# After 3 months on SCD I am symptom free...



## pukekonz

Hi Guys,

I see so much talk about low fodmap and personally I do not believe low fodmap works. i stuck to low fodmap religiously for 6 months and with a food diary. I improved a little but never got to feeling "normal". I gave up on it and went SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet). I followed the extreme plan and it was hard at first! But now I'm in phase3 and have never been better. I stick to it 110% no deviations (except one in later phase, discussed below). I have the 24hr yogurt made from GI pro-health SCD yogurt starter, I take a multi every day from freeda vitamins (SCD Multi) and I also take s.boulardi. But, probably the biggest discovery I made was that most of my food intolerance was due to the way the food was prepared and consumed not the food itself. For example I could not tolerate greenbeans, but when liquified in a Vitamix, no problem. I could not tolerate brussel sprouts, but when steamed I am fine with them. Almonds and brazil nuts gave me grief, but when I soak these nuts in a salt solution for 24hrs first and re-dry them, I can then eat them without issue! I could not tolerate kidney beans, but when I take dried kidney beans, soak in ACV solution for 24hrs, then boil them for 1.5hrs, then liquify them in a vitamix I can eat them all day without issue. I am not supposed to eat grains on SCD and for the most part I can't tolerate grains of any kind, however I discovered if I make my own authentic sourdough bread it does not bother me in the slightest, in fact I improved even further by having authentic long ferment sourdough. This is sourdough made over the course of 2 days using ferments and pre-ferments. This means the flour is processed a great deal by the organisms in the fermenting process -nutrients are opened up, anti-nutrients like phytic acid are nuked by the fermenting. So as of now although it took a dedicated 3 months on SCD I have finally achieved 100% symptom free and am over the moon about it. Low fodmap NEVER got me anywhere near this. Currently my SCD is only modified with authentic fermented sourdough bread, I have 1 slice with every meal. I also ensure minimum 3hr of no food between meals and drink 2 litres of RO Water a day.

I fear many believe low fodmap is the end all be all and the only option for IBS, I would encourage everyone to not rule out SCD. The thing with SCD though is it takes IMMENSE commitment. In the early days you must follow it 110% and phase into the foods. I think many simply can't handle the commitment required but if I could do it so can you.

I'm just putting this out there because I hate to see anyone waste 6 months or more on low fodmap like I did. If low fodmap isn't working for you, try SCD. And to the naysayers who say "I tried SCD and it didn't work", well I would be skeptical that you truly followed the phase in, did not cheat once and maintained the phase in plus early phases for at least 3 months. It takes time, but man is it worth it!

Good luck, and if you have any questions I'll do my best to answer.


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## Alice Lau

Hi Pukekonz,

What recipes did you use liquified kidney beans in?

How often did you rotate your diet?

And can you give me the recipe you used for sourdough please?

How does the sourdough bread compare with plain steamed white rice?

Also did you have SCD yoghurt and chicken broth everyday with each meal?

And did you have 3 meals a day or 2?

Thanks


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## Shaylu

Hey Pukekonz, that sounds fab!

Same questions as Alice...hope you can post some recipes here.

Also did you loose more weight on SCD? I have lost so much on FODMAPS that I cannot afford to loose any more. I have looked at SCD numerous times but giving up potatoes and rice, the two things left that will help slightly in the weight department ( and probably the cause of some setbacks), I am a bit stuck.

What do you think it was about SCD that made things better for you? Any particular food or food groups?
Thanks


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## pukekonz

Hi guys sorry for the delays, been out with flu and now backed up with work. Will try to post in the next day or two.


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## rmiller1985

Hi Pukekonz,

I second that!

I started on SCD a little over 2 months ago, and yesterday marked 7 days diarrhea-free. I think that's the first time in two years that I've been diarrhea-free for a week without the aid of Immodium. I attribute much of this small victory to SCD yogurt, but just as much to the diet itself, specifically the fact that I am not eating any complex carbohydrates.

I also agree that it's difficult. As a vegetarian for over 20 years, I tried the diet by simply eating any of the legal foods without the intro diet and without phasing things in; it didn't work. A couple of months later I decided to try it full-bore, and although I am unhappy about giving up my vegetarian diet, the results are proof that it was the right move for me.

I don't know if you've found the BTVC-SCD Yahoo group yet, but if not, check it out, it's a great resource!

I'm blogging about my experience at http://omnivoreoncemore.blogspot.com. I'm trying to get the word out that trying this diet -- really committing to it, not just trying it for a few days -- is the best thing that anyone suffering from IBS could do. It may not work for everyone, but I'm convinced that it would greatly help the majority of people suffering with this awful condition.

Cheers,

Rich


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## elouisef23

So brilliant that you're feeling heaps better! What were your main symptoms? I have read lots about the SCD and it sounds excellent however SO much dedication!! Sounds like it's worth it for you though. I might seriously try it myself.


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## rmiller1985

Hi elouisef23,

I'm not sure if your question was for pukekonz or me, but I'll go ahead and answer.









Prior to my appendectomy two years ago, my symptoms -- which were very mild and intermittent -- mostly tended toward diarrhea: I had to be very in tune with my body to know how likely it was that this food or that food was going to trigger some mild diarrhea; if I wasn't paying attention, or ignored the signals, I usually regretted it.

Within a week of having my appendix removed, I knew something was wrong, as relatively severe diarrhea was being triggered by virtually everything I ate. At first they suspected c. diff., but two tests for that came back negative. Then a whole slew of other tests came back negative. And... an IBS-D diagnosis was born. My gastroenterologist said that in all his years of practice, he'd never seen a case of IBS-D arising from an appendectomy, but I've read a few accounts online of people experiencing the same thing.

I'm very happy that the SCD has worked so well for me. I realize that every body is different, and I'm sure there are some for whom the diet would not help. But I'm also sure that there are many, many people suffering from all types of IBS that could see substantial improvement if they'd give it a try. It is, most definitely, a major commitment. But it has been well worth it for me.

Cheers,

Rich


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## Feathers_McGraw

I've been on a low FODMAP diet for several weeks. The lack of fiber has reduced my BMs during the day, but at night I'm still going several times over a few hours. I've heard a couple people on this site talk highly of SCD; I'm going to look into it and talk to my nutritionist about it.


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## pukekonz

Feathers_McGraw said:


> I've been on a low FODMAP diet for several weeks. The lack of fiber has reduced my BMs during the day, but at night I'm still going several times over a few hours. I've heard a couple people on this site talk highly of SCD; I'm going to look into it and talk to my nutritionist about it.


IMO scd is the only gut diet that makes sense. The entire method of restoring gut balance is:

--feed the good gut flora, starve the bad gut flora--

SCD allows just that, only carbs that digest quickly, leaving nothing left further down where bad bugs can proliferate. Low fodmap will not do this, a great many foods on the fodmap diet make their way undigested where bad bugs can feed at will. I believe this is why fodmap did nothing for me but scd virtually has cured me. Also, the 24hr SCD yogurt is vital, I still have 1.5-2 cups a day spread out over 3 doses. The 24hr yogurt is like a double whammy on the bad bugs.. not only do you begin to starve them but you bombard the region with trillions of CFU of probitoics (i use gi pro health starter and an excalibur 4-5 drawer dehydrator to make it in bulk) . I have also started making 24hr yogurt using bio-kult which is insanely powerful, took me 2 weeks to build to maintenance dose of 1/2 cup a day of that. I'm doing great


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## rmiller1985

pukekonz said:


> Also, the 24hr SCD yogurt is vital, I still have 1.5-2 cups a day spread out over 3 doses.


I completely agree. I believe that, at this point, the main reason I'm doing so well on this diet is the SCD yogurt. The only way I can test that is to stop eating it (I'm also at 1/2 cup+, three times a day), but I really don't want to lose ground right now, so I think I'll leave that test for farther on down the road.

If anyone had told me a year or two ago that I'd be eating a half gallon of whole milk yogurt every four or five days, I would have laughed them down the block.









Cheers,

Rich


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## Shaylu

Hi Pukekonze, can you explain the exact procedure that you go through to make the yoghurt and what you do with the dehydrator?
Many thanks


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## rmiller1985

Hi Shaylu,

I make my SCD yogurt with a YoGourmet Multi yogurt maker, so I can't speak to the dehydrator method, but I can provide a few details about how the process is different in general than making regular yogurt.

Regular yogurt is incubated for a short period of time, 4-5 hours. This gives the bacteria enough time to feed on some of the lactose in the milk and create lactic acid, which changes the texture of the milk (making it more solid). SCD yogurt is incubated for a much longer period of time, 24-28 hours. The reason for this is that the extended period of time gives the bacteria enough time to eat all of the lactose in the milk instead of just some of it. Lactose is not allowed on the SCD because it is a disaccharide. So SCD yogurt will have more healthy bacteria and no lactose, while regular yogurt will have less bacteria and some lactose. For most people, that's enough to be beneficial, but for people with compromised gut function, the extra bacteria and lack of lactose is better.

I've read of several people using the Excalibur dehydrator to make yogurt. You can also make it in a portable cooler with a 60-watt bulb in a small lamp, or in a crock pot, or in an oven with the oven light left on. The important point is that it be kept at 100F-110F for at least 24 hours; less than 100 degrees and the bacteria don't thrive enough, more than 110 degrees and you start killing the bacteria.

Hope that helps,

Rich


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## Shaylu

Thanks Rich. 
I've had a read up on this and the starter seems tricky to get ahold of over here. I understand that the bifidas bacteria are to be avoided. Is that how you make it?


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## rmiller1985

Hi Shaylu,

I've made yogurt with the YoGourmet yogurt maker that I've bought using two different starters: the YoGourmet "Freeze-dried yogurt starter," and "GI ProStart yogurt starter" from GI Pro Health. YoGourmet puts out another starter that has "Casei Bifidus Acidophilus" and "Freeze-dried Yogurt Starter with PROBIOTICS" on the box; I have not used this one, because bifidus strains are not allowed on SCD (while bifidus strains are generally beneficial to most people, they apparently have a tendency to overgrow in people with compromised gut function).

My understanding is that it's expensive to get GI Pro Health products delivered in the UK. But I see the YoGourmet legal starter available at amazon.co.uk, perhaps it would be cheaper to buy/ship that.

Cheers,

Rich


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## jaumeb

I've been on SCD for longer than 5 years, but I've not been so lucky as other members. I am still symptomatic. One week ago I did the "intro" diet again, preparing carrot&chicken soup. On the third day of eating chicken&carrot soup my D stopped. I haven't had D since that day. But I am still in pain, weak and unable to concentrate.


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## jlmorris

Dear Pukekonze,

Could you tell me more about the sourdough you make and where you found the recipe? Do you ferment it for 24 or 48 hours ? I make one that is fermented for 24 hours with natural bacteria and yeasts. It has molasses to feed the microbes. Does your recipe have molasses ? I found my recipe on YouTube with Carolyn Robinson.

jlmorris

Vic, Aust.


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## jaumeb

I wanted to update to say that the SCD didn't work for me. I tried every possible combination. From eating only meat and zucchini to full SCD. With yogourt. Without yogourt. With homemade sauerkraut. Absolutely nothing worked. I believe I suffer from a fungal problem and according to Paul Jaminet we need starch to fight fungi. I was on the scd diet 6 1/2 years.


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