Inbox: Legality Questions

Hi Erin,

Are gluten free products okay? If not, what's the difference...is it the sugar we have to watch out for in the gluten free products? Like there is a gluten free soy sauce available...would that be okay? DC
 
Hi DC,

Gluten free-products are usually not okay, because while the SCD is gluten-free, it's also much more than gluten-free since it eliminates all sugars except fruit sugar and honey, all grains (even rice), and all lactose. I have listed all legal products that I am aware of and have worked okay for me on my Prepared Products page if you want to take a look at that. (More are listed on the Facebook page as well.)
 
Whenever you have a question about whether something is legal, a good resource is the legal/illegal list, the Knowledge Base and the Search function on the official SCD website. Also, be sure to read the book "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" by Elaine Gottschall to grasp the whole science behind the diet, the list of what is legal and not legal, etc. This will help you whenever you have a question about whether something is legal or illegal.
Erin
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Hi Erin,
I have a strange question. Did you ever avoid Iodized salt? My daughter who has UC noticed that it contains dextrose. I never thought of looking at the ingredients of a salt container because I thought it only contained salt. Does it really make a difference regarding the SCD diet if one uses the iodized salt? What do you use?   KM

Hi KM,
That's a good question! I looked it up on the official SCD website and it said that the dextrose in salt is ok, and that was because iodine is an important nutrient to our bodies. I have used it the whole time I've been on the diet and have had no problems with it.

Erin

Hi Erin,

I am wondering why exactly chickpeas (garbanzo beans) which are in the legume family are illegal (sad because I love them so much and it would help to have an explanation).
 
Also, is coconut flour (as in your biscotti recipe) just ground dried shredded coconut which I can prepare in the food processor or is it actually a different product. 

Thanks in advance for your help!! TC

Hi TC,

The reason chickpeas (or anything illegal for that matter) are not legal on the SCD is because they contain long-chain carbohydrates, which is what we're avoiding completely in order to not feed the bad bacteria that grow by feeding on the long-chain carbs. 
 
Coconut flour is actually different than blenderized coconut. You can find it at Sprout's or sometimes the grocery store, under the Bob's Red Mill label (usually a whole bunch of different flours of this brand are all together in the baking ingredients section). Or you could also buy it through www.tropicaltraditions.com. (Also follow instructions on coconut in BTVC;  I believe again it's several months of no symptoms.)
 
Erin
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For a sample letter you could use to write to a food manufacturer asking about ingredients, click here.