What is the SCD diet?

SCD is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

You eat certain mono saccharides, and no complex or poly-carbs. Google it and one of the links to the SCD Beginners Guide / Elaine Gottschall should show up, and you can get more info and a list of legal and illegal foods on the websites.

SCD helped me a tiny bit, but when I cut out almost all carbs (<20 g per day), all my symptoms disappeared within a week. Basically I went on the Atkins diet ... low carb vegetables, eggs, meat, water, a few nuts here and there. No dairy, fruit, cereals, breads, snacks, alcohol, processed foods, beans, grains, etc.

It was very hard to stay on, but did wonders for me. My doctor didn't support the diet and convinced me to try 6 months of "traditional" treatment with a more normal diet. On a very low carb diet and 0 drugs I visited the bathroom 1-2 times per day over the course of years ... I was completely normal. Now I'm on Asacol and Entocort, eating a more balanced diet, and going 5-6X a day with urgency. Without the drugs I'm in 20-30X per day with blood, so the drugs make it better, but nothing like a very low carb diet.

The only problem is that it's VERY difficult to stay on an ultra low carb diet. Social events are the worst.

The SCD doesn't eliminate all carbohydrates. It restricts certain types of carbohydrates.

For me personally, it was a good place to start experimenting with diet. And diet can be an excellent tool to help control and manage IBD. For those that find the SCD too restrictive, the book Listen to Your Gut offers different levels of restrictions, based on symptoms (as you heal, the recommended diet gets less and less restrictive). The book The New Eating Right for a Bad Gut is another excellent source of information on what foods are generally well tolerated and what foods are often problematic. Keeping a food journal to track your symptoms as you experiment is very helpful.

That said, most doctors and official organizations like the CCFA aren't going to recommend or even tell patients about dietary approaches because diet can't be tested with controlled trials - and it doesn't make anyone any money. I'd also add that dietary changes are just one weapon in the battle against UC. Most folks need to look at ridding themselves of harmful bacteria/flora and rebuild good flora, take healing supplements, learn to manage stress, etc. In my experience, all of these things need to work together and it's a long process - but well worth it.

Well done, Ivy6. A lot of info, clearly organized.

Wow, thank you guys so much for all of the responses.  I am not sure if the SCD will work for me cuz I am just coming off of a flare.  I actually just got discharged from the hospital today.  The only foods that I can tolerate are carbs- go figure.