Diet - Maker's Diet vs. SCD

Just wanted to share this great post breaking down the differences between the Makers Diet and the SCD Diet - both one's that Crohn's patients have had great success with.

Here is a copy of the post - to read the original and following comments, click here.

"i have taken the time to quickly dissect these two popular diets for crohn's disease in an effort to help people understand their origin and what they entail. there are some inherent differences, but they also agree on one major point, the danger of carbohydrates (grains and sugars), yet arrive at this from totally different starting points. i tried to make this as basic as possible by just highlighting some key points of each. which one is better or which one to do is solely up to you. imho, they both should work (but no promises). just be forewarned that one is not necessarily easier or better than the other, they are just different. and they are both intimidating so if you do choose to follow one or both of them please know that you will need a lot of self discipline to do so and i cannot stress enough the importance to follow the protocol of the one you choose and to do it exactly. otherwise you will not know if it works for you or how well you can possibly get on the diet. imho, the best way to make the decision of which diet to follow is to discuss with others on this board (and other places) who have tried them and their opinions of the diets and to also peruse the book yourself if you can to get a better understanding of the diet. unfortunately this exercise has caused me to leave out a bunch of stuff on both diets. a point of interest not included below is that both diets include an appendix of recipes, meal plans, and a step by step way of introducing the diet. best of luck!


The Specific Carbohydrate Diet

• Scientific investigation of the effects of various sugars on the digestive tract at the cellular level.
• Geared towards celiac disease, crohn’s disease, and other GI diseases/problems, and loosely to autism.
• Purports a connection with food in relation to the brain and behavior.
• Problems from certain foods and the byproducts produced from “harmless” foods create problems in the GI tract – not food allergies.
• The SCD has a holistic goal of re-establishing the healthy balance of intestinal flora. It corrects malabsorption allowing nutrients to enter the bloodstream and be available to cells thereby strengthening the immune system. This is accomplished by depriving the microbes in the gut of food (ie sugars and starches) so it cannot overpopulate the gut.
• Triggers are unknown. Possible sources are microbial overgrowth related to the malabsorption and faulty digestion of carbohydrates.
• The SCD promotes the cave man/hunter-gatherer diet: meat & salad and eliminates ALL sugars and grains (free of grains and milk).
• Strict control of sugars and starches; promotes gluten free diet.
• Sugars: only allowable sugars are simple single sugars (i.e. glucose, or monosaccharides). Examples include fruit, honey, yogurt, and vegetables.
• Disallowed: all grains, milk, rice, corn, potatoes, complex and refined sugars and carbohydrates.
• Beans are ok if they are soaked first for at 10-14 hours to remove indigestible sugars.
• The viscous cycle: impaired digestion of disaccharides – malabsorption of sugars cause bacterial overgrowth – excess mucus production in gut – injury to intestine – repeat.
• Excess mucus production of intestinal cells prevent digestion of disaccharides (double sugars – sucrose). The mucus layer prevents contact between disaccharides and digestive enzymes, hence sugars are not absorbed and processed which results in disease.




The Maker’s Diet

• The Maker’s Diet is based upon the dietary and nutritional laws found in the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically Dueteronomy 14 and Leviticus 11.
• Evidence to the benefits of this way of eating is provided by historical observation by medical professionals looking at primitive and ancient cultures and the effect the western diet has on them. They note that the overall health of man declined as we shifted from a hunter-gatherer diet to an agrarian based society. The modern diet produces physical degeneration and is to blame for today’s health problems, poor brain development, and associated social disorders.
• Geared to improve overall health; not specifically tailored for a specific disease or condition.
• Enteric nervous system, our “second brain”, is located in the GI tract. It is independent of the central nervous system, our other brain.
• The state of health is affected by the GI tract.
• Importance of faith.
• Strong emphasis on organic foods – produce, animal products, and processed foods.
• If it was not around in biblical times chances are it is not good for you and is actually harmful to you. Same goes with the preparation and production techniques.
• Grains, seeds, and nuts are allowed as long as they are sprouted.
• Beans are to be soaked for at least 8 hours to remove phytates (enzyme inhibitors on their surface).
• Pork and shellfish are not allowed as they are scavengers.
• Liberal use of refined and processed foods are strongly discouraged.
• Red meat and saturated fat are good for you.
• Raw foods are healthier. This includes not only fruits and vegetables but also dairy (ie milk and cheese).
• Disallowed foods include genetically modified/bioengineered foods and foods with added hormones, steroids, chemicals, additives, and synthetic ingredients.
• Fasting, detox, and GI cleansing is good for you.
• Emphasis on the importance of good and proper hygiene for good health.
• Sleep is important.
• Recommends supplements: probiotics with HSO, cod liver oil, etc.
• All water should be free of chlorine.
• Reduce/manage stress and negative emotions.
• Other environmental toxins: airborne toxins, body/skin care products."


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