A few questions about the SCD diet

Hi,

 

I would like to give the SCD diet a try. Currently I am on 20 mg of Omeprazole (tablets) and 3 mg of Entocort (capsules) per day. I tried stopping the Omeprazole a few times, and got a terrible and unbearable rebound effect. I get the entocort from Duane Read and the Omeprazole from Costco (Kirkland brand.)

 

Can I start the SCD diet, while still on these medications?

 

I keep on reading about SCD yogurt and a lengthy preparation process. The limit of my food preparing skills is maybe…toast.

 

Is it possible to buy SCD yogurt somewhere? Are there any kosher brands?

 

Are there any manufactured shakes, like Ensure, that are SCD Legal? I love Ensure, especially Vanilla.

 

Can I drink coffee when starting the diet? I am a long-time coffee addict, and will not be able to function at work without at least one cup per day.

 

Does the SCD diet work for Acid Reflux too? I have both mild Crohns and bad Acid Reflux.

 

I ordered the book, and received it yesterday.

 

The problem is that it is huge, and I was hoping to start the diet immediately.

 

Fortunately, I should have some time to read this weekend, so there is some hope.

 

Still it would be great if there were cliff notes or a quick-start guide for this diet. I just need to know what I can eat and where I can buy it; preferably ready-made.

 

I am sure most of these questions are answered in the book, and I will start reading it this weekend. However, I am eager to start the diet right away, so any help would be appreciated.

 

Thank you so much,

 

Jay

 

PS. Does this diet work? I saw a list of legal and illegal foods. Aren’t we supposed to avoid nuts and food with seeds, due to risk of blockages etc.?

I've been on SCD for 1 year and 3 months. I think you've made a good decision to give it a try, but I would advise to do it strictly for at least a year. Don't worry about little set backs as these WILL happen during the first year, but your progress will overall be upward. I didn't see noticeable results until 4 months in.

Can I start the SCD diet, while still on these medications?
Yes you can. In fact I would get stay on meds until you are in remission and also for at least a 6 months to a year while on the diet. Most people would advise that you don't get off the meds. This is a decision for you to make as far as what side effects you are comfortable dealing with. I decided to ditch remicade.


I keep on reading about SCD yogurt and a lengthy preparation process. The limit of my food preparing skills is maybe…toast.
It's true, it takes a lot of prep. Fact of the matter is big problems require big solutions. Usually you can cook a ton of food one day a week and freeze it. I didn't know how to cook either but it's easy to follow recipes. I would recommend buying another recipe book along with BTVC like the one by Raman Prasad or Lucy's Kitchen.

Is it possible to buy SCD yogurt somewhere? Are there any kosher brands?
You can't buy SCD yogurt anywhere. I don't even eat it anymore and just use a probiotic, but most people say the yogurt is the best source of bacteria. It gave me some problems in excess. If you're going to go the yogurt route, I would buy a yogurt maker manufactured by yogurmet and get the lyosan yogurt cultures. These can all be purchased from a website called Lucy's Kitchen.


Are there any manufactured shakes, like Ensure, that are SCD Legal? I love Ensure, especially Vanilla.
Ensure is definitely illegal. I doubt there are any shakes out there that are strictly legal, but a product called Absorb Plus comes close (though it uses maltodextrin as a sweetener). If you want shakes, I would make them yourself. Start with making almond milk (store bought almond milk has illegal ingredients) and adding in bananas/honey/whatever you want. Another good thing that's legal is most of the Lara Bars, but I wouldn't eat these until you are a few months into the diet and you don't have loose stools.


Can I drink coffee when starting the diet? I am a long-time coffee addict, and will not be able to function at work without at least one cup per day.
No coffee, but you can have some basic teas. I don't drink any caffeine. Apparently diet coke is legal at most once a week. I stay away from that too.


Does the SCD diet work for Acid Reflux too? I have both mild Crohns and bad Acid Reflux.
I used to have a little bit of acicd reflux too and it went away. I'm confident it will be helped by this diet too.


Remember, start with the intro diet in the book first. Don't jump to eating stuff like fruits, peanut butter, raisins, etc. You have to wait until you're feeling better before you get to these "advanced" foods. Also, remember no juices from concentrate.

I just want to add one caveat here. You should always consider meds AND diet as complimentary of eachother. Diet will help to control the symptoms but meds will keep the disease under control. JMHO

Thank you all so much.

 

I read the core chapters of “Breaking the Vicious Cycle” today.

 

Aside from the question about nuts and seeds (i.e., strawberries), I was wondering about red meat and fried foods.

 

This diet seems to allow them, where two other IBD diet books I read (“What to Eat with IBD” and “Eating Right for a Bad Gut”) say that they are usually bad for IBD. I am thinking of starting the SCD diet, and also staying away from nuts, fried foods, red meat, and all food with seeds. However, I am worried that there will be very little left to eat.

 

I think that, before I begin, I will try to come up with a week’s worth of food I can eat on a regular basis.

 

Also, thank you for those links. I’ll check them out.

 

Jay

I would suggest trying red meat, and only eliminate it if it bothers you. As for fried foods, they are generally considered more advanced (especially if you use a deep fryer). I'd roast, boil, broil, and bake in the beginning. Then you can try pan frying.

You should be able to handle almond butter and pecan butter before too long, just don't over do it. Peanut butter is advanced, so avoid that for quite awhile. Once you're doing well, try nut flour.

You can deseed fruits/veggies if they bother you. I never bothered to deseed the zucchini, because the seeds were tiny and tender. Some people prefer to scoop them out though. I run cranberries through a food mill, which removes the skins and most of the seeds. You could also run cooked strawberries/raspberries/etc. through a strainer to remove the seeds.

Can you eat dairy? If so, that's great! Yogurt, cheese, and recipes made from them (like cheesecake) have lots of calories. Put butter or coconut oil on your cooked veggies (good ones to start with are zucchini, butternut/acorn/kabocha squash, spinach, green beans). Cooked fruits to start with are apples, pears, peaches. Avocados and ripe bananas can be eaten raw from the get go. Eggs are great, and you can make them many ways (I like deviled eggs). Chicken, turkey, fish (salmon, tuna, cod, tilapia, etc.), beef, and bison are all good meats. You can make jello with plain gelatin and fruit juice.

There really is a lot to eat, and it gets better the longer you've been on the diet. I've been cautious about eating much raw food, even though I've been on the diet awhile. But lately, I've been enjoying sweet cherries and tonight had creamed cucumbers (a favorite even when I was pre-SCD).

Check out some of the SCD recipe sites too. People come up with some really tasty dishes!

Hi Jay2! Welcome to the forum!

I just want to encourage you and let you know that we have had great success with the SCD, too! My son has been off all medication for over 2 years now (as recommended by his pediatric GI specialist) and is amazingly healthy. Following this diet has truly been a God-send for us!

As for red meat and fried foods, we are big believers in red meat. I usually purchase a "side" at a time from an independent, small-time farmer. She raises her beef without hormones, antibiotics, steroids, etc., and it is nearly 100% grass-fed.

Fried foods are okay as long as you are not breading them with something illegal. We eat pan-fried, freshwater fish pretty frequently. I use a "breading" of almond flour seasoned with salt, pepper and a few spices that we like. It's really every bit as good as any other breading we've ever used, and 100% SCD legal!!!

You might also enjoy reading "The Maker's Diet" by Jordan Rubin, only to get further perspective on what truly healthy foods can do for us. For instance, I never realized the intestinal healing benefits of coconut oil until I read that book. The book also made me a firm believer in the benefits of juicing!

Best wishes to you!!! Remember, it may take months and months to see measurable results. Don't get discouraged if you have a minor set-back. Blessings to you!

Another thing to keep you motivated is that usually after about 2 years on the diet (or a year of being asymptomatic) you can start to be not as strict with the diet (though most people seem to stay off grains for good).

If eggs by themselves don't work for you, they could still work in recipes (like almond butter brownies & cheesecake). I was just reading about this today.

Glad you like the cheese! You will probably like the SCD cheesecake. Not everybody does, but I find it tasty.

Good luck! Just don't rush things. If you add too many new things at once, and then feel bad, you won't know what caused it.

I am having a harder time finding food for this diet than I thought I would. Everything in the store I visited had stuff added, and it is tough to figure out what is SCD legal and what is not.

For instance, they had Dole Pineapple juice. The label says 100% juice, but also “fortified with A,C, & E.” The ingredients say “Pineapple juice, absorbic acid, vitamin e, vitamin a.” It doesn’t say anything about added sugar, one way or another. Is this SCD legal? I am starting to think, maybe not, as the ingredients say “sugars 22g”

Aside from drinking it, I am not much of a maven on coffee. Are Folgers Coffee singles (bags) considered instant coffee? The ingredients say “A blend of ground and concentrated coffees.”

I may have to go shopping again at a different supermarket, as I have no idea whether some of the stuff I bought is SCD legal

It is probably a tremendous project, but it would be awesome if there was a web site with specific SCD Legal brands for every allowable item. Sort of like what they do for Kosher certification, but for the SCD.

It’s funny but I feel like I am getting burned out, and haven’t even gotten around to actual cooking (haven’t had lunch yet.)

It’s a good thing I have a day off today :)

Jay

The list of legal "ready made" foods is a short one: http://pecanbread.com/p/how/legalfoods1.html

You have to make the bulk of your foods from scratch. Concentrate on simple stuff in the beginning: meat, eggs, fruits, veggies, cheese, yogurt. All of that will be available in a regular grocery store, except perhaps for a legal yogurt starter. You should be able to find Dannon All Natural Plain (the full fat version) at most places though. The Yogourmet starter is available at places like Whole Foods & Sprouts, but I buy it online because it's cheaper.

Here's a yahoo group that might help you: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/KosherSCD/

The Martinelli's is iffy. I know some people use it, but since it isn't refrigerated cider, it doesn't fall under the "legal" parameters. They say apple juice is one of the worst offenders of hidden sugars, regardless of what the label says. If you want to use it, you certainly can give it a try, but be wary and pull it if you aren't getting better.

Good for you Jay I have only been on the diet for about 2 months. I still feel a bit like you. A bit over whelmed however as you figure stuff out it for sure gets easier. Lessons I learned 1) For me, I started eating too much honey and that was not good for me. I tried for a long time to find a natural sweetener, not honey, could not so am using saccharine. I found the chicken soup was bland until I made the chicken stock referenced in nourishing traditions by Sally fallon (she writes most of the recopies in the Makers Diet referenced by I think Emom in this thread. The soup tastes great using this stock. I did not know if you have one, but I take the soup and blend it and it comes out creamy. 2) I just switched from Yogourmet starter to GI PROgurt. The Yogourmet was tangy or bitter. The GI is sweet. I dripped the GI and put it on home grown tomatoes with bit basil and had the best caprice salad I ever ate. Yummy 3) Switched to Freedas SCD vitamins and vitamin D. 4) Started on a high quality fish oil 5) I cook apples and cinnamon, peaches and freeze in ice cube tray. I add the “ice cubes” in to the yogurt for a great dessert. Some whould add a bit of honey but I do not All the best to you Let us know how you are doing, we can all support each other David    

Hi Jay I made the mistake of going to fast and ran into a bunch of issues. It sounds like you are finding the same. A lesson I learned (and am still learning) is that even if it is legal to go slow and listen to what your gut is telling you. If you have not had many solids I agree with you that it might be this sudden introduction. Also, think about putting the stuff you are cooking through a blender and even a sieve or food press. Right now, less is more. For me it has been 100% worth it to push my way through and I hope that you find this works for you. David PS - I am not that much ahead of you, so we are kind of learning at the same time and cause I am still very much learning, please take anything I say with my level of experience (not much)