SCD, or specific carbohydrate diet, was developed by Elaine Gottschall with the intention of improving the health of her daughter, who was suffering from colitis. The SCD was published in 1994 in "Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet" and promotes foods that are sucrose-free, grain-free and lactose-free. According to Gottschall, the carbohydrates found in grain-, lactose- and sucrose-containing foods can feed the microbes and the bad flora in the intestines of people dealing with inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease and colitis.
Colitis
Colitis is a term that means inflammation of the colon and is usually the result of food poisoning, inflammatory bowel diseases or irritable bowel syndrome, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information's PubMed Health website. The symptoms of colitis include abdominal pain, abdominal distention, blood in the stools, fever, diarrhea and dehydration. If you have colitis, consult your doctor for help identifying the cause of the inflammation to treat the underlying condition and decrease your symptoms. Modifying your diet, under the supervision of your doctor, may also help you control your colitis.
Foods to Avoid
The SCD diet recommends avoiding foods that contain grains, lactose and sucrose to starve the microbes in your intestines that could be responsible for your colitis. The SCD approach is more restrictive than a gluten-free diet, because you need to avoid all grains, including wheat, corn, barley, oats, rice, spelt and amaranth. Even starchy vegetables like potatoes and yams are excluded. The SCD diet also encourages the complete elimination of table sugar, molasses, high-fructose corn syrup and other processed sugars, as well as any foods containing these sweeteners as part of their ingredients. The diet also eliminates most dairy products, including milk, butter, ice cream, fresh cheese and processed cheese.
Foods to Eat
The foods allowed on the SCD diet to promote better intestinal health and manage colitis mainly include nonstarchy vegetables, some legumes, unprocessed animal protein, nuts, most fruits and fats from coconut oil, olive oil, soybean oil or corn oil. Homemade yogurt and unprocessed cheese with a very low lactose content are permitted. The SCD diet is restrictive, so work with a registered dietitian to ensure that your SCD diet is allowing you to meet all of your dietary requirements, especially if you are underweight.
Medical Supervision
Although many people report improving their colitis and other gastrointestinal problems by following the SCD diet, others fail to see the same benefits. The diet is difficult to follow, which can explain why many people are not able to follow through with this way of eating long enough to manage their symptoms. The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America says that no scientific studies have examined the effectiveness of the SCD diet. If you have colitis and want to give the SCD diet a try, consult your doctor first. The diet should be followed under medical supervision, and you shouldn't stop any medical treatment on your own.
