Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)

[mftnchn]

I don't drip mine either, it is more like drinking yogurt. I think I may eventually drip some to try in recipes because I cannot get cottage cheese at all here.

[AliB]

Just out of interest I emailed Fage who make Total Greek yogurt and this is the reply

The cultures used in TOTAL Greek Yoghurt are Lactobacillus Bulgaricus and Streptococcus Thermophilus at a concentration of 106-109 per gram of yoghurt. These cultures stay live and active until the USE BY date of the product.

There are only 2 cultures within the yogurt but they seem to pretty good ones. The level of bacteria is not high but that is typical of commercial yogurts which is why Elaine recommends making it yourself as the long fermentation makes for a higher amount of bacteria. It is ok as a starter.

If you have probiotics that have a good selection then they can be used too.

I think the types of bacteria make a difference to the end result of the yogurt. Other bacteria makes a tarter culture which is probably why the Total is limited to just those two, which keeps it mild and creamy.

[aprilh]

I don't drip mine either, it is more like drinking yogurt. I think I may eventually drip some to try in recipes because I cannot get cottage cheese at all here.

There is a recipe in the book for "french cream" which sounds really yummy. You take your yogurt and some heavy cream and ferment that. That probably would be good in recipes.

Just out of interest I emailed Fage who make Total Greek yogurt and this is the reply

There are only 2 cultures within the yogurt but they seem to pretty good ones. The level of bacteria is not high but that is typical of commercial yogurts which is why Elaine recommends making it yourself as the long fermentation makes for a higher amount of bacteria. It is ok as a starter.

If you have probiotics that have a good selection then they can be used too.

I think the types of bacteria make a difference to the end result of the yogurt. Other bacteria makes a tarter culture which is probably why the Total is limited to just those two, which keeps it mild and creamy.

Good to know about the Greek Yogurt.

I found the Proyogurt (i think thats the name??) that was recommended on one of the SCD websites. I found it at my health food store! It has all 3 bacteria that Elaine says is good to have. YAY! The only thing left for me to get is the thermometers. I am excited about this!

[mftnchn]

BTW, just thought I should post that besides the SCD contributing to my improvement, I have also been taking a new supplement that is supposed to be extremely healing for the whole digestive system. It is a fig preparation, but is made from the embryonic and stem cell form of the plant (by Gemmobase), supposedly much more potent and effective.

[aprilh]

BTW, just thought I should post that besides the SCD contributing to my improvement, I have also been taking a new supplement that is supposed to be extremely healing for the whole digestive system. It is a fig preparation, but is made from the embryonic and stem cell form of the plant (by Gemmobase), supposedly much more potent and effective.

Sherry,

I think you posted about that on the OMG thread. What is the name of it? I think it would be good for me to try that in addition.

I received my kirkman acidophilus yesterday. I took one last night and had trouble sleeping. A good sign it was working. I am going to make yogurt today! I'll llet you know how it goes!

[mftnchn]

Great! The Kirkman really comes fast. I have another yogurt batch in. And HOORAY! I found honey today imported from Canada. So finally have something for me sweet tooth, LOL! Just had a wonderful smoothie.

I'm on Gemmobase Fig. Got it through Dr. E. who prescribed it.

Open Original Shared Link

It doesn't tell all the benefits here. Dr. E went to a seminar, and has pages of explanation on each extract and how it helps. The fig is really good for all parts of the digestive system and is replacing 4-5 of the other things I was on. I only take 3 drops 3 times a day, too.

I'm on two other ones too, Tonigem and Wayfaring Tree. The Tonigem is for stamina and skeletal system--I can't find it on the site. The Wayfaring Tree is for my dupuytrens contracture and condition.

[aprilh]

I have a confession.....I cheated today. I woke up sick. I didn't feel good and was starving. Nothing to eat in the house because I had not gone to the store yet. I wanted something easy and quick. I tried and tried to think of something safe. I opened a can of organic ravioli's that I bought as a treat for my daughter. Now they were organic and not filled with all that junk that the regular kind has. But it did have gluten and dairy.

So, now what.....do I have to start over or do I just continue on like that didn't happen

I didn't really have any reaction. Until later after dinner i had a few pains but then it went away.

On a good note...I am making yogurt! I put a heating pad inside the slow cooker. Put the jars inside and put the lid on. The slow cooker is off, I just used it to hold in the heat. It took forever for the milk to cool down after I brought it to 180.

It will be ready tomorrow night about 7 or 8.

[mftnchn]

What I read from Elaine was that minor infractions might not be too impactful but she is concerned that people would constantly make exceptions and undermine healing, then decide the approach doesn't work She also said that people who are not strict might still improve over time but it would be much slower and perhaps less complete healing.

I think trying to have some things on hand or in the freezer helps a lot. My chicken/carrot soup is my standby. I add a little honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, curry, some fruit, and a little ground nuts sometime. I love it and don't get tired of it. Other quick things were chicken broth--which I loved when I wasn't feeling good. Grape juice, jello, dry curd cottage cheese with a little honey on it.

I would fix a roast and slice it then put it in small zip locks. I'd boil frozen peas, and put a couple slices of meat in the pot. The peas and beef were satisfying and filling. I'd also get hamburger and make up patties and freeze them. It was quick to cook a hamburger patty and boil some frozen veggies.

If I don't feel well, I default to my chicken/carrot curry, yogurt, grape juice, cooked applesauce. I can't eat bananas, but that would be okay too. It isn't pure intro but close. I just do it for a day or part of a day.

Another thing I like is to cut up peeled carrots for stir fry. Cook fresh ginger first in some olive oil then add the carrots and stir fry until soft. I add a little water and cover for a few minutes to help them cook through. I toss a little leftover meat in half way through for a full meal for myself. You could also stir fry and egg in with the carrot.

[aprilh]

Sherry,

Thanks for the suggestions. I need to work on having something in the freezer readily available during crunch times. I do not want to half do this or I won't know if it truely works. Maybe i can half do it down the road once healed. I will probably try to stick to this way of eating for life.

My yogurt will be ready tonight hopefully! The temp is staying at 100 degrees. I read not to go over 110.

Hope its yummy! What kinds of things have you added to the yogurt that makes it yummy? I was thinking honey and vanilla.

[AliB]

I love the yogurt on its own with just some fruit. Originally I would just have it with blueberries and banana but now I can add some green grapes which is great. I used to put honey on it but prefer to avoid that at the moment until I can get the Candida/yeast under control. To be quite honest, I find that with the fruit it is perfectly sweet enough.

I have just had Raman Prasad's SCD recipe book come through from Amazon, along with 'In defense of food' so am busy devouring them at the moment! I do find that breakfast is one of the hardest meals. at the beginning I couldn't cope with eggs so was very limited, and even though I can eat them now, I don't want to be having them every day!

There are a few suggestions in the book - the muffins look delicious so am looking forward to making those.

I loved Elaine's comment about it being better to spend the extra time in the kitchen instead of in the toilet!!!

I get days where I fall off the wagon but there is no point giving up. It's like climbing a massive hill, we may get odd days where we lose our footing and slip down a way, but if we want to get to the top we get up and keep going. Hopefully at the top of this hill is the pot of gold!

[aprilh]

Uh oh! Today I came home from work and checked the temperature on my yogurt. It was 120!! I was trying to keep it around 100 or 105. I was gone all day so I don't know how long it was at that temp! I am wondering if this will kill the bacteria's that I need? I hope I don't have to start all over!

[mftnchn]

Hope its yummy! What kinds of things have you added to the yogurt that makes it yummy? I was thinking honey and vanilla.

I agree, the taste of the yogurt is mild not hugely sour like you would expect. I add fruit, or top fruit with yogurt. Now that I have found honey, my sweet treat is blended yogurt and frozen fruit with a little honey and vanilla. It is SOOOO good, like a shake but much better than anything I have gotten in a fast food place.

I add it to my carrot chicken soup too, try to stir it in after everything is heated and in my bowl to try to keep some live organisms in it.

Sherry

[fig girl]

Hi,

I'm thinking about starting the SCD - i called the library today and they didn't have it but should be getting it in in about a week or so. What little i've read about it i think i'm pretty close to eating that way except for eating processed rice and corn chips, Mary's gone crackers and sometimes i eat enjoy life bagels for breakfast. I would cut these out easily if it would help. I felt better for a little while after going gluten free but now have other sensitivities. I've had to cut out eggs, tomatos, sugar and dairy....although i have been eating goat cheese every now and then. I think i have a hard time processing carbs also but not sure. Is it hard to find the cottage cheese she recommends? I always learn so much by reading this forum. I ordered Peter H.R. Green's Celiac Disease, A Hidden Epidemic and Gluten Free for Dummies and they came in today so i'll start on them tonight. I hope those of you having success on the SCD continue to get better and better....that's my goal so i'm hoping it'll help me too! Oh, and April i hope your yogurt is ok!

[mftnchn]

It's probably still okay, maybe the count will be lower. Too hot and it will be like spoiled milk looking. Just work on your system until you get it stable...

Sherry

[aprilh]

Hi everyone!

Well I think my yogurt is okay. It doesn't look spoiled at all. There is no way for me to know how many probiotics lived through the desert storm of 120 degrees! It is a bit sour though so I mixed some honey in. It is very runny so I made a "milk" drink for my son this morning. He loved it! That will be his milk in place of the almond milk I had been giving him.

I wonder if you can mix the honey in while its fermenting? It doesn't mix well once its cold. Or i could mix it in right before putting it in the fridge.

On another note I have noticed that my stomach looks much flatter. I think I have lost a little bit of weight! So that's encouraging!

Fli Girl,

I think the SCD is a reallly good diet. Especially if you have intestinal damage. Gluten free alone doesn't always allow the intestines to completely heal. Its a good book with lots of scientificness so I highly recommend it.

Alib,

Thanks for the encouraging words!

[AliB]

Hi,

I'm thinking about starting the SCD - i called the library today and they didn't have it but should be getting it in in about a week or so. What little i've read about it i think i'm pretty close to eating that way except for eating processed rice and corn chips, Mary's gone crackers and sometimes i eat enjoy life bagels for breakfast. I would cut these out easily if it would help. I felt better for a little while after going gluten free but now have other sensitivities. I've had to cut out eggs, tomatos, sugar and dairy....although i have been eating goat cheese every now and then. I think i have a hard time processing carbs also but not sure. Is it hard to find the cottage cheese she recommends? I always learn so much by reading this forum. I ordered Peter H.R. Green's Celiac Disease, A Hidden Epidemic and Gluten Free for Dummies and they came in today so i'll start on them tonight. I hope those of you having success on the SCD continue to get better and better....that's my goal so i'm hoping it'll help me too! Oh, and April i hope your yogurt is ok!

Coo, I was reading your profile and looking at myself! Bad breath? I could be incarcerated for illegally producing poison gas! Do you wake up every morning with a mouth like the inside of a sewage pit??? It has to be down to bacterial activity. The little beggars are in there - all through my digestive tract quietly beavering away all night whilst I am totally oblivious, producing huge amounts of toxins.

My stomach was very bad but gluten and dairy free relieved me of that but I am still battling to get my energy back. I don't help myself. I know the SCD is the only way to deal with this but I am so weak-willed! My daughter very kindly made my husband and I a gluten-free crumble. Help. I have just eaten a bowlful and am paying for it now!

I am sitting here and my whole body is throbbing with my heartbeat. My digestion is under stress. Any Carbs other than SCD are a huge no-no for me. See - I do really well - had a lovely seafood omelette with salad for lunch but was still hungry so I scoff a gluten-free choc rice bar (or 2), then some tortilla chips and hoummous. For tea I have celery sticks and curd cheese and peanut butter and 2 SCD muffins, then go and ruin it later with this bowl of crumble. What is it with me??? Rather than me controlling them, these damn bacteria are controlling me! They make me crave the stuff they feed on! Then I feel like poo..............arrrgh!

Trouble is, when you feel like poo you don't have the energy or motivation to prepare all the SCD food, veggies etc. So you are stuck in this darn loop. No wonder Elaine called it a 'vicious cycle'.....and boy, is it vicious......

[aprilh]

I notice my breath worsened when the bad bacteria's got out of control. I recently discovered swishing with iodine. I am using the Lugols that I take as a supplement. And its working!

I had gone to the dentist (a holistic one) because I had these greyish spots forming on my front teeth. This was so discouraging because I have never had a cavity and take very good care of my teeth. They did a oral bacteria sample and put it under the microscope. Then it popped up on the screen in front of me. OH MY GOSH! Crazy! All these little buggers swimming around. They looked like little worms and bugs! Totally grossed me out!

So, I have an appointment to go back for a "disinfection" with iodine. That's when I decided to try the Lugol's in the meantime. It seems to be helping.

Try it - might work!

[fig girl]

Hi AliB and April,

Thank you for your responses. Yes, AliB, the bad breath has been awful and the bad taste....ugh! Mine has gotten better since i started scraping my tongue every morning and every night and taking probiotics (i noticed today my tongue no longer has the white film on it). Also, rinsing my mouth out with grapefruit seed extract mixed w/water has helped a lot. Cutting out sweets and sugar seemed to help too. I think I'm going to order the Kirkman's lab acidophilus to make some goat milk yogurt to try. I may try it in the oven with the 60 watt light bulb or with the heating pad. I'll have to do it on a weekend so that i'll be home to check the temp. i guess. I have a large meat thermometer....will that work?

Hopefully the SCD will help me to heal more. I still have fatigue, some brain fog and some joint pain so maybe it's from still eating potatos, grains and corn. It can't hurt to try, right? I will miss my oven baked fries and corn on the cob though! But hoping to be able to eat them again some day. You're right, it does seem to be a vicious cycle but hopefully we're on the right track to get off of it in the near future!

[mftnchn]

Hi,

I'm thinking about starting the SCD - i called the library today and they didn't have it but should be getting it in in about a week or so. What little i've read about it i think i'm pretty close to eating that way except for eating processed rice and corn chips, Mary's gone crackers and sometimes i eat enjoy life bagels for breakfast. I would cut these out easily if it would help. I felt better for a little while after going gluten free but now have other sensitivities. I've had to cut out eggs, tomatos, sugar and dairy....although i have been eating goat cheese every now and then. I think i have a hard time processing carbs also but not sure. Is it hard to find the cottage cheese she recommends? I always learn so much by reading this forum. I ordered Peter H.R. Green's Celiac Disease, A Hidden Epidemic and Gluten Free for Dummies and they came in today so i'll start on them tonight. I hope those of you having success on the SCD continue to get better and better....that's my goal so i'm hoping it'll help me too! Oh, and April i hope your yogurt is ok!

Welcome Fig!

Sorry to hear you are struggling, and hope SCD will help. What I have read is that some on SCD have been able to reintroduce foods later, hope that works for you.

On the eggs, I think there might be some recipes on some of the SCD websites for substitutes. You might experiment if you can find fresh duck eggs, to see if you can tolerate those.

I was able to find the dry curd cottage cheese in Albertsons as well as a couple of other places. It was made by Alpenrose which is a dairy in Oregon. It could be Farmer's cheese. I think most people have been able to find it okay. In my grocer it is right with the cottage cheese.

[mftnchn]

on the teeth bugs! Won't lugal's discolor your teeth? I probably need to do that too.

On the yogurt, yes, it is more runny. Unless you use cream to make it. It is more like a thick drinking yogurt. Don't add the honey while it is fermenting, only afterward, and after you have refrigerated it for 8 hours is better. Yes you have to really stir it a lot to dissolve the honey. you might try putting the honey in the cup then just a little yogurt and then you can stir very briskly and use a spatula to scrape the sides. Or micro the honey to liquify in the micro first in the bottom of the cup? Or add water to the honey and boil it then put it in a dispenser bottle just for adding to the yogurt?

I have less trouble with this in the smoothie..I put in the yogurt and the frozen fruit, drizzle honey on top, and blend. If you put the honey in first or wait to blend it sometimes sinks to the bottom of the blender. Might even work better to blend the frozen fruit and yogurt a bit first so it is thicker.

If you want more thick yogurt you can drip it for awhile.

How wonderful that your little boy loves it!!!!!!!!

[mftnchn]

I really think the answer to falling down on the diet--at least for me--has been preparing things ahead and having them frozen. If I have something that is okay to eat readily available, I can usually get myself to eat that first, then the craving eases a lot.

I let myself have honey a lot at first, and I think it is a good option for the bad craving times because it will get absorbed before it gets to the bugs in the intestine.

Quite by accident I discovered that honey and butter in the microwave long enough makes a to die for caramel candy like consistency. I saw a recipe for something like that the other day on one of the websites.

My suggestion is if you are having trouble following the diet strictly is make some of these treats and have them available, or set a weekly treat schedule. Don't worry about your weight if you are not staying compliant to the diet, you can do that as a later step. The longer I have been compliant the less struggle I have had.

Another thing, don't let yourself be hungry when you are going to be exposed to smells/offers of food you shouldn't have. (That's when I pop my treats.)

Just my thoughts--not to minimize anybody's struggle--it IS hard.

[pele]

I really think the answer to falling down on the diet--at least for me--has been preparing things ahead and having them frozen. If I have something that is okay to eat readily available, I can usually get myself to eat that first, then the craving eases a lot.

I think it would be very hard to make it through the first couple of weeks on the SCD without a good supply of safe "legal" food on hand. Besides the freezer, I'd recommend keeping a supply of peanut butter (100% peanuts, of course) dried fruit, canned tuna and sardines in the house. It can be hard to adjust thinking about what to grab when you're hungry but not eating a regular meal. If you're used to snacking on crackers and candy, then snacking on meat, eggs and veggies can seem strange.

With our limited options I am always curious to know what the rest of you are eating. Would anyone like to share a list of what they ate today (or yesterday)? I'll start:

breakfast

fried eggs and ground turkey in olive oil

peach, pear, plums

orange juice

lunch

cooked kale

turkey hotdogs (Applegate sugar-free)

fresh raw tomatoes

dinner

plain sauteed chicken leg in olive oil

steamed brocolli

spicy red lentils

snacks

dried fruit

fresh blackberries

grapes, plums

peanut butter/honey/coconut balls, frozen

banana blueberry oj smoothie

I see I'm eating a lot of fruit. It is falling off the trees all over the place out there...

[mftnchn]

Hmmm, you are testing my memory, LOL!

Breakfast: almond muffin

Lunch: Chicken mushroom carrot stew

Snack: Yogurt smoothie with cooked apples, honey, vanilla

Snack: almonds and raisins, a couple of pumpkin cookies I made; also in the evening a couple pieces of freshly made almond muffins. I usually limit myself to one a day but couldn't resist the fresh ones

Dinner: Carrot chicken soup. I make a big pot of this and puree the carrot/chicken/ginger/onion and freeze it in one bowl sizes. To eat, I heat it up, add curry, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, honey, and usually some fruit (cooked apples or peaches, raisens. When hot I put it into my bowl and then add a little yogurt to it. Sometimes sprinkle ground nuts on top. I love this. It's my standby.

That's what I remember!

Today I had:

Breakfast: almond muffin

Lunch: homemade spaghetti sauce (cooked tomatos yesterday; today make the sauce and added ground beef, onion, garlic, mushrooms, and seasonings. Served over grated zucchini like squash we have here. Next time I'll not grate it, brings out too much liquid. Carrots chopped in thin long pieces, stir fried in olive oil and fresh ginger, with salt and a little water to steam them thoroughly.

Afternoon snack will be my yogurt smoothie.

Sometimes I have a couple boiled eggs for breakfast.

Often have stir-fry.

[aprilh]

Yesterday I had:

Bfast: scrambled eggs with zucchini, onions and garlic scramble

lunch: rotisserie chicken (organic cooked at Earth Fare), green beans from my garden

snack: green apple and yogurt drink

dinner: sauteed purple cabbage, pork chops plain (pork ok?), green beans

today has been some of the same stuff so I'll post more tomorrow.

Tonight I am going to try out a recipe using the almond flour. Plus I need to start more yogurt!

[AliB]

Well, I have been pretty good today. I did have a few small muffins for breakfast and lunch but at least they were SCD legal! I made them from Raman's book - the butternut squash ones and added some fruit - blueberries. blackberries and cherries for added texture. I made the mixture a bit wet and it could have done with a little more baking soda and another egg but on the whole they are very tasty.

For dinner I made cooked ground beef with garlic, onion, mushrooms and tomato eaten with butternut squash, and for snacks I had celery and sliced apple with peanut butter and curd cheese with chives.

I had a very bad night last night - serves me right for falling off the wagon. My digestion was really stressed - I was hot and clammy all night and very restless.

I am making a list of all the SCD meal ideas that you are sharing as a reference and inspiration for when I am unsure of what to have. Let's carry on sharing our ideas and meals we have made and enjoyed then we can build up a good repertoire of inspiration and support!