Leena Watts
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is a restrictive, grain-free diet designed to help manage gastrointestinal conditions such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease. It involves eliminating certain carbohydrates that are hard to digest, such as grains and grain products, sugars, and starches, and consuming carbohydrates that are easier for the body to absorb. The diet aims to reduce inflammation and harmful gut bacteria by starving them of their food source. While the SCD has been reported to improve symptoms in people with IBD, there is limited scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness, and it may lead to nutritional deficiencies if not well-planned.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Carbohydrates allowed | Carbohydrates requiring minimal digestion |
| Goal | Reduce inflammation and make eating enjoyable |
| Allowed foods | Fresh fruits, most vegetables, unprocessed meats, homemade yoghurt, legumes, certain cheeses, natural peanut butter, dried beans, lentils, split peas, raw cashews |
| Banned foods | Grains, starches, sugars, processed foods, lactose-heavy dairy |
| Nutritional deficiencies | Thiamine, folate, vitamin C, magnesium, iron, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin B7 (biotin), fibre, calcium |
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What You'll Learn
Fresh fruit
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is a restrictive, grain-free diet designed to help manage gastrointestinal conditions such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease. It allows easily digestible foods like fresh fruits, most vegetables, unprocessed meats, and homemade yoghurt while banning grains, starches, processed foods, and lactose-heavy dairy. The diet aims to reduce harmful gut bacteria by removing hard-to-digest carbohydrates.
Fruits contain natural sugars, which are different from added sugars found in sweet treats, condiments, and some sugar substitutes. While fresh fruit is allowed on the SCD diet, canned fruits may also be permitted if they do not contain added sugars or starches. In addition to fresh fruit, frozen, cooked, or dried fruits without added sugar are also allowed on the SCD diet.
The SCD diet is an elimination diet that emphasises removing certain types of carbohydrate-containing foods based on their chemical structure. It was introduced in the 1920s by gastroenterologist Sidney Haas and later expanded and popularised in the 1980s by Elaine Gottschall's book "Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet." The diet gained popularity due to Gottschall's description of how it improved her daughter's IBD symptoms.
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Vegetables
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is a restrictive, grain-free diet designed to help manage gastrointestinal conditions such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease. The diet allows easily digestible foods and bans grains, starches, processed foods, and lactose-heavy dairy.
The SCD allows most vegetables, except for starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, turnips, and plantains. Other starchy vegetables to avoid include legumes such as soybeans, chickpeas, and bean sprouts.
- Green beans
- Tomatoes
- Tomatillos
- Eggplant
- Peppers
- Goji berries
- Nightshades
It is important to note that while the SCD allows for most vegetables, it is still a restrictive diet that eliminates large groups of nutrient-dense foods, including whole grains, legumes, and dairy. Therefore, it is important to consult with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian to ensure that you are meeting your nutritional needs while following this diet.
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Meat
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is a restrictive, grain-free diet designed to help manage gastrointestinal conditions such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease. It involves eliminating hard-to-digest carbohydrates and sugars, such as grains and grain products, legumes, refined sugar, and high-starch food additives. The goal is to reduce inflammation in the gut and make eating enjoyable.
When it comes to meat, the SCD diet recommends consuming unprocessed meats without additives or fillers. This includes most fresh meats, such as beef, poultry, lamb, and pork. Processed meats like bacon, sausages, and deli meats are not allowed due to their high content of preservatives, additives, and nitrates.
It is important to note that the meat should be free of any added ingredients that are not permitted on the SCD diet. This includes checking the labels for ingredients like breadcrumbs, starches, or other fillers that may be added to some ground meat products. Additionally, some sources suggest that uncured turkey bacon can be consumed as a substitute for regular bacon, but it should be consumed in moderation due to its processing.
It is always recommended to consult with a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian before starting any restrictive diet like the SCD to ensure that it is safe and suitable for your individual needs and health status.
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Dairy
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is a restrictive grain-free diet designed to help manage gastrointestinal conditions such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease. It allows easily digestible foods while banning grains, starches, processed foods, and some dairy products that are high in lactose. The diet aims to reduce harmful gut bacteria by removing hard-to-digest carbs.
Homemade yogurt is also permitted on the SCD diet. People following the diet can make their own yogurt using almond milk or coconut milk if they are lactose intolerant or have issues with dairy products. Yogurt smoothies are also allowed, and later in the diet, very ripe bananas and cooked berries can be added to the yogurt.
While dairy products that are high in lactose are generally restricted on the SCD diet, some people may choose to reintroduce certain banned foods after symptoms subside or after a period of time. It is important to consult with a healthcare provider before starting this or any restrictive diet to ensure it is safe and appropriate for your individual needs.
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Legumes
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is a restrictive, grain-free diet designed to help manage gastrointestinal conditions such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease. It is also used to treat inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), diverticulitis, chronic diarrhea, cystic fibrosis, and gastrointestinal problems in children with autism. The diet aims to reduce harmful gut bacteria by eliminating hard-to-digest carbohydrates, such as grains and starches, and greatly reducing the intake of sugars.
It is important to note that the SCD diet eliminates large groups of nutrient-dense foods, including some legumes, which can lead to potential nutritional deficiencies. Therefore, it is recommended to consult with a registered dietitian or qualified healthcare professional before starting the SCD diet to ensure that all nutritional needs are met.
While the SCD diet has been reported to improve symptoms in people with IBD and other gastrointestinal conditions, there is limited scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness. Most of the support for the diet comes from testimonials and small clinical studies. The diet may also lead to malnutrition and unhealthy weight loss if not properly managed.
Some people follow the SCD diet for life, while others may gradually reintroduce banned foods after a period of symptom relief. It is important to monitor symptoms and work with a healthcare provider to determine the appropriate dietary approach for managing specific gastrointestinal conditions.
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Frequently asked questions
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is a restrictive, grain-free diet designed to help manage gastrointestinal conditions such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease. It involves eliminating certain carbohydrates that are hard to digest and are thought to cause an overgrowth of harmful gut bacteria.
The SCD diet allows carbohydrates that require minimal digestion, such as fresh fruits, most vegetables, unprocessed meats, and homemade yogurt. It focuses on simple carbohydrates that are easy for the body to break down and absorb.
The SCD diet eliminates grains, starches, processed foods, and lactose-heavy dairy products. It also restricts sugars and complex carbohydrates, including whole grains, some legumes, and most dairy.
The SCD diet aims to reduce inflammation and improve digestive issues by inhibiting the growth of harmful gut bacteria. It may help manage symptoms associated with gastrointestinal conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Crohn's disease. However, it is important to consult a healthcare professional before starting any restrictive diet to ensure it meets your individual needs.
