Inbox: Doctor's Opinions

Thanks Erin-- I am a family physician and I think the diet makes a lot of sense-- the science makes sense. When I look at the biochemistry of this, it isn't witchcraft-- it's science. One thing I have learned in medicine is that sometimes things keep being done one way because they've always been done that way. For years we thought ulcers were caused by stress-- now we know they're caused by an infection, for example. I've started about 20 patients on this diet with some good results so far.  
​Dr. K.S.

Click here to download a list of potentially SCD friendly Clinicians (June 2018)

Hi Erin, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease last February. My doctor has prescribed Pentasa to reduce the bloating and the abdominal pain. She also recommended that I stay away from raw veggies and most importantly lettuce, broccoli, beans and cabbage as well as all sorts of nuts. Annoyed and frustrated by feeling bloated 24/7, I decided to follow the SCD diet. However, I am noticing that most of the recipes have nuts and the salads are with raw veggies. Can you please advise if you have come across Crohn's patients who were not allowed to eat the type of foods above and still followed this diet and felt healthier? Should I try this diet or follow my doctor's advice? Thanks very much. JB

Hi JB,

Thanks for writing. I have heard of SCDers who couldn't eat raw veggies, and cooked them instead. But most are able to add them back into their diet after their digestive system has healed from being 100% on the diet. It can take weeks for some or months for others. They would try them one at a time and keep a food journal too so they could trace back any symptoms they got from that new food. 

From my experience, the doctor told me to eat only bland foods to avoid irritating the digestive tract. (This meant white foods like bread, potatoes, etc. - exactly what I wasn't supposed to eat on the SCD!) That sounds like what your doctor is also suggesting. However, I decided to follow the diet and not worry about what the doctor told me. The reason I decided to do that was because I could see that the medical community doesn't believe diet can really help Crohn's and other digestive diseases. So they prescribe medicine that masks the symptoms, instead of getting to the root of the problem. The SCD gets to the root of the problem by eliminating the long-chain carbohydrates that feed the bad bacteria (which in turn attack your body). So I went 100% on the diet and didn't worry about the doctor's suggestions for diet. The result is that I am completely symptom-free!

So I would try to cautiously eat the nuts, fruits and veggies and keep a food journal to see if they are bothering you. They may at first, until you are healed by being 100% on the SCD, and then you could add them back in. That's just my suggestion from my own personal experience.

Try the diet 100% for 30 days and see if you're feeling better. That way you won't get too overwhelmed by it.

I hope this helps!
Take care,
Erin

An increasing number of doctors are aware of the benefits of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and are informing their patients about it! This is an encouraging development. The videos below highlight two of many of these physicians: Dr. Benjamin Gold of Atlanta, and Dr. David Suskind of Seattle.

Follow this link for information about staying on the diet even if you have to have a stay in the hospital.