What is SCD?

  The Specific Carbohydrate diet, or SCD, is a diet made up of single molecular carbohydrates known as monosaccharides that are easily digestible and easily absorbed by the intestinal wall. It is essentially, grain free, gluten free, sugar free, no processed foods, and dairy free with the exception of fermented cheeses and yogurts. It has been used for many years to help those who have been diagnosed with IBD, also known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease, such as Chron’s or Ulcerative Colitis. The diet has also proven to be beneficial for other disorders such as autism. The SCD was initially developed by Dr. Haas and has been explained in great detail in the book, “Breaking the Vicious Cycle” by Elaine Gottschall. We are truly grateful to have found this diet. It has been a game changer for our son and our family. Sadly, we know many people who are on the “vicious cycle” of drugs and medications and symptoms and have been through very difficult times due to IBD. Prior to the age of the internet, it might have been nearly impossible to find information regarding the SCD. I personally have found that very few in the medical community believe in this diet. In fact, I felt as if the doctor we spoke to thought it was like child abuse to even consider this diet as a remedy for our son’s condition. There is a huge resistance in the medical community to prescribe this diet for use with IBD. I want to believe a large part of this is because the diet can be very difficult to follow and adhere to… at least I want to believe that’s the reason. Our whole family has gone on this diet in order to support our son and believe me when I tell you, we all feel a million times better! This is a clean diet. This is the way man used to eat. This diet is very similar to the paleo diet. With that said, I’m quite grateful, if my son had to be diagnosed with this awful disease, at least it’s in a day and age where people are starting to eat this way and go back to a simpler way of eating. Paleo, Keto, Atkins, Whole 30, they’re all essentially trying to obtain the same results. Fortunately, because of these diets, it’s much easier to find foods we can eat than it might have been 15 years ago. With all of that said, it’s still quite hard to adhere to this diet, especially as a child in a day and age when our kids are surrounded by sugary, starchy treats and candy every single day. My daughter even said to me, after starting this diet right after Halloween, and going through the holidays, “mom, I can’t believe the amount of sugar we would have eaten if we weren’t on this diet!” Sugary treats are everywhere! Our children are exposed to sugar as a reward, as a treat for winning, as a treat for losing, for getting good grades, as a motivator to get good grades, as a symbol of our love, to soothe them when they’re sad, to treat them when they’re happy, sugary, starchy treats are everywhere today. Processed foods are the staple of the American diet. The social aspect of the diet can be quite challenging as well, especially for a child. It’s taken a lot of work to help our son get through birthday parties and social occasions without feeling left out. He now realizes it’s about the experience, not about the food. We’ll take treats that he can enjoy or he’ll eat before we go. It’s gotten easier, but believe me when I say, it’s still not easy! I will say, having his health has inspired him to stick to this diet though. Knowing that he never wants to feel the pain he had before, is enough to help him through occasions where there’s pizza and cake, just knowing that he feels great is enough for him to realize, it’s not worth the cheat!