The Legal / Illegal list
O to S
The following
is a list of foods that are allowed (legal)
and foods that are not allowed (illegal)
while following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet™, as outlined in the
book,
Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall. The SCD™ is a
progressive diet and the introduction
of many of these foods should be delayed until healing has taken
place, please read the book "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" for
further information.
Some general guidelines are, no grains (i.e. rice, wheat, corn, oats, etc.),
no processed foods, no starchy vegetables (i.e. potatoes, yams, etc.), no canned
vegetables of any kind, no flour, no sugar, no sweeteners other than honey
and saccharin, and no milk products except for homemade yogurt fermented for
24 hours, prepared according to the instructions in the book.
List compiled by Kim Hesche
Click on the letters below for other sections of the list.
Food |
Legal / Illegal |
Note |
| Oats | Illegal | |
| Okra | Illegal | No okra (bhindi) or drumsticks, since they are a mucilaginous food, they are illegal. |
| Olive oil | Legal | Olive oil withstands heat well, good for frying cookng and is highly recommended. |
| Olives | Legal | Olives are legal as long as they do not contain illegal ingredients; read the labels carefully. |
| Onions | Legal | Use fresh onions. Onion powders have starch added as anti-caking agents. You may also make your own onion powder from fresh onions by dehydrating them and grinding them yourself. |
| Orange juice | Legal | Fresh orange juice that does not have sugar added is allowed. While diarrhea is active, avoid having orange juice in the morning. We use Tropicana's Original Orange Juice, as it has been checked out and does not have sugar added. |
| Oranges | Legal | |
| Oregano | Legal | |
| Pappadum | Illegal | They are an Indian snack made from lentils - they're like a chip. Also contains rice flour |
| Papayas | Legal | |
| Paprika | Legal | |
| Parmesan cheese | Legal | May be used occasionally. |
| Parsley | Legal | |
| Passion Fruit | Legal | |
| Parsnips | Illegal | At one time, I had them
included in my book but after getting feedback from the
inflammatory bowel listserv, I took them off. Some children do
well with them; others do not. However, they are pretty good from a carb standpoint and Dr. Haas allowed them. - Elaine |
| Pasta | Illegal | |
| Pau 'Arco | Illegal | Bark tea (Pau d'Arco) contains steroidal saponins and is both an immune booster and a laxative. |
| Pea flour | Illegal | |
| Peaches | Legal | |
| Peanut Butter | See note | Peanut Butter |
| Peanut Oil | Legal | |
| Peanuts | Legal | Peanuts in the shell may be tried cautiously after 6 months on the diet if diarrhea is gone. Shelled peanuts are illegal. Nuts sold in mixtures are not allowed, as most are roasted with a starch coating. |
| Pears | Legal | |
| Peas | Legal | |
| Pecans | Legal | Nuts sold in mixtures are not allowed, as most are roasted with a starch coating. Nuts should only be used as nut flour, in recipes, until diarrhea has subsided. |
| Pectin | Illegal | It is a polysaccharide which, in the presence of acid and sugar, gels. It is used as a thickener in jams, and occurs naturally in some fruit, like apples. In apples, it's mostly in the peel, and for someone beginning the diet, you normally wouldn't get too much from eating an apple, because you'd peel it. Pectin as an added ingredient is not legal, as it is a complex sugar. |
| Peppermint tea | Legal | Some brands out there put in natural flavourings which would make them illegal, so check the ingredients carefully - Charlene |
| Peppers | Legal | Green, yellow, and red peppers are permitted. Also jalapeno peppers, habanera peppers, chili peppers, poblano peppers, relleno peppers, etc. are legal. |
| Peptizyde | Legal | |
| Persimmons | Legal | |
| Pickles (dill) | Legal | Dill pickles are legal
as long as they do not contain illegal ingredients; read the labels
carefully. |
| Pine nuts | Legal | They are very hard to digest and even grinding them for pesto doesn't make them any easier on your gut. May be tried in small amounts after symptoms have subsided. |
| Pineapple | Legal | |
| Pineapple juice | Legal | Fresh pineapple juice that does not have sugar added is allowed. We use Dole's unsweetened pineapple juice in the can, as it has been checked out and does not have sugar added. Juice should be diluted with water before drinking. |
| Pinto beans | Illegal | Even after soaking they have the wrong kind of starch |
| Pistachio nuts | Legal | They are legal, but the skins can be really tough for newbies. And don't get the pink dyed ones, or the salted ones because they can have starch added to them. You can get unsalted, unroasted pistachios at the health food store and then roast them yourself. For instructions see, Pistachio Nuts |
| Phosphatidylcholine | Legal | Another name for lecithin
which is legal. Eggs have a huge amount of this but if you are
not eating eggs, perhaps a bit of supplement is fine. - Elaine |
| Plantains | Illegal | They contain too much starch. |
| Plums | Legal | |
Polysorbate 80 |
Illegal | See Polysorbate 80 |
| Pomegranate concentrate | Illegal | |
| Pork | Legal | Fresh and frozen are allowed as long as nothing has been added during processing; check the labels carefully. |
| Pork Rinds | Legal | Use the plain pork rinds with no added flavourings and check the label carefully to make sure they don't contain illegal ingredients |
| Port wine | Illegal | Its full of sugar |
| Port du Salut cheese | Legal | May be used occasionally. |
| Postum | Illegal | |
| Potassium Sorbate | Legal | (supplement ingredient) |
| Potatoes | Illegal | Both white and sweet potatoes are illegal. |
| Poultry | Legal | Fresh and frozen are allowed as long as nothing has been added during processing; check the labels carefully. |
| Primal Defense | Illegal | See, Primal Defense |
| Primost cheese | Illegal | |
| Processed cheeses | Illegal | See the appendix of the book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle, for a complete list of illegal cheeses. |
| Protein powder | Illegal | See, Protein powder |
| Provolone cheese | Legal | Although not listed with the other cheeses on page 140 of Breaking the Vicious Cycle, provolone cheese is legal. |
| Prunes | Legal | |
| Psyllium husks | Illegal | They are loaded with cellulose and lignin which some bacteria thrive on. We accept that the cellulose in vegetables and fruit can be handled OK but a concentrated form such as husks would not be in order. |
| Pumpkin | Legal | Fresh pumpkin is legal, canned pumpkin is not allowed. Butternut squash may be used as a substitute for pumpkin in baking. |
| Pumpkin (canned) | Illegal | Canned pumpkin is illegal. Butternut squash may be substituted for pumpkin in baking. |
| Quinoa | Illegal | Since Quinoa is 60% starch, it is very illegal. |
| Quorn | Illegal | |
| Raisins | Legal | Try them cautiously. |
| Rennet | Legal | |
| Rhubarb | Legal | |
| Rice | Illegal | Both brown and white rice are illegal. |
| Rice Bran | Illegal | Except as a supplement
filler
as it is mainly oil. |
| Rice Flour | Illegal | |
| Ricotta cheese | Illegal | |
| Romano cheese | Legal | May be used occasionally. |
| Roquefort cheese | Legal | May be used occasionally. |
| Rosemary | Legal | |
| Rutabaga | Legal | Also known as swede It is very fibrous, so go slow and be careful. |
| Rye | Illegal | |
| Saccharine | Legal | |
| Saccharomyces boulardii | Legal | Saccharomyces boulardii is legal as long as the product does not contain any added illegal ingredients. |
| Safflower oil | Legal | |
| Sago starch | Illegal | |
| Sage | Legal | |
| Sake | Illegal | It is not a distilled spirit like Vodka and it is the distillation
that removes the illegals - Seth |
| Salt | Legal | Ordinary iodized table salt, altho it sometimes has dextrose, is legal because it is important to get that iodine |
| Sashimi | Legal | (Japanese sushi-style raw fish served all by itself w/o rice) |
| saurkraut | Legal | Only for advanced SCD'ers |
| Scotch whisky | Legal | Only have it occasionally. |
| Seaweed | Illegal | Seaweed is high in polysaccharides and therefore illegal. |
| Seed Butters | See note | Seed Butters |
| Seed Flour | Illegal | It is not allowed because the quantity of the flour way surpasses the few seeds that Elaine had in mind when she said "seeds are permissible after 3 months of no symptoms." |
| Seeds | Legal | Permissible after 3 months of no symptoms. |
| Seltzer | Legal | Seltzer is legal as long as the product does not contain any added illegal ingredients. Plain is legal but the ones with flavors are not legal |
| Sesame seeds | See note | Sesame seeds |
| Sesame oil | Legal | |
| Sharifa | Legal | Also known as custard apple or cherimoya |
| Shellfish | Legal | Fresh and frozen are allowed as long as nothing has been added during processing; check the labels carefully. |
| Sherry | Illegal | |
| Silica | Legal | (supplement ingredient) |
| Silicon Dioxide | Legal | (supplement ingredient) |
| Slippery elm | Illegal | It is a mucilaginous herb. Mucilaginous herbs are loaded with starch. This starch is food for the pathogens that the SCD™ is designed to starve out. |
| Smoked meats | Illegal | Unless you know with certainty that no sugar has been added during the smoking process, they are not permitted. |
| Sodium Benzoate | Legal | (supplement ingredient) |
| Sodium starch glycinate | Illegal | |
| Sorbitol | Illegal | Sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol are all sugar alcohols and are not SCD™ legal. They fall under the category of indigestible carbs and sugars, and so allow companies to label things 'sugar free', even though they are providing nutrition to the bacteria that live in your digestive tract. |
| Sour cream | Illegal | |
| Soy | Illegal | See - Soy |
| Soy Lecithin | Legal | Derived from soy (illegal). There is plenty of good lecithin in egg yolks, and Elaine sees no particular need to take it outside of a whole food. Also see Carlsons fish oil |
| Soy Sauce | Illegal | Soy sauce is a fermented soy product and also contains wheat so it is illegal. |
| Soybean milk | Illegal | |
| Soybean oil | Illegal | |
| Soybeans | Illegal | |
| Spearmint Tea | Legal | |
| Spelt | Illegal | |
| Spices | Legal | Spices of all kinds may be used, but avoid spice mixtures; buy spices separately. |
| Spinach | Legal | |
| Spirulina | Illegal | We do not use algae (Spirulina) because IBD involves the immune system and can aggravate an already disturbed immune system. |
| Splenda | Illegal | There are several reasons why it is illegal, see Splenda |
| Split peas | Legal | Dried legumes must be prepared according to the instructions in the book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle. |
| Sprouted Grain Bread | Illegal | |
| Squash | Legal | Both winter and summer squashes are legal. |
| Stevia | See note | Stevia |
| Stilton cheese | Legal | May be used occasionally. |
| String beans | Legal | Also called Green Beans |
| Sucralose | Illegal | There are several reasons why it is illegal, see Splenda |
| Sulphates | Legal | When a fruit such as peaches (dried) and coconut is sulphated, it means it has been exposed to sulphur to keep the color from darkening. Some people are allergic to sulphated products but most of us are not bothered by them. |
| Sunflower oil | Legal | |
| Sweet Potatoes | Illegal | |
| Swede | Legal | Another name for rutabaga |
| Swiss cheese | Legal | May be used freely. |
Click on the letters below for other sections of the list.
