Erica Kerwien - Cooking for the specific carbohydrate diet: Over 100 easy, healthy, and delicious recipes that are sugar-free, gluten-free, and grain-free

Cooking for the

Specific Carbohydrate Diet

Over 100 Easy, Healthy and Delicious Recipes
That Are Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free and Grain-Free

Erica Kerwien

Copyright text and photographs 2013 by Erica Kerwien. Copyright concept and design 2013 by Ulysses Press and its licensors. All Rights Reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic bulletin boards, and the Internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Published by
Ulysses Press
P.O. Box 3440
Berkeley, CA 94703
www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61243-193-2
Library of Congress Catalog Number 2013930888

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Acquisitions Editor: Kelly Reed
Project Editor: Katherine Furman
Managing Editor: Claire Chun
Editor: Phyllis Elving
Proofreader: Lauren Harrison
Design and layout: what!design @ whatweb.com
Photographs: Erica Kerwien

Distributed by Publishers Group West

IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS
This book has been written and published strictly for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as medical advice or to be any form of medical treatment. You should always consult your physician before altering or changing any aspect of your medical treatment and/or undertaking a diet regimen, including the guidelines as described in this book. Do not stop or change any prescription medications without the guidance and advice of your physician. Any use of the information in this book is made on the readers good judgment after consulting with his or her physician and is the readers sole responsibility. This book is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition and is not a substitute for a physician.

This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands or other products mentioned or pictured within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The author and publishers encourage readers to patronize the quality brands and products mentioned and pictured in this book.

To Max, Sam, and Craigfor breaking bread with me nightly and for loading and unloading the dishwasher countless times.

When my oldest child, Max, was six years old he was misdiagnosed with scarlet fever and almost lost his life. By day three of the prescribed antibiotics his lungs were filled with fluid, he couldnt lift his body off the bathroom floor, and his fingers and toes were turning blue. I called 911 and the local fire department arrived moments later to pump his body with epinephrine and rush him to the closest emergency room. He spent the rest of the week at the hospital where he received more antibiotics, but a diagnosis was never reached. He was tested for various possible irritants and allergies but the doctors couldnt find a cause.

Over the next several years Max had a series of infections, more antibiotics, and in 2005 he was diagnosed with Crohns disease. He was cared for by well-respected doctors in our community, and we were told there wasnt a cure or reliable treatment for Crohns. We would have to experiment to see which pharmaceutical options best controlled the symptoms and go from there. Around this time someone told me that the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) might help my son with his Crohns disease, yet not a single doctor mentioned a diet. In fact there was no mention of diet in the medical literature I received, and I couldnt find one on the official Crohns and IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) websites.

Fast-forward six years. A lot has changed since I first heard about SCD. Our society is now closely scrutinizing where our food comes from and whats in it. There is a proliferation of diets that exclude processed foods, grains, dairy, and sugar, or variations on this theme. We are taking matters into our own hands: growing food ourselves, buying only from trusted sources, and finding joy in cooking at home. We also know that no single lifestyle, diet, or food pyramid fits all people. No two people are genetically the same, so it makes perfect sense that each person should eat food that works well for his or her body.

As my family began to change the way we ate, my sons healthand my familys healthimproved. At the suggestion of a coworker I started a website, comfybelly.com, to track and share my recipes. My hope was that others would enjoy them and find out about SCD, and that I would learn in the process. I got all that and more. Im so grateful that I found SCD and discovered so many other food blogs and books on SCD. But most of all, Im grateful for Elaine Gottschalls landmark book Breaking the Vicious Cycle, as well as her efforts to research and publish her findings, and to reach out to so many.

The following pages are filled with new delicious recipes that work well for SCD, and Ive also included some of the much-loved recipes from the Comfy Belly website. I hope that you can find pleasure in eating and change your life for the better, just as I and so many others have. Let food be thy medicine, or at least help the cause.

Eat well, be well,

Erica

This cookbook is filled with recipes that are grain-free, sugar-free, and gluten-free; many are dairy-free or can be made as such. The reason will be clear once you read about SCD.

There are so many ways to eat, ideas about eating, and reasons why people choose certain foods. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) came from the need to heal patients who had digestive disorders and to improve digestive health.

SCD originated from a diet specifically developed by a New York physician, Dr. Sidney Haas, for his patients suffering from celiac disease. Celiac disease is an immune response to foods that contain gluten, found in many grains including wheat, barley, and rye. The disease has been documented as far back as the second century (by a Greek physician named Aretaeus of Cappadocia). Since that time, doctors have made strides to identify it and prescribe relief.

In 1955, the young daughter of Elaine Gottschall was suffering from ulcerative colitis. Elaine took a leap of faith and followed Dr. Haass prescribed diet for her daughter. The diet healed her. Elaine went back to school to earn a masters degree in nutritional biochemistry and then shared what shed learned in a book titled Food and the Gut Reactionnow known as Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet.

Elaines book explains the science behind SCD, so I recommend reading it to gain a full understanding of how and why this diet can work. Since the book was originally published, SCD has been used to help adults and children who have Crohns disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, diverticulitis, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), gluten and other food intolerances, and a myriad of other health issues. Elaine passed away in September 2005, but SCD continues to be used successfully, and her book has sold millions of copies.