us can't cope with.

I can eat it now ok - I suppose it took about 3 months until I could tolerate it although I was ok with the chicken meat right from the start. I have some natural bouillon powder made from vegetables that I sometimes use to add extra flavor to the soup and there is something in that that used to give me phlegm and mucous for an hour or two after. I have checked the ingredients and there is nothing in there that should do it, but maybe it is the way it is processed or something. My husband gets it too so I know it isn't just me.

There was a mention too about soy lecithin. That is another good reason to avoid chocolate. There is very little chocolate out there that is not produced with soy lecithin emulsifiers. Most soy products are highly processed which undoubtedly causes problems as goodness only knows what they do to it. Just ask Ursula (Ursa Major) about soy - I guarantee you would be happy not to touch it with a bargepole after talking with her.

[kschauer]

I have asked for a gluten free meal on my flights. The last time that came with a little gluten free roll and was usually a salad and fish and fruit cocktail for breakfast. I will bring along fruits and nuts but they are not really recommended at this early stage. I'll try to bring some baked apples maybe, they can't be a security risk.

I don't know what to think about this chocolate thing, I guess I need to wait until Thursday to get the book and figure out what exactly is going on here.

Yesterday I felt okay all day, just some pain off and on, and some flushing red and then ten minutes later white as a ghost...I feel more clear headed at least. And the flushing red was less severe and less often. I think I had a little more energy. That's not something I've had for quite a while.

[mftnchn]

Kathryn sounds like you may be through the worst of it and hopefully will now steadily improve. Hope the travel goes okay. I think you could cook some carrots and meat and without liquid take them on the plane. Baked apples if not mushy should work.

Sherry

[kschauer]

Kathryn sounds like you may be through the worst of it and hopefully will now steadily improve. Hope the travel goes okay. I think you could cook some carrots and meat and without liquid take them on the plane. Baked apples if not mushy should work.

Sherry

Thanks Sherry, I hope so. I haven't added anything new in two days, I feel comfortable here between Intro and Stage 1. We'll see what I can come up with while traveling.

Yes I think baked apples that are somewhat crisp would be okay, and steamed carrots, forgot about that...I can try and they can only make me throw them out. Security here is not like security in the states, so I may be fussing over nothing.

Are there any legal gums or candies? Any kind of candy I can make with honey that would be safe? Or any products that are ready-made that I can look for while I'm in London or the states? The SCD sites seemed to be geared more to baked goods that I could order.

[kschauer]

I sounded just like you about chocolate in my first two weeks. I wanted to make things with unsweetened chocolate and honey, but didn't. Hang in there, the craving goes away. Chocolate is addictive and when you have kicked it, you will be fine.

Fruits and nuts are LEGAL on the SCD. By all means take some legal food with you on your flights, so you are not tempted to eat something really bad. Raisins and nuts would be a whole lot better than M & Ms.

As far as illegal foods, there are two sides to this issue. Cheating with stuff like an occasional sweet potato, garbanzo bean, smoked salmon or bean sprout is a far cry from munching down candy bars or waffles made with tapioca and potato starch smothered with maple flavored high fructose corn syrup. The real key to this diet is cutting out the illegals, especially the processed food.

I understand what you mean about the illegals, I am not planning an illegal feast by any means, but if something is overlooked, or I do cave in to those mashed potatoes, what then? Back to intro? I think I don't understand how much or how little can upset the balance and cause more inflammation.

[blackbeltmom]

I understand what you mean about the illegals, I am not planning an illegal feast by any means, but if something is overlooked, or I do cave in to those mashed potatoes, what then? Back to intro? I think I don't understand how much or how little can upset the balance and cause more inflammation.

I get what you are saying and would like to know the same thing. Are illegals as bad as getting gluten. If I do not wash my hands, well, after making sandwiches for my son, I will be sick from the small traces of gluten. So with the SCD is it as sensitive as gluten traces? I get my book at the end of the week.....I hope.

[DMarie]

The sliceable cheese calls for gelatin. She omits it if she's making a sauce. I don't because I like the added protein.

I make up the sliceable cheese, let it set up in the refrigerator, and cut it into small blocks, wrap separately and freeze. Then I can take out just what I need.

Art Girl (or anyone who knows )- does it really take almost 1/2 cup of gelatin to make this? I have only seen gelatin in those little packets. Where do I find gelatin in bulk?

[DMarie]

Oh oh oh...I found a REAL TREAT. Coconut Cream without any additives. Not even water. No gums. No preservatives. Nothing SCD illegal.

Open Original Shared Link

Shay - what do you do with coconut cream? How do you make whipped coconut cream? Does a little of this go a long way? I went to the website you posted - and they are doing like a BOGO - two 16 oz jars for the price of one. Shipping is just $9 - so doesn't seem to bad. But - want to make sure I know what I can do with this.

[DMarie]

He makes his coconut exactly like I make mine....RAW. But I take the dark skin part off. I am going to try leaving it on next time. That would save me A LOT of time. I dont strain mine for making coconut yogurt. That way I have a nice thick yogurt and I get all of the enzymes and fatty acids of the whole fruit.

But I am going to try to make the milk by straining it. I did a LONG time ago....10 years or more. I have always used a good old fashioned jelly strainer to make smooth nut milks and it will work for the coconut milk too. I dont need a juicer.

Shay - by not straining the coconut milk for yogurt - how thick is the yogurt? I have been making mine from whole milk and half and half. This last batch was from whole milk only. It sets up very nicely. I like it thick so that when I stir in some honey or whatever else, I don't end up with liquid.

What is a jelly strainer? I have a Cuisinart food processor. Will I ruin it trying to run this kind of stuff through it? Can I make my own almond flour (or any nut flour) with it? Or maybe I should get a small coffee grinder?

I think this weekends adventure will be trying to make the coconut yogurt.

[ShayFL]

Dawn - the coconut cream can be reconstituted to make coconut milk. And it tastes good by the spoonfull too.

Not straining def. makes a thicker yogurt. But it separates and there is liquid at the bottom once it does. I like it though.