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Specific Carbohydrate Diet Australia & New Zealand
A website for Australians & New Zealanders following the specific carbohydrate diet as described in Elaine Gottschall's book, Breaking The Vicious Cycle.
About the SCD The specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) is a grain-free, lactose-free, and sugar-free dietary regimen designed for those suffering from Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, intestinal bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. The SCD is "...predicated on the understanding that ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and gluten therapy resistant celiac are the consequence of an overgrowth and imbalance of intestinal microbial flora. By altering the nutrition we take in, we can effect the constitution of our intestinal flora, and bring it back into balance, healing our digestive tracts and restoring proper absorption." Extract from Elaine Gottachall's site top Important Notes The SCD is set out in the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall. If you want to try the SCD, it is important that you read this book first. A foreword to the book notes: "This book contains a diet and nutritional information that, in the author's experience, has helped those who have followed it. The author recognizes that the treatment of illness and the enhancement of health through diet should be supervised by a duly qualified physician. Readers should not engage in self-diagnosis and self-treatment. Consult your doctor before starting the regimen proposed here. This book will be complemented by discussions with a physician who has a particular interest or training in nutrition. The author and the publisher do not assume medical or legal liability for the use of misuse of the information and regimen contained in this book." This advice should be followed by readers of this page. This web page contains information current as at February 2008. Prices go up, businesses move, websites and information get out of date. If you learn that information has changed, please let the owner of this page know by emailing scdoz-owner@yahoogroups.com . The authors of this site know Australian details, and more work is needed to provide New Zealand details - comments from New Zealanders are welcome! top Community This page uses information contributed by members of the scdoz group.If you would like to subscribe, go to Join SCD-Oz Group. Cooking for celiacs colitis crohns and IBS is an excellent and recommended cookbook for the SCD. Published in Australia, it has over 200 delicious recipes. Elaine Gottachall's site is Elaine's own SCD site, with a beginner's guide, a list of SCD foods, and tributes to Elaine who passed away on 5 September 2005. If you would like to know more about the SCD, visit this page which contains very good general information SCDiet. Healing Crow has a very good section on SCD wisdom. SCD Diet.Net is Jaynette (Gay) Bauer's SCD mailing list site, with good links to other sites and wonderful supportive information. Other sites are: Oz Food Composition Tables Australian Crohn's & Colitis Associtation Coeliac Society of Australia Coeliac Australia Yahoo Discussion Group Beyond SCD in Oz top Getting the Book Title: Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet. Author: Elaine Gottschall Publisher: Kirkton Press Place of Publication: Baltimore, Ontario ISBN: 0-9692768-1-8 Borrowing the Book According to Libraries Australia, you should be able to borrow the book from: New South Wales Botany Bay City Council Libraries, Eastgardens Central Northern Libraries, Tamworth Coffs Harbour City Library and Information Service Fairfield City Library, Cabramatta Hawkesbury City Council Library Service, Windsor Richmond-Tweed Regional Library, Goonellabah Warringah Library Service, Dee Why Woollahra Municipal Council Library, Double Bay Queensland Cairns Libraries Mackay Libraries Maroochy Libraries, Maroochydore Redland Shire Council Library Service, Cleveland South Australia State Library of South Australia, Hindmarsh Victoria Bayside Library Service, Brighton Deakin University, Burwood Hobsons Bay Libraries, Altona Kingston Information and Library Service, Parkdale Monash Public Library Service, Mt Waverly Moreland City Libraries, Coburg Whitehorse Manningham Regional Library, Box Hill If it is not in your local library, you could try an inter-library loan for a fee. Buying the book If you want to buy the book, it is recommended that you first check with the distributor how long it will take to reach you. - You could buy it over the internet. Book in Hand is an Australian distributor and posts the book from Australia. Two North American distributors are amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. - If you are interested in buying other SCD books, have a look at Scdiet, which sells the book as well as SCD cookbooks. - You could order the book through your bookstore. Have a look at Adyar Bookshop (Sydney), Glee books (Sydney),Borders (see store locator for details), or dymocks. top SCD supplies You can get most of your SCD foods at your local supermarket. Fruit, vegetables, and meat are widely available. If you wish to find almond flour, dry curd cottage cheese, or yoghurt starter look through the sections below. SCD supplies database in the scdoz group has a good listing of possible suppliers. If you know of more, enter them in the database! top Doctors and Other Health Care Professionals We do not know of any gastroenterologists in Australia or New Zealand who uses SCD as a treatment. However, if you need a GP in Australia, you might like to contact a member of the Australian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine. You can contact them by visiting Acnem. Although they may not know about or advocate the SCD, you may be able to discuss the SCD with them. Chris Wainwright is a naturopath and homeopath in Canberra who understands the SCD and recommends it for his patients. His email address is poie100@iprimus.com.au. He shares a house with the editor of this site. An international listing of doctors is here top Almond Flour Almond flour is commonly called "almond meal" here. The best way to get it is buy it in bulk. Shop around. Check delis. You also sometimes see supermarkets sell very tiny bags for expensive prices. Try these places: - Melbourne. The Nutshell Marzipan P/L, 43 London Drive, Bayswater, 9763 6688. The deli centre in Victoria St Markets. NSM Food Wholesalers, 405 Victoria St, Brunswick, 9380 8789. BAS Foods, 423 Victoria St, Brunswick, 9381 1444. - Sydney. The Nut Stand Co., 56-64 McCauley Street, Alexandria, NSW, 2015, 02 9319 4143 "Honest to Goodness" sells almond meal and other nut flours(and other whole foods) in 1kg, 5kg or 10kg bags, and delivers to your door. You can phone in the order, or do it via the website, or go to their factory in Chatswood. www.goodness.com.au - Tamworth & surrounds. Northern Nuts and Treats is a small whole foods shop in Bridge St, West Tamworth. - Brisbane. Samios at Woolloongabba, 36 Annerley Road, opposite the old Mater Children's. The Queensland Nut and Fruit Company, 3208 9488. - Sunshine Coast. Dancourt Trading, 27 Newing Way, Caloundra West, ph 07 54370930 (1kg or 3kg bag of almond meal) - Canberra. Fyshwick Fruit & Vegetable Markets has a nut shop. Deli Nut, Leeton St, Fyshwick sells almond meal. - Perth. The Kakulas Brothers in Northbridge. - Australia wide. You could check with Almondco to see if they will post you almond meal in bulk. Almond meal is commonly stored in a cool, dark place, but many choose to freeze it. top Yoghurt The SCD yoghurt is an important part of the diet. It is also the topic of many posts and questions! Before starting to prepare and eat it, you should carefully read the instructions in Breaking the Vicious Cycle. You could also check the SCDiet site. This section will give you some tips about preparing the yoghurt in Australia & New Zealand, covering yoghurt starters and yoghurt preparation. Yoghurt Starters To make the SCD yoghurt, you need yoghurt starter. You can use either a commercial yoghurt or a powder starter. In Australia, Paul's Natural Set Yoghurts (whether in the Original, Fat free, or Greek Style forms) are easily available & are SCD legal as a starter. In addition, the Farmers Union Natural Set and Farmers Union Greek Style are also SCD legal as a starter. Note: these two particular Farmers Union products do not have acidophilus. The SCD recommends avoiding bifidus in yoghurt starters. Elaine said: "And as history has told us, the in thing is usually the wrong thing. I would stay with acidophilus, bulgaricus and thermophilus for making yogurt. The acidophilus is not necessary to make the yogurt ... bulgaricus does the job better. But in a probiotic, acidophilus (Lactobacillus) reigns supreme!" Many natural yoghurts have bifidus in them. Alternatively, you may prefer to try a powder starter powder by ordering the Yogourmet Freeze-Dried yoghurt starter from Lucy's Kitchen Shop top Yoghurt Preparation There are two main ways to prepare SCD yoghurt. The first is to buy a yoghurt maker. If you do, make sure it can run at the right temperature. Not all types of yoghurt makers are suitable, because they run at the wrong temperature for SCD. In our experience, the following models run at too high a temperature for SCD yoghurt making: - EasyYo Electric Yoghurt Maker - Ian's Easy Yoghurt Makers - Easy Yoghurt models - Moulenex yoghurt maker - Fruit & Meat deydrators such as Vacola's (because even though there is a temperature control, it still seems to run at too hot a temperature) - the American Yogourmet model (perhaps because the Yogourmets were designed for American not Australian voltage and in Australia these units have to be run through a transformer) None of these models are suitable for SCD yoghurt making in Australia. In general, we advise be cautious about any model that does not have temperature control - and even then, please still use a thermometer to check the temperature. The second way is to design your own method using everyday appliances around the home. For example, in Breaking the Vicious Cycle, one method is described using a stove. If you design your own method, make sure it is safe! If you are unsure, ask someone who knows. Electric Frypan Using some electrical frypan models will work well. One model is the Sunbeam electric frypan FP5910 (the Classic Banquet 38cm or 15"). Another SCDer has used a Black and Decker model. Others have picked up old electrical frypans from thrift shops. Try them out and use a a good (non-mercury) cooking thermometer to check the temperature as you are fermenting the yoghurt. One method is to boil the milk in a 2 litre Corningware casserole dish, let it cool, add yoghurt culture, set the frypan setting on low, transfer the dish to the frypan, add water around the dish and in the frypan to distribute the heat more evenly, and leave for 24 hours. For the first few times making yoghurt, check that it keeps the temperature at around 40 degrees. Then put the Corningware dish into the fridge. How easy is that! The disadvantage with the Corningware is that the milk takes ages to cool, at least an hour. Another method is to heat the milk in a saucepan, cool, add yoghurt culture, and then transfer to glass jars and place in the pan. I used a 1 litre honey jar to culture cream in and it fitted in the pan along with the 2 litre casserole dish. If you use jars, you can wrap glad wrap around the top, and fix with an elastic band if you want. Warning - regular casserole dishes are NOT ok for stovetop use. But should be fine to put in the frypan on low setting. The box and globe method A simple,cheap way to make yoghurt is from 2 polystyrene boxes('brocolli' boxes) from a fruitshop and a lamp base (short) with a 25Watt globe. But make sure you apply this method safely! Place the lamp in the middle of a box, your containers filled with yoghurt with lids or gladwrap on them, then place the 2nd box upside down on top. Turn the lamp on and leave for 24hours. In a warm climate, 25 watts will maintain a constant ideal temperature. Place the top box on a bit of an angle so some heat can flow out. For the first time, leave a thermometer in the yoghurt so you can see the temperature and check it every few hours. My thermometer sticks up out of my yoghurt , so I place gladwrap over it and the yoghurt so I can see the temperature. In cooler temperatures, you may need a different sized globe. It works so well for me, and I can easily make 5 or 6 litres at a time. Second-Hand Ideas Some SCDers have found second hand yoghurt makers in thrift shops that work well. If you use these yoghurt makers, just check the temperature to make sure they do not run too hot. Design your own method It might be worth you designing your own method, perhaps using appliances already around the home. The key is to make sure you can check that the temperature is right. You might try crockpots, warming trays, home brewing equipment, or a Nesco Cooker. top Dry Curd Cottage Cheese You will see Dry Curd Cottage Cheese or DCCC often used in SCD recipes, for example in baking. Not everyone uses DCCC, partly because it can be difficult to get in some parts of Australia. Using drained SCD yoghurt is a good alternative (see below). Just note that using the SCD yoghurt in cooking can destroy the good bacteria - so make sure you keep eating some of your yoghurt 'raw'. One SCD legal Dry Curd Cottage Cheese we know about is made by Premium Dairies for Maple Foods. You can get it at the factory in Sydney at 102-104 Ballandella Road Pendle Hill NSW 2145, ph 02 9631 3166. Or, you can ask a Deli or other retail outlet to get it for you. You can call Premium Dairies, find out where they deliver near you, then ask that shop to order a packet of Farm Style Cottage Cheese when they do their other ordering from Premium. The Swiss Deli in North Sydney apparently gets deliveries from Premium twice a week. Gippsland makes a block cottage cheese. Brancourts also make a dry curd cottage cheese, but its lactose is 2.3% higher than the SCD legal limit of 1%. For this reason, Brancourts is not recommended for SCD. Yoghurt Draining Drained yoghurt is an alternative to dry curd cottage cheese. Some people tolerate drained yoghurt better than ordinary. "I just tried draining my yogurt for the first time.. it turned out wonderful! I didn't have a cheesecloth, so instead I used a strainer/colander, put it on a container (for the water to drip into). inside the strainer I put a scotts towel / absorbant paper tower. and yogurt on top of the towel... I left it for about 6 hours (in the fridge) and now it sort of hard like cottage cheese.. tastes great." "I'm one of those who tolerate drained yoghurt better. To drain my yoghurt I bought an off-cut of cheesecloth from BigW and cut it into a few smaller pieces. Fabric shops also sell it by the square metre as well as Muslin (which I think is similar). I think they're both fairly cheap. I let it drain through a colander for a while, and then hang it somewhere - I either tie it over the kitchen sink tap, or on the handle of my oven door opened all the way out with a bowl underneath (and then try not to fall over it...).I drain my yoghurt for 24 hours and there is still a little moisture left (but can never wait longer...). Maybe a weight on top will help drain it faster. Before draining I slice the yoghurt into small pieces to (maybe) help it drain." "I was experimenting, and found an ordinary wire mesh strainer will strain the yogurt fine. Initially a little of the liquidy part goes through slowly, then it stops up, and only the water passes through slowly over sever hours.. just leaving the nice thick creamy part on the strainer and the yellow water underneath.. saves you having to put in cloths or paper towels underneath.. try it..drain it for a few hours (4+) before eating it.. its totally different I find. I also still have trouble with normal/liquidy yogurt, but none with harder drained." top Food questions Q: How can I identify the veggies discussed in Breaking the Vicious Cycle, especially where we in Australia & New Zealand use different names for them? Looking at a vegetable gardening website might help. This way you can see what artichokes, turnips, etc look like by their USA names. Go to burpee.com, here's the direct link that takes you to the page on veggies. If you look on the left hand side you'll see all the types listed. Q: Is juicing your own fruit OK to drink? Yes. You may want to water it down at first. For example, “I drink a lot of freshly juiced apple and peach and make it into jelly. Great for when I am experiencing a flare up.” Q: Are sugar/lady-finger bananas legal? "You know the small fat bananas. Are these the same as the Plantain (banana type fruit from south america etc.) which is not legal for SCD?" Concern has been expressed that the small bananas may be too starchy for SCDers. It is recommended that you only use the standard larger bananas that you normally find in supermarkets - as long as you follow the usual rule that they must be very ripe and the skin covered with dark spots before you eat them. However if you are keen to try the sugar bananas and your gut is healthy, you could try letting them get plenty of dark spots on the outside skin, and then start out with a small piece, skip a day and then go to one half, skip a day, and then go to the whole one if all is okay. For more information, the Composition Of Foods, Australia lists: Banana, Common - glucose 4.1 fructose 3.2 sucrose 9.6 total sugars 16.9 starch 3.0 total carbs 19.9 Banana, Sugar - glucose 6.7 fructose 6.4 sucrose 5.1 total sugars 18.3 starch 6.8 total carbs 25.0 Q: Are kiwi fruit legal? "Anyone having success with this? Seeds and all?" Elaine said "Kiwi fruit is fine once the diarrhea is gone. In other words, it is a legal fruit." Q: "Are swedes legal?" Yes, their American name is rutabaga. From scdiet archive: "Are rutabaga (Swede) allowed? They aren't on the allowable vegetable list but are in a recipe?" Elaine said "they are big turnips? [They] are ok." Q: Are chokos legal? Choko is a tropical summer squash and is also known as chayote. This mild-flavored squash looks like a wrinkled, pale green pear. It needs to be cooked before serving, and for a longer time than other summer squash. It has a very mild flavour, often likened to that of marrow, so is usually cooked with other stronger tasting foods. Elaine said "I just used a search engine ...this one line seems to make it sound legal. Nutrition: Chayote is low in calories: only 40 calories per cup. It is also low in sodium and is a good source of fiber. Its nutritional value is smilar to that of summer squash." Choko contains only 0.5% starch (from the Australian Composition Of Foods). There are also a couple of references on scdiet.org suggesting chayote is legal. chayote = cho-cho = chocho = christophene = christophine = chuchu = mango squash = mirliton (in the South) = pear squash = vegetable pear = sousous = choko = custard marrow = pepinella = pepinello = xuxu = xoxo Pronunciation: chi-YOH-tay or chi-YOH-tee Q: "Do we have 'dried white navy beans' in Australia?" They are known in Australia as Haricot Beans. They are also known as navy beans, pea beans, soisson. Q: What is 'half and half'? Half and half, sold in North America, is half milk and half (heavy, or whipping) cream. It's often used over there for coffee. Paul's Extra Creamy Milk appears to be similar. Q: What is seltzer? Seltzer is carbonated water - like "club soda" or "sparkling water". Q: Is packaged sliced ham with dextrose legal? Elaine said "No, the packaged sliced ham is not OK. Although dextrose is theoretically OK, the word is being tossed around when used in food and usually is not only dextrose (glucose) but a combination of many sugars". Q: Is Lactaid (lactose reduced) milk legal? Today at the supermarket I discovered a new milk. The ingredients listed are "skim milk, whole milk, enzyme (lactase)". The lactose level is 0.9g per 100ml. Is this milk OK to use? Elaine said "That milk is what I refer to in BTVC as LHM (Lactose-Hydrolyzed Milk). Do not drink it by the glass but you can use it in your coffee and tea provided you have no more than 2-3 cups of coffee and/or tea daily.". See page 45 of BTVC for information on lactase treated milk. Q: Is there an SCD legal icecream? If you make your own icecream with SCD foods (like SCD yoghurt and fruits), that is fine! Have a look at icream makers on the market - such as the Breville Scoop Factory. Q: What sacharine can I use in Australia? Try sugarine, available in liquid or tablet form from any supermarket. top Stories Here are some Australian stories. For more, see: - amazon reviews - scdiet.org testimonials Matt in Canberra writes... I've had Crohns disease for around 15 years now. If you're reading this, you would know the symptoms - diarrhea and bleeding, and at its worst, also nausea and vomiting. I still remember the shock and fear with my first flare up, and the sheer embarrasment at always rushing to the closest toilet. My first impulse was to disguise my disease; only a few people knew about it. I just wanted it to go away. Since the start of my disease, I explored alternative treatments. I had previously experienced bad side effects using prescribed medication for another condition; I was very reluctant to use the drugs or surgery offered by gastroenterology. I tried homeopathy, acupuncture, and excluding all wheat products from my diet. I had some success with these approaches, but always relapsed. Some years ago, I experienced my worst relapse ever. I ended up in hospital; I was very ill. For the first time, I allowed myself to use prednisolone. This upset me, but I realised I must use medication to control my symptoms. This helped me in the short term, but I was determined to find a long term approach. I researched on the internet and found details of the specific carbohydrate diet. It looked promising. I didn't want to raise my hopes, but I wanted to give it a try. I started the diet, and I noticed some improvement. This gave me heart to continue. The results were not instantaneous; instead, I improved over 6 to 8 months, progressing two steps forward and one step back. A year after I started the diet, I travelled to Europe. I later travelled to North America. This would not have been possible before. I still need to carefully manage by illness, but I have better levels of energy and health, for which I am very grateful. Jackie in Sydney found SCD/low-carb helpful for irritable bowel syndrome. See her Dientamoeba Fraglis & Blastocystis Hominis website for details. Joan in Sydney found the SCD plus MSM helpful for ulcerative colitis. Read more here Steven in Brisbane writes... I have been mostly on the SCD for 1.5 years for an undiagnosed problem like leaky-gut/celiac/parasite/citrobacter with colitis. Initially it firmed my foul and loose stools quickly, which was a big relief from visiting the toilet after almost every meal. It also greatly reduced red skin bumps on legs/arms. However after 6 months I was still getting bloating/gas/rumblings from even small amounts of fruit. Also honey and homemade yoghurt (though I never experimented much) gave diarrhea. Raw fibre from nuts, fruit skins, and non-tender vegetables also still gave colitis. I switched to very low-carb for next 6 months which relieved bloating/gas wonderfully. However diarrhea, previously seldom, increased: heavy fat meals gave nausea and diarrhea. Cheddar and more low-carb veggies (fibre?) reduced the diarrhea to tolerable cramps. Most of this time was low-fibre though, for the purpose of resting the colon to allow some healing from colitis inflammation/irritation. After this my colon felt stronger with less pain. I reintroduced fruit with much less gas/bloat. I broadened my diet to be mainly peeled fruits - yellow & red pawpaw/papaya, soft rockmelon, browned bananas, pears, apples & stone fruits (raw, cooked, and canned), fish (whitefish like nile perch, & salmon), lean beef, avocado, cheddar (Farmland semi-matured, or a mild cheddar - both have less salt), and some cooked veg (carrot, swede, brocolli). I still get diarrhea from foods like butter, oils, fatty meat & eggs. Drained homemade yoghurt is now OK. Too much fruit brings gas/loose stools. Nuts still give colitis except small amounts, ground (except pine nut butter which i can eat freely). Also sometimes eat homemade cottage cheese. I also have food allergies, particularly chicken & turkey: I limit these. The SCD has my gut now fairly stable, although my range of foods is somewhat limited. My remaining problem is chronic fatigue, which persists despite my weight being normal - so I'm looking at other means to improve further. I expect the SCD will be central to whatever I do. Read more... top Related Books Reference Books Composition Of Foods, Australia- this reference book (set of folders) has carbohydrate content for some foods, with a break-up by starch & di/mono-saccharides. Looks a bit dated, but may be a useful reference to check the carb content of foods. What Food Is That? And How Healthy Is It? by Jo Rogers - this is a useful Oz reference book for identify foods and their nutritional values. top |