Transitioning to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet SCD

I have been following an anti inflammatory diet from my chiropractor for three months now.  The diet is very similar to the Autoimmune Protocol, AIP, which is based on Paleo foods. I have been reading about another diet called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, SCD, which is more gut specific in my opinion.  Many people think it is more restrictive than the Autoimmune Protocol.  But I feel the legal/allowed foods are more like what I already know doesn't cause gut distress for me. 

My diarrhea has subsided, with the exception of the coconut macaroon incident a few weeks ago. But, my energy level is still not good.  My pain has improved so much.  I can't really say I am totally pain free, there are days I feel horrible, but I am much improved from three months ago.  I know I can feel better if my gut gets healthier, my activity level increases and I continue to lose weight.

I have decided to transition to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, instead of the Autoimmune Protocol as initially planned.  Since my health issues started with my gut almost forty years ago with a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis after having mononucleosis and six weeks of penicillin shots for it.... what was my sweet, elderly, country doctor thinking.  And more recently a diagnosis of diverticulosis and IBS after a colonoscopy.  I think the SCD is more gut healing specific and probably a better choice for me.  I am curious why no physician has ever mentioned this diet to me.  My last GI doctor told me to figure out what foods cause my diarrhea and stop eating them!

I have read the book, "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" by Elaine Gottschall, several times and it just makes sense to me.  SCD uses homemade yogurt that ferments 24 hours which gives the lactose in milk (a disaccharide) time to break down into galactose (a monosaccharide) which requires minimal digestion.  The gut benefits from the good bacteria in the homemade yogurt.  I know from past experiences, plain organic Greek yogurt agrees with my gut, but milk doesn't. 

Also in the book, it is suggests eating cooked vegetables and fruits until diarrhea subsides.  I figured this out the hard way.  I can eat raw spinach and romaine lettuce, but only 1/4 cup of each a day.  Any more than that and I bloat and cramp.  I eat at least 1-2 cups of cooked baby spinach every day that I cut very tiny, almost like you chop herbs for recipes because I really don't like the texture of big pieces of spinach.  There are also several allowed foods that I already know I can't eat without symptoms so I will leave those alone.

I talked to my medical doctor before making the decision.  He agreed that our health can be affected by what we eat and he didn't think it would hurt to try this diet.  I was hoping to get more input from him but he didn't have much to say.  He said we could re-evaluate in 4 months, after I have a colonoscopy in November.

Carrots, Organic Baked Carrot Fries

We eat a lot of organic carrots!!  The first time I saw a five pound bag of organic carrots, I wondered who eats that many carrots.  Well guess what, my husband and I eat five pounds a week! Once I realized that cooked carrots don't bother my tummy, they are on the menu every day.  I use carrots as the base for many recipes.  Carrots can be used for baked carrot fries, baked carrots and onions, stir fried carrots, carrots in soup and in No Tomato Sauce, similar to spaghetti sauce without the inflammatory nightshade vegetables, ie. tomatoes.  Plus, they are one of the less expensive organic vegetables usually priced about five dollars for five pounds.  So between my happy tummy, versatility and cheap price, we eat five pounds a week!

One of my favorite carrot recipes is baked carrot fries.  I have seen several varieties of this recipe but I like the recipe my daughter shared with me that a friend shared with her.  This is easy and not really much of a recipe but tastes soooo good.

BAKED CARROT FRIES 

I usually plan one to two carrots per person depending on how big they are.  Use carrots that are similar in size so they cook evenly.  Simply wash and clean up the outside of the carrots with a peeler to remove any outer dirt.  Slice the carrots in half to decrease the length and then cut each half into four long pieces (shaped like French fries).  Toss in about 1 TBSP olive oil or more depending on how many carrots you use.  Make sure to coat them well.  Place in a baking dish and put in a 400 degree oven.  Bake 20-30 minutes.  If your carrot pieces are big, you may need to add additional baking times.  Sprinkle with salt and enjoy!

Weekly Dinner Menu 4

WEEKLY MENU 4

• Chicken and vegetable patties, strawberry spinach salad with homemade strawberry dressing
• Lemon Chicken, carrot and spinach soup
• Meatballs, baked carrot fries, sautéed squash
• Chicken breast sliced and sautéed in olive oil, butternut squash medallions, salad
• Stir fry London Broil with broccoli, onions, spinach, carrots, zucchini, squash
• Herbed Chicken breast, baked carrot fries, sautéed squash, spinach salad
• Chicken meatballs, butternut squash hash browns, sautéed yellow squash and spinach

What I Am Eating

BREAKFAST:
 1 cup warm water with Cinnamon and Lemon when I first wake up
 1 cup homemade chicken broth I drink this before eating

  3 slices bacon, Maverick uncured no sugar
  1 cup Organic Girl Baby Spinach chopped very tiny sautéed with
  1 Vidalia onion ( about 1 cup sliced) in 1 TSP coconut oil
  2 Butternut Squash Baked Medallions

SNACK:
   5 Gummy Gelatin Bites
 
LUNCH:
  1 pouch of Wild Caught Alaskan Sockeye Salmon
  1 organic summer squash sautéed  in olive oil
  1 organic Banana

DINNER:
Lemon Chicken Spinach Carrot Soup  
Spinach, Romaine, cucumber salad with homemade olive oil lemon dressing

SNACK:
 5 Gummy Gelatin Bites
 2 Butternut Squash Baked Discs
1/2 cup blueberries
  1 cup warm water with Cinnamon, Lemon and honey an hour before bed

Butternut Squash Recipes

Who knew that butternut squash increases serotonin in the brain?  According to the Dr Oz show that I watched this afternoon, eat one 1/2 cup serving per day to boost serotonin to the brain.  Move over antidepressants, butternut squash is moving in!

I have been eating butternut squash more frequently now that I know how to cook it several ways.  I used to get the hubs to split it in half and bake it in the oven for an hour which is delicious. Then I saw on Facebook how to peel butternut squash, slice and bake it.  Butternut squash can also be peeled and boiled until tender then mash it, add some cinnamon and honey and it is delicious.  I also saw several recipe that used grated butternut squash for hash browns!

Since I am cooking for two, a butternut squash is definitely more than we can eat in a day.  Generally, I peel and slice the end that doesn't have the seeds in it and bake that part the first day.  The bulb end that has the seeds can either be grated to make hash browns or boiled to make mashed squash the second day.  And most of the time we have leftovers of both to eat for breakfast or lunch.

Baked Butternut Squash Medallions

Peel the squash using a potato peeler. Depending on your peeler, this might take a couple of swipes around to get all the peel off.  Cut off the bulbous end of the squash that has the seeds and use that for the next recipe, butternut hash browns. Slice the straight part into medallions about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Try to be consistent with the thickness so they cook evenly.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Brush olive oil or coconut oil on both sides of the discs. Prepare several baking sheets with parchment paper or use glass baking dishes.  Place the butternut squash discs on the prepared baking sheets/dishes.  Bake 20 minutes, then turn and bake additional 20-30 minutes depending on the thickness of your slices.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Butternut Squash Hash Browns

1-2 cups grated squash (I used the bulb end of squash)
1/4 cup grated onion
1-2 TBSP Olive Oil

Remove the seeds from the bulb end of the squash that has been peeled.  Grate the squash.  Press the moisture from the squash between layers of paper towels, so it doesn't end up soggy.  Heat a medium skillet over med-high heat with 1 TBSP of olive oil.  Place the grated squash and grated onions into the heated pan, cook about 3-4 minutes on one side, flip and continue to cook until squash is tender and starts to brown.  You may need to reduce the heat once you flip the squash.  Salt to taste.