Day 1 & Day 2: Learning how to SCD

Hey Everyone!

I want to start out by sharing a picture of the snow that landed in Atlanta last night!

Raleigh loved playing at the park this morning.

Now I want to tell you about my first two days on the SCD diet.  First, I started off earlier this week by placing an order for Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall.  The book can be purchased at Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com.  Since I had to wait a few days and wanted to get started on feeling better, I started researching everything I could find online.  I found some great sites that really help when you are new to this diet.  These are my favorites which I have bookmarked and will refer to often:

1. http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/legal/legal_illegal_a-c.htm

 (The main SCD site with lots of information on starting the diet and a list of all the "legal" and "illegal" foods)

2.  http://nomorecrohns.com/default.aspx

 (The website of a girl with Crohn's Disease that has used the SCD diet to heal herself.  A valuable source of recipes and lots of great information and tips.  Also a list of popular scd legal brands and where you can buy them.  Her recipes looked delicious! I wanted to try them all the first night...but starting the introductory diet was mandatory.)

3. http://www.austinscdfriends.com/articles/article/3691412/114288.htm
(And the site that convinced me to try the SCD diet...lots of great articles and information, including how to start the diet, motivational stories and recipes--a must see for anyone starting SCD.  This site includes the story of Kay, with Celianc Disease and her husband with Crohn's)

After reading up as much as I could about how to get started I headed out to find food. I printed off a list of what to buy from the Austin SCD site:

MY SHOPPING LIST:
1. 2 quarts SCD legal milk and starter for SCD yogurt
2. Chicken (whole or parts) – Buddy’s chickens are available in Austin, are organic and taste great!
3. Carrots
4. Onions
5. Celery
6. Dry Curd Cottage Cheese – Central Market sometimes carries it – ask for "Friendship Dairies Farmer’s Cheese" (or you can substitute dripped SCD Yogurt)
7. Eggs (preferably yard eggs)
8. Welch’s purple Grape Juice or Tropicana Orange Juice (in the carton or jug – not "from concentrate" and not iron fortified) or Apple Cider (no sugars!)
9. Honey (clear as possible) or 'legal' saccharin (read the label - some brands are, some aren't)
10. Unflavored Knox gelatin

11. Fish (from deep sea waters is safest)

12. Lemons (use fresh squeezed juice only)

13. Ground Beef- no fillers

I headed out to Whole Foods as I had seen on the Austin site that in Austin they carry a lot of SCD friendly foods.  I knew I could get organic meat here with no fillers.  At Whole Foods in Sandy Springs, GA I picked up some chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on), Lifeway Farmers Cheese (took some searching, but it is there!--EDIT: JUST FOUND OUT LIFEWAY FARMERS CHEESE STILL HAS A LOT OF LACTOSE IN IT--DO NOT BUY IT, AFTER WAKING UP THE NEXT DAY FEELING TERRIBLE I DID SOME GOOGLE SEARCHING--NOT LEGAL), Eggs, Celery, onions, carrots and Knox Gelatin.  I then made a quick stop at Publix for some Tropicanan OJ and Welch's 100% Grape Juice. I already had honey and lemons at home and have not received my yogurt maker yet, so no milk for me! Once home I  started cooking my soup.  See here for recipes:  http://www.austinscdfriends.com/articles/article/3691414/53664.htm

My warm and tasty Chicken Soup-- YUMMY!

I have been eating the soup, eggs, cheese and Jello for the past 2 days.  It sounds like it will take 3 weeks to see significant improvement. I am trying to stay on the Starter Diet for at least 3 days to calm things down.  I will post more information as I find some SCD friendly foods in Atlanta!

I also need to purchase a few items for my kitchen:  a large pot such as this Oneida one & 9-cup Food Processor.

Are you on the SCD diet or thinking about trying it? Want more information? Leave me a comment!