Chef Fernpixel

Hi All!

Its been a great week for cooking, however a bad week for my health. I have been on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) for 4 years now. I was 100% on the SCDiet when I first started. But now that I have been getting better, long after most of my symptoms disappeared I started introducing a few "illegal foods" into my diet. Right now, I would have to say I follow the diet only about 85% - 90% of the time. To get the general idea of what is allowed and not allowed on the diet, I found a short list here, as compiled by Happy Tummy". A detailed list can be found by Elaine Gottschall, the matriarch of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, on the Breaking the Vicious Cycle website.

I tolerate "illegal foods" when eaten sparingly... such as buffalo wings here and there, or maybe bottled salad dressing when I should have been eating plain oil and vinegar instead. I have to admit, I have been over doing it. The summer has been great and I've been hanging out with my friends a lot. But the trouble with illegal foods usually starts when we go out to eat. It is difficult to eat and be strict on my diet when I'm away from home. So here we are in the first month of Autumn and my digestive system has waged maximum carnage against me.

When I start noticing recurring symptoms, I back off, and go back to what is called the Intro Diet version of the SCDiet. It is hard to break temptation and its boring to eat, but I cannot stress it enough, IT HAS TO BE DONE if I want to get better. It has been a week since I started over and I am already starting to feel amazing. I am reintroducing the more interesting SCD foods this week and having a lot of fun in the kitchen.

Here is what I have been eating (All SCD legal foods that I made myself):

Chicken Soup
Cheesecake
Pizza with extra cheese
Cinnamon Applesauce
Strawberry Mousse
24-hour Yogurt
Lime-infused Basil Chicken

I have been on this diet for so long and at times I still struggle with it. Its not easy but I make it fun. I have learned to love cooking and experimenting with SCD recipes.

In order to be successful on this diet, you have to be persistent, and if you get bored with your food, surprise yourself and try a new SCD recipe.

Tonight I experimented with the Strawberry Mousse for the first time. Its in the fridge and waiting for me to eat it tomorrow when its set. I normally wouldn't have prepared this because I absolutely HATE whipping egg whites into stiff peaks. [Tip: If you ever need to take out your frustration or aggression, just whip up some egg whites by hand. I guarantee that you will not feel upset anymore. You will feel tired and forget about whatever it was that made you mad.] As I mentioned before, I needed to surprise myself so I won't be inclined to cheat on my diet again. Tonight I'll be dreaming of my fluffy strawberry mousse! And what a triumph to have made it all by myself! I feel pretty amazing!

I hope all of you are doing ok too. Make it a point to eat healthy and have fun in the kitchen!