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Anyone tried SCD diet???

I am currently on Measasal 4 tabs x 3 tiimes per day, Imuran 100mg per day & Salifalk enemas every day. My doctor has talked about possible surgery in the next few months as my UC has not been controlled for nearly 3 years.

I have recently come across a book by Elaine Gottschall called "Breaking the vicious Cycle" It talks about a Specific Carb Diet (gluten free, grain free, sugar free & Lactose free). I have googled a lot of information about it and it really does sound like it has helped many people and also many people are completey drug free????. Not sure how disaplined I would be though.
Anyone actually following this diet and what results are you getting?
 

afidz

Super Moderator
I am going to tag KWalker in here, he is following the SCD am I am sure he can help!
 

KWalker

Moderator
thanks Afidz! I'm also going to tag Charleigh in here so we can tag team this lol.

Jaffa- I started this diet on January 2nd, 2013 and have had significant results already. When I started I was on no medicine so my results were strictly from the diet changes. Before I started the diet I would go to the bathroom anywhere from 5-8 times a day with absolute diarrhea. I also had two abscesses that were draining quite a bit and was sore off and on.

Since starting, my diarrhea has completely stopped and I usually go once or a twice a day, when I wake up and when I go to bed, and my abscesses have stopped draining and giving me problems. My bowel movements are solid now and it actually requires effort to go because I'm not used to that.

I skipped the intro diet because of the limiting foods on the intro diet so I just went right into eating the foods allowed. I've even since started experimenting with potatoes to see how they react with me. The diet definitely isn't easy and I honestly have thought about quitting so many times, but for me my biggest "problem" was my draining abscesses and always worrying about whether or not my pants will be all wet after I get up after sitting in class for awhile. That worry is completely gone.

I have done base blood works and will do blood work again sometime relatively soon to monitor and see if I'm getting any improvements on the inside but the physical results are absolutely worth it to me. I went through food withdrawals, and have found so many foods I cannot eat anymore but it's a learning experience and you do get used to it.

I noticed you said you have UC so I'm not sure how effective the diet will be because my experience is with crohns but it is known to treat a variety of different conditions. For the best results I would do the intro diet just because it sounds like you might not be in the greatest condition right now if you're doctor is considering surgery soon.

Regardless I would definitely give it a try because it certainly won't hurt anything, but you could see amazing results. Like I said, I've tagged Charleigh because her son is doing absolutely amazing on the diet and she knows way more than I do. She's my go-to girl :)

Also, if you have a look at my signature you will see something that shows a link to my SCD "diary" Feel free to have a look at it because I've posted photos of foods I eat, and how I've been feeling.

Feel free to ask any questions!
 
I've been following a paleo or SCD diet (There are not many differences between the two diets) for several years along with taking a few supplements such as vitamin D3, magnesium, kelp/iodine, etc. Doing so has helped improve my microscopic colitis condition considerably. It hasn't been a cure, but I'm not nearly as ill as I used to be.

Good luck! If you give the diet a try, hope it improves your situation.
 
If you go to the diet forum, you will find more info on SCD. KWalker has been tracking his progress in a thread, I am tracking my son's progress in a thread called (Incredible E and SCD), and we have a support thread for SCD / Paleo / Gaps.

E is on no medication and it has been nothing short of a miracle. E is up by 10 pounds, he is down to one solid stool per day, no cramps, etc. His color is returning, his energy is steadily increasing, etc.

The book is written for UC, Crohn's, and Celiacs.

It is a tough diet. No one on a standard diet can remove grains, sugar, dairy, etc and not struggle at first. With that said, E is only eleven and he will tell you in a heartbeat that it is completely worth it. He is not even tempted to cheat because of the improvement in how he feels.

It got worse before it got better. We did have the typical bacterial "die off" period where E dropped a little weight and felt flu like (this happens with any radical diet change), but then it has been all positive improvement since.

I highly suggest you to read the book. I remember highlighting in it because it just made so much sense. It was an aha moment for me.

E started the diet in November.
 
I began the SCD this week. But I think I may work my way toward the maker's diet eventually. I probably only have 2 days of being SCD compliant so far but I intend to stick with it because I have heard many good things and it has given me hope. So far my symptoms are not really improved, perhaps a little worse, but that is to be expected with the increased toxins released by dying bacteria (I hope that's what's happening). I'm craving sugar and carbs so bad right now. And I am fearful of the day the girl scout that sold me cookies finally delivers them.
 
You will feel worse for a while but then it will get better. We had to start with a low fiber SCD until E was healed some. Now he can have more veggies and raw fruits. We also removed beef at first and we actually haven't tried adding it back in yet but we plan to do that soon.

You should make that Girl Scout's Day. When she shows up, tell her she can keep them. A treat for her hard work :) Don't let the temptation into your house and cheer someone up at the same time. If for some reason she refuses to take them for herself, tell her to gift them to a larger family that only ordered a small amount!

You can do this. It is difficult at first, but you are stronger than food.
 
Thanks for the advice. Think I will definately give it a try. I am very intolerant to raw vegetables and would love to be able to eat them again one day. The diet apparently re-introduces them after a few months.
I too have constant D and go to the toilet at least 5-8 times in the mornings. This is accompanied by a lot of blood and mucus. I have been like this for nearly 3 years and will try anything to reduce or get rid of these symptoms.
 
Hi Jaffa. I was on the SCD for 10 months the year before last. I felt great. I was still having diarrhea off and on at that time but it was nothing liked I'd been prior to starting. Most importantly I could eat raw fruit and veggies again, which was incredibly exciting to me. I'd cut my Pentasa down to a single pill.

I did get tired of all the labor in the kitchen. It's a lot of work. Most things have to be made from scratch. I ended up going off it but am returning to it Monday (will start a my own thread then) as I'm now on Imuran and it's really not controlling my symptoms well enough.

Good luck. It's a very healthy diet. You really have nothing to lose by trying it.
 
its hard to follow, i eventually just applied the basic concepts to my own diet, that has been helpful. i have had crohns 4 years now and have had no complications or surgery, and never taken any medication, and no diarhea either, just occasional maldigestion. but even though many symptoms are great, this diet isnt taming the inflammation enough.

hardest part for me was making the yogurt, mine never turned out right and i gave myself some infection from a batch that had bad bacteria in it, i believe it led to ankylosing spondylitis and starting getting severe back pains, i actually managed to eradicate it with a low protein diet, fennel seeds and psyllium, unbelieveable. So i am never making my own yogurt again.

but i believe i found a solution to the yogurt problem and that is lifeway brand kefir that is fermented for 16 hours instead of the usual 4 hours. The SCD yogurt is supposed to be fermented for 24 hours to remove all lactose, and i was never able to remove all lactose either! so again, making the yogurt is tough i found, but it makes you feel great.
 
but i believe i found a solution to the yogurt problem and that is lifeway brand kefir that is fermented for 16 hours instead of the usual 4 hours. The SCD yogurt is supposed to be fermented for 24 hours to remove all lactose, and i was never able to remove all lactose either! so again, making the yogurt is tough i found, but it makes you feel great.
The one problem with Lifeway kefir is that with the exception of their plain kefir, Lifeway's other favors are sweetened with cane sugar, which is illegal on the SCD diet. So if you decide to use the Lifeway kefir, either buy and drink it plain, or sweeten the plain yourself using fresh fruits and honey.
 
You would have to be crazy not to give SCD your full effort, you owe your colon that at least.

Be prepared for the 'low-carb flu', the short period as your body adjusts to burning fat rather than carbs, and some less than pleasant moments as the bad bacteria start to clamour for food (carbs) and make a lot of fuss as you show them the door

I was on SCD before going paleo and found that the yoghurt would cause diarrhoea, and once i stopped the yoghurt i improved quickly.
I have just introduced milk kefir (home made, it's really simple, easier than yogurt) with no problem - whether it is because it is different or because i'm six months further along - who knows?

Read up on SCD, GAPS and paleo and work out how to make it work for you - i always found it too heavy on 'bread substitutes' made with nuts and found that i like the simplicity of paleo.

I've read about lots of people improving up to a point and the needing to tweak the diet to get more improvement.
There is a crowd called SCD Lifestyle (.com) who blog regularly, have podcasts with some good interviews, and for a (reasonably cheap) fee offer to walk you through the diet. - I haven't used this service so i can't recommend it but have got alot from some of their free information.

There are foods that are allowed on SCD that may not be good for you such as processed vegetable oils and legumes. the yogurt can be an issue, and you NEED to start at a point in the diet that is appropriate for your current health ( http://pecanbread.com/f/how/introdiet.html )
 
its hard to follow, i eventually just applied the basic concepts to my own diet, that has been helpful. i have had crohns 4 years now and have had no complications or surgery, and never taken any medication, and no diarhea either, just occasional maldigestion. but even though many symptoms are great, this diet isnt taming the inflammation enough.
I just want to clarify that if you aren't following it 100% then you aren't doing it correctly so it can't honestly be said it (SCD) isn't working. There's a very sound scientific reason for the 100% requirement that's explained in the book.

I'm not being picky or criticizing you at all here, just wanted to correct things. :)
 
The one problem with Lifeway kefir is that with the exception of their plain kefir, Lifeway's other favors are sweetened with cane sugar, which is illegal on the SCD diet. So if you decide to use the Lifeway kefir, either buy and drink it plain, or sweeten the plain yourself using fresh fruits and honey.
good point, and let me clarify, only the plain lifeway kefir is good for SCD and not the sweetened/added fruit types. the sugars listed on the plain kefir are not added and they are the natural sugars which are likely almost all monosacharides little to no lactose.
 
To Hugh, probiotics caused a great amount of problems for E at first but now they are great for him. I think that some might need to heal to a certain point before they can tolerate them.

About the Kefir ~ homemade kefir has to be the easiest thing in the world to make. Not at all complicated like the yogurt. We use kefir and we let it "process" for 24 hours. You simply put barely warm milk in a jar with the kefir grains, cover with cheesecloth, and let it sit at room temp for 24 hours ~ done!
 
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