I have started researching the SCD diet. I am a wife and mom to 3 small children (all under 5). I love food and since my recent flare and subsequent surgery want to try to control my diet (and the diet of my famil) better. More fruits and veggies, less sugars and starches. But I really feel confused about where to begin and how strictly I need to follow this diet to maintain remission?! Any advice would be appreciated!!
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Thinking about starting-any suggestions?
- Thread starter Domsmom
- Start date
Hi Domsmom,
With all diets that change a whole heap of things it is hard to know which changes are the ones that made the difference. That's why in (real) science experiments are done changing one variable at a time.
SCD doesn't suit everyone (i couldn't handle the SCD yougurt and improved once i stopped eating it.)
Paleo makes more sense to others (no peanuts, no vegetable oils etc) and tends to indicate that mild carb intake might be OK but only paleo carbs such as tubers.
With all of the 'healing' diets the exclusion of processed foods is critical. For a good (and terrifying) introduction to the difference between industrial food and real food , 'The Omnivores Dilemma' by Michael Pollan[1] is well worth reading
One of the main tenants of the SCD diet is starving out the bad bacteria by excluding carbs so a period of low-carb is recommended, but then you might find that a low to meduim carb intake (of safe paleo carbs) will be an easier diet to follow.
I have settled on "the Perfect Health Diet"[2] .
This diet is paleo based but acknowledges the importance of carbs and allows all paleo carbs and white rice (which opens the door for rice noodles instead of pasta and rice crackes instead of bread). This makes it a much easier and cheaper diet to follow.
My feeling (and it agrees with my own experiences) that if you need to 'cheat' then what you cheat with is vital.
If are on SCD and 'cheat' with paleo carbs (plantain,tubers etc) then you will probably find it is less troublesome than white bread and soda.
NOT Icecream, processed foods and grains (except white rice), NOT takaways, not freezer/microwave meals, not candy, not soda etc.
[1] America's Food Crisis:
THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T_EAoYE5aw
[2] Bowel Disorders, Part I: About Gut Disease (series of 4 blogs, relates very well to the SCD philosophy)
http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2010/07/ulcerative-colitis-a-devastating-gut-disease/
With all diets that change a whole heap of things it is hard to know which changes are the ones that made the difference. That's why in (real) science experiments are done changing one variable at a time.
SCD doesn't suit everyone (i couldn't handle the SCD yougurt and improved once i stopped eating it.)
Paleo makes more sense to others (no peanuts, no vegetable oils etc) and tends to indicate that mild carb intake might be OK but only paleo carbs such as tubers.
With all of the 'healing' diets the exclusion of processed foods is critical. For a good (and terrifying) introduction to the difference between industrial food and real food , 'The Omnivores Dilemma' by Michael Pollan[1] is well worth reading
One of the main tenants of the SCD diet is starving out the bad bacteria by excluding carbs so a period of low-carb is recommended, but then you might find that a low to meduim carb intake (of safe paleo carbs) will be an easier diet to follow.
I have settled on "the Perfect Health Diet"[2] .
This diet is paleo based but acknowledges the importance of carbs and allows all paleo carbs and white rice (which opens the door for rice noodles instead of pasta and rice crackes instead of bread). This makes it a much easier and cheaper diet to follow.
My feeling (and it agrees with my own experiences) that if you need to 'cheat' then what you cheat with is vital.
If are on SCD and 'cheat' with paleo carbs (plantain,tubers etc) then you will probably find it is less troublesome than white bread and soda.
NOT Icecream, processed foods and grains (except white rice), NOT takaways, not freezer/microwave meals, not candy, not soda etc.
[1] America's Food Crisis:
THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T_EAoYE5aw
[2] Bowel Disorders, Part I: About Gut Disease (series of 4 blogs, relates very well to the SCD philosophy)
http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2010/07/ulcerative-colitis-a-devastating-gut-disease/
SCD isn't low carb (except compared to the SAD).
You're removing specific foods with polysaccharides with SCD, not carbs in general. I'm on SCD and eat tons of carbs in the form of honey, winter squash, veggies, bananas, other fruit, all kinds of fruit juices, etc.
Agreed, It is very-low in complex carbs, and i think most people on SCD would find that they are eating far less total carbs overall.SCD isn't low carb (except compared to the SAD).
I'm on SCD and eat tons of carbs in the form of honey, winter squash, veggies, bananas, other fruit, all kinds of fruit juices, etc.
One recommendation if you find SCD isn't working is to lower the amount of honey and simple carbs -like fruit (to starve out the 'bad' bacteria).
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Yes, I agree, compared to the typical diet it's low carb/complex carb. Cutting out pasta and bread and potatoes put a huge dent in my carb habits anyway. I figured you were probably just simplifying the explanation of what SCD is all about but just in case I wanted to clarify it. Having had no IBD improvement on diets like Atkins myself, I didn't want SCD to be confused with that type of low carb.
I figured you were probably just simplifying the explanation of what SCD is all about but just in case I wanted to clarify it. Having had no IBD improvement on diets like Atkins myself, I didn't want SCD to be confused with that type of low carb.