Re: legal - illegal how to tell?

[Guest guest]

,

Most of the legal foods came from the research of Dr Haas. He worked

for over 40 years with children who had digestive issues and carefully

observed the results of different foods. He also found that his

observations fit into a neat pattern. Monosaccharides were tolerated

but disaccharides and polysaccharides were not.

Mimi

> I am interested to know how Elaine tested for legal/illegal.

>

> Does anyone know how she did this?

>

> Seems from some posts here that the lack of someone testing is a

> source of frustration for some people.

>

> LINDA

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> 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

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Mimi. I don't quite understand, from some recent posts, that if Dr

Haas did all the work, why was Elaine revising the lists from her testing?

BTW,Thanks to a suggestion on this list, I have tracked a copy of Dr Haas'

book in a local university archival facility.

I am glad you are getting some printed as well.

regards,

LINDA

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

In order to declare a food to be legal,Elaine looked at the chemical

analysis of the food to make sure that it did not contain any complex

carbohydrates.

Some foods were made illegal despite the fact that they did not

contain any complex carbs. These foods were eliminated because Elaine

felt that they were not good for people's health. An example of this

is canola oil.

Elaine also removed some foods that were too hard to digest.

Mimi

> Thanks, Mimi. I don't quite understand, from some recent posts, that if Dr

> Haas did all the work, why was Elaine revising the lists from her testing?

>

> BTW,Thanks to a suggestion on this list, I have tracked a copy of Dr Haas'

> book in a local university archival facility.

> I am glad you are getting some printed as well.

>

> regards,

>

> LINDA

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Mimi,

I understand (oh, and I'm not trying to make trouble here) that there is

concern about monosaccharides and polysaccharides. That makes sense to me.

But, I can't understand how you can say that Elaine made sure that foods

allowed did not contain any complex carbohydrates?

From the web site:

http://www.medical-library.net/sites/framer

html?/sites/carbohydrates_in_nutrition.html

High-fiber (high-cellulose) vegetable foods are the healthiest choices for

human nutrition, and intake of these foods is associated with lowered

incidences of hypertension, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, etc. Examples are

lettuce and broccoli. Examples of low-fiber, complex carbs are banana,

tomato, squash and all cereals and grains (therefore bread and pasta),

potatoes and rice.

So, it would seem that many of the foods that are allowed contain complex

carbohydrates. (banana, squash, tomatoes)

This is a larger list of foods containing complex carbohydrates from:

http://www.howtothinkthin.com/instincts2.htm

Spinach Whole Barley Grapefruit Turnip Greens Buckwheat Apples Lettuce

Buckwheat bread Prunes Water Cress Oat bran bread Apricots, Dried Zucchini

Oatmeal Pears Asparagus Oat bran cereal Plums Artichokes Museli Strawberries

Okra Wild rice Oranges Cabbage Brown rice Yams Celery Multi-grain bread

Carrots Cucumbers Whole meal spelt bread Potatoes Dill Pickles Pinto beans

Soybeans Radishes Yogurt, low fat Lentils Broccoli Skim milk Garbanzo beans

Brussels Sprouts Kidney beans Eggplant Lentils Onions Split peas

Tomatoes Soy milk Cauliflower Navy beans

Ok, many of the above foods are not allowed on the SCD, but many are. So,

the criteria cannot be just the presence of simple or complex carbohydrates.

I know that the choices were not just arbitrary. I've read that (while

doing this research) many of the fruits we are allowed are mucus producing.

That one really confused me. But, again, I know the choices were not

arbitrary. Since I just started week two yesterday I'm in no position to

say anything about whether or not this works. I'm being as compliant as

possible. (my fluid intake issues not withstanding)

So, I guess, without starting a list war (which isn't my intention), I'm

curious about how the food testing was done. But then, that has been a

question that I have asked numerous times and never really received an

answer.

It has also been stated that Dr. Haas made most of the food choices!?! Am I

remembering that correctly? So, Elaine was just following his choices? Are

his discoveries in the book that everyone has been talking about recently?

If so, I would love to get a copy if a reprinting is actually accomplished.

I am understanding more and more about simple and complex sugars the more I

keep reading from different sources. Sometimes the way someone words

something will make more sense to me - over the way someone else words it.

So, I'm just attempting to get a handle now on complex versus simple

carbohydrates and what it means in terms of the SCD. I guess you could say

I am hitting a new learning curve. I apologize in advance if this makes

anyone uncomfortable. But, this is just how I learn new things, by asking

questions.

Jazz

-- Re: legal - illegal how to tell?

Hi ,

In order to declare a food to be legal,Elaine looked at the chemical

analysis of the food to make sure that it did not contain any complex

carbohydrates.

Some foods were made illegal despite the fact that they did not

contain any complex carbs. These foods were eliminated because Elaine

felt that they were not good for people's health. An example of this

is canola oil.

Elaine also removed some foods that were too hard to digest.

Mimi.

[Guest guest]

Hi Jazz,

I am very busy this morning but would like to clarify that the term

" complex carbs " has several meanings. I should have used the term

" foods that disaccharides and polysaccharides " instead of the term

" foods that contain complex carbs " . I am sorry for the confusion; last

night,I returned from a long trip that I took with my kids for a

social skill consultation.

The fastest way to explain this is to refer to the diet of pre

agricultural man. The foods that are allowed on SCD are the foods of

primitive men. We were designed to eat the foods of primitive folks. Our bodies

have not adjusted well to the diet produced by agriculture. Many studies about

primitive folks confirm that they were free of the modern illnesses that we have

today. The experience of primitive people confirm the benefit and safety of SCD.

Mimi

>

> I understand (oh, and I'm not trying to make trouble here) that there is

> concern about monosaccharides and polysaccharides. That makes sense to me.

> But, I can't understand how you can say that Elaine made sure that foods

> allowed did not contain any complex carbohydrates?

[Guest guest]

Hi Jazz,

The diet is called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. What might be more of an

accurate title would be the " specific type of carbohydrate and appropriate

percentage of easily digested complex carbohydrates diet " - but that's way too

much detail for a title and quite a mouthful. Besides " Specific Carbohydrate

diet " does sum it all up and the details of what it means are in the book.

In Chapter 9 of BTVC Elaine described the differences between the complex

carbohydrates amylose and amylopectin. Amylose is easier to digest because its'

glucose units are arranged linearly, whereas amylopectin's glucose units are

highly branched making them harder for the damaged gut to digest - leaving food

for all the little nasties. The nasty little microbes then reproduce, releasing

byproducts of their life cycle which damage the intestinal cells perpetuating

the " vicious cycle " .

Vegetables that contain more amylose than amylopectin are easier to digest. So

although banana and other allowed veggies and fruits contain complex carbs they

contain a higher amount of the easier to digest complex carbs. Fruits and

veggies with the wrong ratio are illegal.

Elaine worked as a biochemist and cell biologist, who specialized in the study

of the effect of food on the human body, including the brain. She spent a

number of years investigating the effects of various sugars on the digestive

tract and also investigated the changes that occur in the bowel wall in

inflammatory bowel disease.

There is more to it then just complex carbs - there is also fibre, but that is

also explained in the book (check out chap. 9).

Sheila, SCD Feb. 2001, UC

mom of Em and Dan

Mimi,

I understand (oh, and I'm not trying to make trouble here) that there is

concern about monosaccharides and polysaccharides. That makes sense to me.

But, I can't understand how you can say that Elaine made sure that foods

allowed did not contain any complex carbohydrates?

From the web site:

http://www.medical- library.net/ sites/framer

html?/sites/ carbohydrates_ in_nutrition. html

High-fiber (high-cellulose) vegetable foods are the healthiest choices for

human nutrition, and intake of these foods is associated with lowered

incidences of hypertension, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, etc. Examples are

lettuce and broccoli. Examples of low-fiber, complex carbs are banana,

tomato, squash and all cereals and grains (therefore bread and pasta),

potatoes and rice.

So, it would seem that many of the foods that are allowed contain complex

carbohydrates. (banana, squash, tomatoes)

This is a larger list of foods containing complex carbohydrates from:

http://www.howtothi nkthin.com/ instincts2. htm

Spinach Whole Barley Grapefruit Turnip Greens Buckwheat Apples Lettuce

Buckwheat bread Prunes Water Cress Oat bran bread Apricots, Dried Zucchini

Oatmeal Pears Asparagus Oat bran cereal Plums Artichokes Museli Strawberries

Okra Wild rice Oranges Cabbage Brown rice Yams Celery Multi-grain bread

Carrots Cucumbers Whole meal spelt bread Potatoes Dill Pickles Pinto beans

Soybeans Radishes Yogurt, low fat Lentils Broccoli Skim milk Garbanzo beans

Brussels Sprouts Kidney beans Eggplant Lentils Onions Split peas

Tomatoes Soy milk Cauliflower Navy beans

Ok, many of the above foods are not allowed on the SCD, but many are. So,

the criteria cannot be just the presence of simple or complex carbohydrates.

I know that the choices were not just arbitrary. I've read that (while

doing this research) many of the fruits we are allowed are mucus producing.

That one really confused me. But, again, I know the choices were not

arbitrary. Since I just started week two yesterday I'm in no position to

say anything about whether or not this works. I'm being as compliant as

possible. (my fluid intake issues not withstanding)

So, I guess, without starting a list war (which isn't my intention), I'm

curious about how the food testing was done. But then, that has been a

question that I have asked numerous times and never really received an

answer.

It has also been stated that Dr. Haas made most of the food choices!?! Am I

remembering that correctly? So, Elaine was just following his choices? Are

his discoveries in the book that everyone has been talking about recently?

If so, I would love to get a copy if a reprinting is actually accomplished.

I am understanding more and more about simple and complex sugars the more I

keep reading from different sources. Sometimes the way someone words

something will make more sense to me - over the way someone else words it.

So, I'm just attempting to get a handle now on complex versus simple

carbohydrates and what it means in terms of the SCD. I guess you could say

I am hitting a new learning curve. I apologize in advance if this makes

anyone uncomfortable. But, this is just how I learn new things, by asking

questions.

Jazz

-- Re: legal - illegal how to tell?

Hi ,

In order to declare a food to be legal,Elaine looked at the chemical

analysis of the food to make sure that it did not contain any complex

carbohydrates.

Some foods were made illegal despite the fact that they did not

contain any complex carbs. These foods were eliminated because Elaine

felt that they were not good for people's health. An example of this

is canola oil.

Elaine also removed some foods that were too hard to digest.

Mimi.

[Guest guest]

Oh, I understand the paleolithic diet. Not a problem. And, as has been

suggested, will go back and re-read chapter nine. Thanks " guys " .

-- Re: legal - illegal how to tell?

Hi Jazz,

I am very busy this morning but would like to clarify that the term

" complex carbs " has several meanings. I should have used the term

" foods that disaccharides and polysaccharides " instead of the term

" foods that contain complex carbs " . I am sorry for the confusion; last

night,I returned from a long trip that I took with my kids for a

social skill consultation.

The fastest way to explain this is to refer to the diet of pre

agricultural man. The foods that are allowed on SCD are the foods of

primitive men. We were designed to eat the foods of primitive folks. Our

bodies have not adjusted well to the diet produced by agriculture. Many

studies about primitive folks confirm that they were free of the modern

illnesses that we have today. The experience of primitive people confirm the

benefit and safety of SCD.

Mimi

>

> I understand (oh, and I'm not trying to make trouble here) that there is

> concern about monosaccharides and polysaccharides. That makes sense to me.

> But, I can't understand how you can say that Elaine made sure that foods

> allowed did not contain any complex carbohydrates?

[Guest guest]

>

> Thanks, Mimi. I don't quite understand, from some recent posts, that if Dr

Haas did all

the work, why was Elaine revising the lists from her testing?

>

> BTW,Thanks to a suggestion on this list, I have tracked a copy of Dr Haas'

book in a

local university archival facility.

> I am glad you are getting some printed as well.

>

> regards,

>

> LINDA

>

If Elaine found something was causing problems in some people she xhanged her

evaluation. Turnips are an example. They were oringinally allowed for beginners

but

proved problematic so Elaine advised they be reserved for an advanced stage or

after

being healed. She would rather exercise caution when there was the slightest

doubt.

She did make a blanket statement about products being subject to change and that

it is

safest to use homemade foods. otherwaise he legal list is based on the type of

carbohydrtaes and any possible substances that could interfere with eliminating

bad gut

bacteria, her goal was a wide selction, a balanced and wholesome diet in so far

as

possible. That's why SCD is nice for entire familiies too.

Carol F.

[Guest guest]

Heyla, folks...

A number of people have asked how they can tell if a food is legal or

illegal. While the use of any product not endorsed in BTVC is a matter of

personal choice, I did show the following to Elaine after we'd gone 'round

the mulberry bush several dozen times over whether or not agave syrup could

be permitted.

[Article from *SCD Made Easy* (forthcoming -- I keep finding things to add

to it!)]

Is This Food Legal?

is a common cry among SCD newcomers.

If you are dealing with a food which is not listed on

www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info, and you are unable to find anything on it

in BTVC, then the first thing is to learn more about the food. As an

example, the question of agave syrup, not mentioned in BTVC, comes up

frequently on SCD lists so I wanted to include an entry on it in my own

legal/illegal list. I knew nothing about it.

I first checked a large book of food counts, but while I was able to

determine that the syrup had carbohydrates (quite a few of them!), I was

unable to determine what kind, and of course, that is what SCD is all

about: specific carbohydrates.

So I turned to the Internet. Doing a search on " agave syrup " and

" composition, " yielded " Agave syrup is a potent natural sweetener and good

source of inulin, a probiotic. " [1]

Oops.

Inulin is the same as FOS, and it is illegal on SCD, per BTVC p 59, where

we learn that we should not use any product containing inulin or

fructooligosaccharides or FOS. It should be noted that foods containing

natural inulin, such as onions and turnips, may be tolerated by the SCDer.

(Or they may not.). Products containing added refined inulin, or which have

it concentrated, as in the case of a syrup, are illegal.

Although FOS is highly touted as feeding ‘good’ bacteria, it is a form of

starch which may also feed the bad bacteria, and taking it may defeat the

purpose of the diet.

In addition, another web site[2] advised that much agave syrup is produced

by corporations which also produce malt syrup, molasses, and other illegal

sweeteners, so there is too great a possibility that it is contaminated by

those other sweeteners.

End of story.

I have now determined for myself, by the same process Elaine used, that

agave syrup, although touted as a natural sweetener, is not SCD legal.

And, if I had not had the Internet to assist, a visit to any good library

ought to yield the text books necessary to make the determination. It won’t

be as fast or efficient as using the Net, but it can be done. Stubborn,

after all, is what SCDers are all about.

This kind of process can be used to validate -- or eliminate -- any food or

additive.

A slightly more complicated example might be a specific product, such as

McCormick’s® Mild Taco Seasoning, which comes in a foil packet. I used to

use this, pre-SCD, because it was convenient.

Let’s take a look at the ingredients.

ONION, POTATO STARCH, WHEY SOLIDS, salt, SPICES (including chili pepper,

oregano, and cumin), paprika, SUGAR, GARLIC, and citric acid.[3]

Commercially dehydrated onion is a problem because starch is often added

during processing. This becomes moot with the very next ingredient --

potato starch -- because no starches of any kind are permitted on SCD. Whey

solids are another killer. Whey is the waste product from the production of

cheese. It used to be thrown out. Now they’re drying it and sticking it in

just about everything[4]. Salt is legal. Then comes the secret " spices " ,

which says " including chili pepper, oregano, and cumin " . The key word here

is " including " . What they didn’t bother to put on the label was that this

actually should read, " including, but not limited to, chili pepper,

oregano, and cumin. " Very often, generic " spices " may contain MSG

(monosodium glutamate) and sugar. Paprika, the next ingredient, is legal.

Sugar is not. Commercially dehydrated garlic is not, because of the

possibility of added starch.

Clearly, even if the second ingredient wasn’t potato starch, this product

would not be legal.

Before we started SCD, we used such products because they were convenient.

It is possible to re-create the convenience without the health hazard.

*Breaking the Vicious Cycle* does not provide you with an absolute guide

book to health. What it does do is provide the map and the compass, in the

form of guidelines. It tells you why. Implementing the how depends on your

body, your health, and your personal situation.

One example is the fact that Dr. Haas specifically eliminated any

commercially canned vegetables from the SCD. He also specifically excluded

canned tomato products, with the exception of tomato juice not from

concentrate. Why? Because if these products do not have a certain natural

sweetness, the processors automatically add a squirt of sugar syrup to the

cooking vat to bring the product up to whatever their determined standard

of sweetness is. Because the sugar isn’t always in the product, the

manufacturers see no reason (and are not required by law) to list it on the

label. As a consequence, one batch might be safe, and another from the same

company might not.

It is the manufacturers’ additions which make canned food illegal, not the

process itself. If you can your own, with no illegal additives, then the

canned food would be legal.

Yet time, and time again people say, " But this commercial canned food must

be legal. It says... "

And the answer, inevitably is, canned food, with the exception of fruit

canned in its own juice, is not legal.

BTVC tells you categories of foods; it does not try to cover every human

edible product in the known world. In addition, it was written based on the

author’s experiences in the United States and Canada, and may not address

every detail of Israeli, English, French, Indian, or Chinese cuisine. Yet

the principles it contains can be applied, regardless of where in the world

you are.

[1] http://www.preparedfoods.com/archives/1998/9812/wg-whol.htm NOTE:

inulin is NOT, contrary to this statement, a probiotic. It is a prebiotic

-- bacteria feed on it. Contrary to packagers of inulin products, Elaine

said it can more easily feed the bad bacteria than the good.

[2] http://www.okkosher.com/kfgProducts.asp?ir= & C=SYRUP

[3] Emphasis mine, indicating an illegal item.

[4] Cheese whey is almost 5% pure lactose[4]. Since we go to the trouble of

fermenting all our dairy to remove the lactose, why in the world would we

want to use a product which contains almost all the lactose in the milk?.

93.1% water, .3% fat, .9% protein, .6% ash, and 4.9% lactose is the

breakdown, according to a website about profitable dairying

http://www.indiaagronet.com/indiaagronet/DAIRY/CONTENTS/Dairy%20by-products

..htm. If one were inclined to paranoia, one might wonder if the inclusion

of such profitable waste in our food might be related to the modern

epidemic of gut disorders.

-- Marilyn (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA)

Article from *SCD Made Easy* (forthcoming)

Undiagnosed IBS 25 Years, SCD Five Years

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

[Guest guest]

>

> Oh, I understand the paleolithic diet. Not a problem. And, as has been

> suggested, will go back and re-read chapter nine. Thanks " guys " .

>

>

SCD has similarities to the Paleo Diet. One of our members. Antoinette thought

the Paleo

Diet might be the answer to all her prayers. She even wrote a small book about

it. Then

she discovered SCD which she then embraced as far superior for her own family.

They

have varying digestive and autism issues.

People on the Yahoo group, Healing Crow, discuss both diets.

I would imagine Paleo dieters cannot have fruits canned in their own juice.

Another diet

that people like to compare or confuse with SCD is the Weston Price Diet, It

allows grains.

I believe they advocate liquid raw milk. We only use milk incubated into yogurt

to have the

lactose consumed and the casein denatured.

It is not from a desire to be censors or narrow minded so much as to eliminate

confusion

that we have asked as Patti described, that we don't take protocols from other

diets.

I have made an " Elaine approved exception " perhaps from many years at Weight

Watchers.

The book , BTVC allows it.

I use 2% goat's milk rather than 3.8% b/c I like to drip the yogurt . Dripping

makes it more

calorie dense and I often have the maximum allowed each day. That keeps my

weight

more stable and I find it easier to digest with a little less fat when it is

concentrated by

dripping.

Carol F.

SCD 6 years

Carol F.

[Guest guest]

Marilyn,

Thanks for such an explicit reply. It answered many of my questions. But

not all of them, by far. The trial and tribulations of feeding the elephant

s child.

I know that while I was out this morning reading about carbohydrates, I

became aware that there had to be more to this process than just

monosaccharides, polysaccharides, and the complexity of the carbohydrate in

the food. I readily acknowledge that I am NOT a biochemist. But, I can

sure see the interest in going and taking some classes now that my interest

is piqued. I can see where digestibility would certainly be a factor (but,

that is so nebulous as it would differ from person to person).

It does give one a better appreciation for being able to come up with any

comprehensive list of legal foods at all though.

Jazz

-- Re: legal - illegal how to tell?

Heyla, folks...

A number of people have asked how they can tell if a food is legal or

illegal. While the use of any product not endorsed in BTVC is a matter of

personal choice, I did show the following to Elaine after we'd gone 'round

the mulberry bush several dozen times over whether or not agave syrup could

be permitted.

[Article from *SCD Made Easy* (forthcoming -- I keep finding things to add

to it!)]

Is This Food Legal?

is a common cry among SCD newcomers.

If you are dealing with a food which is not listed on

www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info, and you are unable to find anything on it

in BTVC, then the first thing is to learn more about the food. As an

example, the question of agave syrup, not mentioned in BTVC, comes up

frequently on SCD lists so I wanted to include an entry on it in my own

legal/illegal list. I knew nothing about it.

<large snip>

BTVC tells you categories of foods; it does not try to cover every human

edible product in the known world. In addition, it was written based on the

author’s experiences in the United States and Canada, and may not address

every detail of Israeli, English, French, Indian, or Chinese cuisine. Yet

the principles it contains can be applied, regardless of where in the world

you are.

-- Marilyn (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA)

Article from *SCD Made Easy* (forthcoming)

Undiagnosed IBS 25 Years, SCD Five Years

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund.

[Guest guest]

>

> Mimi,

>

> I understand (oh, and I'm not trying to make trouble here) that there is

> concern about monosaccharides and polysaccharides. That makes sense to me.

> But, I can't understand how you can say that Elaine made sure that foods

> allowed did not contain any complex carbohydrates?

>

> From the web site:

> http://www.medical-library.net/sites/framer

> html?/sites/carbohydrates_in_nutrition.html

I am wondering Elaine erred in her use of the word " complex " ?

Apparently from the same source but possibly via a different link. Please note

we do not

endorse the use of illegal foods mentioned such as grain and this reference is

mainly in

keeping with what has been selected as appropriate on SCD. Remarks in

paraenthesies

were inserted by me. It took me a long time to compose this and since it

corroborates

what we alreday have been told in BTVC, I question its worth except to show that

Elaine

did her homework and did it with an electron microscope and we are grateful that

all the

science is behind her dietary recomendations

Carol F.

http://www.medical-library.net/sites/framer.html?/sites/carbohydrates_in_nutriti\

on.html

Carbohydrates come in two basic forms: complex and simple.

Simple carbs are one, two,

or at most three units of sugar linked together in single molecules. Complex

carbs are

hundreds or thousands of sugar units linked together in single molecules. Simple

sugars

are easily identified by their taste: sweet. Complex carbs, such as potatoes,

are pleasant to

the taste buds, but not sweet. (This is shown at the start of BTVC)

There are two groups of complex carbs: high fiber and low fiber.

High-fiber, complex

carbs are not digestible, at least not by human beings, because we do not have

the

enzyme to do the job. Cows have that enzyme; that is why they can get calories

out of

grass, and we cannot. The main stuff in high-fiber, complex carbs which is

indigestible by

humans is called " cellulose. "

High-fiber (high-cellulose) vegetable foods are the healthiest choices for human

nutrition,

and intake of these foods is associated with lowered incidences of hypertension,

cancer,

arthritis, diabetes, etc. Examples are lettuce and broccoli. Examples of

low-fiber, complex

carbs are banana, tomato, squash and all cereals and grains (therefore bread and

pasta),

potatoes and rice. ( the last four are illegal on SCD)

It matters not if a carb is simple or complex. (This next section is paraphrased

in " Past and

Present chapter in BTVC)

After digestion, it appears in the circulatory

system in the simple form, as glucose, on its way to the cells where it is used

for energy.

To be transformed into simple sugars, complex carbs must be digested by the

enzyme

amylase. Amylase is secreted by the salivary glands, which empty into the mouth,

and by

the pancreas, which empties into the head of the duodenum.

Simple sugars and low-fiber, complex carbs represent a threat to health when

they are

consumed in inappropriate amounts such as may occur in low-soy, vegetarian diets

where

they are being eaten to replace the calories which would ordinarily come from

protein.

Processing of plant food strips away its fiber and/or vitamin content. A simple

example of

processing is cutting an orange in two pieces, pressing the juice into a glass

and

discarding the fiber.

While it is true that fiber is an important part of your diet, even necessary to

protect you

from some diseases, carbohydrates themselves are not necessary. There are

" essential "

fatty acids and " essential " amino acids (from protein), however there are no

known

essential carbohydrates. ( maybe not necessary but important to prevent ketosis)

Most of our carbohydrates come from cereals and grains, both products of the

agricultural

revolution. (and illegal on SCD)

Our bodies are not genetically designed to thrive on large amounts of these

fiberless complex carbs. (and less so where gastric disease exists)

With the popularity of cereal- and grain-based " health diets, "

carbohydrate metabolism has been upset in approximately 3/4 of the population

which

simply cannot handle this large load of carbs. Increased insulin output from the

pancreas,

over the years, results in hyperinsulinism, insulin resistance and the resulting

diseases

mentioned above: hypertension, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis and heart disease.

Complex carbs with lots of fiber should be consumed in proper proportion for

maximum

health and vitality. Complex carbs with lots of fiber are rich sources of

necessary vitamins

and minerals as well as enzymes when in the raw state. The problem happens when

carbohydrates are altered by processes which provide empty calories stripped of

much of

their original food value.

I should also mention the relationship between simple sugars and mucus

formation. The

biochemical name for mucus is mucopolysaccharide. This literally means " mucus of

many

sugars, " and it tells us how mucus is formed through the linking together of

sugar

molecules.

(This mucous becomes so thick in a compromised gut that it obscures a microscope

view

of the other cells)

If you have a condition, such as asthma or emphysema, in which mucus is part

of the problem, you can do yourself a lot of good by stopping your intake of

simple sugars

and lowering your intake of complex carbohydrates which convert to simple sugars

upon

digestion. Unfortunately, this means such wonderful sweet fruits as plums,

peaches,

apples, etc., must go along with breads, pastas and pastries.( that fruit

exclusion does not

apply to SCD)

The most healthy form of sugar is the complex carbohydrates present in

high-fiber

vegetables; however, it is certainly acceptable to spice up your diet in

moderation with

simple sugars in the form of whole fruits

Eat your fruits, do not juice them and drink them, unless you are on a

juice fast as described earlier in this book. ( On SCD we suggest not overdoing

juice and

always diluting it as suggested below).)

Eating the whole fruit results in the inclusion of

natural fiber, which allows proper absorption of sugars. If you must have juice,

dilute it

with twice the recommended amount of water, so as to get the taste without

overdosing

on simple sugars.