Specific Carbohydrate Diet

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is a nutritional regimen that is promoted as treating a variety of chronic and auto-immune disorders including Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, coeliac disease, autism, cystic fibrosis, schizophrenia, dyslexia, depression, dyspraxia, Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder and more.

The SCD eliminates complex carbohydrates (disaccharides and polysaccharides) and refined sugars, as well as lactose above a significant amount. Popularized by Elaine Gottschall's book "Breaking the Vicious Cycle", [cite book| title= Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet |first= Elaine |last= Gottschall |authorlink= Elaine Gottschall |publisher= Kirkton Press |edition= Revised edition |location= |year= 1994 |id= ISBN 0-9692768-1-8] the diet is specifically designed to alleviate symptoms of many of these chronic conditions. According to Gottschall, for best results the diet must be strictly followed for an adequate period of time.

Development

The diet was originally developed by Dr. Sydney Haas, and is based on the same guidelines Gottschall's daughter followed decades ago in her bout with Ulcerative colitis. The rationale of the diet described in "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" is as follows:
#When the body receives complex carbohydrates (disaccharides or polysaccharides) these substances must be broken down before they can be absorbed.
#In the body of a person who is not able to break these substances down efficiently, an influx of undigested material causes harmful bacteria to flourish.
#Bacterial overgrowth is accordingly followed by a significant increase in the waste and other irritants they produce.
#Irritation in the lining of the digestive tract results in the overproduction of mucus and injury to the digestive tract, which in turn causes malabsorption and makes it even more difficult to maintain proper digestion.

The purpose of the diet is to break the ongoing cycle caused by an overpopulation of harmful bacteria in the gut. When the body is able to absorb the proper nutrients from simple sugars and other carbohydrates that are easy to digest, the inflammation and other complications caused by many auto-immune diseases can be lessened. The goal is to rid the body of complex saccharides so that the gut will be able to heal itself and enable further healing to occur.

The method of the diet is to keep the gutflora well balanced and to allow the gut to digest all of the food it is given, thereby starving out the harmful bacteria.

Disallowed Foods

# Sugars, fructose, corn syrup, molasses, syrups, candy, chocolates & carob, sweetened drinks, and jam
# Grains including wheat, rice, corn, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat... etc. This means no breakfast cereals, breadcrumb and batter coatings, pastries and pies, pasta, pizza, corn chips, bread, cake, cookies, and other bakery products
# Starchy vegetables: no potatoes, yams, parsnips, or seaweeds. This means no chips, fries, potatoe salad, and hash browns
# Some cheeses including processed cheeses, cottage cheese, cream cheese, feta, ricotta and mozzarella
# Milk and cream products including commercial yogurt, cream, milk drinks, ice cream and shakes
# Processed foods containing preservatives or high salt levels like salami, sausages, ham, bacon, canned meat, and canned vegetables
# Some legumes including soybeans, chick peas, bean sprouts, mungbeans, and garbanzo beans

Allowed Foods

# Fruits (tomatoes, apples, bananas, oranges, pears, grapes, nashis, kiwi fruit, peaches, apricots, melons... etc are encouraged)
# Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, black currents, cranberries... etc)
# Salads and greens (spinach, kale, coriander, broccoli, basil, mescal, lettuce, fat hen... etc raw or lightly cooked)
# Vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, butternut, kohlrabi... etc)
# Meats, fish and eggs (prepared from fresh or frozen is best)
# Natural cheese and real yogurt (where the lactose has been predigested by micro-organisms during maturation)
# Nuts (Brazil, cashew, walnuts, hazel, coconut, pecan, almonds... etc)
# Some legumes, fresh green peas & beans, lima beans, navy beans, split peas, lentils

Main necessities and substitutions

The diet forbids certain foods (terming them 'illegal'). Common substitutions, then, include:

# Nut Flour: Nut flour is one of the substitutions for conventional flour made from grains. (Flours made from grains, tapioca, etc, contain complex carbohydrates.)
# Honey: Honey is one of the permitted sweeteners. (The bees have already broken the sugar down into its simplest form.) Saccharin is also allowed. Other forms of sweeteners, such as high fructose corn syrup are processed and therefore contain more complex sugars that must be broken down by the body. Stevia is normally a good and beneficial sweetener as it contains no sugars and doesn't present the side effects that most artificial sweeteners do, but it has unknown and possibly negative effects to those on the SCD and must be avoided if possible.
# Milk Products:
#* Yogurt: Commercial yogurt is not allowed on the diet as commercially-produced yogurts usually contain large amounts of the sugar lactose. However, lactose-free yogurt can be made by fermenting milk with a starter for 24-29 hours. The fermentation process breaks down lactose.
#* Cheese: Certain types of cheese are not allowed on the diet, usually because they contain too much lactose (mozzarella, ricotta) or because they are not true fermented cheeses (American). Also, many cheeses are infused with starch-containing enzymes that are added after the fermentation stage, making them unsuitable for use on the diet. Many cheeses are allowed however, including cheddar, havarti, brick, colby, gruyere, swiss and dry curd cottage (regularly), as well as numerous others occasionally.

upport

The diet is supported through patient testimonials and several websites containing recipes, listserv communications, and other helpful information. The book "Colitis & Me: A Story of Recovery" by Raman Prasad provides one of the most extensive journals of a patient who found relief from his symptoms that he attributes to the benefits of the SCD.

The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America does not support the diet due to lack of studies proving its effectiveness. No funding has been supplied, however, for study of the effects of the SCD.

Comparisons to other diets

Paleolithic diet:

The paleolithic diet refers to foods that our hunter-gatherer ancestors are thought to eat and is proposed to relieve the general poor health conditions such as obesity, low energy levels, diabetes, depression, cancer, and heart disease that are being prevalent in western society. The paleolithic diet is almost identical to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and both diets include:
*Fruits and berries
*Green leaves and vegetables
*Meat, fish, shellfish and eggs
*Nuts

The differences are quite minor, where the paleolithic diet:
*Could include carbohydrate rich tubers (these would have had lower carbohydrate levels than modern cultivated yams and potatoes)
*Does not include natural cheese or yogurt Gluten-Free:

*The gluten-free diet is proposed to eliminate the symptoms of celiac disease. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is proposed to address celiac and several other conditions.

*The SCD removes all of the foods prohibited on a gluten-free diet. The SCD, however, removes other foods as well.

*The gluten-free diet is based on a different theory regarding the cause of, and treatment for, celiac disease.

*The gluten-free diet is proposed to be a permanent restriction, while the SCD is proposed to heal intestinal damage, allowing for a wide variety of foods (including those with gluten) to be re-introduced after a certain amount of time.

Gluten-Free, Casein-Free:

*The gluten-free, casein-free diet is proposed to eliminate the symptoms of autism. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is proposed to address autism and several other conditions.

*While the Specific Carbohydrate Diet removes some of the same foods prohibited on a gluten-free, casein-free diet, it does allow certain dairy products for those able to tolerate them.

*The gluten-free, casein-free diet is proposed to be a permanent restriction, while the SCD is proposed to heal intestinal damage, allowing for a wide variety of foods (including those with gluten and/or casein) to be re-introduced after a certain amount of time.

Natural Hygiene:

*The Natural Hygiene Diet is proposed to eliminate the symptoms of Colitis and Crohn's. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is proposed to address these and several other conditions.

*Natural Hygiene, as recommended in the David Klein, Ph. D. book "Self Healing Colitis & Crohn's" [ [http://www.colitis-crohns.com/ Natural Colitis & Crohn's Diet Cure] ] , focuses on reducing bowel irritation and toxins by a diet derived exclusively from vegan whole foods. It is similar to the SCD in that both diets remove grains, milk, and sweeteners, but in addition, the Natural Hygiene diet prohibits meats, dairy, eggs and honey.

*The Natural Hygiene diet is based on a different theory regarding the cause of and treatment for intestinal damage.

*Natural Hygiene is suggested as a permanent nutritional approach, while the SCD is, for most people, proposed as a temporary measure, allowing for a wide variety of foods to be re-introduced after a certain amount of time.

References

External links

* [http://www.scdiet.org/ www.scdiet.org - Original SCD website]
* [http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/ www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info - Official Breaking the Vicious Cycle Website]
* [http://www.scdrecipe.com/ www.scdrecipe.com - Recipes for the SCD]
* [http://www.pecanbread.com/new/home1.html Pecanbrad - Official yahoo group for people using the SCD diet]