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In my continuing focus on gut health, I wanted to provide a great resource for those of you who may be dealing with digestives issues. As my holistic doc says – if you don’t poop within an hour of waking, you’ve got ‘movement’ issues. So on that note, I’d like to introduce you to Jordan and Steve of SCD Lifestyle.
Whenever I have a client or a friend who is dealing with digestive issues – IBS, Chron’s, Celiac or Colitis – I point them in the direction of these two health coaches. Both of them have healed their respective digestive problems by using the principals of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and now counsel others to do the same.
In any event, the SCD is comprised of foods which are grain-free, sugar-free, starch-free, and unprocessed. According to SCD Lifestyle’s website:
The diets guidelines are based on the fact that not everyone’s digestive tract has evolved to optimally digest complex carbohydrates and other man made food products like sugar. The main principle of the diet is that carbohydrates are classified by their chemical structure; they are monosaccharide, disaccharide, or polysaccharide. On the diet only monosaccharide carbohydrates are allowed to be eaten as all others require extra digestion steps to break the chemical bonds down to monosaccharide carbohydrates.
Any food that is not properly digested causes bacterial and yeast overgrowth when undigested carbohydrates are fed on by bacteria and yeast in the intestinal tract. This starts a chain reaction of excess toxins and acids which cause irritation of the small intestine cells damaging them and causing food absorption issues which only helps to continue the cycle.
The diet is an all natural way to break this cycle of bacteria and yeast overgrowth by eliminating the food sources they feed on. By working to restore gut flora to normal levels the intestinal tract is allowed to start repairing any damage by itself.
By eliminating complex carbohydrates, lactose, sucrose and other man made ingredients from the digestive process, the body is finally allowed to start healing. As gut flora levels start to stabilize, the reduction of irritants from undigested foods, toxins and other man made ingredients allows inflammation levels to retreat.
This is accomplished by beginning the diet with extremely easy to digest, natural foods. This “intro diet” starts the healing the process and then more complex foods are added back to the diet very slowly. By carefully adding foods back to the diet the Specific Carbohydrate Diet is individually tailored to each person’s state of injury and digestion abilities.
For a list of foods that are allowed (legal) and foods that are not allowed (illegal) while following the SCD, as outlined in the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle visit: http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/legal/listing/.
No matter what the status of your digestive health, I highly recommend incorporating these legal foods into your diet, while avoiding the illegal ones to see how you feel. As always, please contact me if you would like help incorporating these principles into your diet.
Whenever I have a client or a friend who is dealing with digestive issues – IBS, Chron’s, Celiac or Colitis – I point them in the direction of these two health coaches. Both of them have healed their respective digestive problems by using the principals of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and now counsel others to do the same.
In any event, the SCD is comprised of foods which are grain-free, sugar-free, starch-free, and unprocessed. According to SCD Lifestyle’s website:
The diets guidelines are based on the fact that not everyone’s digestive tract has evolved to optimally digest complex carbohydrates and other man made food products like sugar. The main principle of the diet is that carbohydrates are classified by their chemical structure; they are monosaccharide, disaccharide, or polysaccharide. On the diet only monosaccharide carbohydrates are allowed to be eaten as all others require extra digestion steps to break the chemical bonds down to monosaccharide carbohydrates.
Any food that is not properly digested causes bacterial and yeast overgrowth when undigested carbohydrates are fed on by bacteria and yeast in the intestinal tract. This starts a chain reaction of excess toxins and acids which cause irritation of the small intestine cells damaging them and causing food absorption issues which only helps to continue the cycle.
The diet is an all natural way to break this cycle of bacteria and yeast overgrowth by eliminating the food sources they feed on. By working to restore gut flora to normal levels the intestinal tract is allowed to start repairing any damage by itself.
By eliminating complex carbohydrates, lactose, sucrose and other man made ingredients from the digestive process, the body is finally allowed to start healing. As gut flora levels start to stabilize, the reduction of irritants from undigested foods, toxins and other man made ingredients allows inflammation levels to retreat.
This is accomplished by beginning the diet with extremely easy to digest, natural foods. This “intro diet” starts the healing the process and then more complex foods are added back to the diet very slowly. By carefully adding foods back to the diet the Specific Carbohydrate Diet is individually tailored to each person’s state of injury and digestion abilities.
For a list of foods that are allowed (legal) and foods that are not allowed (illegal) while following the SCD, as outlined in the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle visit: http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/legal/listing/.
No matter what the status of your digestive health, I highly recommend incorporating these legal foods into your diet, while avoiding the illegal ones to see how you feel. As always, please contact me if you would like help incorporating these principles into your diet.