Dairy, Dairy, Quite Contrary

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet does allow some dairy. What dairy is good and what dairy is bad can be confusing so let's get some clarity. In general, lactose is bad for the gut. Avoid any dairy that has lactose in it. When making SCD legal yogurt it is imperative that you ferment it for 24 hours. This will ensure that all the lactose has been broken down and it is safe to eat. Do not drink milk, eat ice cream, and do not use whey or cream.

Lactose free milk (also known as lactose hydrolyzed milk), such as Lactaid Milk, is illegal as it still contains the same amount of sugars and carbs as regular milk and still has a significant amount of lactose in it. It is just as harmful as regular milk because the liver processes lactose hydrolyzed milk in the same way it processes lactose, elevating your blood glucose level.

Butter is legal and allowed on SCD. Be sure to check the ingrediants on the butter you use to make sure that there is nothing illegal in it. Most real butter is fine, but margarines are usually illegal. I use Land O Lakes Butter with Canola Oil and it works well for me.

There are specific cheeses that are allowed on the diet that I have listed below. Cheese should not be processes and should be aged at least 30 days before eating. The diet breaks down cheese in to 3 categories: Cheeses that can be eaten freely, cheeses that can be eaten occasionally (when you have stabilized) and cheese that are illegal and should not be eaten at all. Here is a list of cheese by category:

The Cheese Chart!