SCD vs. starch centered diet?

[binibeng]

I have been reading a lot of articles about SCD. I often heard people saying elimination of starch is the key. HOwever, I bumped into this article today:
http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_colitis2.html

Not sure if anybody heard about this before. Although SCD works for some people, it doesn't work for all. I can only guess it's the old "we are all different and it's very individual". For me to do SCD, the most difficult part is no rice. I am asian and rice is the base of all meal. I can predict that if I give up rice, my weight will drop to a unhealthy level very quick. From the traditional chinese medical point of view, meat is not really good and the consumption should be limited if avoiding is not desired. The SCD diet is very much about meat and vegetables. Even from western media, I often heard high consumption of meat is often related to colon cancer.

I guess my main point is maybe there are two types of diet plans for IBD patients: SCD type which eliminates starch/grain and other type that eliminates meat but keeps starch(no gluten still though). Maybe it's just a matter of finding which one works for you.

 

[Beach]

If you are not comfortable with the SCD diet due to no rice, you might take a look at the paleo diet. It is similar to the SCD, with some that follow paleo eating white rice. You can taylor the diet how you wish, low or high amounts of meat products.

I don't know if rice is allowed or not, but The LOFFLEX Diet for Crohn's might be something to look into too.

"The LOFFLEX Diet"

http://crohns.org.uk/crohns_disease/nutritional_therapy/the-lofflex-diet

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Paleo does not allow rice or any form of grains which is why I lost so much weight on it and needed to stop. I tried hard to eat healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil, nut butters, etc. but nothing helped stop the weight loss.

As for trying SCD but fearing weight loss, you should definitely expect it. These are all low-carb diets. Personally I'm more a fan of being Paleo or SCD-ish but eating what you also need. I realize purists will say you can't achieve remission this way but you might feel better and not end up with the negative consequences.

I'd also like to add that I don't think Dr. McDougall is saying a starch centered diet is healthy but rather is a low fiber/residue easy to digest one for crohns. I am sure he is seeing it as a temporary diet for healing from a flare. The reason I strongly suspect that is because I have a book of his about GI disorders and he believes in incorporating more fibrous sources if possible.

 

[Beach]

NGNG - I think if you looked into it you will find a great variation within the paleo community on what they eat. For example here is one of the most popular paleo web sights on the web, that takes a slightly positive view on white rice.

"How Bad is Rice, Really?"

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-rice-unhealthy/#axzz2cEwTkEVk

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I am going by the strict Paleo diet. There are many who do a 90% Paleo and make their own variations. Mark's is a very popular site but he encourages lots of things that aren't considered Paleo hence why his diet is called Primal. I don't think anyone is right or wrong on any of this stuff, we see success and failure or status quo with adoption of all these diets.

He has a few books which I read while Paleo and the Primal Blueprint is great http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0982207786

 

[Beach]

That is true, Mark has labeled his sight as Primal, a variation from paleo.

Thought this a nice write up on some of the different paleo variation diets that can be seen from popular writers of the diet. It also has a mention on meats, fats eaten, and carbohydrates consumed within different populations.

"Beyond Paleo: moving from a “paleo diet” to a “paleo template”"

http://chriskresser.com/beyond-paleo-moving-from-a-paleo-diet-to-a-paleo-template