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Does the SCD work?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 6/26/2014 8:12 PM (GMT 0)
Hello all,

I am curious as to what people think about the SCD (specific carbohydrate diet) and if it helps with UC? I know it's a big commitment and takes a lot of discipline, but I would be willing to do it if it works. Please let me know your thoughts!

I am currently in a flare and would love to help myself without starting on more/different meds!

In addition, any luck with a GF diet?
Posted 6/26/2014 9:11 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Carmellasong

I was diagnosed with UC in 2007, went on Canasa at that time and also picked up a copy of the book "Breaking the Viscious Cycle". The medication took care of my symptoms and I went into remission for over a year. I had a short term flare at that time and wanted another option besides medication, so I really stuck with the diet. It worked for me, along with rest and exercise.

I was doing great until about 2 months ago when I had another flare, a much more severe one than the one that took me to the doctor 7 years ago. I decided that I was going to try the diet instead of medicine. It is strict and I have to be very disciplined with my eating, but for me, it works.

I would recommend buying a yogurt maker and starting there with homemade yogurt. It has the good bacteria that your body needs and not any of the bad stuff that the commercial yogurt has.

I find that when I adhere to the diet (and when I "cheat" I pay for it within 48 hours), I feel much better. I know that I do not process complex carbs or sugar well AT ALL, and when I am eating the right things, I don't offend myself or others, if you know what I mean.

There are some good recipes out on the internet too. Just be careful, the SCD is not the paleo diet, nor is it the Celiac disease diet. It is much more strict than that.

You may also experience some sticker shock when you buy almond flour and coconut flour. But the good thing is a little goes a long way.

Good luck, it's all about feeling better!!!

Posted 6/26/2014 9:28 PM (GMT 0)
Yes thank you for sharing! Do you also find that red meat affects you negatively? I know the SCD diet does not make mention of any meant preferences. Red meat is not good for me.
Posted 6/26/2014 9:40 PM (GMT 0)
No, no problem with any type of meat. I hope that changes for you as your symptoms start to subside!! BTW, the comfy belly website has a recipe for coconut flour pancakes - they are GREAT!! it's a good way to start out the day.
Posted 6/26/2014 9:52 PM (GMT 0)
I tries scd for a while and it did not work for me....no diet really has. Everybody is different though and I know some people have had luck with it.

I did enjoy the scd yogurts though, definitely get a yogurt maker if you're going to try this diet.
Posted 6/26/2014 11:52 PM (GMT 0)
hey camel ;-)

I think it would be a good place to start - I'm more paleoish, but regardless what direction you choose, most likely you'll have to tweak to fit the needs of your body -

good luck !
Posted 6/27/2014 12:06 AM (GMT 0)
It did not work for me. I guess it can work if you have a problem with sugars and bacteria. Isn't the premise behind it that the food we eat feeds the unhealthy bacteria and that causes the inflammation? I think my problem is AI so i doubt starving bacteria is going to fix it. It's an interesting concept and I wish it worked for me. When I was first diagnosed, it made so much sense to me and I really believed it was the answer but unfortunately after months of eating SCD, I saw absolutely no improvement in my condition.

www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/p/beginners-guide
Posted 6/27/2014 3:23 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone for your input! I am going to give it a try. I guess I have nothing to lose! (But delishious foods that I enjoy) 😪

Wouldn't it be awesome if we could really control this disease with the food we ate!? Aghhh
Posted 6/27/2014 4:04 AM (GMT 0)
maybe try the Stale Carbohydrate Diet...seems the latest fad.

q
Posted 6/27/2014 5:28 AM (GMT 0)
spectacular !

thanks for the late nite laugh H !
Posted 6/27/2014 11:47 AM (GMT 0)
I tried it very strictly for a few months, and I'd say it helped, but not enough to stop the bleeding or bring me out of a flare.

Side note: I lost a lot of weight on the SCD which I wasn't intending to do.
Posted 6/27/2014 12:09 PM (GMT 0)

UCinGV said...

Side note: I lost a lot of weight on the SCD which I wasn't intending to do.

Yes, same experience for me. I lost a lot of weight at a time when I was already underweight and sick. I did not have any improvement from SCD. My GI's opinion was, "It might help some people, but most of my patients who try SCD just come back to me malnourished."
Posted 6/27/2014 12:31 PM (GMT 0)
SCD gave me some relief from symptoms but not enough and I did it really faithfully (tried it twice over the years with UC), after I began tweaking my food list to eliminate problem foods it did not resemble SCD at all.

Gluten-free has really been beneficial and I've stuck with that for years.
If you already noticed benefits from diet modification then you are lucky. If SCD is not getting you completely symptom-free then try keeping a food journal and see what other foods cause you problems, and remove them. You already know red meat is one of them so keep it out.

After I got to remission I could add some food groups back in with no problems. Dairy was a problem before but cheese, milk, butter are fine now (sadly yogurt is not good for my gut).

Keep good fats in your diet as much as possible (butter, coconut and olive oils) they are good calories and the oils are anti-inflammatory. I lost a little weight but not much.
Good luck.
Posted 6/27/2014 12:56 PM (GMT 0)
Do you also find that red meat affects you negatively? I know the SCD diet does not make mention of any meant preferences. Red meat is not good for me.


At the height of my last flare red meat was questionable but chicken broth was soothing for my gut. Meat is OK for me now.

SCD did not seem to help me. I finally wrote it off when I saw that it recommends artificial sweeteners, which are bad for me, to replace sugar which is neutral.

I suspect that many benefit from the SCD because it is a gluten-free diet. And gluten is one of the food items that I need to avoid.
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