The Specific Carbohydrate Diet can be overwhelming for those that are new to it. There is a lot to learn in the beginning like, what vegtable and fruits can be eaten and what cannot, what is considered a grain, what dairy is allowed, etc. In addition to those items,, you are usually starting the diet because you are in some sort of dire medical state and are trying to get better quickly. Between being ill and trying to figure out what is allowed and what is not on this diet, there can be a sense of hopelessness. My goal is to get you through the hardest part of it, starting the diet.
When I first went on this diet years ago, there was not a whole lot of information or cookbooks for it, but now luckily there is a lot more information on it and more pre made food is available in the stores (I was grounding almonds to make my own almond flour when I started it!). This makes the diet easier and less labor intensive overall. It does not, however, make it easier to get started. Most of the food you eat at the beginning of the diet you will need to prepare at home so be ready to do a little bit of cooking.
There are couple of items to note when starting the diet. The first is the length of time you stay on the beginner's diet depends on the severity of your symptoms. If you have severe diarrhea, cramping, and urgency, then you should stay on the beginner's diet for 5-7 days. For more moderate to mild symptoms you can stay on the beginner's diet for 3-4 days. Also, the amount of food you eat, is up to you. Just eat the quantity of food you have the appetite to eat. There are no restrictions or limitations when it comes to the amount of food you are allowed to eat.
The second item to note is that "die-off" may occur. I wrote about this in my blog post "What is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet?" but I will reiterate it here so you don't have to go back and read that. Because you are eliminating the food source for the bad gut bacteria, they will die, and when they begin to die they release toxins which can cause a reaction in your body. Die-off can consist of the following symptoms: brain fog, nausea, diarrhea, bloating, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, and flu-like symptoms. You may experience some of these or none at all. Die-off symptoms do not usually last long, no more than a few days, but they can be discouraging because they occur at the beginning of the diet. Don't get discouraged, those symptoms will go away and you will be on the road to recovery soon.
Let's get started:
Keep a food journal. You will need some sort of note book (physical or virtual) to record what you ate and how you feel each day. Also write when you have bowel movements and the consistency of the BM. A blank notebook will work for this. Just write the date at the top of each page and then write the time as each event through out the day occurs. If you have a notes app on your phone, that will work as well. For an example see my blog post called "5 things you can start doing now to get your gut in check!"
Prepare a batch of SCD legal yogurt. I have a recipe on my site and there are a lot recipes online for how to make this. Before starting the diet be sure you have this made. Only introduce a small amount of yogurt into your diet when you first start. I would start with 1-2 tablespoons a day for the first 2-3 days. Then add in a couple of more tablespoons each day. If you are tolerating it well after 5 days you can eat it as desired.
Purchase the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall. This is the book that changed my life. You should be able to find it on Amazon. Just for transparency I do not get any "kick backs" from the book. I don't know Elaine or anyone associated with it. It is necessary for the diet because it give the scientific explanation for how the diet works and it provide some basic recipies you will need when you are getting started.
Breakfast (any or all of the following):
1 - 2 tablespoon(s) of SCD Legal yogurt
Eggs. You can eat as many a you would like and they can be scrambled, boiled, or poached. For me, scrambled eggs are the easiest on my gut. Make what you know works for you.
Water (You may drink black tea or black coffee with a little bit of honey but I would highly suggest you wait 2-3 days before adding those if you can).
Homemade Gelatin (see my recipe section).
Lunch (any or all of the follow):
Homemade Chicken Soup (see my recipe section)
Beef Patty (see my recipe section)
Baked or Broiled Fish (see my recipe section)
Pureed Carrots (see my recipe section)
Water. You can also drink plain sparking water if you can tolerate the carbonation. I like San Pellegrino or Perrier water. Be sure they are NOT flavored if you choose to drink them during the beginner's diet. You may be able to add in flavored sparking water (as long there is not sugar in it) later in the diet.
Dinner
Any of the items you ate for breakfast or lunch. Just eat what will feel good to you. Remember you are only going to be on this diet for a week or less. Anything is doable for a week if it is going to heal your gut and get you back to living!
After you get through the beginner's diet you can start to add other SCD legal foods in slowly. I would suggest only adding 1-2 new foods every 2 day so you can track how you feel after eating it and how your body reacts to it. Choose SCD legal foods that you know have been "safe" for you in the past.
When diarrhea and cramping have subsisted you can try adding SCD legal vegtables back in to your diet. I would suggest making sure they are all cooked vegtables. Eating raw vegtables can be tough to digest when you are starting the diet. I would wait 4 -5 weeks before attempting raw vegtables. Also, don't over do it on the fruit. Fruit contains a lot of natural sugars and too much too fast will not be good for gut when it is in a degraded state.
Cooking with almond flours and other SCD flours should also be added slowly when starting the diet. Too many nuts and nut flours can cause issues for some that still have a fragile gut. Just like when adding other foods, start slow with these and don’t over do it with them.
As you become more familiar with the SCD legal/illegal list of foods, the diet it will become much easier. You will also be encouraged to stick with it because you will be feeling so much better! You've got this!
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