What's for dinner?

So, what is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet? What exactly does grain-free, lactose-free, sugar-free mean?

The basic premise of the diet is that a damaged gut cannot properly digest complex carbohydrates, so that means the only carbohydrates we eat are easily-digested monosaccarides, which are fruit, honey and non-starch vegetables. Starchy vegetables like potatoes and parsnips are not allowed.  No grains means no bread, porridge, pasta or rice. No lactose means no milk or cream but butter is allowed. No sugar means, well, no sugar! And nothing with sugar in it. So that rules out most processed food. So SCD is more of a lifestyle change than a diet. I really had to re-think my shopping list! When we started I gave away packs and packs of pasta, porridge, rice cakes, flour and sugar. Now my shelves are full of nuts, fruit, veg and honey. It's like being in a different house!

So what DO we eat?  Well, plenty actually!  Meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, nuts and lots and lots of eggs! We are an egg-mad family now! My younger son eats 4 or 5 eggs a day, as many as possible from our own back garden.

A typical day's menu for us goes a bit like this:

Breakfast: Eggs, turkey patties, nut bread with some fruit.

Lunch: Pancakes made with eggs and banana, or soup, or nut bread with jam or cheese

Dinner: Meat or fish with vegetables, but no potatoes!

Snacks can be fruit or home-made nut biscuits or cakes

It probably sounds a bit daunting but it is surprising how quickly you get used to eating differently. And children really are very adaptable. My older son actually asked me could we continue to eat the nut bread after we're finished the diet as he prefers it. They have accepted the lack of sweets and biscuits with hardly a complaint. And the best part is that they are all full of energy, and fighting fit! Most importantly of all, my younger son, who is autistic, is improving every day.