Some kids may need an even more stringent diet than that of a combined GF/CF, specific food reaction, anti-yeast, and anti-hypoglycemia diet. They may also need the specific carbohydrate diet, which limits even further the types and amounts of carbohydrates they may eat.
Most kids don’t need this degree of restriction, but those who do can be helped very much by it.
If your child does not seem to be responding robustly to his or her various therapies, including the nutritional therapies, you may need to try the specific carbohydrate diet for as long as several months, to see if it can inaugurate the Healing Program’s cascade of recovery.
Colitis, with gastrointestinal symptoms of persistent diarrhea, gas, bloating, abdominal pain, and intermittent constipation.
Symptoms of persistent bowel dysbiosis, in conjunction with behavioral and cognitive symptoms that have not cleared, despite treatment with other biomedical therapies, including the GF/CF diet, the specific food reaction diet, the anti-hypoglycemia diet, and the anti-yeast diet.
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet, or SCD, is based upon further, more stringent restriction of carbohydrates. These carbs are believed to aggravate existing bacterial infection, and to contribute to inflammation in the gut. This exacerbation of infection occurs when the carbs – consisting of either starch or sugar – are not fully digested, due to enzyme deficiencies. The specific type of carbohydrate that is hard for some people to digest is the disaccharide, which consists of two sugar molecules.
These undigested carbs cause further inflammation, trigger excessive production of mucus, increase bacterial proliferation, and contribute to leaky gut syndrome. To overcome these problems, certain foods in the following categories must be restricted:
Food Restrictions On the Specific Carbohydrate Diet
Proteins. Eliminate processed meats, such as hot dogs, bologna, spiced ham, breaded fish, canned meat, and processed cheese.
Vegetables. Eliminate canned vegetables, potatoes, yams, soybeans, and garbanzo beans.
Grains. Eliminate virtually all grains, including some that do not have gluten, such as rice, buckwheat, and millet. Eliminate wheat, bulgur, corn, oats, rye, quinoa, and tapioca.
Fruits. Eliminate canned fruits, dried fruits that have been sweetened, jams, jellies, and ketchup.
Nuts. Eliminate roasted nuts, peanuts in salted mixtures, and glazed nuts.
For more on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, or SCD, see: Pecanbread.com For additional information that relates the SCD more specifically to the 4-A disorders, read Healing the New Childhood Epidemics
