Basic Info

SCD is a grain-free, lactose-free and sugar-free diet. The basic idea is that there are certain bacteria in your intestine that are the cause of many digestive disorders symptoms. These symptoms can range anywhere from uncomfortable bloating to diseases such as Crohn’s. By cutting out complex carbohydrates from your diet, the diet aims to starve out these bacteria leaving your gut filled with bacteria that are helpful not hurtful. The diet also tries to introduce helpful bacteria into your gut through the use of homemade, lactose-free yogurt. The diet is very nutritious and includes many natural carbohydrates found in fruit, honey, properly made yogurt and many vegetables. It also includes meats, fish, aged cheeses, oils, eggs, nuts and many more things.

My Experience

I suffered from digestive disorders for several years before I found the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. Within a few days of starting the diet, I started noticing small differences in how I felt after meals. Within a few short months, my digestive track felt like it did when I was a teenager. No problems, no pain, no cramps, nothing but great plumbing! I am by no means out of the woods. To my detriment, there have been a few times when I’ve “accidentally” eaten foods that SCD forbids. In these rare events, I find myself again in agony. However, once I return to eating the way the diet specifies, I stabilize in a matter of days. How long it takes for a person to completely heal on this diet varies, however the recommendation is to stay on the diet for at least one year.

Getting Started

The best way start off the diet is by reading this book. Its a pretty quick read with a large section of recipes. It covers the history and science behind the diet.

This website, an adjunct to the book, has a lot of information. I use it primarily for the legal and illegal list of foods.

This yahoo group is filled with people with years of experience on the diet. I have found them to be knowledgeable, supportive and extremely caring. They leave no question unanswered.

I also relied heavily on the No More Crohn’s website when I was starting off.

Also, feel free to drop me a note via the comments section below or shoot us an email at flipcookbook at gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you!