The Specific Carbohydrate Diet

Frequently Asked Questions
We are providing information on the introductory diet, so that those who have ordered Breaking the Vicious Cycle, and are awaiting delivery, can begin sooner, should they so choose. However, we strongly advise you not to undertake anything beyond the introductory diet without first having read the book and feeling comfortable with the information it contains. The diet requires 100% commitment and adherence, and so without the book, it is not possible to successfully practice the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

The Introductory Diet

At the beginning of the program, when symptoms such as diarrhea and cramping are severe, the following basic diet should be followed for about five days. In other cases, one or two days on this basic diet is sufficient. The amounts of the specified foods to be eaten depend upon the appetite of the individual; there is no restriction as to quantities eaten.

You may find that stool colour changes during the course of the introductory diet. This is most likely an initial die-off of bacterial overgrowth, which is one of the reasons the introductory diet is so important. It will help to clean your system out, so that you can begin to heal.

Breakfast:
Dry curd cottage cheese (moisten with homemade yogurt)
Eggs (boiled, poached, or scrambled)*
Pressed apple cider or grape juice, mixed ½ and ½ with water.**
Homemade gelatin, made with juice, unflavored gelatin, and sweetener

Lunch:
Homemade chicken soup, including broth, chicken, and puréed carrots (BTVC page 68)
Broiled beef patty or broiled fish
Cheese cake, without lemon rind and baked to custard consistency (BTVC page 104)
Homemade gelatin

Dinner:
Variations of the above

If the food specified in the diet is known to cause an anaphylactic reaction, remove it permanently from the diet. If, in the past, allowable foods did not agree with you, eliminate them for a short time (about a week), and try again in small amounts. If, after a week of eliminating it, a food continues to cause problems, do not include it in the diet.

If you find it impossible to obtain dry curd cottage cheese, substitute the cream cheese recipe (drained homemade yogurt) on page 134 of BTVC.

When diarrhea and cramping subside, cooked fruit, very ripe banana (must have brown spots), and additional cooked vegetables may be tried. If they seem to cause additional gas or diarrhea when they are added to the diet, delay their use until later.

* avoid if diarrhea is very severe.

** regular apple juice is not allowed, and for grape juice, use Welch's 100% grape juice.

Back to SCD Frequently Asked Questions - Table of Contents

"We must never forget that what the patient takes beyond his ability to digest does harm."
    Dr. Samuel Gee

Back to PecanBread