What’s Cooking? – A Primer on the SCD
Jul 25th, 2006 by Matt S
Diet has got to be one of the most important factors in health. Without the right supply of nutrients and minerals our bodies don’t function properly and disease sets in.
I base my diet on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet developed by Elaine Gotchall (sp). This diet cured her daughter of Crohns disease and has cured many others. You can see some of the testimonials here at the page for her book Breaking the Vicious Cycle .
The basic theory of the diet is that there is an upset of bowel micro flora (bacteria) that is causing inflammation and disease. If these bad bowel micro flora can be “starved”, and the dysbiosis resolved, then health will be restored. They can be starved by eliminating their source of food – complex carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates is another term for sugar molecules. There are lots of things that are composed of sugar molecules. Cellulose, the molecule that is responsible for the structure of most plants is a carbohydrate. Because of its structure we lack the necessary enzymes to break it down. Cows and other ruminants have “housing” for special bacteria in their stomachs. These bacteria have special enzymes that allow the cellulose to be broken down in to sugar molecules and then they can use the sugar for energy (or to get fatter..mmm).
The bacteria in humans guts can break down straight chain complex carbohydrates. We also release enzymes when we chew that help break them down. Table sugar, sucrose, is a chain of two carbohydrate molecules. The carbohydrates in grains, legumes, and potatoes are complex. That is, they are long chains that have to be broken down into single molecules before the body can absorb them. This is done by enzymes and bacteria in the gut.
The bacteria don’t do this for free, there whole goal in life is to reproduce.. (whose isn’t?) So as the complex carbs are broken down in the gut they are reproducing. This is fine for someone with normal bowel flora, but for a person with bowel problems the bad bacteria are the ones that are reproducing. So what do you do… cut out their food source… complex carbs… grains, potatoes, sugar. Honey is OK since it is composed of fructose and glucose. Both are simple sugars that can absorbed directly into the body. Most fruit is OK since the sweetness comes from fructose.
So the basics…. Starve the bad guys by eliminating complex carbs, replace the good guys by making yogurt, eat well to nourish the body – get healthy. I’ll do some more posts on what eating well means. Just because eating meat – protein – doesn’t feed bad bacteria, doesn’t mean a steak every night is going to get you healthy. Certain types of fish high in Omega-3 fatty acids and Chicken Soup with its amazing healing properties should get you off to a good start.