Specific Carbohydrate Diet

I picked up a cookbook a couple weeks back, trying to find something in hand for recipes.  I don’t care what ‘they’ say…I’ll always prefer an actual book to the electronic version.  This is part of the appeal of us making one of our own up at the gym.  I like books of all kinds but especially love cookbooks.  I can’t remember how I ended up being by myself but there I was so off I went to Barnes & Noble to try and find something to specifically work with almond flour.  Would you believe that out of all the cookbooks there only found ONE that would work! Crazy! That book ended up being the Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet by Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass. In the intro there is a really interesting read about the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), its history and its benefits.  It made total sense in light of what I believe about what we should and shouldn’t eat.

That lead me to the official website for the SCD where I found some great info about this diet and its benefits.

From the FAQs on the website…

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is a strict grain-free, lactose-free, and sucrose-free dietary regimen intended for those suffering from Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Celiac Disease, IBD, and IBS.

Of all dietary components, carbohydrates have the greatest influence on intestinal microbes (yeast and bacteria) which are believed to be involved in intestinal disorders. Most intestinal microbes require carbohydrates for energy. The SCD works by severely limiting the availability of carbohydrates to intestinal microbes. When carbohydrates are not digested, they are not absorbed. They remain in the intestinal tract, thus encouraging microbes to multiply by providing food for them. This can lead to the formation of acids and toxins which can injure the small intestine. Once bacteria multiply within the small intestine, they can destroy the enzymes on the intestinal cell surface, preventing carbohydrate digestion and absorption. At this point, production of excessive mucus may be triggered as the intestinal tract attempts to “lubricate” itself against the irritation caused by the toxins, acids, and the presence of incompletely digested and unabsorbed carbohydrates.

The SCD is based on the principle that specifically selected carbohydrates requiring minimal digestion are well absorbed, leaving virtually nothing for intestinal microbes to feed on. As the microbes decrease due to lack of food, their harmful by-products also diminish. No longer needing protection, the mucus producing cells stop producing excessive mucus and carbohydrate digestion is improved. The SCD corrects malabsorption, allowing nutrients to enter the bloodstream and be made available to the cells of the body, thereby strengthening the immune system’s ability to fight. Further debilitation is prevented, weight can return to normal, and ultimately there is a return to health.

The SCD was developed by Dr. Sydney Valentine Haas, and is described in his book, “The Management of Celiac Disease”. Elaine Gottschall’s daughter was saved by the SCD, causing Elaine to further research the diet and to describe it in further detail in her own book, “Breaking The Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet”.

For those of us eating Paleo, this information isn’t new. At least not the basic benefits of ditching grains. What I liked about this diet is the way the benefits are explained for this group of illnesses and diseases. It is all one more argument in the case against the typical diet. Our bodies are not designed to process what 99% of us insist on eating and the signs that we’re eating the wrong things are everywhere. The difference between the SCD and Gluten-free dieting is that allowance of grains (sans gluten) in the diet. I, personally, don’t believe the removal of glutens from grains makes them acceptable to the body in such a way that allows them to consumed and not do harm. Read the info in the opening of the cookbook. Read the info on the website. It’s good stuff. I’ll post recipes and meal ideas more regularly.