Has anyone tried the Specific Carbohydrate Diet?

[MollyHuaCha]

Anyone tried this? I'm thinking of giving it a go.

Not heard of it OP. What’s it for?

It's a diet designed in the 1950s, and aims to treat/cure Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis.

The principle is a diet that is grain-free, sugar-free, starch-free, lactose-free and unprocessed.

The Crohn's and Colitis UK website mentions it, but implies it's not popular because it's difficult to adhere to.

I have Crohn's and my diet is already gluten-free and dairy-free. I'm thinking about cutting out starches too to see if it helps me.

Anyone tried it and can say whether it has helped them or not?

Sorry about the random bold text, I copied and pasted from the internet.

Sorry I can’t be of much help, I’m dairy free which is why I hang around here sometimes.

It does sound a bit like Paleo. Is it anything like that?

I think it's similar, but was quietly thought up a few decades ago before lifestyle diets became fashionable.

I've been on it , it's just nuts , fish , meat chicken. Also certain fruit n veg. It takes a bit of time to organise all the stuff u need. It is very limited so u have to prepare everything. There is no dairy or sugar. I did 5 months on it , felt exhausted all the time. I slowly added food in, it has helped with my damaged gut. My skin glows now . You need to do this with medical guidance as it really difficult . I am still dealing with food intolerance and allergies but know what makes me ill now.

@purlandvick Glowing skin sounds amazing! Thanks for replying.

It sounds very similar to low carb eating.

I'm currently being investigated for Coeliac, no experience of Crohns or Colitis, but I do know from experience that everything (quite literally everything) in my life is better when I ear low carb.

My mood is stable.
I have more energy.
My skin is calm, no itchiness or flaking.
My elbows and knees are soft, not cheese-gratery and cracking.
My guts are placid, no bloating, wind or cramping.
My reflux is almost non-existent.

And I can consume unlimited quantities of dairy foods, which I cannot tolerate when I eat a carb-rich diet.

So IME the diet you describe has been very helpful for gut-related problems, and other things, too.

That's really interesting JellySlice. I haven't started this yet... still thinking...

I don't find it limiting BTW. Once I've got into the swing of this way of eating it's really easy to maintain. You need to approach it with a mindset centred around what you can eat, rather than what you cannot. There's also a hugely supportive community of low-carbers, both here on Mumsnet and elswhere online. Head over to the Low Carb boards (under Big/slim/whatever weightloss club) to find out more.

I put my DH on it when he reached an all time low. He has been doing it now 90% of the time for the past 5 years and has never looked back. Why GP's don't suggest it I don't know - they would save thousands on meds. Best of luck as I know how debilitating this illness is.

Interesting. Thanks for responding.