Carbohydrate Content – Points to Consider
(Caution against Modifying the SCD™to a diet with insufficient carbohydrates)
By Elaine Gottschall

Great attention had been paid by both Dr. Sidney Valentine Haas, the pediatrician who developed the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, as well as the author, to include foods that would comprise a well balanced, healthful, therapeutic diet. One of the most important considerations relates to the state of malnutrition existing in many of the children and adults who begin the Specific Carbohydrate Diet commitment.

Malnutrition can be the result of chronic intestinal problems which prevent the absorption of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, calories of protein, fat, and carbohydrates) as well as unbalanced diets containing an overload of carbohydrates to which many have become addicted. These infants and children (and some adults), not adapted to a diet higher in protein than previously ingested, do not do well unless there is sufficient carbohydrate in the new diet (SCD) to which they are being introduced. It is recommended by several authors that by including the allowed carbohydrates, the protein intake will be increased more slowly after periods of malnutrition (Goodhart and Shils, Fifth Ed. pgs 57-58). That is the reason that even the introductory diet contains diluted fruit juices, carrots and honey. After the introductory diet, there is a wide variety of baked goods, vegetables, and fruits providing a sensible carbohydrate intake along with protein and fat.

Andrew Cutler Ph.D. has commented on the introduction of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet without sufficient carbohydrates as follows:

Many of these children have underperforming adrenal glands. People with inadequate adrenal function cannot make their Own blood sugar from other things and must have some Carbohydrate in their diet, not a lot, but they do poorly on an Atkins or keto diet.
Many parents who do the SCD™avoid fruit due to its supposed Relation to yeast. Then their picky eaters will not touch the Squashes and other vegetables that are the few remaining
Carbohydrate sources on the SCD . Honey is permissible but Many will not use it for their children or the children do not Like it. (You may wish to try a variety of different honeys;
They can taste quite a bit different depending on what flowers the Bees have visited.
The children accidentally or purposefully end up on the SCD™+ low Low carbohydrate diet, not just SCD .

The question may be asked: how much carbohydrate should the child ingest. The author advises that the fruits, vegetables, honey, baked goods and, eventually, some cooked legumes be tried out gradually. Usually as the child or adult improves, these legal carbohydrates can be used freely with the other allowed additional foods.

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