The Legal / Illegal list
A to C
The
following is a list of foods that are allowed (legal)
and foods that are not allowed (illegal)
while following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet™, as outlined in the
book,
Breaking the Vicious Cycle by
Elaine Gottschall. The SCD™ is a progressive diet and the
introduction
of many of these foods should be delayed until healing has taken
place, please read the book "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" for
further information.
Some general guidelines are, no grains (i.e. rice, wheat, corn, oats, etc.),
no processed foods, no starchy vegetables (i.e. potatoes, yams, etc.), no canned
vegetables of any kind, no flour, no sugar, no sweeteners other than honey
and saccharin, and no milk products except for homemade yogurt fermented for
24 hours, prepared according to the instructions in the book.
List compiled by Kim Hesche
Click on the letters below for other sections of the list.
Food |
Legal / Illegal |
Note |
| Acacia | Illegal | This soluble fiber is gum acacia. Gums are starches. Starches are not SCD legal. |
| Açai | See note | See Açai |
| Agar-agar | Illegal | |
| Agave syrup | Illegal | |
| Alfalfa | Illegal | Alfalfa is not legal. It contains starch. |
| Algae | Illegal | We do not use algae (Spirulina) because IBD involves the immune system and algae can aggravate an already disturbed immune system. |
| Allspice | Legal | As long as you're just using Allspice as a cooking spice, it's legal. Don't use the oil, see Allspice |
| Almond butter | Legal | Almond butter with no sugar added is allowed. |
| Almond milk | Legal | May be tried after being on the diet for 6 months. Almond milk is legal if you make your own. Commercial almond milk is not legal. |
| Almond oil | Legal | |
| Almonds | Legal | Nuts sold in mixtures are not allowed, as most are roasted with a starch coating. Nuts should only be used as nut flour, in recipes, until diarrhea has subsided. |
| Aloe Vera | Illegal | It contains mucilaginous polysaccharides as well as increasing the release of tumor necrosis factor which is associated with IBD inflammation and increased immune stimulation. |
| Amaranth flour | Illegal | Amaranth is a grain substitute, contains starches and so is not allowed. |
| Anchovies | Legal | |
| Annatto | Legal | It is OK to use while on SCD, but some people choose to purchase dairy products without it. It might provoke an allergic reaction in some people. |
| Apple Cider | Legal | It is brown and not clear as apple juice is. It should be just straight pressed apples. It is usually pasteurized in order to kill bacteria. Cider should be diluted with water before drinking. |
| Apple Cider Vinegar | See Note | Only legal WITHOUT "The Mother" in it, it must be filtered! "The Mother" looks like a "cob-web" like stringy structure with tentacles that either floats or settles at the bottom of the bottle. In general this is what turns alcohol into vinegar. Elaine did not want us consuming this as it can feed bad yeasts. The company Spectrum has a legal filtered one. IE. Braggs ACV is illegal as it contains "The Mother". It is possible to strain "The Mother" out yourself by using a very fine sieve. |
| Apple Juice | Illegal | Apple juice usually has sugar added during processing. Apple cider is allowed. It should be brown and not clear as apple juice is. Cider should be diluted with water before drinking. |
| Apples | Legal | |
| Apricots | Legal | |
| Aragula | Legal | |
| Arrowroot | Illegal | It is a mucilaginous herb. Mucilaginous herbs are loaded with starch. This starch is food for the pathogens that the SCD™ is designed to starve out. |
| Artichokes (French) | Legal | They are the green artichokes
that you steam, then dip the leaves in lemon butter and scrape off
with your teeth. They have edible hearts and an inedible choke. See, http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/specialty/globe.html for a picture. |
| Artichokes (Jerusalem) | Illegal | They are actually a tuber,
and are not legal. See, http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/specialty/jerusale.html for a picture. |
| Ascorbic acid | Legal | Should be nothing but Vitamin C. |
| Asiago cheese | Legal | May be used occasionally. |
| Asparagus | Legal | Fresh or frozen is allowed. Canned vegetables are not allowed. |
| Aspartame | Legal | When symptom free, one aspartame sweetened soft drink per week is allowed - Elaine. But see Aspartame |
| Aspartic acid | Legal | |
| Astragalus | Illegal | contains polysaccharides |
| Avocadoes | Legal | |
| Avocado oil | Legal | Good for mayonaise and salad dressings but might not withstand heat very well |
| Bacon | Legal | Smoked bacon that has been fried very crisply is allowed once per week. There are sugar-free bacons available and if you are able to find a source of sugar-free bacon, you do not have to limit your consumption to once per week. Usually the low sodium varieties do not contain sugar but check the labels carefully. |
| Baker's yeast | Illegal | Saccharamyces cerevisae is baker's yeast and is illegal. |
| Baking powder | Illegal | Has starch as an ingredient, (usually corn starch) and other illegals to make it rise better. |
| Baking soda | Legal | |
| Balsamic vinegar | Illegal | It's not that balsamic vinegar is illegal, it's that what you can get in the store isn't really balsamic vinegar and most have sugar added to them so Elaine doesn't allow it. You can make your own legal substitute though see scdrecipe |
| Bananas | Legal | They must be ripe with black spots on the skin. |
| Bark tea | Illegal | Bark tea (Pau d'Arco) contains steroidal saponins and is both an immune booster and a laxative. |
| Barley | Illegal | |
| Basil | Legal | |
| Bay Leaf | Legal | |
| Bean flour | See Note | Do not use ready made flours made from beans or lentils as they probably weren't soaked prior to grinding to bean flour - |
| Bean sprouts | Illegal | |
| Bee Pollen | Illegal | Pollen is irritating to a damaged gut. Clear, pure, pasteurized honey is okay. Cloudy honey (still containing the pollen) should be avoided. - Sheila |
| Beef | Legal | Fresh and frozen are allowed as long as nothing has been added during processing; check the labels carefully. |
| Beer | Illegal | |
| Beet Sugar | Illegal | |
| Beets | Legal | |
| Berries | Legal | Berries of all kinds are legal. |
| Bhindi | Illegal | No okra (bhindi) or drumsticks, since they are a mucilaginous food, they are illegal. |
| Bitter Gourd | Illegal | |
| Black beans | Legal | May be tried when symptom free. This is a very advanced food and caution is advised.. Dried legumes must be prepared according to the instructions in the book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle.' |
| Black eye beans | Illegal | |
| Black radish | Legal | It is very fibrous, so go slowly and be careful. |
| Blue cheese | Legal | May be used occasionally. |
| Bok Choy | Legal | Bok Choy is much like cabbage and is legal but you should not use a member of the cabbage family until you are well on your way to getting better. In other words, do not use if you still have diarrhea and gas. |
| Bologna | Illegal | |
| Bouillon cubes | Illegal | Bouillon cubes and instant soup bases are not permitted. |
| Bourbon | Legal | Only have it occasionally. |
| Brandy | Illegal | |
| Brazil nuts | Legal | Nuts sold in mixtures are not allowed, as most are roasted with a starch coating. |
| Brick cheese | Legal | May be used freely. |
| Brie cheese | Legal | May be used occasionally. |
| Broccoli | Legal | |
| Brussell sprouts | Legal | |
| Buckwheat | Illegal | |
| Bulgur | Illegal | |
| Burdock root | Illegal | It contains inulin (FOS) and mucilage. |
| Butter | Legal | |
| Butter beans | Illegal | |
| Buttermilk | Illegal | |
| Cabbage | Legal | You should not use a member of the cabbage family until you are well on your way to getting better. In other words, do not use if you still have diarrhea and gas. |
| Camembert cheese | Legal | May be used occasionally. |
| Cane Sugar | Illegal | |
| Canellini beans | Illegal | |
| Canned fish | Legal | Canned in oil or water is acceptable but check the labels carefully. Do not buy products containing "broth". Usually, the low sodium varieties do not contain "broth". |
| Canned fruits | See note | Fruits canned in their own juice are allowed. |
| Canned vegetables | Illegal | There are no canned vegetables permitted, they must either be fresh or frozen. |
| Canola oil | Legal | Legal, but not recommended. |
| Cantaloupe | Legal | |
| Capers | Legal | |
| Carob | Illegal | |
| Carrageenan | Illegal | Carrageenan is seaweed and high in polysaccharides, therefore illegal. |
| Carrots | Legal | |
| Casaba melon | Legal | |
| Cashews | Legal | Nuts sold in mixtures are not allowed, as most are roasted with a starch coating. |
| Cat's Claw | See note | See Cat's Claw |
| Cauliflower | Legal | Cauliflower is sometimes hard to digest and should be tried cautiously after some progress has been made on the diet. |
| Celeriac /celery root | Legal | However, you should go slow and be careful. It is very fibrous, even if it doesn't seem so when you steam it and mash it. |
| Celery | Legal | |
| Cellulose (in supplements) | Legal | Cellulose in your supplements is okay and virtually impossible to avoid. |
| Cellulose Gum | Illegal | |
| Cereals | Illegal | However for a hot cereal see SCDrecipe Hot cereal |
| Chamomile | See note | See Chamomile |
| Chard | Legal | Chard (red, green,
rainbow and swiss). Chard is similar to spinach/celery so it
is legal. It
also reminds me a bit of the cabbage family
so use with caution if gas is still a problem |
| Chayote | Legal | |
| Cheddar cheese | Legal | May be used freely. |
| Cheese | See Note | If a cheese is not a processed cheese (manufactured) but is a cheese that has had a bacterial culture involved with its production and is aged at least 30 days. Elaine says its OK. |
| Cherimoya | Legal | Also known as custard apple or sharifa. |
| Cherries | Legal | |
| Chestnut flour | Illegal | |
| Chestnuts | Legal | May be tried when symptom free. However, if you buy dried chestnuts, soak them and cook them until soft. |
| Chevre | Illegal | Chevre is illegal, but you can make a close approximation by dripping goat milk yogurt. Directions can be found at http://uclbs.org/recipes/dairy/suegoatcheese.php |
| Chewing gum | Illegal | Contains things like aspartame, maple or date sugar and other sugar substitutes which are illegal. |
| Chia seeds | Illegal | Like flax seeds, they are mucilaginous (polysaccharide complex) and will feed harmful microbes. |
| Chickory root | Illegal | Chickory root is not
legal. In my first book, I suggested that it might be used
instead of coffee beans. I have since learned that it contains
large amounts of fructooligosaccharides. - Elaine |
| Chick peas | Illegal | |
| Chlorella | Illegal | It is a blue-green algae similar to spirulina |
| Chocolate | Illegal | Dr. Haas advised not to use cocoa or chocolate and this still goes, it isn't just the sugar he was worried about. |
| Cilantro | Legal | |
| Cinnamon | Legal | |
| Citric Acid | Legal | Citric acid as an additive is OK |
| Club soda | Legal | |
| Cocao butter | Legal | Unprocessed cocoa butter is legal. |
| Cocoa powder | Illegal | Dr. Haas advised not to use cocoa or chocolate and this still goes, it isn't just the sugar he was worried about. |
| Coconut | Legal | Fresh or unsweetened, shredded coconut and coconut flour are all legal. |
| Coconut milk | Legal | May be tried after being on the diet for 6 months. |
| Coconut oil | Legal | Withstands heat well, good for frying/cooking, |
| Coffee | Legal | Coffee should be made very weak. Instant coffee is not allowed. |
| Coffee (instant) | Illegal | |
| Collard greens | Legal | Of the cabbage family, introduce late in the diet |
| Colby cheese | Legal | May be used freely. |
| Cordials | Illegal | |
| Corn | Illegal | |
| Corn oil | Legal | |
| Corn syrup | Illegal | |
| Cornstarch | Illegal | |
| Courgette | Legal | Also known as zucchini |
| Cranberry juice | Legal | We use Knudsen’s Just Cranberry juice, as it has been checked out and does not have sugar added. It can be found in most health food stores. Juice should be diluted with water before drinking. Since this is pure cranberry juice it is very tart, you may sweeten it with saccharine or honey or dilute it with legal apple cider instead of water. |
| Cream | Illegal | It is illegal as it contains lactose. Cream can be added to milk and then fermented to make SCD™24hr yoghurt as the lactsose will be used up in the fermentation. Cream has less lactose than milk and the more fat it contains the less lactose it has. |
| Cottage cheese | Illegal | |
| Cream of Tartar | Illegal | |
| Cream cheese | Illegal | |
| Croscomellose sodium | Illegal | |
| Cucumbers | Legal | |
| Custard apple | Legal | Also known as sharifa or cherimoya |
| Cyclamate | Legal | It is actually a better alternative than saccharine, if you can get it, because it has no aftertaste. But it's almost impossible to find by itself, and certainly not available in NA. |
Click on the letters below for other sections of the list.