The SCD Intro Diet

What is the purpose of doing the intro diet?
How long should I stay on the intro diet?
What should I do if my child refuses to eat the foods on the intro diet?
Why is chicken soup important during the early stage
ASD Intro Diet
Recipes for the intro diet
Making the child like the foods on the intro diet.


What is the purpose of doing the intro diet?

The intro diet helps get a head start on clearing the harmful microbes out of the body by starving them while at the same time feeding the body nutritious foods that are easy to digest.

How long should I stay on the intro diet?

The intro diet should be done for two to three days, four to five days for those with diarrhea. Some people end up staying on the intro for weeks and wonder why they experience extreme fatigue etc..FIVE DAYS IS THE MAXIMUM.

During those two to five days the person can eat as much of any of the foods that are on the intro diet. Some eat the chicken soup for the entire time others just stick to meatballs and carrots for their snacks and meals. It isn't a healthy thing to do long term but for the short time period it provides some nutrition to the person while starving out the pathogens.

What should I do if my child refuses to eat the foods on the intro diet?
In that case start with whatever foods the child will eat that are the easiest and most basic foods on the diet.

Summing up your options:
1. do the intro as is for 2-5 days. eating whatever the child will from the list of intro foods
2. start the intro and if you get half a day or only one day go with that.
3. skip the intro and start the diet with easy to digest foods that you know your child is more likely to consume.

Bottom line, the most important thing is to cut out the SCD illegal sugars and starches (etc.) this will ultimately starve out the harmful microbes.

Most children become more open to new foods after implementing SCD. You might then want to restart with the intro diet in order to get even better results with SCD. Warning: there is a subgroup of children who can only tolerate the most easy to digest foods during the first months of SCD. You might need to start out with the intro diet and the easiest to digest foods. Be very firm and stand your ground. Most kids will eat the foods if they are very hungry. Make sure that your child is getting enough fluids.


New Section for Dealing with Picky Eaters.

There is a way to do the intro diet with even the most picky eater:
Click here to view this method for picky eaters.

Other tips are also available:
Click here to view the section for picky eaters.


Click here to read parents' experiences

Why is chicken soup important during the early stage

Chicken soup is highly recommended but not required. It has natural anti-inflammatory properties, and can also help to balance your gut chemistry, keep you hydrated, and get protein and good minerals into your system.

If you are eating the chicken soup, try eating just the broth without the carrots - not everyone tolerates carrots early on. Some people actually have trouble with the soup itself, but try taking out the carrots first. If you aren't eating the soup, then you SHOULD try it.

[Be aware that many children will reject the chicken soup during the early stages of SCD. Many children and especially children with autism prefer crunchy foods. If your child hates soups then you might feed other intro foods. Be patient, after a certain time of SCD, kids will be more open to new foods.]


ASD Intro Diet

Since the many of the children with ASD were casein free before beginning the SCD™, here is a list of suggested foods for the intro diet. The intro diet should be followed for 2-5 days.

Chicken broth
  • Chicken broth with pureed cooked carrots
  • Chicken broth with chunks of cooked chicken
  • Chicken broth with cooked carrot sliced into little "coins"
  • Chicken broth with "chicken balls" made from ground chicken
  • Chicken broth with "noodles" made from beaten eggs cooked omelette-style into a "crepe" and then rolled up and thinly sliced
  • Chicken egg-drop soup

    Chicken pancakes
    Roasted chicken
    Roasted turkey
    Roasted Lean Pork     (such as tenderloin)
    Broiled Fish

    Beef broth
  • Beef broth with meatballs made from ground beef

    Broiled Hamburger patties
  • can be made with ground beef, chicken, turkey
      • Broiled Meatballs
    • can be made with ground beef, chicken, turkey

      Eggs
    • scrambled
    • poached
    • hard-boiled
    • soft-boiled
    • sunny side up

      • Gelatin
    • Homemade jello (made from unflavored real gelatin and purple and/or white Welch's grape juice
      (100% grape in a jar, any color, not frozen, not with calcium) or Apple Cider (cider only, brown, refrigerated; commercial apple JUICE IS NEVER legal)
      Made in a shallow pan and cut with shaped cookie cutters or into cubes

    Do not be afraid to eat foods that are traditionally served for lunch or dinner at breakfast. While on the intro, soup, gelatin or hamburgers (or any of the above) can be a great breakfast.

     


    Recipes for the intro diet

    Click here to view recipes for the intro diet

    Making the child like the foods on the intro diet.

    Think like a kid for the intro. Here’s a few suggestions: For the homemade gelatin - cut it into kid shapes. If he/she won't eat eggs you could mix them, cook them flat & then cut them into more shapes. Try apple cider or grape juice (1/2 juice, 1/2 water) frozen into popsicles. The broiled beef patty can instead be rolled into little kid-size meatballs.


    Unless symptoms are severe (cramping and diarrhea), two days on the intro diet are sufficient. If your child refuses to eat the intro diet foods, simply do the best you can to provide a very simple diet of easily digestible SCD™ legal foods. Get as close as you can to the intro diet with just a few basic foods you know your child can tolerate and will eat. After that, introduce new foods slowly. You may be able to return to a stricter intro diet later for a day or two to jump-start further progress. After doing the intro diet,cautiously introduce easy to digest foods and and carefully observe your child. Refer to the "After the Intro" section of this website at:
    Click here to view this section.