The Specific Carbohydrate DietThe specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) is the first of three diets presented here whose purpose is controlling the bacterial flora in the intestine. Which of these diets suits a person depends on the type of problem individuals have with their intestinal flora. The SCD was developed to treat inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. The GAPS diet was developed from the SCD to treat autism. The SCD began its journey from obscurity when Elaine Gottschall's eight year old daughter was on the brink of needing surgery for ulcerative colitis after every kind of medical treatment had failed. Elaine took her to Drs. Sidney and Merrill Haas, who put the girl on a diet that eliminated starch and sugars composed of two single sugar molecules (disaccharides) such as table sugar and lactose in milk. After being on the diet less than two years, she was symptom-free. A few years later she returned to eating starches and sugars in moderation and has been healthy ever since. The principle behind the SCD is that some people can not digest disaccharides and some starches. These remain in the intestine and fuel the growth of bacteria rather than being absorbed and nourishing the person. Then intestinal bacteria ferment the sugars and starches, and byproducts of bacterial metabolism injure the surface of the small intestine, which increases the inability to digest sugars and starches. It is a vicious cycle. Some of the products of the bacterial fermentation may be absorbed and produce symptoms outside the intestine such as behavioral problems. There are two kinds of starch in plant foods, amylose and amylopectin. Amylose is chains of single sugars that are broken down into single sugars fairly easily. Amylopectin is a complex branched molecule that is much harder to digest. The SCD permits vegetables that contain mostly amylose and it forbids foods containing amylopectin, including all grains and starchy vegetables. Foods that are absolutely prohibited on the SCD include sugar (sucrose), milk (which contains lactose) and all dairy products except homemade yogurt that has been fermented at least 24 hours to remove the lactose, maltose and isomaltose (in malt and candies), all grains, including non-grain family members like amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa, all types of starch such as tapioca or corn starch, and starchy vegetables. Baked goods, pasta, and products made from grains or starches are not allowed. Some legumes are high in amylopectin and must be avoided. These include garbanzo beans, bean sprouts, soybeans, mungbeans, and fava beans. The foods permitted on the SCD include unprocessed meats, non-starchy vegetables, some legumes (see exceptions above), fruits that are fresh, frozen, canned or dried without sugar or starch, natural nuts (no starch coating used for roasting), homemade yogurt that has been fermented for at least 24 hours, honey, very dry wine, and weak coffee or tea. For more details about allowed and restricted foods, see Breaking the Vicious Cycle or the legal/illegal food list on the SCD website here: http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/ Footnotes
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