No more Crohn's for me!

Hi Erin, I stumbled across your site today as I was looking into SCD. I've been having crazy stomach issues for the past couple years and my nutritionist recently recommended that I try the diet to see if it offers any relief. Although the diet seems quite restrictive and difficult to follow, your story is inspiring! Your determination to try the diet for 1 month has motivated me to do the same. I think getting started will be the toughest part of the diet, so really I'd love any advice or encouragement you have for the first week or two. I am a senior in college, so I don't have tons of time, but I love to cook and am willing to prepare my own foods. Do you have any tips for things I can make in bulk and freeze in the beginning stage of the diet? Really, any tips you have are welcome! Thanks.

Hi,

Thanks for writing! I'm glad you found the website to be useful. I'm sorry to hear that you are having stomach issues...it's no fun, that's for sure! That's great that your nutritionist recommended the SCD. Trying it for one month is a great way to see how it will go and to see what relief it can give you.

For things to make in bulk, I would definitely make the Easy Sandwich Bread that is in the Snacks section. You can make a triple batch (or more!) at a time and once it has cooled, freeze in gallon size ziplok bags. When you want to make a sandwich, pull two out and defrost in the microwave or toast in a toaster oven. You can make quick peanut butter and honey sandwiches using Laura Scudder's peanut butter (or another with peanuts and salt only). You can also make jam quickly by cooking some frozen strawberries in the microwave or on the stove, then mashing and adding honey. You could also make a tuna mixture with tuna that has just tuna, water, and salt. Add regular mustard, a little SCD yogurt, and chopped celery.

Also, SCD yogurt is a very big part of the diet. Every morning you can make an easy breakfast by making a smoothie with SCD yogurt, a speckled banana, fruit, and honey.

Quick snack ideas:
- Cheddar Cheese slices with peanut butter and raisins on top.
- Lara Bars (expensive but a quick filling snack in a pinch. The following flavors are legal: Pecan Pie, Cherry Pie, Ginger Snap, Cashew Cookie, Apple Pie).
- Dole Pineapple or Pineapple-Orange juice in small cans.
- Dates with pecans inside (can be carried easily in a purse all day; make sure dates don't have sugar coating).
- SCD yogurt with honey. Add fresh fruit and pecans on top, if desired.
- Stretch Island Fruit Leather (legal flavors: grape, raspberry, apricot, blackberry).
- Apple Chips with just apple and preservative like ascorbic acid (I found some with the Nature Valley brand at Walmart and Target, but I've been having trouble finding it lately. A health food store might have another brand. Just make sure there isn't anything but apple and preservative in it).
- Target's Market Pantry unsweetened applesauce cups
- North Coast brand apple sauce in large container (I found it at Sprout's but it may be at other health food stores as well. If not this brand, try any kind that has just apples and water. Ascorbic Acid is ok as well.)
- Cheese Lace recipe from my website under Snacks section. This travels well, and is pretty fast to make. It's also a good "chip" with homemade guacamole or salsa.
- Speckled bananas are also easy and fast energy.
-Trader Joe's freeze dried pineapple or mango.

Soup is also an easy thing to make a lot of. The minestrone soup from the "menus to get you started" or the Soup section takes about 1/2 hour to prepare in the morning. Just put it in the Crock Pot all day. Freeze the extras for several more dinners.

Also, make some easy chicken broth AND San Antonio Tacos by putting a whole chicken (Foster Farms or Sanderson Farms has nothing added to it; watch out for broth added to whole chickens) in the Crock Pot on low all day. Take the meat off the bones and make into San Antonio Taco meat. Freeze extras for another few meals. Strain the broth and refrigerate for a soup base later. Freeze if desired.

These are just some quick ideas I have. Does that help? Let me know if you have other questions!

Thanks for writing and take care!
Erin

www.nomorecrohns.com

Erin, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis--a cousin to Crohn's Disease--two years ago at the age of 62. Luckily, I have had no relapses. I have been on the SC Diet for one year with the ultimate goal of getting off Asacol altogether. My doctor's office assures me that getting off the medicine will prompt a relapse of colitis. Be that as it may, I plan to give it a "spin" after another year or so of being on the SC Diet. My concern is the adverse affect of Asacol on the kidneys and other side effects and was wondering whether you could shed any light on that concern? Moreover, I was wondering whether you still must remain on the SC Diet in its strictest sense, or can you now eat starches and added sugars occasionally without problems? Fianlly, do you have/have you ever had difficulties eating foods with high levels of acid content, e.g., lemon juice, vinegar, orange juice etc? Thanks in advance for your reply.

Hi,

Thanks for writing! I know what you mean about wanting to get off of Asacol. I just didn't want to be on it if I didn't have to either, and I'm glad to have been off of it for the past 5 years. I was also concerned about the adverse side effects, and I talked to my doctor about getting off of it too. He also said I would have a relapse if I went off of it...but I decided to do so because I figure that the SCD is treating the actual root problem of digestive diseases: the bad bacteria that are overgrowing in the gut. I think that if that root problem is eliminated and the symptoms go away, then Asacol isn't needed anymore. The conventional methods of treating digestive diseases are to use anti-inflammitories like Asacol to serve as a "band-aid" to just mask the symptoms. The SCD gets rid of the problem that started the disease in the first place.

So that's all to say that I decided to get off of Asacol when I didn't have any more symptoms. I went off of it after a year of the SCD and I haven't had any symptoms of Crohn's since (except 2 times when I accidentally ate something not on the SCD, and then it ran through my system and the symptoms stopped).

I haven't been able to eat non-SCD foods at all. I tried a few tiny things a couple of years ago and immediately had terrible pain, and all of the symptoms back. That's enough to keep me strictly on the SCD!

No, I haven't had any trouble with foods that have high acid content. Some people say they do and so they eliminate those items from their diet. Then they try them again after a while and see if they still bother them. It may be that those foods irritate your system because you are still healing inside.

Take care,
Erin
www.nomorecrohns.com

Erin, I stumbled across your site last week and I am so thankful. My wife has colitis and is on the SCD since the beginning of 2007. She was doing well for quite a while, but is currently in the third month of a flare-up. What makes the diet a little more difficult is that she is allergic to chicken. We have gone back to the beginners diet substituting beef stock for chicken stock and eating lots of yogurt. I am so thankful I found your website because I was able to send it to our family. Now they have a much better understanding of the diet and struggles that we face. I also printed out all the recipes for my wife and she is so excited to try the fluffy pancakes and the pizzas. The pictures of the food help us out a lot. I have a couple of questions you may be able to answer. My wife is in the middle of a flare-up and is having a lot of lower back pain. Is there anything we can do for that? Another question I have is about relapses. Since my wife was doing well for a while we became very hopeful, but this flare-up really has us down. Did you experience flare-ups after being on the SCD for an extended period of time? What did you do besides the Intro diet to help with those flare-ups? Thank you so much for the website. It has been a blessing. Grace and Peace.

Hi,

Thank you for writing. I'm so glad to hear that the website was such a help to you and your wife! I'm sorry to hear that she's been having flare-ups again for so long.

I did have several flare-ups even when I was 100% on the SCD. One was from eating too many dried apples, and that lasted just a couple of days until it was out of my system. The last one was a couple of years ago, and I think I can trace it back to drinking a beverage that contained "essence of orange." That lasted just a couple of days as well. I have learned my lesson now, and always read labels very carefully and suspiciously! When it says something fuzzy like "essence" I stay away from it. Another thing to look for on labels is "natural flavors." That can mean sugar, since sugar is natural. There is the 2% rule where companies don't legally have to list on the label ingredients that make up less than 2% of the total product. So I stick with prepared products from health-food stores like Sprout's and Trader Joe's, since they are more conscious that people are buying it because they have a health issue, or are more conscious of what goes into their food. Still, I don't buy many canned things at all; just things like applesauce that specifically says "unsweetened" or freeze-dried fruit from Trader Joe's with just the fruit listed and "no sweeteners" specifically stated on the label. (I plan to add a page soon that shows pictures of what prepared products have worked for me...so keep checking back for ideas!)

It sounds like you're doing the right thing with eating beef broth and yogurt...When I had my flare-ups, that is what I did. The yogurt really seemed to help.

What you might do is keep a food journal of everything she eats throughout the day for a couple of weeks. There might be something she's eating that is causing her body to react. Also try to remember if you added anything to her diet when the flare-up started. Even something like a spice mix can contain some starches that are not on the diet, and those could cause a flare-up. Any canned foods you're using? Any drinks? If you would like to, you could email me the list of things she eats regularly and I can see if there's anything that jumps out at me as being a possible problem...

I haven't experienced lower back pain myself with my flare-ups. You could try anti-inflammatory foods. I take flax seed oil every day in my morning shake (about a teaspoon) and that is supposed to be anti-inflammatory as well as high in Omega-3's. Here is a link I found to an article about anti-inflammatory foods...(of course not all are on the SCD but it's a good guideline)... http://nutrition.about.com/od/dietsformedicaldisorders/a/antiinflamfood.htm .

So glad you were able to find the website and it has been such a help to you both. I'm glad it can help your family understand better, too. I have found it handy myself when going to people's houses to eat. Now they can just look at the website and know exactly what to make for me.

Take care,
Erin
www.nomorecrohns.com

Hi My 9 year old has UC (diagnosed 2/07).We started SCD yesterday but she is finding it hard. She yearns for something crusty or crunchy but I don't want to even give her a wide range of cooked legal fruits and vegetables until she has been on the restricted diet for a few days. She has eaten Lois Langs bread and if not for that she would have been even more dispirited. Any suggestions?

Hi,

Thanks for writing! I'm sorry to hear of your daughter's UC. That is hard. I can completely understand the beginner's diet being boring for her. I can't think of anything crunchy or crusty on that diet, but if she can stick it out for a few days the Cheese Lace recipe is one of my favorite crunchy things to eat. Also the Easy Sandwich Bread is so great for making sandwiches with. The pizza is also very crusty and yummy. Those are the recipes that I can think of off the top of my head. If you can just make it through these first few days, things will open up a lot for her.

Hope this helps!

Erin
www.nomorecrohns.com

Hi Erin, What an awesome story you have. I am 21 and I found out recently that I have leaky gut. I'm very thin and have loose stools all the time. To try and heal I have been eating lots of bone broth soups, probiotics, and no gluten or dairy. I want to start the SC diet but will it help me even if I don't have Crohns disease? Also the raw dairy is okay for me to consume? My ultimate goal is to gain weight and absorb nutrients through my gut....and to finally feel healthy.

Hi,

Thanks for writing! I'm sorry to hear you're having problems with leaky gut - that is no fun!

Yes, the SCD has helped other people with leaky gut...actually it has helped people with all sorts of different digestive diseases as well as disorders. I was unsure about whether I could have the dairy myself when I started the SCD, because I was lactose intolerant before I even got diagnosed with Crohn's. I was surprised to find out that there are some dairy products that don't have lactose in them, which is the main problem people have with dairy. There are many cheeses such as cheddar, jack, and fresh parmesan (more listed in "Breaking the Vicious Cycle"), and the homemade SCD yogurt contains no lactose because it is aged for 24 hours instead of 4 hours. So, yes, I would go ahead and get on the SCD and try the dairy. Some people notice they still have problems with dairy, so if you do then eliminate it and do the rest of the SCD without the dairy. You can keep a food journal detailing what you ate each day so you can trace back any symptoms that might occur back to what you ate that day.

The SCD gets to the root problem of digestive illnesses of all sorts by eliminating the bad bacteria that attack the gut. Try the SCD for one month 100% and see how you're feeling at the end of the month...I bet you'll be feeling much better! It is important to do the SCD 100%, though, I have to add. It would be a good idea to just eat the SCD yogurt instead of the probiotics, since you don't know what fillers they might add to them.

The Long Island Listserve is a great way to talk to others about their experience with the SCD and leaky gut, etc. Here is the link to find out more about it: http://breakingtheviciouscycle.info/support/support.htm and click on Long Island Listserve.

Take care,
Erin
www.nomorecrohns.com

My 11-yr old daughter has Crohn's, and we are considering starting the diet soon. I have been reading information on the PecanBread website and email group, though most of those parents are dealing with Autism. They have categorized the SCD foods into "stages" that they suggest you add one food at a time until you have advanced through the stages. Did you gradually add new foods until you are eating as you are now? I know some of the legal foods on the list are suggested to wait, but other than that, how long did you wait before adding things like the nut butters and nut flours? I am just concerned that my daughter will get enough calories during the beginning weeks if we can't eat all of the legal foods for awhile. I love all your recipes and photos of the food. It would be great if all the photos had a name of what it was. Thank you for any input!

Hi,

Thanks for writing! I'm glad you're thinking of starting your daughter on the diet. I didn't have to add foods in stages myself. I didn't have any problems with the nut flours, either, although I have heard that some people do. But I wouldn't worry about stages unless you see that something isn't agreeing with your daughter, then you can take it out until she's healed more and try to add it back later and see how that agrees with her. The book talks about specific foods to avoid at the beginning like the navy beans and lentils, plus coconut and possibly raw fruits and veggies (you can cook them at the beginning if you need to).

Cheese and SCD yogurt made with whole milk are both good sources of calories if she needs some. And of course the nut flour baked goods are also full of calories if she can tolerate them.

I will look into adding the names of the food in the photos - good idea!

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions!

Take care,

Erin
www.nomorecrohns.com

Report on 11-year-old Daughter

Hi Erin-

Just wanted to send you an update on my daughter.We started SCD on Dec 20, 2007. She was still on antibiotics at the time. We decided to stop the antibiotics on Dec 27. As of today, she has gained 8 lbs! This for her is a lot. She started at 62 lbs. She hadn't gained any weight for 3-1/2 years until now. We are going for bloodwork next week, so I hope to see significant improvements in that. Once I have that information, I hope we will be able to be a "success story" too, but time will tell I suppose. I am very optimistic, but know that others, including the doctors, will be looking for the long-term success.

Dear Erin, Your site is such an encouragement , especially the prepared products. Thank you so much for your time. I love chicken but more than that I love marinated chicken, Most all of my recipes for marinade call for soy sauce. Have you found any substitute for soy sauce in your cooking? Thanks so much.

Hi,

I asked my mom about this question, as she is a very experienced cook and has put together a lot of the recipes for the site, and this is what she wrote:

“I know, soy sauce is a real staple for marinades. Part of what it provides is salt, so you can add that to pineapple juice or lime/lemon juice. I also like to add a little toasted sesame oil to add that Asian flavor. There's nothing I know of with the right color, but that's a secondary consideration. Adding honey to all this will give some of the same effect as teriyaki sauce. Yogurt based marinades are also good. The yogurt has a tenderizing effect like the lemon juice does. The Garlic Chicken Kabobs recipe on page 4 of the Menus to Get You Started documents has a garlic/yogurt marinade that's really good. Also, people often use a regular recipe for Italian vinaigrette dressing (see "great dressings" recipe) as an excellent marinade. Hope this helps!

Robin”