DEFINING THE SPECIFIC CARBOHYDRATE DIET
The SCD Diet or the Specific Carbohydrate Diet is a diet that removes all grains, sugar and dairy. There are two exceptions: honey and yogurt (that is made in a special SCD method). Technically speaking it allows for specific carbohydrates called monosaccharides (single saccharides that are easily digested). Monosaccharides (again, single molecules of glucose, fructose or galactose) require no splitting by digestive enzymes. Monosaccharides are found in fruit, honey, some vegetables and SCD yogurt. Disaccharides (lactose, sucrose, maltose, isomaltose) and starches (polysaccharides) are mostly avoided. The diet is very similar to the popular Paleo Diet with a few differences. The SCD Diet consists of meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, certain cheeses, SCD yogurt and honey. You eat whole, real foods…nothing processed! It truly is eating clean.
HISTORY OF SCD: MEET ONE AMAZING DOCTOR & MAMA
The SCD Diet was discovered by New York pediatrician, Dr. Sidney Haas in the 1920’s. He treated his celiac pediatric patients by restricting certain grains. He studied these patients for over 30 years before he treated a particular patient, Judy Gottschall, suffering from ulcerative colitis. She had a super mommy, Elaine Gottschall. Elaine became the diet’s biggest advocate after watching her daughter find remission from UC. Her daughter did not respond to many medical treatments and was facing serious surgery prior to meeting Dr. Haas. Elaine Gottschall is one of those dinner guests I’d invite when someone asks that question, “If you could invite one person to dinner alive or deceased, who would you invite?”. Elaine went onto further research and write the SCD Bible: Breaking the Vicious Cycle.
HOW DOES THE MAGIC WORK?
SCD is thought to work by starving off the bad bacteria in your gut and feeding the good ones. We have about a trillion of these bacteria in our gut microbiome and if it’s unbalanced there can be inflammation. SCD also helps heal the gut wall or lining often damaged by inflammation.
Since the SCD Diet is based on eating specific carbohydrates that require minimal digestion, these carbs are absorbed and don’t leave anything leftover to feed microbes and cause overgrowth. The gut lining heals because the byproducts of overgrowth are gone. Excessive mucous production stops and absorption is corrected.