They say the first month is the hardest, so I'm feeling pretty good that the first month wasn't actually that hard. I won't lie, I went through a bad second-week chocolate withdrawal when my brain let go of that addiction, I had two straight weeks of adrenal fatigue, and getting used to making everything from scratch took some effort that I just barely had during that fatigue. But coming out of the other end of that feels magnificent and the patches of psoriasis are already practically gone - and going gluten free didn't really affect them really at all - and when I pay close attention to the quality of the nuts I'm eating, and soak them, the arthritis has also been non existent. I've finally started feeling like not only can I handle this for a short term (my naturopathic doctor said 6-12 months, probably more like 6 for me), I will likely take many of these practices with me far into my future food consumption.
Since I have taken the time to do some quality research this month, I thought it would help some to share. The most eye-opening research I did was read Breaking the Vicious Cycle, learning about all the conditions that the Specific Carbohydrate Diet had worked for, and how the health of our intestines equally relates to the health of not only our immune system but our psyche as well. SCD has been documented to work for auto-immune diseases like psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis, Chrohn's Disease, and MS (and more), as well as Autism and Schizophrenia - a concept also found in the GAPS diet (Gut and Psychology Syndrome), which is very similar. The two centuries of medical studies listed in this book were worth reading it alone, but its resource section of recipes in the back is what I keep going back to it for.
In addition, the author has an online listing of the illegal foods that was very helpful during those first two weeks when I was still adjusting: http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/legal/legal_illegal_a-c.htm
A few more great recipe resources I've found are:
http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/03/easy-grain-free-breakfasts-for-weekday.html
http://www.scdrecipe.com/recipes/
http://www.scdiet.org/2recipes/indexa.html
http://scdlifestyle.com
http://www.scdforlife.com/p/beyond-scd-repcipes.html
http://pecanbread.com/recipes.html
http://grainfreefoodie.blogspot.com/
Locally, we have some great resources as well.
One thing I've struggled with is eating out, and I've learned the hard way that there are better and worse choices for that. Of course salads are always an option, but they get boring and don't fill me up. One thing I've learned is that my body really does need a lot of the meat proteins, but I have to be careful on where that meat comes from and what the animal eat. So I've been supporting the restaurants that buy local, grass fed meat the most, which feels good for our local economy anyway.
So far so good! Suggestions and links welcome!
Since I have taken the time to do some quality research this month, I thought it would help some to share. The most eye-opening research I did was read Breaking the Vicious Cycle, learning about all the conditions that the Specific Carbohydrate Diet had worked for, and how the health of our intestines equally relates to the health of not only our immune system but our psyche as well. SCD has been documented to work for auto-immune diseases like psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis, Chrohn's Disease, and MS (and more), as well as Autism and Schizophrenia - a concept also found in the GAPS diet (Gut and Psychology Syndrome), which is very similar. The two centuries of medical studies listed in this book were worth reading it alone, but its resource section of recipes in the back is what I keep going back to it for.
In addition, the author has an online listing of the illegal foods that was very helpful during those first two weeks when I was still adjusting: http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/legal/legal_illegal_a-c.htm
A few more great recipe resources I've found are:
http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/03/easy-grain-free-breakfasts-for-weekday.html
http://www.scdrecipe.com/recipes/
http://www.scdiet.org/2recipes/indexa.html
http://scdlifestyle.com
http://www.scdforlife.com/p/beyond-scd-repcipes.html
http://pecanbread.com/recipes.html
http://grainfreefoodie.blogspot.com/
Locally, we have some great resources as well.
- Moon Hill Dairy is where I now get my raw milk from to make yogurt. On SCD you're not allowed to drink the liquid milk but I have to say I tasted it and it's delicious.
- Deep Roots is a great resource for recipes, buying local, and natural living.
- The Weston A Price Foundation chapter in Steamboat is a new group that will be teaching the practices of this natural-food method as well.
One thing I've struggled with is eating out, and I've learned the hard way that there are better and worse choices for that. Of course salads are always an option, but they get boring and don't fill me up. One thing I've learned is that my body really does need a lot of the meat proteins, but I have to be careful on where that meat comes from and what the animal eat. So I've been supporting the restaurants that buy local, grass fed meat the most, which feels good for our local economy anyway.
So far so good! Suggestions and links welcome!
Andy-
ReplyDeleteI randomly came across your blog after searching for the SCDiet and psoriasis. I have psoriasis, but is not associated with arthritis at all. I put myself on a dairy free and gluten free diet (I have been on it for 30 days) and have seen no improvement. I tried the paleo diet, but didn't stick to it enough to know. My question is how has this been working for you? would you recommend it for someone with psoriasis? and what does the breaking the cycle book say about psoriasis? Thank you!
Hi Madelynn,
ReplyDeleteAfter just 6 weeks now, my psoriasis has decreased about 70% already. I assumed I'd be on this diet for months, perhaps even a year, because I've had psoriasis since I was 14. I am also doing acupuncture, with specific work on the liver, and have always known that skin issues relate to that organ, but things like dandelion tea just never helped.
If you can stick to the SCD/paleo diet, I would. It's so worth it. The SCD diet book is also worth getting, as yes, it does talk extensively about psoriasis, and many many other disorders that this diet has proven to help.
I hope that helps you, good luck!