Re: Intro and question about the introductory phase of the diet

February 9, 2006

Sherri,

I would start with the intro diet, even though it will be hard.

Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to see what foods might be

problematic for him.

It's not necessary for your husband to join your son on the diet since

he is feeling uncomfortable about it right now. Perhaps you could

just make an SCD dinner each night and allow your husband to eat

whatever he wants for breakfast and lunch. Perhaps once he sees your

son feeling better, he will be more apt to join in and eat SCD with

everyone.

But if the diet is causing tension in the home, it will be a lot

harder on you.

Keep in mind that SCD should consist of eating a lot of vegetables and

fruits. Elaine said no more than that equivalent of 3 muffins a day

for an adult. A child would be more along the lines of 2.

Honestly, I think it is easier in the long run if you work to find

dishes that are appealing without resorting to giving a lot of treats.

Things to use to soften stool other than Miralax would be Magnesium

Citrate and the constipation remedies that Sheila mentioned (on

breakingtheviciouscycle.info).

Jody

mom to -7 and -9

SCD 1/03

February 9, 2006

>

> Sherri,

>

> I would start with the intro diet, even though it will be hard.

> Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to see what foods might be

> problematic for him.

>

> It's not necessary for your husband to join your son on the diet

since

> he is feeling uncomfortable about it right now. Perhaps you could

> just make an SCD dinner each night and allow your husband to eat

> whatever he wants for breakfast and lunch. Perhaps once he sees

your

> son feeling better, he will be more apt to join in and eat SCD with

> everyone.

>

> But if the diet is causing tension in the home, it will be a lot

> harder on you.

Thanks for the feedback. The tension is actually more around putting

the kids through more dietary restriction and the restrictions on our

out-of-the-home activities. I had forgotten that the intro. diet was

pretty short.

>

> Keep in mind that SCD should consist of eating a lot of vegetables

and

> fruits. Elaine said no more than that equivalent of 3 muffins a day

> for an adult. A child would be more along the lines of 2.

>

> Honestly, I think it is easier in the long run if you work to find

> dishes that are appealing without resorting to giving a lot of

treats.

Yes, you are right, of course. It is also that part of our weekly

routine is having a day where we make bread and either muffins or

cookies, so it's more about baking something that we will like

(although the treat factor is there).

>

> Things to use to soften stool other than Miralax would be Magnesium

> Citrate and the constipation remedies that Sheila mentioned (on

> breakingtheviciouscycle.info).

>

another question then. I was planning to wean off of miralax while on

the diet. Is miralax/glyphosate an " illegal food " in a sense? would

taking it at all invalidate the benefit of the diet? My son really

does have a significantly stretched out bowel and will start

witholding even very soft poop. I'll have to look for mag citrate

that's not premixed in a sugar drink.

> Jody

> mom to -7 and -9

> SCD 1/03

>

February 10, 2006

My daughter is autistic and she started out by NOT eating for 3 days before

we jumped right in and gave her nut yogurt and baked goods. She would never

eat the cooked or peeled fruits and veggies. Only raw carrots and raw

apples. I do give her Welch's grape juice also. She was in such severe pain

from the terrible constipation that she would hide under the table and

scream for hours. If your son has a casein sensitivity, taking that out of

his diet will help his constipation tremendously. Also, this diet helps

starve out the bad bugs so any yeast problems would at least get a bit

better and in turn would also help with constipation. Also, we juice veggies

now and mix them with her grape juice to mask the flavor. We have been on

the diet for almost 9 months and K's stools are much better consistency

lighter than black too. I hope this is some encouragement. Jenn L

Intro and question about the introductory phase of the

diet

>

> Hi everyone, my name is Sherri and I have been pondering using the

> SCD diet in our family for some time now. My son, 5, has pretty major

> encopresis and constipation, and he will soon be evaluated for ADHD

> (he also has Tourette's syndrome, but I'm not expecting diet to

> change that) let's just say that I think that he should be happier

> and less angry than he is. We've tried food elimination diets before,

> and my husband is adamantly opposed to trying another diet. We're not

> on any special diet now. We eat dairy and gluten containing products.

>

> My question about the introductory phase of the diet is whether it's

> necessary for everyone and how long we should do it if there aren't

> clear sensitivity issues. The discussion in Breaking the Vicious

> Cycle seemed more appropriate to someone with diarrhea or immediate

> pain issues. I tend to think that many of us in our family may have

> an unhealthy gut flora situation (there's some irritable bowel issues

> for my husband and myself, and I have some tendency towards mild

> yeast infections). I tend to think that the introductory phase of the

> diet will be very difficult, but once there are muffins and yogurt,

> people will come around!

>

> I'm also curious if someone has had a child on miralax long-term

> before beginning the diet. DS has been on a quite high dose for over

> a year now (he is actually improving, it's just very slow), and I'm

> curious if anyone else here has had this diet help severe

> constipation and how long it took to wean their child off stool

> softeners.

>

> Thanks,

>

> Sherri

>

> For information on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, please read the book

_Breaking the Vicious Cycle_ by Elaine Gottschall and read the following

websites:

> http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info

> and

> http://www.pecanbread.com

>

February 11, 2006