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SCD Lifestyle-Surviving To Thriving
SCD Lifestyle-Surviving To Thriving
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Introduction .......................................................... 5
Jordans Story ....................................................................................................................................... 5
Steves Story ....................................................................................................................................... 11
Introduction
This book has been a long journey in the making. Both of us have been
through a lot of obstacles to get our health to where it is today. The Specific
Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) saved our lives, and we want to pass on all the
things we discovered during this life-changing experience. At first this diet
seemed restrictive but now we realize it is actually an amazing food
celebration. This book celebrates the life-long work of Elaine Gottschall,
and strives to preserve the integrity of her legacy by helping others heal with
this incredible diet.
This book is a little conservative in its presentation of the SCD diet, but this
is for a good reason. Many people who start the diet get too liberal too fast,
and dont stick with it long enough for the healing to take place. Being
conservative during the first 90 days is critical to jumpstarting your road to
health. We know because weve been there. The fact that you are reading
this book tells us that you will connect with most of the experiences we have
been through. Stay with us there is light at the end of the tunnel.
While we bucked conventional medicine, took control of our health, and
never felt better, it wasnt always blue skies and perfect poops. We wanted
to start things off by sharing our stories about how we overcame digestive
warfare in our bodies and started on our own paths to intestinal healing.
Take some time to read through our stories before you start yours. If you
dont feel like reading another story about being sick and just want to get
started, skip down to page 21 and get to work!
Jordans Story
Human beings have incredible coping mechanisms built into their brains.
Every one of us has been astonished at some point in our lives by our brains
ability to keep us going no matter what the circumstances. I dont really
remember when I got sick or how long it took me to start feeling bad, I just
remember that one particular day when I realized things were already bad
I Really Am Sick
So, I was this broke college kid sitting at my computer one morning trying to
come up with some sort of a budget to make it easier to get by. I started
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going through my grocery bills and found that I was spending $50 a month
on Imodium AD! In that moment, I lost it and broke down, finally admitting
to myself that I was sick and that popping Imodium AD like breath mints at
$50 a month was probably not a good sign. I had written it off as beer,
stress, not enough sleep, the college kid diet, and everything else under the
sun as my disorder became more normal to me. I realized it was time to
figure out what was going on, so I called my doctor. That was in May of
2007.
My doctor gave me Prescription #1: Eat more fiber. So I ate more fiber
and it came out faster and with a vengeance, and I kept getting sicker.
So I went back.
Prescription #2: You must have irritable bowel syndrome [IBS], he said.
Take this drug, Bentyl, and you will get better. I took the drug and
everything was the same. Plus the medicine made my brain a foggy mess
and I got even sicker.
One morning as I was getting ready for school, sat down for the usual
bathroom battle and glanced down at nothing but blood pouring out. My
heart was racing, my breath got stuck in my throat, and I kept thinking,
This is it, this is cancer, this is dying. My girlfriend (now my wife) rushed
me to the ER while I sat in the passenger seat reflecting on my life. I was
23, about to graduate from college, and I was being rushed to the hospital
while I sat on towels and bled through two of her maxi pads. How in the
hell did I get here?
Diagnosis: After nine hours waiting in the ER, a doctor explained I had a
large fissure hemorrhoid from excessive diarrhea. It was back to the doctor
for me.
Prescription #3: Go see a gastroenterologist because thats what they are
good at. The gastroenterologist said I displayed typical IBS symptoms, but
by this time WebMD had convinced me I was dying with cancer, so I
demanded a colonoscopy and an endoscopy to prove me wrong (not a
comfortable moment with the doc). She came around and scheduled both
procedures for later that month.
All the initial tests from the scopes came back negative and normal until the
biopsies came back three weeks later.
Diagnosis: I had celiac disease, which was confirmed a week later through a
blood test. I received a small pamphlet in the mail from my doctor
explaining that if I didnt eat gluten anymore I would be healed for the rest
of my life. And that was it.
Gluten-Free Living
I mourned the loss of pizza and beer for a few days before becoming
determined to get better. I researched the gluten-free lifestyle for weeks and
read everything on celiac disease and digestive disorders I could get my
hands on to try to understand my body and what I needed to do to get better.
I poured over all the details of gluten and what foods it is found in.
I spent the next year-and-a-half living gluten-free with the most obsessive
strictness. I felt a little better at first, but I never really got better. I just kept
thinking that I must be getting gluten contamination from something. I
became obsessed with my health. It consumed every aspect of my life and
began to affect my wife and newborn son negatively.
Why wasnt I getting any better? What was wrong with me? I was
following the gluten-free diet more strictly than anyone else I knew who was
a Celiac, and I still wasnt feeling any better. I was scared, and the what-ifs
were controlling all my thoughts. What if I never feel better? How can I
keep my job? How can I live the rest of my life like this?
I started developing very severe anxiety about my diarrhea and about being
out in public or in any situation that would put me far away from a
bathroom. It hit whenever, wherever, and without warning.
I didnt trust my doctors anymore because they continued to tell me I had
some form of IBS. I didnt know where to turn or who to talk to anymore. I
distinctly remember my thoughts shifting away from considerations about
my future and becoming very short-sighted; I didnt even know if there
would be a future.
I tried parasite cleanses, digestive enzymes, probiotics, and elimination diets.
I got allergy skin tests, CAT scans, and MRIs. I eliminated dairy, then
casein, then soy still nothing changed. All I thought about was my
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stomach, and it consumed my entire life. I wasnt the same person I used to
be. Not only were my own concerns consuming my thoughts, I was also
worried sick about not being able to take care of my family. I was broken
down and weary, watching my life pass by while I fell apart. At that point, I
was willing to do anything, no matter what, to change my circumstances. If
something good didnt happen soon, I knew something bad would.
Seriously, I would have eaten dog poop if someone told me I would get
better.
Finally, Some Hope
That is when I finally got an appointment with a very skilled holistic
physician, and my life began to change.
His Prescription #4: Read Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health
Through Diet, by Elaine Gloria Gottschall, and to start the diet before
coming back to see him.
Reading Elaines book was an incredibly eye-opening experience. I was
finally beginning to understand what was happening in my body and that
there was a solution out there! When I finished the book, though, I felt
pretty intimidated. I finally had the answer to my problems, but I was lost in
the details. How the hell do I start this diet? I had nothing but more
questions:
-
The hardest part for me was that I had just graduated from college and, lets
be honest, I couldnt cook a damn thing to save my life. I was paralyzed by
all these questions and the lack of someone to turn to for answers, but I
knew I could at least complete Elaines one-month challenge and see how it
would impact me. Remember, I was willing to do anything!
Elaines book presented the SCD as a superhighway to health. The
challenge I faced was finding my own personal on-ramp to merge onto the
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superhighway. It felt like I was standing still while everyone else on the diet
was speeding by at 80 mph.
I began a three-week research period during which I spent over 100 hours
figuring out how to begin the SCD. I exhausted every resource I could find
online and spoke with anyone I could who was on the diet. Using all of this
newfound knowledge, I put together an on-ramp action plan to merge up
to speed, and started the Intro Diet.
Giving the SCD Diet a Shot
Elaines basic diet, referred to as the Intro Diet by the SCD community, was
intense and incredibly challenging. My die-off experience left me craving
sugar and feeling like I was living under water. It was comforting to
remember that it was all because the bad guys were getting killed off, but it
was a long four days.
After four days on the Intro Diet, I transitioned to what I call Phase 1. After
being on the SCD diet for seven days, I was down to one bowel movement
each morning. Thats right; I said one bowel movement a day! I was
miserable for years, and in seven days I had experienced a huge
transformation. Granted, this wasnt a textbook bowel movement, and I had
a lot of digestive healing to do, but it was only once a day and it was
amazing.
On my 30-day celebration my head was spinning. I was feeling an
incredible transformation in my body, and my future was once again
beginning to materialize. I began thinking about doing things I had
wondered if I would ever be able to do again, like take the family on a road
trip out west to see the national parks!
I completed Elaines 30-day challenge and I was hooked. I was going to
stay on this diet for my entire life if I had to. I wasnt getting sicker
anymore, I was finally getting better.
Every aspect of my life began to improve because my health foundation was
becoming rock-solid. I felt like a new person, with a smile that no one in the
world could take off my face. I did have days when the stress of the diet
would get to me. There were many awkward social situations at work (think
expensive catered lunch meetings and me carrying in my giant red cooler
with salmon and butternut squash inside).
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I had many mentally tough days when I wasnt sure I could keep going
because it was too much hard work. There were some days when I would
experience a setback and think it was all worthless. But through journaling
and a good memory, I knew that I was getting much better over time. The
SCD diet was the most mentally challenging experience of my life, hands
down, and the only thing that kept me going was the slow, day-to-day
improvement of my health. Most importantly, I have always followed the
diet with strict adherence because of my fear of being sick again.
When I had my 90-day celebration, I relished in the fact that I had survived
the first three months of the SCD diet. This was something I hadnt thought
I would be able do before I developed my plan and started the diet. The best
part about this diet is that it is the most difficult in the beginning and gets
easier and easier each day, with more diversity and freedom available as you
go along. It has truly become a LIFESTYLE choice that I no longer view as
temporary or burdensome. I actually take pride in how I eat and I am
forever grateful to have been afforded this new lease on life.
Jordan Reasoner
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Steves Story
When I started this journey, my problems were completely undiagnosed. Of
course, multiple doctors had told me I had IBS. The idea that I had an
incurable nuisance problem for the rest of my life did not sit well with me.
Now, much later in my healing journey, Ive learned that I had bacterial and
Candida overgrowth issues. But Im getting ahead of myself, so backing up,
Ill tell you how I ended up where I am today.
As far back as I can remember Ive had cramping and horrible, roomclearing, Im-not-even-proud-to-claim-it gas. Looking back Im assuming I
was reacting to foods, but it wasnt until my high school years that my
digestion took a turn for the worse.
Invasion of the Good Bacteria
During high school I developed moderate cystic acne. I hated it! I had a
horrible self-image and tried everything I could get my hands on to get rid of
it. I tried every over-the-counter product I could before finally getting my
mom to take me to a dermatologist. After months of trying different
combinations of medicine, I was put on a daily antibiotic called Batrium
DS. It provided a slight improvement with my acne, and at that point I
would have done anything to have clear skin. Unfortunately, no one warned
me that while I was killing bad bacteria and helping my acne, the antibiotic
was also killing certain good bacteria.
Near the end of my sophomore year at college, while I was working full
time, I started feeling really fatigued. One day I started having extreme
bouts of diarrhea and was frantically popping pills to try to make it through
the day. I thought for sure I had caught a food sickness, so I tried to
continue going to work and popping anti-diarrhea pills. Each day I was
getting worse, but figured it would pass soon. Then I collapsed at work. I
was rushed to the ER and spent the rest of the day receiving treatment for
dehydration and getting bowel cultures taken.
Later that afternoon the cultures came back and revealed that I was suffering
from an extreme overgrowth of L. bifidus bacteria. How could this be?
They were telling me I didnt have some crazy sickness but an overgrowth
of good bacteria?!? It made zero sense to me. I just wanted to take some
pills and make it all go away, but they instead told me that taking my acne
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medication for the last four years was most likely the problem. The
prescription was to avoid all antibiotics and start taking Lactobacillus
acidophilus, a probiotic, a form of good bacteria that would help my body
heal itself. WaitI had too much good bacteria and now I should take
more?
It wasnt until years later that I finally figured out what had happened.
Broad spectrum antibiotics (such as Bactrim) cannot target specific types of
bacteria. Instead they kill off good and bad bacteria alike. L. bifidus, while
a beneficial bacteria that is needed for good digestion, is also very
aggressive and tends overgrow if left unchecked. This is the reason that
Elaine does not recommend it for use on the SCD diet. If conditions are
right, such as with a severely compromised digestive tract or a distorted
bacteria balance, it can easily multiply and crowd out all forms of good and
bad bacteria that are not as aggressive. The take home point here is not that
L. bifidus is bad, but that even good bacteria, if not kept in check by a
healthy bacteria balance, can cause horrible digestive problems.
My Normal College Lifestyle
I stuck to that for about three months, but because the refrigerated probiotics
got in the way of my go-go college social life and class schedule, I resumed
my normal college habits of drinking copious amounts of beer and eating
everything that came out of a deep fryer 24-7. I was having diarrhea daily,
joking with others who had similar bathroom rituals, and telling myself that
it was normal and just the beer poops after all. Not once did I question
pooping 5 to 8 times a day. I thought thats what everyone in college did. I
had the occasional bloody stool or bloody toilet paper wipe, but because of
my self-diagnosed fissure, considered it something I had to live with.
Taking Charge of My Health
After graduating from college, overweight and out of shape, I set out to get
healthy. Since the age of 15 (and on-and-off during college) I had worked
out and actively researched supplements for muscle-building and/or fat loss.
At this point in my life, I started to become interested in mental and physical
health as well as trying to look better. I was unhappy with the way I looked
and most days were filled with stress, bad attitudes, and mini depression
cycles. I worked hard to clean up my diet and lose fat. I tried just about
every weight loss diet out there and found out that low-carb diets worked
wonders for my body. I was also becoming aware of my bowel movements
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and gas, and noticed that when I was on a low-carb diet I had much less gas
and drastically reduced bathroom visits.
Then I changed jobs and moved to Chicago. This took my stress level to a
whole new high. I was trying to maintain my health in a new city devoted to
eating out and daily happy hours. I continued to work out, but my diet
started suffering. I was eating restaurant and processed food much more
often. My digestive health continued to decline as I started traveling for my
job. My body was revolting against these restaurant foods by producing
horrible gas and stomachaches after eating; some days they would leave me
incapacitated for hours. My bowel movements had improved since college
(3-4 per day) but the gas and cramping was affecting my work and every
other part of my life.
Enough is Enough - Time for a Change
During a rather severe cramping and diarrhea session that kept me up all
night, I called Jordan. He had been telling me about his amazing results on
the SCD diet and I was finally ready to learn more. I made a promise to
myself and to him that I would start the diet soon. So I read Breaking the
Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall. The book was an amazing read the
first time I had come across anything explaining why gut problems happen
and what to do about them. While excited to learn new information, my first
reaction was, Ah hell, no, I cant do this diet! For one, I ate out several
times a week for work and at bars with friends. How was I supposed to have
any kind of social life?
Second How do I start? Of course there was an Intro Diet plan in the
book, plenty of great web resources like pecanbread.com, and I had Jordan
to answer my questions. But up until then, salads and baked chicken were
the limit of my kitchen repertoire. I owned two pans and had never peeled a
vegetable in my life! I was completely intimidated; the kitchen was
essentially a foreign place to me.
Jordan reassured me that if he could do it, I could, too. I was skeptical to
say the least. I wasnt even convinced the diet would work for me, so
forgoing my social life and spending hours in the kitchen seemed especially
pointless. However, I had made a promise, and when I weighed the pros and
cons, it was clear that I was mentally and physically a wreck because of my
digestion problems I needed a change.
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cramping, and diarrhea for several days. The worst symptom of all was
mental. I had unintentionally launched myself into another mini depression
cycle. I was mad at myself for not having more will power. Why couldnt I
have resisted? Even worse yet, I was completely embarrassed to tell Jordan
and my family. I felt like I had not only let myself down, but also everyone
else who was pulling for me and helping me.
The Destruction of Cheating on the Diet
My energy levels were a mess, my insomnia and anxiety came back, and
there were those damn cravings again. Every time I passed a vending
machine, I swear there was a packet of plain M&Ms just calling to me. It
was bad. Here I was completely upset with myself, embarrassed, and yet the
happiness I got from fitting in, even for just a 12-hour cheat window, was
calling my name again. It wouldnt go away!
In between cheat windows, I was seeing great digestive results, but my false
sense of accomplishment would creep up and kick my butt again! Instead of
a 12-hour cheat window, I caved in to a little candy, which lead to a
multiple-day candy binge that came to a head at a family party. Im not sure
if your family parties are like mine, but mine revolve around FOOD. Thats
really it. I mean, there is usually enough food to feed us twice and make
most people sick of eating for a week. The talk was about food, the Easter
egg hunt was for food, even the food was talking about food. Of course,
there I am trying to recover from cheating, all pissed off, embarrassed, and
not feeling well, so I gave in. No more questions! Sure I can eat it all! Stop
trying to please me, already!
I was already feeling bad mentally and physically, but after I was alone and
had to answer to myself is when the real pain train came. Once again, it
wasnt the bad digestion and diarrhea, but the lack of energy, not being able
to think, not wanting to do anything, and the general disappointment in
myself that was killing me. And to do it several times, after I already knew
the consequences!
How the SCD Diet Has Helped Me
I know the diet works for me. I know that I have amazing energy and
clarity, and actually get excited to wake up and do my hobbies when Im on
it. What I also know now, is that this isnt a short-term battle, and I cant
lead a double life or be embarrassed or afraid of what others may think about
my need to be an outsider when it comes to processed food. The pain I
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cause myself and the time I lose by trying to fit in with my family and
friends isnt worth it. I also know that cravings are normal, and Im not the
only one who gets them, and that it is my choice to not give in to them.
The transformation in my body and mind cannot be described. If I had to
pick the two effects that I love the most about this diet, they would definitely
be: (1) having control of my mind again, without anxiety or stress about my
stomach, poop, or gas; and (2) not losing hours of productivity due to
cramping, stinky gas, and energy crashes. When I was sick I did not realize
how much of my time was wasted on thoughts related to digestion and food.
As Ive reached each new level of health, Ive realized how many more
fruitful and worry-free hours are available each day. As these new levels
have stacked on top of each other, I am no longer consumed by my bad
digestion, and this has been the best blessing I never asked for.
Steven Wright
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Carbohydrate Dieting will put you in the correct mindset for long-term
success. If you dont do the exercises that we suggest, your chances of
taking control of your digestion in the fastest time possible drop off
significantly. Each exercise has been specifically formulated and tested by
us and many others to ensure it is adding the most value to your healing
journey.
The information you will learn in Chapter 1: Your Commitment will be your
guide throughout the rest of the diet. You can return to it at any time and
practice the exercises to renew your commitment to the diet, experience your
health goals, and remind yourself how to tell if youre actually getting better.
Second Thing Execution is the Key
After you have the right mindset, we will take you through several chapters
about SCD cooking. If you use the instructions we have laid out for you, we
guarantee youll be making the easiest-to-digest, healthiest, and most
nourishing food for your stomach. The first step in this cooking process is
reading all about the Intro Diet to understand what you will be doing and
what you should expect as you begin.
Weve laid out food plans, shopping lists, and cooking instructions with
everything you will need in the first few weeks on the diet. This area of the
book is designed to be used as a reference. It doesnt need to be read right
now, but should be referred back to often when it is time to introduce new
foods or move on to new phases of the diet.
Third Live the Lifestyle
After the cooking chapters is Chapter 8: Living the SCD Lifestyle. This is
the part of the book where we tie all the loose ends together. If you read,
understand, and use the tips, tricks, and ideas we explain, you will be well
on your way to adopting the SCD lifestyle. It is empowering, rewarding,
and truly life-changing. We will address everything from time management,
family and doctor interactions, and supplementation, to traveling on the diet,
and much more.
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This section of the book can be read as you begin the diet, but its most
helpful to return to as you progress through the different phases in the diet.
As you learn and grow into the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, new challenges
will present themselves, and this portion of the book is where you will find
the answers to overcome them.
Action Steps to Take What to Do Next
Step 1: Get the proper mindset to put yourself in the best possible position
for lasting SCD success. So read chapters 1 and 2 and do all the exercises
before moving on. Remember, these chapters were designed from our
successful use of the SCD to heal our digestive diseases, and have been used
by many others who are also healing on the diet. We cannot stress to you
enough that if you fail to take action and learn these concepts, you are
risking failure on the diet before you even begin.
Step 2: Pick a start date for the diet. Then print off the shopping list on page
40 and go to the store. Some people do better practicing change and easing
into the diet. If you feel better about doing that, then go for it. Start by
eliminating grains for a week, then starches, then sugars. Once you have all
those out, then pick a day to start the Intro Diet. The point is: you just need
to go for it!
Step 3: Turn to page 41 and read about how to cook the food needed to start
the Intro Diet.
After that it would be a good idea to skim over the rest of the book so you
understand where everything is and what is in each section. This will give
you a good overview of what is to come but wont bog you down with
information and steps that you dont need just yet.
Step 4: Start the Intro Diet. You have read all about the mental side, gone
shopping for all the tools you need, and read about how to cook everything.
The only thing left is to stick to your date and start the diet. Your digestive
health is in your hands now. All you have to do is go do it!
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These are the same desires and mental pathways that will be tested deeply in
the beginning of the SCD diet, not because you wont have any food, but
because you will be drastically changing the foods that your body is used to
receiving.
Western culture has trained us to place a high value on food. The multibillion-dollar restaurant industry spends an enormous amount of money
engineering food to provide us with the best flavors and textures. Giving up
these processed treats was very mentally challenging for me, and probably
will be for you, too. It requires shifting your mindset to think differently
about the relationship you have with food. Bodybuilders and top fitness
models use this mentality every day. Their jobs require a different mindset
in which they eat to live; they do not live to eat. This was a very hard
transition for me to make because, as I realized later, I valued food as a
source of pleasure. I would eat it while I watched TV, while I surfed the
internet, or when I was depressed or stressed out. The SCD diet still allows
food to be a pleasure, but one that is healing rather than harmful. Bottom
Line: You are sick, and it is time to realize that you now must eat to
live, not live to eat destructively!
Find a Success Partner
You may not realize it yet, but as you start this journey, there will be times
when you will want someone to talk with. It may be that you need to vent
one day because you are frustrated with the diet, or it could be that youre
inches away from eating a whole bar of chocolate. Or worse yet, you may
be discouraged by the fact that youre still stuck in the bathroom, and give
up before healing has a chance to take place. The point is that there will be
some discouragements that cannot be planned for, and having an
encouraging, familiar face that can help you out is very important. If the
person you choose has done the SCD diet before, great! they will be a huge
resource for you. But what is more important than experience is that you are
surrounded with love and support.
If you cant find someone like that in your life, send us an email at
[email protected] and we will get on the phone with you.
Seriously, just click that link and tell us you need help.
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After youve found your success partner, if you have not verbalized your
commitment to complete Elaines 30-day challenge to your doctor, spouse,
children, or a trusted friend, I recommend that you do so before you begin
your 24-hour preparation. A loved one who knows about your commitment
to the journey ahead will provide incredible leverage against the challenges
you may face. Bottom Line: Share the diet with someone and tell them
youre going to commit to it fully for at least 30 days to see what results
you can get.
You dont have to email me the answer, but I want to ask you a question:
Have you ever fully committed to something with your whole mind and
body? Even if you havent, whats important is to reflect on what it means
to fully commit to your goal. In the past I have found that, due to forces I
dont understand, I have a hard time fully committing to an action. When
either my mind or my body is not really up for the challenge, it makes the
journey much harder. It is because of this that I sought a time-tested strategy
to align my goals, and I want to share it with you.
What I found is a strange, unexplainable link between my brain and my
body when I write something on a piece of paper I always seem to
remember it much more vividly than if I say it or simply read it. I firmly
believe this relates to making our mind and body commit to the same future.
Im going to ask you to write something down and, when you do, you will
be forced to think the words through while physically transcribing them to a
piece of paper. It is my experience that this causes a complete, congruent
commitment between mind and body. I believe this was my first true step to
success on this diet and the long road to healing my gut.
Id like you to consider stretching yourself a little beyond Elaines 30-day
challenge. I am confident you will feel the healing process begin very
quickly, which will be a strong motivator for you to continue. The 90-day
commitment is actually very small compared to an entire year, and I know
once you celebrate your 90th day, you will never consider turning back.
Bottom Line: Write down your commitment to make your first step an
earnest one and to promise that you will make it 90 days and beyond;
make this the first entry in your handwritten or online journal.
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__________________________________
Your signature
__________________________________
Witness (doctor/spouse/friend)
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had enough time in the bathroom before leaving for the day. When I started
this diet, I decided to shift my paradigm of health to a definition in my own
terms. It included being able to go to new places without worrying about
where the nearest bathroom was, having a bowel movement when I was
ready, minimal gas and bloating after eating, never having stomach
problems cross my conscious mind, gaining weight back, and feeling full of
energy. One day, I want to have a new diet that I know is mine and that
allows me to eat pleasurably without intestinal repercussions. It is important
that you remove the gut chains you have attached to your mind and figure
out what your definition of healthy is.
I encourage you to take a moment and brainstorm about what you imagine a
healthy future can be or would include. Some ideas to get you going are:
one day being able to feast on your weakness meal that always makes you
sick, or how about just having amazing amounts of clarity, focus, and energy
to attack each new day! This is a personal journey that you must embark
upon. You should strive to embrace the emotion of feeling free, both
physically and mentally, from your intestinal troubles. Action Step: Make
your ideal future real. Write down on a blank sheet of paper what you
imagine your new healthy life to be like. Be specific and imagine
navigating through a day without thinking about your health for once.
Feel what that would be like. Talk to the elephant in the room. Define a
healthy you!
Hopefully, you spent some time dreaming up your new definition of healthy.
Reflect on your new image often, revising and clarifying it as needed.
Imagine yourself enjoying your newfound health like you were already
living it. This should make you more and more excited. You might even be
smiling and salivating at the idea of this new you (or the food). Do
everything you can to capture how youre feeling right now and make a
mental note of this fresh, healthy feeling. The clearer your definition of
healthy is including sight, sounds, tastes, and smells the easier this diet
will be for you. Know that you can return to this place any time you want,
simply by redoing the exercise above.
(WAIT! Go back up and read that last sentence again! Im serious.
This diet isnt the easiest at times, and being able to see, feel, smell, and
taste the prize is an essential skill for your SCD toolbox.)
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By setting goals and, more specifically, an end goal, you now have a guiding
beacon at the top of the mountain. Youre starting a very challenging
healing process that is full of hard work, but one that should be enjoyed as
much as possible. Each step you take toward your beacon, by meeting and
overcoming challenges, will give you a boost of confidence. These little
victories will build day-by-day until you have so much positive steam
behind you that nothing can stop you from making it to the top!
How Are You Fueling Your Journey?
You are aware that your body has the ability to run on several fuel sources:
processed crap, natural foods, and even stored energy. Well, just like your
body runs better when a constant high-quality fuel source is used (SCD),
your mind is no different. Each and every day you feed your brain a steady
diet of information and thoughts. Depending on the nature of these
thoughts, your mind and body react differently. Ever have one of those
days, when every step you take just gets worse? Me too. Then I learned a
little secret: The bad thoughts dont have to snowball out of control. Bad
thoughts and bad things happen, but learning to approach each day with an
attitude that allows me to accept them and laugh at them is the best fuel I can
provide for my brain.
You may be thinking, This guy is crazy! Well, think about this: The
healing process doesnt have to be negative and restrictive. Rather it should
be an exciting reawakening of your palette with each new food that is
introduced or each new cooking method that is employed. Food-brick-byfood-brick, you are starting with a fresh slate and building a new diet
and a healthy digestive system. Im giving you free range to start
everything over, burn some recipes, whip up some crazy flavors, and break
all those cooking rules you never understood. If you see this more as a
learning experience and a challenge than as a problem, you will already be
half way up the mountain.
Tracking Your Progress
As you are headed up this mountain of health, on your healing path, you will
need some way to ensure you are headed in the right direction with each step
you take. Close monitoring of your progress is a very essential skill for
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However, it is only an overview. The details are left out. And in a diet with
so many details to consider, not recording those details is counterproductive.
Using a journal to explicitly track my experience was the number one reason
why I succeeded on the SCD. Journaling is like any new skill you have to
learn, like changing your eating habits. It was a new and different
experience for me, but it quickly became a cherished habit.
I think this skill is so essential to your success that I want to walk you
through the skill of journaling. Write about your feelings each day. Did you
start off on a good emotional foot or a bad one? Is there some other part of
your life that is stressing you out besides the diet? If so, make note of that.
Your journal is intended to track your emotional highs and lows, doubts,
revelations, fears, and physical improvements or setbacks. If you have a
setback, make sure you record what you ate that day and the possible
culprits. The next time you get sick, refer back to that day to see if there
were any similarities. This is one way to eliminate problem foods and
stresses from your life. If youre having any trouble getting started, answer
these questions to get the process going:
-
This is also a good place to track your mental state new thoughts since
starting the diet, nightmares, or any other thoughts you are experiencing.
Dont forget to list the positive events that happen once the healing process
begins. The first day in years that you only have one bowel movement
better have a whole bunch of exclamation points and a large smiley face on
it. Mine does! The point is you need to make a big deal out of these small
victories.
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setback I put a red tab on that page. I go even further by using yellow to
mark foods that I think I may have had a reaction to. If it happens again, I
change the yellow tab to a red one. I use other colors to mark great ideas or
to highlight other good emotional states. You can use any method you like,
but by organizing your journal this way you can easily refer back to your
latest setback to check for similar symptoms and outcomes, or refer back to
your latest positive outcome for an added shot of positive on a down day.
It takes me about five minutes a day to update my chart, made just as Elaine
described. Dont spend your time debating over four pluses or three pluses;
instead, use those few minutes to make a journal entry in which you can
write as much as you like. This is where you should describe your
emotional and mental feelings, physical symptoms, and other corresponding
experiences. Just as important is writing down all the little ways in which
you begin to notice your body changing for the better. It does you no good
to write down every negative detail without writing down every positive
detail as well. Create a daily record of how you are changing slowly over
time. After updating Elaines overview chart, I update my journal, which
takes no more than 10 to 15 minutes a day. Using Elaines chart and my
daily journal entries ensures that my compass is aligned and Im heading in
the proper direction. Action Step: Go to the store and pick up a special
pen and something to journal in. It can be an inexpensive composition
notebook or a nice bound journal whatever will keep you motivated.
Even better, create a blog or a special SCD file on your computer. If
you choose a written journal, I recommend that you keep it next to your
bed and complete it at a set time each day, like right before you go to
bed. If you decide to keep an electronic journal, try to pick a certain
time of day to update it regularly (when you wake up, before bed, at
lunch, etc.).
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affect the brain, stomach, intestines, and many other body organs. They
cause even more damage to the intestines and the cycle continues, giving
you even worse diarrhea, constipation, gas, indigestion, fatigue, and all the
other digestive problems controlling your life.
I think it is important that you really understand a few key concepts here, the
first being that your intestines are damaged. The initial reaction to damage
in the intestines is for the entire area to become inflamed as your body tries
to protect against the damage. This response is the same as when you sprain
your ankle: your body surrounds the damaged ankle with fluid to protect it,
which causes inflammation (swelling).
The second key concept is that because your intestines are now inflamed,
they are not working properly, which makes it really hard to absorb nutrients
from the food you eat. When your body is not properly absorbing the food
you eat, the bad bacteria step in, thriving on the undigested food particles.
As they feed on these particles, they release all kinds of gases and toxins that
create even more inflammation and cause the stomach pain, bowel
movement inconsistency, and gas that we talked about above.
As you can see, the process is quite complex, and in order to solve it we
must address several factors all at the same time. What happens if we only
address one issue and leave the others untouched? Lets go back to the
swollen ankle idea. In order for the ankle to heal, the first thing that has to
happen is the inflammation must stop. Thats why the first thing you do for
a sprain is put ice on it to reduce the swelling. If the swelling goes down
enough, then the body can get extra blood cells and nutrients to the ankle so
it can slowly repair the damage caused by the sprain. What if you continue
to walk on your ankle, even if you periodically apply ice? In that case, no
healing is going to take place because you continue to cause more damage
and more inflammation. This is important to understand because this is the
same thing as doing 95% of the SCD instead of 100%. Its just not enough
to do almost everything right.
So what if you eat 100% SCD-legal but dont do the Intro Diet? Returning
to the example above, its like continuing to walk on a sprained ankle
without reducing the inflammation first. You may be able to limp along for
a while, and maybe your ankle will heal after many months, but it is not
guaranteed, and it will take much longer than if you had taken all the proper
steps.
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http://www.newtreatments.org/scdietproof.php
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1441790/
3
Breaking The Vicious Cycle Page 2
2
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over and over. This is not necessary. The main objective is to starve out the
pathogens and cleanse your system before moving on.
Beyond the 2-5 day timeframe, it is completely at your discretion when you
want to move forward into Phase 1. Listen to your body. If your die-off
symptoms begin to clear up (die-off is good, but more on that later), and you
already feel a change or a slowing in your bowel movement activity, then it
is a good time to move on. If your experience is exceptionally tough and
you have symptoms for some time, then stay on the Intro Diet for all 5 days
before moving on to Phase 1, but no longer than that. Bottom Line: Do the
Intro Diet for 2-3 days unless things are really intense for you. If so,
then stay on it all 5 days. Then move on to Phase 1 (Chapter 4). The
phases are similar to the Stages that were created by pecanbread.com.
They are not required if you feel confident adding foods at your own
discretion, however they worked for me and for the people Ive helped
by prioritizing foods by their ease of digestion!
The Basic Diet Versus the Intro Diet
Whereas Elaine includes dry curd cottage cheese, yogurt, and cheesecake in
her basic diet, my Intro Diet plan is dairy-free. It has been my experience
that most people are at least slightly intolerant of dairy products (as with
wheat) until further healing takes place; however, that is not always the case.
The casein protein that is in dairy products is a very common intolerance for
people with digestive diseases. The choice is yours, but I want to remind
you again that I and many others who successfully used the SCD diet did not
use dairy products at the beginning of the diet because of negative reactions
to them. Ive found it is better to first build a solid foundation of foods and
achieve some new levels of healing in order to truly evaluate whether you
react to dairy products. I have included a dairy Intro Diet, and if this is the
route you choose, please go to Appendix 2 to get started. Caution: Many
people have dairy problems. I used and advocate a dairy-free Intro
Diet, allowing you to achieve some healing progress before testing your
reaction to dairy products. The choice remains yours.
Alright, lets get started! You have healing to do!
Step1: First things first grab the list on page 40 and go to the store. You
have to pick up a few kitchen tools and the food necessary to get started.
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The checklist on the next page covers everything you need. If you already
have some of these items, then congrats, you just saved some money and
you can check those off the list. Otherwise, find the best deals you can (not
the most expensive or the best brand) on products that will serve the function
of the items I have listed. There are also internet sources for popular SCD
kitchen and cooking equipment. The tools are followed by a price range that
you can expect based on some comparative shopping I have already done for
you. The recommended capacities are just general guidelines; if you have a
different preference that is fine. If you want to save even more money, start
this process a week early and find everything online for a better price.
Step 2: Begin forcing yourself to drink a lot of water. It is important to be
well-hydrated throughout the Intro Diet, so start the process early.
Step 3: Gluten and other grain proteins are very sticky (think cookie dough
sticky). It is very important that you deep clean your counter surfaces and
all the steel kitchen equipment you intend to use to make sure youre not
going to contaminate your foods. Do not use old wooden utensils, Teflon
pans, or plastic food containers, because it is next to impossible to remove
the old grain proteins from the cracks and crevices in these materials.
Designate counter space in your kitchen as the SCD Counter and
encourage other people to stay away from it with foods that are not SCDlegal.
One note here before you head to the store: The meat on this list is subject
to your own discretion. If you want to try other meats to provide a balance
with your chicken soup servings, you can substitute any of the following:
broiled salmon, roasted turkey, broiled chicken breast, or roasted pork
tenderloin (see Chapter 5: How to Cook meat the SCD Way on page 74).
Elaine never mentioned pork or turkey as part of her basic diet, just chicken,
beef, and fish, so keep that in mind while making your selections.
Otherwise follow the detailed step-by-step process below. Alright, lets go!
39
2 onions
Fresh parsley
Fresh celery
40
Step 4: Good work. You now have everything you need to get started. Go
through and clean your new kitchen tools really well so you can get
started preparing food.
Step 5: You need to get the chicken soup started first:
- Take out your slow cooker and dump in the 4 lbs. of chicken thighs
and legs, skin and all.
- Grab 10 carrots and peel them. To peel the carrots, hold them on
one end and run your swivel peeler down the length of the carrot to
remove a thin layer. Slowly rotate the carrot 360 degrees and peel
around the carrot until you have done the entire surface. Switch
the end youre holding and finish off the part where your hand was
before.
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- Drop them all into a large pot and fill it full with water.
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Step 10:
- Add more water to your boiling carrots and stir them.
Step 11: By now the chicken soup has been cooking for 3 hours and needs
some maintenance. Were going to remove the parts of the chicken we dont
want.
- Get out a plate and some tongs.
- Pull out each piece of chicken one at a time, and use a fork and a
knife to scrape the skin off the chicken.
- Once the skin is cleared, cut all the chicken off of the bone and
dispose of the skin, bones, and cartilage.
- Run the soup through a strainer to remove the parsley, celery, and
onion (they add great flavor to the soup, but are very fibrous and
difficult to digest during the Intro Diet).
- Add the chicken meat back into the soup.
- Stir everything well.
Step 12:
- Add more water to your boiling carrots and stir them.
Step 13: Were going to remove the fat from the soup. It is hard to digest
and not necessary for the Intro Diet.
- With a large spoon skim off the layer of fat that is forming on top
of the soup (the fat isnt forming a hard layer yet, but it will be a
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layer of oil on top of the water). Do this once, let it sit for a
moment, and then do it again to remove as much fat as possible.
- Cook for another hour just to get everything nice and broken down.
Step 14: Now it is time to pure the carrots that have been boiling.
- Take a fork and stab the carrots. If they are ready, the fork should
pierce through with no problem and almost make the carrot fall
apart if you try to lift it out. If they are not done, let them cook for
another half an hour and keep checking. Otherwise its time to
pure everything, starting with the carrots in the chicken soup.
- Pull out all the carrots from the chicken soup and put them on a
plate.
- Cut them up into 1-inch sections.
- Fill your food processor about of the way with carrot chunks.
- Add about a cup of water to the food processor (it helps break
down the carrots).
- Run the food processor for about a minute until you dont see any
more chunks left.
- Add the pured carrots back into the soup and stir it up really well.
- Follow the same process with your boiled carrots.
- Dump all the boiled carrot pure into a food container and put it
into the refrigerator.
Step 15: Your chicken soup should be all set to go at this point. You can
always leave it on low for a couple more hours to make sure everything is
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cooked well, or just put it in a container in the refrigerator. A fat layer will
magically appear overnight which you will have to skim off in the morning.
Ok, take a break and spend some time relaxing the rest of the evening to get
ready for Day 1. Make sure you have written out your SCD commitment,
and read over it again. Try to get eight hours of sleep so that youre well
rested. Remember to stay hydrated. Bottom Line: Tomorrow is the first
day on your road to healing. Its like Christmas Eve be excited. The
hard part is over now that you have taken action!
The Intro Diet Sample Menu
When you wake up on the morning of Day 1, feel good about the fact that
you have almost all of your meals prepared in your refrigerator. Remember
the tip from the beginning of the book? Read your commitment again and
write a number 1 on the back of your hand the first day of healing starts
now.
The following menu is a sample of how you could eat your meals during the
2-5 day Intro Diet. If you feel like you may be reacting to eggs, or youre
worried about it, just dont eat them better to avoid them than deal with an
egg reaction. If you cant do eggs, dont panic. Just eat your meat for
breakfast. Its weird at first, but you will get used to it.
Be cognizant of your reactions to foods. Some people find that they react to
gelatin, for example. Keep this is mind during the Intro Diet. If you think
youre still having diarrhea from something youre eating, try eliminating
the grape juice first, then the carrots (replace with another Phase 1 or 2
veggie). Its all trial and error in the beginning. The grape juice is very high
in sulfites, a preservative that is used to keep the juice fresh. If you think
you might be reacting to the grape juice, the sulfites might be the culprit, or
46
the high sugar content, so keep that in mind while you push through the Intro
Diet.
This is meant to be a guide mix and match and swap in other options
where you feel like changing it up (like salmon or mahi mahi). Just
remember that the chicken soup is the pillar of the Intro Diet eat that as
frequently as you can. If at any time you run out of any one food, just make
more. You should get faster and faster each time you prepare it.
Remember: Skim the top layer of fat after it has been chilled in the
refrigerator. It will make it much easier to digest during the early
going.
Day 1:
- Breakfast: Eggs (hard-boiled is best, then poached or scrambled
with nothing added to the pan), grape gelatin, and if youre still
hungry, a meat patty (or meatball)
- Lunch: Chicken soup, meat patty, and grape gelatin
- Dinner: Chicken soup, pured carrots, meat patty, and Welchs
100% Grape Juice diluted 50/50 with water
Day 2:
- Breakfast: Eggs (cooked differently than Day 1), grape gelatin,
and a hot mug of chicken soup broth if youre still hungry
- Lunch: Meat patty heated up in a bowl of chicken soup, and grape
gelatin
- Dinner: Chicken soup, pured carrots, meat patty, and Welchs
100% Grape Juice diluted 50/50 with water
Day 3:
- Breakfast: Eggs (again, a different cooking method than the day
before), grape gelatin, and a hot mug of chicken soup broth if
youre still hungry
- Lunch: Meat patties with pured carrots to dip them in, and
Welchs 100% Grape Juice diluted 50/50 with water
- Dinner: Chicken soup, pured carrots, and grape gelatin
Day 4: (not many people need to be on the Intro Diet beyond 3days, but its
here if you feel you need it)
- Breakfast: Chicken soup and Welchs 100% Grape Juice diluted
50/50 with water
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http://weightrainer.net/MRcalc.html
http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/calorie_calculator.asp
After youve established the approximate range of your calorie needs, such
as 2200 per day, the next step is to weigh and measure your foods and record
them in a journal (or get a free account at http://www.fitday.com). Youll
need a small food scale. There is no need to invest in an expensive one
unless you want to the cheapest available will do just fine. The goal here
is not to measure every piece of food exactly but to get a good estimate to
help you learn the difference between a 4 oz. piece of meat and an 8 oz.
piece of meat.
I recommend that you try measuring and weighing your food for at least one
week to get a better understanding of portion sizes and their corresponding
calories. If at any point later in the diet you want to add weight or reduce
weight, it is useful to repeat this exercise until your goals are met.
If you havent been eating enough to meet your calorie requirement, you can
modify your approach. For instance, you can eat more at each meal, eat 4 to
6 meals a day instead of 3, or increase your meat portion size. Remember
that your stomach has been trained to receive a certain volume of food all
your life, and that volume may have been made up of processed foods,
which are significantly higher in calories than a corresponding volume of
natural foods. Most people can expect to have an adjustment period when
they feel like they are eating way too much natural food just because of the
volume. Tracking your caloric intake is a way to reinforce the idea that you
need to maintain or even increase the amount of food your are eating and to
alleviate any fears about wasting away or not getting enough calories on the
SCD diet.
Expect Cravings
For most people starting the Intro Diet, its going to be the first time in a
long time that you wont be eating your standard diet of processed foods.
Your body and mind are so used to receiving those foods that when you
suddenly remove them, cravings are sure to pop up. Sugar is especially
powerful, so be prepared if you have been a life-long candy or chocolate
lover. You are likely to experience some withdrawal symptoms. These
cravings can come at any time, and sometimes will be for foods or vices that
49
youve never thought of as appetizing. The trick is to hang tough and realize
that this is all part of the normal detoxification process that your body must
go through to make the successful transformation into the new healthy
lifestyle that you are visualizing. To beat the cravings, call your success
partner or rewrite and fully live out your new definition of healthy. The
cravings will pass. Think of this as a short-term challenge in which self
control and willpower will be rewarded handsomely.
What is Die-Off?
It is very important that you understand what die-off is and how it will affect
you during your recovery. To review, the goal of the Intro Diet is to kill off
any bad bacteria in your system and reduce inflammation as fast as possible.
This is where die-off comes into play. Die-off is a normal, positive sign of
healing, and to be expected. In other words, for a short time your symptoms
are expected to get worse before they get better.
Die-off is a term that was created to describe the Herxheimer reaction. A
Herxheimer reaction happens when the body is detoxing and cannot properly
process all of the toxins in the body. When the toxins overwhelm the bodys
available resources to get rid of them, you begin to experience side effects.
These side effects are different for each individual but usually include flulike symptoms: body aches, headaches, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
brain fog, etc.
Toxins are released into the body when bad bacteria (pathogens) die in your
digestive tract. The average person with digestive problems has to kill off
quite a few pathogens to begin healing. Your body will be working
overtime to process these toxins out. The pathogens will also try to trick you
into eating illegal foods by creating intense sugar cravings, but you wont
give in because you are willing to do anything to get better, right? Your
experience may vary substantially from that of others, Some experience no
reactions but it will all depend on the level of damage in your system. Dont
forget that the reaction youre having is a good thing. We dont want the
bad guys inside you anymore and they will do anything to stay alive!
Push through any die-off reactions you may experience. Keep in mind that
it is a positive thing that is happening, because it means youre getting
better. Once you begin to feel better, usually around the end of Day 2 or 3,
50
read on to Part 2: How to Transition into the SCD Lifestyle on page 53, and
begin following the instructions to get ready for Phase 1. That way you can
easily start Phase 1 just as you prepared for the Intro Diet.
Some tips for easing the die-off experience:
- Take Epsom salt baths (use 1 cup of salts at first, but no more than
2 cups). Its important to hydrate well when taking Epsom salt
baths because they are very dehydrating.
- If your stomach is hurting, mix up a batch of teaspoon of baking
soda, teaspoon of sea salt, and 1 quart of hot water (stirred well)
to balance the PH level in your stomach. Drink a cup at a time. It
really helps a lot!
- Sleep! It will pass the time and rest your body as it works
overtime to process out the toxins being released by the demise of
the bad guys.
- Force yourself to drink a lot of water to help your body flush the
toxins.
- Call your SCD success partner, tell them how you feel, and
remember that this is a necessary and important step. It always
helps to talk to someone about your experience, even if they
havent been through it.
Congrats! You have successfully started the SCD diet! Now move on to the
next chapter to understand how you will transition into Phase 1 of the diet.
Key Points
Heres what to do right now to properly start the SCD Intro Diet and begin
healing your digestive system to eliminate your diarrhea, constipation,
stomach pain, gas, and fatigue.
First, print out the shopping checklist on page 40. Take it into your kitchen
and mark off any kitchen tools you already own. Then either use our links
and order what you need or go to the nearest supermarket and buy what is on
the list.
51
Second, pick the day you are going to prepare all your food that you just
bought using the Intro Diet steps. I recommend doing it on a Saturday so
that you start the diet on a Sunday.
Third, the Intro Diet is only to be followed for 2-5 days, so use the sample
menu to start with and feel free to make changes if your taste buds desire
something else.
Fourth, prepare for the die-off but stay positive. Remember that die-off is a
necessary step for you to get healthy. Most people experience a range of
symptoms from body aches, brain fog and fatigue to insomnia and
nightmares, but this is a necessary step. If you start to experience these
symptoms, it is actually a positive sign that the Intro Diet is working. Use
the techniques I gave you on page 51to help cope with the symptoms.
Fifth, make sure you properly transition into Phase 1 of the diet. You do not
want to have to do the Intro Diet again and properly starting the rest of the
diet will make sure you dont waste all of the hard work youve done during
the Intro Diet.
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53
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Its a very rewarding and gratifying experience to start adding in new foods.
The most useful mindset Ive found for this aspect of the diet is to approach
it like a curious kid. This is the first time you are trying these foods with an
improved digestive system. Make each choice its own fun experience. It is
very important to remember to not be afraid to move on. Some people I
have spoken with find themselves sitting in a holding pattern because things
are going well. Its ok to treasure this experience, but if youre healing well,
introducing more freedom and diversity to your diet is going to further the
healing process. You will experience the taste of foods that you were never
able to appreciate before this, and you will feel great doing it. Its the best
part of the diet.
The basic rule of thumb is four days. Introduce one new item to your
normal routine by eating it once a day for four days before you make an
assessment about any changes. I have found that at times I notice a negative
reaction relatively quickly within the same day. But other times it has
taken up to four days for me to realize, by tracking my symptoms, that the
new food was negatively impacting me. Reactions you want to be cognizant
of range from brain fog, sore throat, sinus drainage, headache, and severe
canker soars in the mouth, to diarrhea or constipation. You will notice
symptoms like these now more than ever, because your stomach has been
feeling better and you arent so focused on it.
I cant stress enough that when you are trying something new, it is vital that
the rest of your diet remains consistent with the go-to foods in which youre
confident. If you deviate from this approach, adding more than one variable
at a time, and have a bad reaction, it can be a mess trying to figure out
exactly what triggered it. Each time you make this mistake it will set back
your progress on the diet substantially. Bottom Line: When your
symptoms start improving, or after five days on the Intro Diet,
introduce new foods via four-day trial periods and monitor your bodys
reaction closely. (Dont forget to record the results in your journal.)
Many people who fail on the SCD diet do so because they begin by eating
everything that is considered SCD-legal instead of introducing foods one by
one. Everyone has a different level of damage and requires a different,
custom version of the SCD diet to start healing. A specific key is needed to
unlock the healing process, and everyone has a unique lock, so dont just
stick any old key in there its not going to work! You have to fine tune the
diet to figure out what foods you, specifically, can tolerate. You will end up
55
with a diet that is customized to heal your particular body and get you on the
quickest path to feeling better.
How to Introduce New Foods on the SCD Diet
Lets consider the sprained ankle example that we talked about before. This
stage in the diet is like the stage in the ankle injury at which youve managed
to get rid of the swelling and most of the pain, and youre thinking it is time
to get on your feet right away. If you did, you would probably hobble
around for the next month or so, getting through each day but not really
healing. If, instead, you went to physical therapy several times a week in
order to rebuild your strength and mobility, your chances of a faster and full
recovery would be greatly increased. Going the rehab route means investing
more time, energy, and pain into getting your ankle healthy again, but it is
designed to get you a full recovery in the least amount of time possible.
The same principle applies at this point in the diet. The majority of people
who successfully managed or cured their diseases using the SCD diet slowly
introduced new foods into their diet. By going slow and evaluating each
food, they quickly created a diet safe zone. In other words, they added the
easiest-to-digest foods first and built a small but very reliable variety of safe
zone foods. Once this safe zone was in place, they had the confidence to
build upon their custom diet, knowing that when they encountered a food
reaction they could return to these foods and feel better right away. There
are a very few people who are able to jump headlong into all the SCD-legal
foods and do well. For someone looking to take the tried-and-true path to
healing and build their custom diet, the best method is to add one new food
variable at a time, based on the phases.
Think of the phases of the diet as your ankle rehab schedule. These phases
are based on the foundational stages put together by the amazing folks at
pecanbread.com (review those diagrams at www.pecanbread.com). They
expand upon the groundwork that Elaine laid down and provide an avenue
for you to take a methodical, step-by-step approach to the progression of the
diet by introducing foods that are easier to digest first. I have taken this idea
and coupled it with my own experiences to develop a guideline I call
Phasing into the SCD Diet. Doing this at the correct pace is the secret to
surviving the first three months and beyond.
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The Phasing into the SCD Diet approach is divided into groups of five food
sources: meats, fruits, vegetables, eggs, and nuts. Each group contains the
most generally tolerable foods as you step from the Intro Diet to Phases 1-5.
Everyone has varying levels of damage from intestinal problems, and
everyone heals at a different pace. That being said, the plan is only a
guideline, and only you will know if the time is right to try something new
or remain in a holding pattern for a week or two. Bottom Line: Follow the
Phasing into the SCD Diet guide.
improper particles are allowed to repeatedly enter the bloodstream, the body
tries to get rid of them by triggering an immune system response. Because
phenols and salicylates are common in most foods, a person with a leaky gut
has much higher than normal levels of these chemicals in their blood and can
very quickly develop intolerance to these specific particles.
Dr. Feingold is probably the most widely-known individual to study
salicylates, as he developed what is now referred to as the Feingold Diet. He
began his work in the 1960s as a pediatrician and allergist studying
childrens reactions to aspirin. Through his work, he began to realize that
many other dietary chemicals were causing physical and even behavioral
reactions. He developed the Feingold Diet to eliminate all food additives,
colorings, and salicylates.
Understanding salicylates and leaky gut allowed me to tailor which foods I
added into my diet first and which foods I waited to introduce until further
healing had taken place. Doing this allowed me to achieve small steps
forward when adding foods, minimizing SCD setbacks. Because of the
proven science, I created the phases of the SCD to take into account
salicylate levels naturally present in foods.
When looking at the charts, you will see that I have labeled the foods with
an indication of the level of the chemical compound phenol in the food. I
broke the amount of phenols down into three categories: low, medium, and
high. The lower levels are at the top of each section in the lighter colors and
the amount increases down the list with the darker color transitions.
You may not react to all the foods with higher levels of phenols, but I
recommend initially eating those fruits and vegetables that are low in
phenols and working up to the ones with higher levels in order to get a feel
for how your body processes them. It will maximize your success on the
diet. Ive been there and dealt with it, and it really knocked me off kilter
until I got a handle on it. I dont want you to have to reinvent the healing
path. Bottom Line: Work through the guides fruits and vegetables
from low to high phenol content, as you need to understand the impact
of phenols on your body.
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On the following page is the Phasing into the SCD Diet guideline that I have
developed. Post it on your refrigerator and look forward to advancing to
each new item.
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Before trying peanut butter or peanut oil read about them at http://pecanbread.com/p/tanya/peanut.html
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The goal of this guide is to get you settled into a smooth routine that will
provide the foundation for growing within the SCD diet. On the last night of
the Intro Diet, youre going to prepare the food for your transition into Phase
1.
Use Chapter 7: How to Peel, Deseed, Cook, and Pure Phases 1 & 2 Fruits
and Vegetables on page 103 as a reference for how to prepare each of these
food items the night before you start transitioning. Youre going to use the
carrots as your base confidence food and see how the pears affect you. After
a few days of no noticeable reaction, prepare some butternut squash to
supplement the carrots and pears, and follow the same protocol. If the
squash checks out ok, then work in the apples.
Near the end of the week and into the following week, you will want to see
how spinach treats you. It is important to focus on adding vegetables before
fruits. Fruits tend to be harder to digest and easier to overeat, causing
reactions. I and many others Ive helped have fallen prey to eating large
amounts of fruit. Therefore I have found that building a base of vegetables
first is much more important than fruits. Beware of bananas. While allowed
in Phase 1, they are extremely high in sugar, and most people, including me,
have had very bad experiences with them.
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- Dinner: Broiled chicken breasts with sea salt and pepper, and
carrot sauce
(If things are going well, make some butternut squash this evening)
Day 4:
- Breakfast: Turkey burger and pear sauce
- Lunch: Leftover chicken breasts, butternut squash sauce, and
gelatin
- Dinner: Broiled beef burger patties, carrot sauce, and Welchs
100% Grape Juice (or apple cider) diluted 50/50 with water
Day 5:
- Breakfast: Turkey burger and pear sauce
- Lunch: Leftover beef burger patties and carrot sauce
- Dinner: Broiled pork chops, butternut squash sauce, and grape
gelatin
Day 6:
- Breakfast: Eggs (scrambled) and pear sauce
- Lunch: Leftover pork chops and carrot sauce
- Dinner: Broiled steak, butternut squash sauce, and grape gelatin
(If things are going well, make some apples this evening)
Day 7:
- Breakfast: Eggs (different than previous day), pear sauce, and
Welchs 100% Grape Juice (or apple cider) diluted 50/50 with
water
- Lunch: Leftover steak, butternut squash sauce, and apple sauce
- Dinner: Broiled salmon, carrot sauce, and gelatin
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foods that are easy to digest. Remember, in order to really build this safe
zone, stick to vegetables. This week we will introduce spinach and zucchini.
Day 1:
- Breakfast: Eggs (hard boiled is best, then poached, fried, or
scrambled) and pear sauce
- Lunch: Leftover salmon and carrot sauce
- Dinner: Broiled chicken thighs and legs, apple sauce, and Welchs
100% Grape Juice (or apple cider) diluted 50/50 with water
Day 2:
- Breakfast: Eggs (cooked differently than Day 1) and grape gelatin
- Lunch: Leftover chicken thighs and legs, and apple sauce
- Dinner: Broiled beef (or turkey) burger patties, carrot sauce, and
Welchs 100% Grape Juice (or apple cider) diluted 50/50 with
water
(If things are going well, pick up spinach at the grocery store.)
Day 3:
- Breakfast: Eggs (again, a different cooking method than the day
before) and spinach
- Lunch: Grape gelatin, leftover burger patties, and apple sauce
- Dinner: Broiled pork tenderloin and butternut squash sauce
Day 4:
- Breakfast: Turkey burger and pear sauce
- Lunch: Leftover pork tenderloin, butternut squash, and spinach
- Dinner: Broiled mahi mahi, carrot sauce, and Welchs 100%
Grape Juice (or apple cider) diluted 50/50 with water
Day 5:
- Breakfast: Turkey burger and carrot sauce
- Lunch: Leftover mahi mahi and spinach
- Dinner: Broiled chicken patties, butternut squash sauce, and grape
gelatin
(If things are going well, head to the grocery store and pick up some
zucchini)
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Day 6:
- Breakfast: Eggs (scrambled) and pear sauce
- Lunch: Leftover chicken patties and zucchini
- Dinner: Broiled steak, butternut squash sauce, and grape gelatin
Day 7:
- Breakfast: Eggs (different than previous day), zucchini, and
Welchs 100% Grape Juice (or apple cider) diluted 50/50 with
water
- Lunch: Leftover steak, butternut squash sauce, and apple sauce
- Dinner: Broiled pork chops, carrot sauce, spinach and gelatin
This should give you a good idea of how this works over time. Its time to
take off the training wheels and let you try to peddle while I hold the seat.
Keep up more of the same for Week 3, and try to introduce acorn squash,
banana, and some spices such as cinnamon on your squash or carrots.
When you have built up your portfolio with the majority of Phase 1 foods,
begin to transition into Phase 2 items. Add in the Phase 2 items just as in
Phase 1, and continue into all five phases over time. Remember to focus on
the vegetables first. They are much more important to your healing progress
than the fruits. As you continue to add items in Phase 2, you continue to
build your safe zone of easy-to-digest foods. Building this platform is what
prepares you for Phase 3 foods, which are much harder to digest for most
people. If you use this simple formula for introducing foods, you will build
your own custom SCD diet. Some of the foods may not digest well for you;
each person is different. If you run into a food reaction, dont panic. Just
back up to where you were before that food, wait 3 to 4 days, and then pick a
new food to try.
Experiment with different foods and enjoy the process as you grow and heal.
Once you have some good, customized safe zone foods, your healing will be
well on its way. As you get farther along, you learn to settle into a routine
with your favorite foods and youll be amazed at the quality of SCD-legal
food and the endless possibilities for delicious recipes. You are not
relegated to a life of monotony, but to build your custom diet you must take
it slow. Try different spice combinations to keep things interesting if
needed.
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Soak up all the knowledge I have put together for you in the meat selection
chapter and the fruit and veggie chapter. In later chapters I will address your
concerns as you turn this diet into a lifestyle and incorporate optimization
techniques. Use this book as a guide and refer to the later chapters often to
help you through the mental roadblocks that can and will surface. Its here
to help you settle into the diet for the long haul and normalize your life.
Keep journaling every day, read your compass, and make sure youre not
lost in the fog! You have made it almost 30 days on the diet already without
even blinking. Always think about how far you have come and not the road
ahead!
Key Points
Read through Phasing into the SCD Diet! This guide is the secret to
surviving the first 90 days of the SCD diet and beyond. Know it, understand
it, and put it up on your fridge.
Rule of thumb is four days! Introduce new foods slowly, giving yourself
four days to really understand and diagnose any reactions they might cause
before moving on. This is one of the most important steps you can follow in
our book do it without exceptions (while Elaine didnt discuss this in
BTVC, we feel strongly that it will help identify reactions to new foods more
easily).
Phenols! Understand the phenol ratings and how the fruits and veggies are
laid out in the chart so you can introduce them from low to high. Your
journaling will help you be aware of any effect that phenols might have on
your body.
Hit the grocery store again! Sit down and plan out your meat selection for
the week to save time and money. Head to the store and make sure you have
everything you need to execute Week 1.
Go through Week 1! Week 1 will transition you slowly from the Intro Diet
into a more solid foundation of foods that you know are good to you.
Follow the sample menu and fit it into your lifestyle and diet execution.
Take it slow and introduce two new items.
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foreign objects. Bottom Line: Rotate your meats every four days and
vary the way you cook them as much as possible.
With those points in mind, you should work on building a rotation of beef,
chicken, turkey, fish, and pork. Any kind of fish will work, and changing
your selection frequently will also keep things fresh. I rotate between
salmon, mahi mahi, cod, and tuna. If you are concerned about mercury
content, salmon has the lowest rating, with cod, tuna, and mahi mahi rated
just slightly higher6. Ground turkey is a great selection because you can
cook it in all the same ways you cook ground beef, and it provides a
completely different taste and experience. In addition, any wild game meats
that you have access to will taste incredible as substitutes in your rotation. I
frequently rotate venison into my diet, as I have a freezer full every fall here
in Michigan.
If you can afford it, the health benefits of meats from animals on which
antibiotics and growth hormones are not used are well documented. When it
comes to buying fish, look for wild-caught rather than farm-raised. Taking
it a step further, buying beef from grass-fed cows helps immensely. Your
liver is going to be working overtime while it filters out toxins and other bad
chemicals from your body. The last thing you want to do is eat meats that
make your liver work harder.
While the cost will be the final deciding factor, it is important to remember
that this is not money wasted. Each piece of food you put into your body
should be viewed as an investment in your future health. If cost is going to
be a major factor when picking out food, the health costs of eating lowerpriced meats are much higher than those of eating the cheapest, massproduced meats. So while organic, non-antibiotic, non-hormonal meats may
seem to break your bank, think about how they may be breaking your gut. If
you cant afford the higher-priced meats, then just buy what you can and
concentrate on getting better. Bottom Line: Buy good quality meats from
your trusted local butcher when you can they are worth the
investment in your health. Mix up your meats as often as possible, try
to eat fish at least twice a week, and incorporate any wild game you can
find in between the normal diet meats of beef, chicken, turkey and pork.
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/fishmercury.htm
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Now lets put it all together. Pick a day of the week to be your mealplanning day. I usually complete this task right before I head to the grocery
store to stock up for the week ahead. I use a dry erase board posted on my
refrigerator, and write down what meat I will be eating on each day of the
week, spacing the meats at least four days apart. I note the way I am going
to cook it alongside the entry. You can get yourself a dry erase board or
simply use a sheet of paper with a magnet, but plan it all out so that you can
buy the right amounts and varieties of meats when you get groceries. It
might look something like this:
Sunday: Baked chicken thighs
Monday: Baked salmon
Tuesday: Sauted pork chops
Wednesday: Grilled T-bone steaks
Thursday: Broiled turkey burgers
Friday: Baked mahi mahi
Saturday: Sauted chicken breast
Even though I eat these meats on a four-day rotation, I generally eat the
same meat again the next day for lunch. I buy and cook twice what I would
normally cook for dinner so Ill have the leftovers to take with me to work
for lunch the next day. Most of us have jobs and need to operate under this
system to stay on the SCD diet with some level of sanity. It follows the
four-day rotation principle because youre eating the meat again in such a
short window that it is still in your system.
If you are in a position to make fresh lunches every day, then take the meat
rotation to another level and try not to have the same meat for lunch the next
day. For the rest of us, buy twice what you need to make and capitalize on
the time-saving benefits of leftovers. The SCD diet is time-consuming
enough as it is, and some compromises must be made. Bottom Line: Plan
out your meals to save time and money, and stay organized to excel on
this diet!
Quick tip: Since you will be buying all your meats for the week and freezing
them, move your meats from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before
you need them. Then they will be ready to go when its time to make
dinner. Make it a habit, and it will save you a lot of time.
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If you want to start feeling better relatively quickly on the SCD diet, it is
very important that you limit your fat intake at first, but only until you start
taking some digestive enzymes. With intestinal injury and inflammation,
normal digestive processes involving bile salts and PH level are all out of
whack, and until you get those corrected (for instance, by taking digestive
enzymes), you might find that you struggle with fats. But fats are important
for healthy nutrition and healing, so start out broiling your meats to lower
the fat, but get going on some digestive enzymes so you can move on! For
more info on digestive enzymes and where to get some check out page 145.
The variety of your cooking methods will expand as you progress through
the diet, but initially you are stuck with broiling and boiling. The reason for
this is to prevent the meat from absorbing all the fat it releases during the
cooking process. Broiling is the best method, and it is easy. Simply preheat
the oven to the broil setting and use the broiler pan (one comes with most
ovens, so most people already have one lying around). NOTE: During
Phase 1, baking of meats is allowed if you use a broiler pan to allow the fat
to drain off. A lower cooking temperature, usually 350 F, is used in
baking.
If it is warm out, grilling is a great option because it allows all those
byproducts to fall onto the hot coals, and grilled foods taste great (a George
Foreman grill is an option, however they are very small).
Using a crockpot to slow-cook meats such as the chicken soup we all eat
during the Intro Diet is a great way to make a meal. Most meats can be
cooked in a crockpot to make a stew concoction. The most important step is
to skim the fat layer from the top after it has chilled in the refrigerator.
Taking the time to do this step correctly makes stew a very easy-to-digest
and great-tasting meal. If you prefer non-electric appliances, try cooking
your food in a large ceramic casserole in the oven.
When you progress to Phase 2, you can begin to bake, and then Phase 3
allows for some sauting. The difference is in the amount of fat that you
consume along with the meat.
Spices are a great way to vary the flavor of your meats. When just starting
the Intro Diet, it is important to limit them to only salt and pepper. Using
pre-ground black pepper is sufficient, but pepper freshly ground in a pepper
mill will really enhance the flavor of your meats. There are many spices
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allowed on the SCD diet, however there are some special considerations to
keep in mind.
Make sure to check spices for synthetic anti-caking agents. These additives
can cause major problems in a compromised gut. It is safe to assume that
unless you get written testimonial from a company to the contrary, all spice
combinations contain anti-caking agents. For example, spice mixtures such
as curry powders and chili powders, unless verified, contain anti-caking
agents to keep them from clumping because of all the spices mixed into
them. Most garlic and onion powders are not SCD-legal because they are
notorious for clumping and usually contain anti-caking agents. Read the
labels. There are some higher-end spice companies that will provide written
proof that their powders do not contain illegals, and many brands available
at health food stores are made without additives. Making your own
homemade garlic or onion powder is fairly easy and tastes much better. You
can find the recipes on the internet. There really arent any phases for
spices; you can start introducing them as soon as you like. However, they
should be respected and treated just like any new food. Adding a new spice
is adding a new variable into your diet and you should wait four days to
assess any reactions you may have.
Ground Beef
Phase 1 Ground beef is very versatile, and most people are familiar with
different ways to cook it. During Phase 1, I relied on burgers because they
were quick, easy, and tasted good. You can either broil them on a broiler
pan, or if the weather is right, grill them outside. Just remember to buy lean
burger, such as 90/10 sirloin. Bison is also a great alternative to beef. It is
more lean and easier to digest, with a slightly sweet taste, and it is becoming
more widely available.
To use the broiler, preheat the oven to the broil setting and cook the meat on
a broiler pan for about five minutes on each side on the top shelf so that its
only a few inches away from the heating element. The key to a good burger
is not to flip it more than once (it holds the moisture better that way).
Season with pepper, sea salt, and whatever spices you have tried and know
you can handle. If you have had any success with either cow or goat cheese
(SCD-legal, of course), then make sure to melt some on your burgers for a
nice taste and increased calories.
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Fish
Phase 1 Most of the fish I eat can all be cooked the same way, whether it
is salmon, mahi mahi, cod, or tuna. During Phase 1, you can either broil on
a broiler pan or, if the weather is right, grill outside. Broil for about 8-10
minutes on each side. Check to see if it is done by scraping a fork across the
top to ensure that it flakes. Season with pepper, sea salt, and whatever
spices you have tried and know you can handle. Again, if you can tolerate
it, add SCD-legal cow or goat butter for a calorie booster and additional
flavor. If you want to save on the clean up, cook the fish right on parchment
paper or foil and just throw that away when you are done.
Phase 2 During Phase 2, I started baking all my fish. It is a really easy
and quick way to make a meal. Just put the fish on a baking sheet (add a
layer of foil for easy clean-up), and preheat the oven to 425 F. Bake for 1012 minutes and use the flake test to make sure its done. Again, adding
SCD-legal butter or ghee will make all the difference in the world if you can
tolerate it. Season with pepper, sea salt, and whatever spices you have tried
and know you can handle.
Phase 3 The same as Phase 2, with oils added. You can work with olive
oil or, if you have started testing any of the nut oils such as almond oil, those
will taste great. They add more flavor and calories to the meat. I did not
work into sauting fish until later in the diet because of the large amount of
fat used in sauting. I simply add oils when baking to provide more calories
and a variety of flavors.
Chicken
Phase 1 Chicken breasts/thighs are extremely versatile and easy to cook.
During Phase 1, you can either broil them on a broiler pan or bake them in
the oven at 350 F on a broiler pan or, if the weather is right, grill outside.
Broil for about 10 minutes on each side. When baking, there is no need to
flip them. If the chicken breasts/thighs are frozen, cook for 30 minutes
longer. The key to a chicken breast/thigh is to keep the moisture in. Adding
water to the broiler pan steams the chicken while it is cooking, and provides
that moisture content youre looking for. Season with pepper, sea salt, and
whatever spices you have tried and know you can handle.
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You can also boil chicken breasts/thighs if you have a large enough skillet.
Put about " of water in the pan and let them cook at low to medium heat.
They will begin to darken when they are ready to flip. The key is to only
flip them once if you can. Let them cook about 10-15 minutes depending on
thickness. They are done when they are a dense white all the way through.
Chicken soup is another great option. Cut chicken breasts/thighs up into
bite-sized pieces and dump them into the crockpot. Fill it up with water and
add sea salt, spices, and some veggies (carrots and butternut squash are
great). Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. Always skim the fat
layer from the top of the soup before you serve it and double-check to see
that the meat is completely cooked. Remove the skin and bones before
serving and take out the veggies to pure them before you eat it.
Phase 2 During Phase 2, I expanded on the skillet cooking by first cooking
the chicken in " of water until it is almost done. Then dump out the water
and saut the outside just a bit to give the outer surface of the meat a bit of
crispiness.
At this stage, baking thighs or drumsticks is one of my favorite dinners.
Simply put all the pieces in a glass baking dish and preheat the oven to 425
F. Make sure to place them skin side up in the beginning. Cook them for 30
minutes, then take the pan out and flip each piece over. Cook them for
another 30 minutes. I wouldnt recommend eating much of the skin, but by
cooking them skin down for the last half hour, they get very crunchy and
provide a nice change of pace. This is a high-calorie, delicious meal. You
can also bake chicken breasts in a pan in the same fashion at 350 F for
about 30 minutes.
Phase 3 The same as Phase 2, with oils added. You can work with olive
oil butter, or ghee, or if you have started testing any of the nut oils such as
almond oil, those will taste great. They add more flavor and calories to the
meat. You can saut the chicken breasts in a skillet with just oil on medium
heat for 10-12 minutes on each side, or until browned. Either way, adding
the oils allows for variety of flavor, if you tolerate them well.
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Beef Steaks
Before I started rotating meats, I usually ate steak only at restaurants or
Sunday BBQs. But as I became aware of the health benefits of rotating
meats, and got sick of eating the same types of meats all the time, I decided
to dive into the confusing world of steak cuts. Due to the large variety of
cuts and sizes, shopping for steak can be intimidating. If youre a steak
aficionado, just skip down to Phase 1. However, if you dont know a flank
from a rib eye, and would rather not spend countless hours researching your
steak purchases, follow along. Note: This is intended to be a quick and dirty
guide to steak selection specific to the SCD diet. There are plenty of steak
gurus, and with a quick Google search you can bring up days of information.
General Knowledge: When selecting steak, there are three factors that
influence your choice: grade, marbling, and cut. Steak is assigned a grade
by the USDA during the slaughtering process to describe the quality of the
beef. You only need to be concerned with the grades prime, choice, and
select. Prime is the best, followed by choice and select. You will most
likely only find choice and select cuts in your local meat market, as prime
cuts are usually shipped to restaurants for fine dining and can be hard to
find.
Marbling refers to the amount of fat in the cut. In general, the leaner the cut,
or less marbled, the less flavor. During the first phases of the SCD diet,
when cooking techniques are limited and your gut isnt able to handle fats
well, use lean steaks. However, a well-marbled steak usually has a richer
flavor.
Cut selection is important, as different cuts are suited to certain cooking
techniques, and knowing how youre going to cook your steak determines
what cut to buy and makes shopping faster and easier. When grilling or
broiling, I usually go for a porterhouse or T-bone cut, which contain a bone,
and are near the fillet mignon and NY strip in the cow. The T-bone is the
porterhouses younger sibling, and is usually slightly less tender but, in turn,
more budget-friendly. If you prefer no bones, I would choose one of the
following: rib eye, NY strip or tenderloin. If youre looking to save yourself
some money, look for top sirloin or flank steak. These should be marinated,
pounded, and cut on a slant to get the best bang for your buck.
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The same choices apply to roasts; they are just cut thicker and are designed
for roasting.
Partially frozen steaks can be sliced paper thin in a food processor and used
in a stir-fry for a nice meal.
Quick tip: Pan-sauting a steak with a bone in it is not recommended, as the
bone causes the meat to cook unevenly.
Slow cooking Slow cooking steak can produce some wonderful meals that
I really enjoy, not to mention the time saved and the easy clean-up. When
cooking a pot roast in the crockpot, look for a steak cut that has blade or
chuck in the name. Bottom rounds work also, though theyre not quite as
tasty. If you get confused, just grab the ugliest, cheapest cut you can find.
Quick tip: Once your health has progressed enough to allow for pan-frying,
first pan-sear all sides of the roast in a dry pan so that it has a nice, brown
exterior. This causes an enzyme reaction in the outer layers of meat that
releases more flavor later in the slow cooker.
Phase 1 Ease into steak slowly, because the fat content of steak can result
in an intense digestion process for your gut. I love a good T-bone, and
hopefully, after trying a couple of different cooking methods, you will fall in
love with a particular steak cut, too.
During Phase 1, you can either broil steak on a broiler pan or, if the weather
is right, grill outside. Broil for about 3-10 minutes on each side. Cooking
time varies drastically, depending on the thickness, cut of your steak, and
desired doneness. Keep an eye on it for decent browning, and flip it when
its nicely browned. Flip it only once to keep the moisture locked in.
Doneness depends the level of pink that youre comfortable with; check
doneness by cutting into the middle to see how much pink is left. Season
with pepper, sea salt, and whatever spices you have tried and know you can
handle.
Beef stew or pot roast tastes great as well. For a stew, cut up your steak into
bite-sized pieces and put them into the cooker. Fill it up with water and add
sea salt, spices, and some veggies (carrots and butternut squash are great).
Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. Always skim the fat layer
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from the top of the stew before you serve it, and double-check to see that the
meat is completely cooked.
For a braised roast, just put the entire hunk of meat into the slow cooker. Be
very careful when adding the water. Add only as much water as is needed
during the cooking process to keep the meat from sticking to the cooker. If
you are going to set it and forget it, better to start with 2-3 cups of water and
adjust downward the next time you cook it, if needed. Season as desired,
leaving the vegetables out. The slower, 8-hour cooking time results in a
more flavorful roast.
Quick tip: When using the braising technique for your pot roast, verify that
the cover of your cooker has a secure seal. You want to keep as much
natural moisture in as possible to avoid having to add liquids later.
Phase 2 During Phase 2, I didnt change much except I started to dry pansear my roasts before putting them into the slow cooker. I found that baking
removes much of the moisture from beef, but youre more than welcome to
experiment with it. Season with pepper, sea salt, and whatever spices you
have tried and know you can handle.
Phase 3 The same as Phase 2, with oils added. You can work with olive
oil butter, or ghee, or if you have started testing any of the nut oils such as
almond oil, those will taste great. They add more flavor and calories to the
meat. You can begin sauting your steaks in a skillet on medium heat with
oils added. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the cut, so just watch
for browning. Do your best to flip it only once. Steak tastes amazing when
sauted properly. Season with pepper, sea salt, and whatever spices you
have tried and know you can handle.
As you progress into the later phases, you can start trying some marinating
techniques. Fresh lime or dry wine makes a great marinade for your steak.
Put your steak in a plastic freezer bag and add the juice of about 5-6 fresh
limes, or some dry wine, and your favorite salts and peppers. You want to
have enough marinade in the bag so that the steak is fully coated on all sides.
(This does not mean it needs to be submerged.) Leave it in the refrigerator
for at least a hour and no longer than 1 hours. The lime juice or wine
will break down the steak and add some amazing flavors. Feel free to
experiment with other flavors like honey or more spices. Just remember to
keep it fresh and SCD-legal (no store-bought, pre-made marinades). It
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seems everyone I meet has their favorite marinade, and Im sure with a little
experimentation you will find your own SCD-legal version. Cook marinated
meat in the same ways; the marinade just makes it more flavorful and tender.
Turkey (Breast and Ground)
Phase 1 Utilizing turkey meat is a great way to mix up your meat rotation.
You can buy turkey breasts or ground turkey, and it will provide a nice
change of pace. Cook ground turkey exactly the same as you would ground
beef. Cook turkey breasts exactly the same as you would chicken breasts.
Season with pepper, sea salt, and whatever spices you have tried and know
you can handle.
Phase 2 During Phase 2, you can begin baking the turkey breasts just like
the chicken breasts, and sauting the ground turkey just as you would ground
beef. Turkey burgers cooked this way are amazing. You can also just
brown the ground turkey in the skillet for whatever recipes you are going to
experiment with.
Quick Tip: To add more calories at breakfast, try making your own turkey
sausage patty to mix into your breakfast menus. I use a recipe from the
Yahoo! Groups that looks something like this (you can use any kind of
ground meat that you would like):
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and poke holes through it. Bake it at 300 F for about 2 hours and check the
temperature. It is done when it reaches 165 F. Cut it up into patties and
freeze them for a great breakfast treat.
Phase 3 The same as Phase 2, with oils added. You can work with olive
oil, butter, or ghee, or if you have started testing any of the nut oils such as
almond oil, those will taste great. They add more flavor and calories to the
meat. You can saut turkey breasts in a skillet with just oil on medium heat
for 10-12 minutes on each side or until browned. Either way, adding the oils
allows for variety of flavor, if you tolerate them well.
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Key Points
Rotate your meats! Avoiding allergic reactions and boring my taste buds
was enough to get me to use this method. Dont overdo it on familiar meats,
especially in the beginning, and be willing and excited to experiment.
Take it to the next level! If you can afford it, buy non-hormone-injected and
antibiotic-free meats to give your liver a break. Otherwise, just make do
with what you can, as they can be expensive.
Plan your meals! Write out your meat rotation at the start of each week,
preferably right before you go get groceries, and post it on your refrigerator.
Then follow your menu and get your meat out of the freezer the night before,
so it is thawed and ready to cook at dinner time the next day (or the previous
morning to be ready for slow-cooking the next morning). It will save you a
lot of time and energy.
Use leftovers! Double the meat you cook at dinner and take the rest for
lunch the next day. It will keep you focused and honest with the diet, and
save you a lot of time and money in the long run. Because it takes quite a
while for foods to completely process through your system, eating meats for
dinner and the following day for lunch will still allow you to follow a fourday rotation cycle because you are eating the meat again while it is still in
your system.
Get digestive enzymes in your life! Digestive enzymes are critical to helping
you heal your damaged gut in the beginning. Autoimmunity and
inflammation mess with the complicated pieces of the digestion puzzle and
more than likely youre going to need a little help. Get a hold of some SCDlegal digestive enzymes and start taking them. They will help immensely as
your body breaks down fats and proteins.
Experiment! Cooking meats differently is fun and a great learning
experience. Change it up as you progress through the phases and try
different things. It will keep your taste buds on their toes and give you some
confidence in your ability to survive this diet. Follow the basic outline I
have provided here and work through it to find your own tips and tricks.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/science/13micro.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/beginners_guide/yoghurt/yog_importance.htm
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http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/beginners_guide/yoghurt/yog_faq.htm
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for 15 minutes and then set it in cold or ice water (or the refrigerator)
until the temperature goes down to 100 F or less.
3. Take 1 cup of the milk out of the pot and pour it into a new container.
Add 1/8 teaspoon of the GI ProStarter for every 2 quarts (or
equivalent of your preferred starter). Whisk the milk well so that
everything is dissolved.
4. Add this back into to the original pot. Whisk the full batch well to
ensure the starter is completely dissolved.
5. Pour the batch into the container for your yogurt starter.
6. In my case, I add 2 cups of room temperature water to my Yogourmet
Yogurt Maker before I put the batch container in the unit. This allows
the container to float in water and evenly distribute the heat.
7. Plug in your yogurt maker in an out-of-the-way area of your house
where the temperature will not change during the fermentation (for
instance, not next to the stove where you will be cooking).
8. Ferment for at least 24 hours and no more than 28 hours.
9. Unplug the yogurt maker and carefully place the yogurt batch
container in the refrigerator for 8 hours. The yogurt has live cultures
that are very sensitive to movement until everything is set up. Once it
has set up for 8 hours, stir gently and serve cold. It will stay fresh for
3 weeks, however the good bacteria will start dying after the second
week.
For pictures of how to make traditional stove-top yogurt, visit Elaines
website here.
How to Save Time Making Yogurt
1. Pour 2 quarts of milk into a 2.5 quart glass bowl. Place the bowl in
the microwave and heat on high for 10 to 15 minutes until the milk
reaches 180 F. Everyones microwave is different and it may take a
couple of batches to figure out your specific time, but mine is 14
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minutes. The first time you try this it is a good idea to heat it for 10
minutes and check the temperature, then continue heating in 1 minute
intervals until you reach 180 F (Note: You do not need to start over if
you accidently heat the milk too hot)
2. Remove the bowl from the microwave and allow it to cool uncovered,
but be careful as the bowl will be very hot. Stir it occasionally and
check the temperature. Once it has reached about 100 F, it is ready
to go. It usually takes around 1 to 1 hours to cool, but this time
will vary depending on your room temperature.
3. Once the milk has cooled, a separated layer of milk will have formed
at the top of the bowl. This layer will make your yogurt lumpy, so
remove it by pouring the milk from the bowl through a fine mesh
strainer and into the Yogourmet container. Discard any clumps that
are caught in the strainer.
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up to 3 weeks, however the good bacteria will start dying after the
second week.
Cant Do Dairy? How to Make Non-Dairy Yogurt
1. Pour 4 cups of water into a blender. Add 2 cups of blanched
almonds (or 2 cups of blanched almond flour) and 2 tablespoons
of honey. Set the blender at a low speed for 10 minutes.
2. Let the mixture settle for about 3 minutes with some gentle stirring.
3. Add room-temperature water until you have 2 quarts (half all
ingredients for 1 quart).
4. Blend the mixture again for a couple of minutes and check the
temperature. It has to cool to below 77 F to be ready for yogurt.
5. Add 1/8 teaspoon of the GI ProStarter for every 2 quarts (or
equivalent of your preferred starter) and blend gently to ensure it is
mixed.
6. Add the mixture to the batch container.
7. In my case, I add 2 cups of room-temperature water to my Yogourmet
Yogurt Maker before I add the batch container into the unit. This
allows the container to float in water and evenly distribute the heat.
8. Plug in your yogurt maker in an out-of-the-way area of your house
where the temperature will not change during the fermentation (for
instance, not next to the stove where you will be cooking).
9. Ferment for at least 9 hours and no more than 12 hours.
10. Unplug the yogurt maker and carefully place the yogurt batch
container in the refrigerator for 8 hours. The yogurt has live cultures
that are very sensitive to movement until everything is set up. Once it
has set up for 8 hours, stir gently and serve cold. It will stay fresh for
2-3 weeks.
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- Put the strainer setup in the fridge and wait. For goat milk yogurt wait
6-8 hours. For cow milk yogurt wait 2-4 hours. The longer you let it
drip, the thicker the texture will become.
- After letting it drip for several hours, take it out of the fridge and
scrape your new batch of yogurt from your filter into another container. I
like to use a spatula to scrape the yogurt off the filter. Dump out the fluid
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drippings and put in a new filter and you will be all set to drip your
remaining yogurt.
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the flavor, I figured it would be a good idea to share some tips that can spice
up your yogurt experience.
Especially if you go with the goat milk yogurt, try dripping it for a more
pleasant and convenient consistency. Goat milk naturally makes yogurt that
is runnier than what most people are used to. This texture turned me off at
first until I started dripping it. When you drip yogurt you will end up with a
much thicker and less tart yogurt.
I usually add some kind of flavor to my yogurt. A couple of very simple
ideas are to add vanilla extract, almond extract, or cinnamon (beware of
added illegal ingredients in extracts). I also occasionally add honey to
sweeten it up if it is too tart.
My favorite way to eat yogurt is to add some fruit along with vanilla extract.
Any fruit appropriate to the phase of the diet you are in will do, like fresh
bananas or cooked pears. I also like to make smoothies with the yogurt. My
favorite smoothie is made with frozen banana chucks with cup of DCCC,
a squeeze from the honey bottle, and a little bit of vanilla extract. There are
countless smoothie recipes out there, and almost any combination of fruit
and honey will make a very delightful breakfast. Bottom Line: Making
yogurt is a learning experience, just like the SCD diet. It is a skill you
will learn by doing so dont be afraid to try new things!
Key Points
Dont wait too long to start making the yogurt! Get started soon to help
advance the diet, but try not to introduce anything else new during the first
week of trying the yogurt, so that you can get a clear picture of your reaction
to it, if any.
Order a yogurt maker! Dont try to make the yogurt on the stove or any of
the other complicated ways you may be able to find. Keep it simple; you
cant go wrong with the Yogourmet Multi Yogurt Maker.
Buy a yogurt starter! Decide on diary or dairy-free, and get it ordered. If
you want dairy-free like I use, then get online and order the GI ProStart.
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Choose your milk! Cow, goat, or nut-based milk all work fine. Goat milk is
the best for your body, cow milk is the best for your wallet, and if you react
to dairy, nut-based milk is the way to go. Make small batches until you
know which yogurt you can tolerate.
Follow the recipe! It really is easy. Start during the early evening after
dinner and in a couple of hours it will be ready for the yogurt maker. The
next evening it will be ready for the refrigerator and, after cooling overnight,
you can start eating it for breakfast the next morning.
Enjoy it! It tastes great. Add it to any of your fruit sauces or simply mix in
some honey or SCD-legal extracts. Remember what Elaine says about
starting with smaller amounts and working up to at least 1 cup a day, but no
more than 3 cups a day. It is really powerful stuff.
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Acorn Squash
Acorn squash is labor-intensive to prepare, but it tastes great and adds
variety to your vegetable choices. Note: See buttercup squash for another
way to prepare acorn squash.
Pros: Makes a lot of food, very good for you, good bang for your buck
Cons: Labor-intensive to prepare, lots of steps to complete, difficult to peel
- Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, drop in the acorn squash, and
roll it around a few times while it boils for about 5 minutes, so all
sides get equal heat. (The purpose of flash-boiling is to make it
softer for the steps ahead.)
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- Cut each half into " wide rings and discard the sections at each
end.
- Using a very sharp chefs knife, cut the skin off while rotating the
ring around in your hand.
- Now you have all the rings left with no skin on them.
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- Fill the food processor about full, add water, and pure.
- Transfer each batch into a food container and serve it up with sea
salt and pepper.
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Apples
Apples are very quick and easy to prepare.
Pros: Easy to peel and cut, cook in an hour or so, make a lot of food
Cons: Can be high in phenols and tend to boil over
- Begin by peeling the skin off the apple with your swivel peeler
around the middle section all the way around (or use an apple
peeler machine if you have access to one).
- Peel the top and bottom as close to the stem as you can.
- Once all the apples are peeled, cut the four sides off of the apple
while holding on to the center section.
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- Fill the pan with water just to the top of the apples.
- Boil on medium heat.
- They take roughly 45 minutes to 1 hours, depending on how ripe
they are.
- Watch the pot well! The sugars in the apples tend to foam up the
water, and they will want to boil over without some strategic
stirring every 20 minutes or so.
- Do the fork test to see when they are done. Apples usually darken
and appear almost see-through when they are done, and tend to
crumble apart on your fork.
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Asparagus
Asparagus is full of nutrients and very quick to prepare. This is one of my
favorite quick veggies when they are in season.
Pros: Easy to prepare and pure
Cons: Take longer to cook and can be tough to digest
- Wash the asparagus in water.
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- Remove the bottom of the stalks because they dont cook well and
are tough to digest. Make a cut about a 1 inches up from the
bottom and throw that part away.
- Cut the rest of the stalk in half to get them into smaller sections for
cooking.
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- Fill the food processor way up with asparagus and the rest of the
way with water, and pure.
- Pour each batch into a large food container.
Avocado
Raw avocado is a great quick snack that provides a nice infusion of calories.
Its one of my favorites.
Pros: Very quick, can take them anywhere, taste great
Cons: Can cause gas, so be aware of that
- Grab the avocado lengthwise and slide a knife in until you hit the
seed in the center.
- Rotate the knife around the seed until the avocado is cut all the
way around, and pull the two halves apart gently (twisting helps).
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- Pop the seed out and simply squeeze the skin to get out the edible
part, and place in a bowl. Repeat with the other side.
- Take a knife and a fork and slice the sections into small pieces.
- Finish mashing up the pieces with a fork and youre all set.
- Season with sea salt and pepper. If youre handling honey well,
mix some in it tastes amazing!
- If you cant finish it all, stirring in some lime juice will prevent it
from turning black in the refrigerator.
Buttercup Squash
Buttercup squash is relatively easy to prepare and cook. It is a close relative
to acorn squash but has a less-nutty, smooth taste. It can be prepared as
below or as in the method outlined in the acorn squash section.
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- Turn on the oven and set the temperature for 425 F degrees. Get
out a flat baking sheet, like a cookie sheet with raised edges or a
glass dish.
- Using a spoon, carve out the seeds from the middle of the squash.
- Flip the halves of squash face down and put them into the oven to
bake for 45 minutes. Sometimes it can help to add a little bit of
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water in the bottom of the pan (if theres room) to keep them
moist.
- Flip each one over after 45 minutes and leave them in for another
15 minutes. When they are finished, spoon the squash out into a
food processor and add water to pure.
Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is a veggie that takes a little more effort to prepare, but it
makes a lot of food for the cost.
Pros: Makes a lot of food, very good for you, good bang for your buck
Cons: Labor-intensive to prepare, slimy and awkward to peel
- Peel the skin off the squash with your swivel peeler by holding one
end of the squash and peeling lengthwise. It will be tough to get a
nice slice going, so put extra pressure on the rear blade and it will
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cut much more smoothly. Rotate around the center section until
the middle is all clear.
- Peel the top and bottom as close to the stem as you can.
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- Cut up the wedges into small pieces and place them in a large pot.
- Stand up the other half of the squash and make many lengthwise
cuts to form similar wedges.
- Cut the wedges into smaller pieces and add them to the pot.
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Carrots
Carrots are the foundation of the Intro Diet and a very easy food to digest.
Pros: Easy to peel and cut, makes a lot of food, easy to digest
Cons: Take 4 hours to cook easy to forget about and burn
- Hold one end of the carrot and peel lengthwise until its peeled all
the way around. Then switch and hold the other end to peel whats
left.
- Cut the ends off and then slice them into 1 chunks.
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- Dump them into a large pot, fill it all the way up with water, and
cook on medium heat. Most of the water will burn off, so it needs
to be checked on and stirred, and water needs to be added every 45
minutes for 4 hours.
- Fill the food processor way up with carrots and the rest of the
way with water. Carrots dont pure very easily, so dont put too
many in, and use a lot of water to help keep things from getting too
thick.
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Cucumbers
Cucumbers are slightly labor-intensive to prepare, but they are pretty easy to
digest and taste great.
Pros: Make a lot of food, great bang for your buck, very easy to peel
Cons: Labor-intensive to prepare and to remove the seeds
- Peel the skin off each cucumber.
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- Get each cucumber as peeled as you can with no dark green spots
left.
Keep the two halves together and make a second cut 90 degrees
from the other one to create 4 quarters.
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- Hold a quarter in the palm of your hand and run the knife across
the top to remove all the seeds from the quarter.
- With the seeds removed, slice 1 long chunks into a pot of boiling
water or, in this case, a steamer.
- Let them boil or steam for approximately 1 hour or until they are
transparent and very soft.
- Fill the food processor about full, add water, and pure.
- Transfer each batch into a food container and serve it up with sea
salt and pepper.
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Green Beans
Green beans are relatively easy to prepare and cook. They dont pure that
well, so at times they can be more difficult to digest.
- Dump them into a pot, fill it with water, and cook them on medium
heat. Depending on ripeness, they can take up to 1 hours to be
thoroughly cooked, so check on them every 30 minutes or so and
stir, then add more water. Beans are very fibrous and can be hard
to digest for some people. Cooking them until they are well done
the first time you eat them is a good way to assess your tolerance.
Later, when you try them again, feel free to cook them for less
time and make them slightly crunchy if you like that kind of
texture.
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- When they are done cooking, they are very wrinkly and soft.
- Fill the food processor way up with green beans and the rest of
the way with water, and pure.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a nightshade and can cause reactions in people who have
severely damaged guts, so treat them with respect. There are many types of
SCD-legal mushrooms, but Ive found mini bella mushrooms to have the
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best taste and price combination. However, feel free to experiment with
white mushrooms, portabella mushrooms, or any other available
mushrooms. Mushrooms bought in supermarkets usually come whole or
pre-washed and sliced. To wash whole mushrooms, gently scrub the outside
of the mushrooms and lay them on a paper towel to dry. Then slice to your
desired thickness. You can also quarter them or dice them depending on the
dish your making.
- Once your pan is preheated, put the mushrooms in and use a spoon
or spatula to stir them occasionally.
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- When they are done cooking, they will be smaller in size and
golden brown to dark brown depending on how done you would
like them. Cooking time for golden brown is about 10 minutes; try
20 minutes to get a deep, caramelized brown.
Pears
Pured pears are my favorite to make, and theyre easy. They cook fast and
pure the best.
Pros: Easy to peel and cut, cook in an hour or so, low in phenols, make a lot
of food
Cons: Successful cooking is subject to how ripe they are (the riper they are,
the better they cook and pure)
- Peel the skin off the pears with your swivel peeler around the
middle section all the way around first.
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- Peel the top and bottom as close to the stem as you can.
- Once all the pears are peeled, cut the four sides off of them while
holding on to the center section.
- Fill the pan with water just to the top of the pears.
- Boil on medium heat and stir about every 20 minutes or so.
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- Do the fork test to see when they are done. Pears usually darken
and appear almost see-through when they are done, and tend to
crumble apart on your fork.
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Pineapple
There are a lot of steps to go through to prepare pineapple, but it cooks
quickly and tastes great when added as a topping on any meat, or just as a
snack.
Pros: Makes a lot of food, tastes great on any meat, very sweet taste
Cons: Lots of steps to get processed, somewhat tough to digest, expensive
- Snap off the top of the pineapple.
- Cut each end off the pineapple (tough to cut, push hard).
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- Split the 4 quarters into 8 pieces right down the middle of the Vcut.
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- Grab each piece in one hand and run your knife along the inside of
the skin to remove the hard surface so youre left with just the
meat.
- Add them to a pot and fill it with water. Cook on medium heat for
45 minutes to 1 hours. The ripeness of the pineapple will affect
the cooking time. Check it with a fork. It will not get as soft as
other fruits you cook, but it will still pure just fine.
- Fill your food processor full and add water. Pineapple pures
very nicely.
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- Using a sharp knife, start slicing from the leaf end of the spinach,
make a cut every 1 so that the spinach leaves are now strips. Stop
when you reach the stems. These are hard and not very edible.
Throw them away.
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- Scrape off the skin with a fork or dunk it in cold water long enough
to make it easy to pull the skin off with your fingers.
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- Cut each tomato by holding the center section and cutting all four
sides from it, leaving the thin center section with the stem to
discard. (If the stem is soft and pink, rather than tough and white,
you can use all of the tomato.)
- Place all the pieces in a pot on medium heat with just enough water
to cover the tomatoes. You will be boiling all the water off to
make the paste.
- Every 10 minutes or so, whisk the paste with a fork to break up the
chunks as they cook.
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- When most of the water has boiled off from the paste, dump it into
your food processor.
- Work the liquid through the strainer by pushing it with the bottom
of a spoon.
- When youre done, you will have mostly seeds left in the strainer
(they can be discarded).
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- Scrape the rest of the paste from the bottom of the strainer and add
it to the other. This is a nice paste for adding to any meat.
Zucchini
Zucchini can be prepared in exactly the same way as cucumber on page 138.
Follow those instructions as the two veggies are very similar.
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I cant stress enough the importance of making enough food at dinner time
so that you can pack your lunch to eat the following day. Taking the time to
follow this pattern every day will allow the SCD diet to integrate seamlessly
with your work life. If your co-workers ask you anything about your food,
just say something along the lines of, Yeah, I am on a weird diet for a while
because of some food allergies I am experiencing. It is extremely healthy
and if you ever want to know more about it, let me know. Since I have been
on it, I feel incredible. I have found that this usually satisfies their curiosity
and puts the ball in their court to find out more, but most do not ask again.
Giving them just enough information to let them know that you are not
trying to exclude yourself, but are doing it for health reasons, is all that is
needed. As the information about different digestive diseases spreads, many
people will think of you as a strong person for making positive changes to
help your body. Bottom Line: Always eat your leftovers for lunch the
next day; make enough food the night before (just make sure to rotate
the food at least four days after the next days lunch meal)!
Believe me, I have attended some very high-class meetings with catered
lunches, and I just hauled in my big, ugly, red cooler, asked for a
microwave, and proceeded to eat some leftover pork tenderloin on a paper
plate! People are very understanding when you feed their curiosity a little; it
has not affected my career in any way.
If your workplace is a very social place, and business is frequently
conducted at restaurants, dont be afraid to go right along and bring your
own food. I have never had a problem explaining to the matre d that, My
co-workers and I will be having a lunch meeting here and providing you
with a lot of business. It is important that I attend. However, I have a lot of
food allergies so I have to bring my own food. I trust that it will be fine if I
heat it up and join my colleagues? This always works, and the service staff
has always been great about accommodating me. Dont forget to chip in on
the tip, though. Bottom Line: Youre trying to heal your body to live a
long and healthy life. People will admire that. Dont be shy!
Elaine touched on outsourcing your food preparation many times in her talks
about the SCD. If time is your toughest roadblock, consider having
someone else prepare your foods. Elaine often refers to retired parents,
grandparents, or a treasured neighbor who would be willing to help you in
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exchange for some extra money. If this is an option for you, all you have to
do is print this manual and give them a copy so they can understand what
needs to be done to properly prepare your items for you. Provide them with
the kitchen tools they need and a menu for each week. The most ideal
arrangement would be to have them cook all your food in your kitchen,
because it will be SCD-ready and you wont have to worry about any crosscontamination of foods that you cannot have. Just make sure you trust them!
Bottom Line: If you can, outsource your cooking!
Its tough to save money on this diet. You will see an increase in your
grocery bill from the volume of meats youre eating, however you will see a
decrease in your eating out costs (it can be very difficult to find a place with
SCD-legal foods). If you take it to the next step and buy healthier meats and
organic fruits and veggies, it will be even more expensive. If you find meat
on sale, buy as much as you can fit in your freezer. Some of the big chain
membership stores such as Sams Club or Costco can provide a good avenue
for buying cheaper bulk meats. Both of these options require a membership
fee that you will make back very quickly with lower food costs. The only
drawback is they might not be organic, non-hormone, or non-antibiotic
meats.
Decide where you want to spread out your value. Make it a priority to get
organic fruits and veggies if you can afford it. Consider joining a local
grocery co-op so you can order your organic fruits and veggies at lower cost.
In warmer months, I get my fruits and veggies from the local farmers
market where I can find a deal (no overhead costs for them to transport the
foods). Local produce is also a better choice than store-bought because
fewer preservatives are used in the growing process, but it can be more
expensive, depending on where you go.
I also try to buy meat locally to save money. The more meat you can buy in
bulk, the cheaper it is. Seek out an organic farm with free range, nonhormone, non-antibiotic beef, pork, and chicken. Most of the time picking
up a quarter of a cow and whole chickens will save you a fortune in
processing costs. I usually cook one whole chicken a week and it saves
quite a bit of money over buying thighs or breasts, and you get more meat
for the money.
The initial expense of the cooking supplies and kitchen tools is also tough to
get around. Once you purchase them, you will be able to use them over the
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life of the diet and beyond, so they do pay for themselves. Consider this as
an investment in your long-term health that will compound over time into a
better life. In other words, its a necessary expense, so consider cutting back
in other areas. (Lets see, would I rather have cable or not be sick
anymore hmm.) Bottom Line: Save money where you can and spend
it on your diet as an investment in your long-term health.
SCD-Legal Foods
As you progress through the diet, you will become comfortable with how to
introduce new items to spice up and diversify your menu. Follow the
Phasing into the SCD Diet guidelines to know when to introduce new foods.
As you grow with the diet and wonder what is considered SCD-legal, I
encourage you to refer to the SCD-legal/illegal list from Elaines website.
Obviously, this is the most reliable source.
http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/legal/legal_illegal_a-c.htm
You can also search Google. For instance: SCD-legal tomato juice will
bring you to quite a few blogs and forums where others before you have
asked the same question. Make sure you feel comfortable with the persons
credibility before following any of their advice about what is SCD-legal and
what is not. When all else fails, getting a written statement directly from the
manufacturer is the best way to tell if a product is truly SCD-legal.
When in doubt, wait and check it out further!
Optimizing Your Health: You and Your Doctor
It is absolutely critical that you establish a relationship with a doctor while
youre following the SCD diet. Your body will undergo an incredible
change and you will have questions as things come up. The most important
step is to find a doctor who has heard of the SCD diet and supports your
decision to follow it. Dont be intimidated; I am sure youre full of
frustrations with your doctor up to this point anyway. Call your doctors
office and tell them, I am calling because I am going to be starting the
Specific Carbohydrate Diet to heal my digestive system. I wanted to touch
base with Dr. X to gauge his understanding of the diet and ask him some
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- Talk over getting a baseline blood test to see where your vitamin and
mineral levels are when you begin.
- Discuss seeing an allergist to explore what might be giving you
additional problems.
If your doctor can find you a good allergist in your area, you will be forever
grateful. There are some basic differences in allergists and the approach
they take to allergies and how they affect our bodies. There are two types of
allergic reactions: immediate (IgE) and cyclic (IgG). An immediate reaction
occurs directly after the food is eaten and is generally life threatening. Many
people with immediate allergic reactions cannot be anywhere near seafood
or peanuts, for example, without having a severe reaction. The cyclic type
of reaction is dependent upon how much of the food you eat and how often
you eat it. These are never life-threatening symptoms, but they do impact
your health negatively. If youre interested in getting tested, find an allergist
who uses the Serial Endpoint Titration (SET) testing method for the best
results.
It generally takes a food three to five days to leave your body. If a food that
is causing a reaction is eaten frequently, it will never clear out of your body,
depriving you of knowing just how good you could feel. Symptoms of these
types of reactions are: being tired, excessive fatigue, brain fog, runny nose,
sinus drainage, headache, mood swings, anxiety, body aches, sore throat,
and hyperactivity. If you can strive to rotate your foods every four days, you
can generally avoid the symptoms of these items building up in your body.
It can be difficult at first, but once youre advancing in the diet, the wide
array of food choices will enable you to implement the rotation.
Discovering you react poorly to a particular food and eliminating it can
drastically improve your life when you werent even aware that it was
bothering you.
Vitamins
Taking vitamins and supplements during the SCD diet can dramatically aid
in healing. I am not a doctor and I am just speaking from my personal
experience, but work with your doctor to determine whether my
recommendations are right for your personal situation. Supplements can
make a world of difference for some people, but for others they may cause
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more harm than good. There are a lot of different things to try out there, but
there are a couple things that can jump-start your healing on the diet. Those
three things are: vitamins, probiotics (especially if you arent eating the
yogurt), and digestive enzymes.
Refer to Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet for
information about what vitamins to take. I highly recommend you do take
the vitamins, especially if youre having reactions to dairy products. Freeda
makes some of the most widely used SCD-legal vitamins. You can buy
them from either www.freedavitamins.com (find them in their SCD products
section), or you can get them from Lucys Kitchen Shop at
www.lucyskitchenshop.com, a great SCD resource. I have taken all three of
the SCD-legal vitamins offered in the past: Multivitamin, B-Complex, and
Calcium Complete. These vitamins are free of everything you would ever
worry about. GI Pro Health has incredibly good quality vitamins and
supplements that are SCD-legal, and I am currently using all of their SCDlegal products. Spend some time on their site at www.giprohealth.com.
Bottom Line: Do research, talk to your doctor, and get some SCD-legal
vitamins!
Probiotics
I take probiotics in the form of Lactobacillus acidophilus, and I trust GI
ProHealth to provide it, the same folks that make a dairy-free yogurt starter.
They offer a dairy-free probiotic. They clearly identify all of their products
that are SCD-legal, and the one that I use is the SCD-legal Scdophilus 10+
which is 10 billion counts of the L. acidophilus bacteria. Again, you can
find the products here: http://www.giprohealth.com/. I cant say this
enough: talk this over with your doctor. The benefits of probiotics are well
documented and they can aid in healing the gut much faster than without
them. It is a great tool in your toolbox if you decide to use it. Bottom Line:
Do research, talk to your doctor, and get some SCD-legal probiotics!
Digestive Enzymes
Digestive enzymes are another tool that will help aid in digestion of foods
while your gut is healing. They can also promote cell re-growth within your
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intestinal lining10. Talk it over with your doctor and make sure it is right for
your situation. I take a GI ProHealth SCD-legal digestive enzyme called
ProZymes, available at www.giprohealth.com.
The biggest benefit from digestive enzymes comes from lipase, which helps
break down fats. Many people tell us that they struggle with digesting fats
in the beginning of the diet, most likely from the damage to their digestive
system. So starting out with a digestive enzyme that includes lipase can
dramatically improve your symptoms when you start the diet because it
ensures that you arent going to have trouble digesting fats. Bottom Line:
Do research, talk to your doctor, and get some digestive enzymes!
Quick Snacks, Calories, Energy, and Weight
It can be tough in the initial phases of the SCD diet to get enough calories,
especially if youre like me and cant tolerate dairy products. I would
encourage you to count the calories youre consuming in a day and keep
track of this in your journal. I experienced a weight loss of 25 lbs. during
the first two months on the diet, but I was able to work with my doctor and
bring my weight back up after I stabilized. To add calories in small ways
throughout the day, and to provide quick snacks:
- Begin to slowly integrate olive oil into your cooking during Phase 2 to
provide a nice calorie boost. If it goes well, ratchet it up during Phase
3.
- During Phases 2 and 3, begin to slowly introduce an almond or
macadamia nut oil to provide additional flavor, and rotate it with the
olive oil.
- If you cant tolerate foods made from cow milk, slowly try goat milk
cheddar cheese and goat milk butter. To remove impurities, heat it up
in the microwave and skim off the impurities on the top before adding
it to your foods.
10
http://www.enzymestuff.com/conditionleakygut.htm
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- During Phase 2, adding in raw avocado will give you a great highcalorie snack, but be aware that you may not be able to tolerate it
every day.
Implementing these tips will add calories and give you more energy
throughout the day. Be patient and let things settle down after the initial
shock of starting the diet. Once you are in a dietary routine, I highly
recommend you discuss an exercise routine with your doctor and start
immediately. If youre starting from nothing, even brisk walking for twenty
minutes each day will provide profound benefits. As you progress in your
healing process, talk with your doctor about trying some resistance training.
This will help you keep and add muscle that you may have lost during the
past years of sickness. Once again, always check with your doctor before
you begin any new exercise routine.
You are now eating an extremely healthy diet based on whole foods that
have not been processed, filling your body with new and better nutrients.
Capitalize on this effect by regaining and surpassing your previous fitness
levels, and it will make every area of your life better! Bottom Line: Do all
the little things to add calories, count them, and do some weight training
if youre up to it!
Note on Pre-made Foods:
Keep some canned tuna, bananas, and avocado stocked, as well as some
extra frozen cooked meat, fruits, and veggies in case of emergency. If for
some reason you run out of food, and something prevents you from
preparing more (like a hurricane), you will have a stash that will last you a
few days. I wrap cooked meats and vegetables in individual, single-serving
sizes, and keep them in the freezer. This allows me to have an SCD TV
dinner with the help of the microwave anytime I am short on time. This is
like having an emergency fund in your bank account its hard to fund it
initially, but you will be glad its there when you need it.
SCD-legal pre-packaged foods are a widely debated topic. The most
important thing to realize is that you have no control over a companys
manufacturing processes and they are going to make changes and decisions
to save money for their own interests, not to keep it SCD-legal in your
interests. While a letter from a company might be good for a little while,
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who knows how often they might change processes. I put together a short
list of some foods that you can buy in case of emergency, but I always
encourage making your own foods first and foremost because its the only
way to really be SCD-legal. You never know when you might need an
emergency backup if your power goes out, a weather disaster hits, or you are
laid up and cant cook. In that case, here are a couple of things that you can
use if you must:
- Find a decent canned tuna that contains only tuna, water, and salt (no
broth). Starkist Low Sodium Chunk Light and Very Low Sodium
Chunk White contain nothing but tuna, water, and salt.
- Shelton makes turkey and chicken products with non-hormone, nonantibiotic birds. They sell a canned chicken in water that is good to
have as backup and they also make a frozen turkey breakfast patty that
can be good for emergency meals.
Bottom Line: Have some prepared foods in the freezer but only for
an emergency!
Travel
When it comes to traveling, the SCD lifestyle can be a tough one to follow.
I have only traveled a few times on this diet, and I made it work without
much issue. If youre driving, just pack the cooler with pre-made meals that
will get you through your trip. Call ahead to your hotel and make sure you
will have access to a microwave (if not, take one). Most hotels have mini
refrigerators that you can rent per night. For longer trips, you can even bring
a small hot plate to boil foods and your food processor to pure them in your
room! Another option is to call around and find an extended stay hotel
that is geared toward business customers who are staying somewhere for a
long-term assignment. They are very nice, usually only a little more
expensive, and include a full-sized fridge, stove, and microwave in the
room!
If you are flying, you will want to bring quick snacks like banana, avocado,
and boiled eggs to make it through the trip. Call ahead to locate a health
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food store that carries what you need and a grocery store for meats, and take
written directions to both locations from the airport. Write down a meal
plan for each day so there will be no surprises. Again, verify that you will
have access to at least a microwave and a refrigerator, and then plan your
schedule so you have time to prepare your foods when you arrive. Pack an
extra suitcase for checked luggage that contains all your pots, pans, food
processor, silverware, and food containers. Dont let traveling interrupt your
diet. Just overcome the difficulties with proper planning. Bottom Line:
Proper planning makes traveling on the SCD diet a breeze!
Quick Tip: The last time I flew I was able to freeze containers of apple
sauce, pear sauce, and squash sauce and bring them on the plane in my
carry-on luggage. They are fine as long as there is no liquid and they are
completely frozen solid. Once I arrived at my destination I allowed them to
thaw out, and it bought me some time before I needed to run around getting
groceries and making new batches of food. It works great for keeping other
food cold as well, because you are not allowed to carry on ice or a cold gel
pack. Call the airline ahead of time and verify that this policy is still valid
before making plans, but it worked great for me!
How to Ensure Long-Term Success on the Diet
You will get better over time. Remember to always look back at how far
you have come, not how far you have left to go. When youre having bad
days, read through your journal and relish in your accomplishments. It has
been a long road and it will continue to be, but your journal is your compass,
and you know youre going in the right direction. Your body will continue
to grow and change over time, and you will begin to notice this very slowly.
You will have little ah-ha moments when you realize you didnt think of
your stomach today, or you didnt have any anxiety today, or you havent
had a headache in two months, or you sleep through the whole night so
many little things that are specific to your experience will improve that you
will be shocked.
You will survive beyond the first 90 days. After that, you will enjoy new
options and the freedom to experiment as you heal. This is a long-term
investment for a healthy life; just take it a day at a time. Dont concern
yourself with how long you will be on the diet. Instead, keep your mind in
the present, and just focus on all the cool new foods you get to experiment
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with at each phase. If you get extreme cravings, do what I do and just squirt
some honey in your mouth straight out of the bottle, or mix a shot of 50%
water and 50% Welchs Grape Juice. The taste will curb the craving and
you will still be SCD-legal no reason to forfeit your investment in the diet
for a passing craving. Remember to write that number on your hand!
Over time you will slowly embrace the SCD lifestyle and begin to realize
that the diet is giving you a new lease on life. It is also giving you the
opportunity to live a longer, healthier life than the standard American diet
ever could have. The diet has become a blessing in disguise for me and,
after some time of feeling amazing and getting healthier, it will come to you
too. Bottom Line: Dont cheat. Ever. No excuses!
As you get confident on the diet and start branching out, get in touch with
others on the diet. Be a mentor and share your experiences with others who
are just beginning. Communicate through forums and blogs with the vast
community if SCDers who have been in your shoes and give us all hope.
You may even find someone in your town who is following the diet, and you
can get together and share stories and meals! Bottom Line: Reach out to
others; we are all in this together!
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The easiest places to find DCCC near you are probably a local health food
store or a high-end, big retailer such as Whole Foods or Trader Joes.
DCCC is a very versatile ingredient and is used in many baking recipes. In
Breaking the Vicious Cycle, Elaine mentions eating SCD-legal cheesecake
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during the Intro Diet. If you can find some DCCC near you, making the
cheesecake will provide a great tasting snack.
How to Make SCD-Legal Cheesecake (Right From BTVC)
Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 cups DCCC (or dripped SCD-Legal yogurt)
cup homemade yogurt
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoon lemon zest* (for extra flavor not required)
A food processor or blender and a 9-inch baking dish
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- Add in the DCCC. You will probably need to use a spatula to spread
it out around the food processor.
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- Pour the cheesecake batter out into the glass baking dish. When your
oven is preheated, insert your cheesecake and set a timer for 30
minutes. You will know the cheesecake is done when you can insert a
knife or toothpick into the center and it pulls out clean.
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Day 5:
- Breakfast: Turkey burger and pear sauce with cup yogurt
- Lunch: Leftover beef burger patties, carrot sauce, and 1 cup of
DCCC
- Dinner: Broiled pork chops, butternut squash sauce, and grape
gelatin
Day 6:
- Breakfast: Eggs (scrambled) and pear sauce with cup yogurt
- Lunch: Leftover pork chops and carrot sauce
- Dinner: Broiled steak, butternut squash sauce, grape gelatin, and
SCD cheesecake
(If things are going well, make some apples this evening.)
Day 7:
- Breakfast: Eggs (different than previous day), pear sauce, Welchs
100% Grape Juice (or apple cider) diluted 50/50 with water, and
cup yogurt
- Lunch: Leftover steak, butternut squash sauce, and apple sauce
- Dinner: Broiled salmon, carrot sauce, gelatin, and 1 cup of DCCC
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