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My five year old was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis a few weeks ago.  She also has juvenile arthritis (diagnosed nearly four years ago), uveitis (eye inflammation diagnosed 18 months ago), asthma and she is anaphylatic to peanuts and tree nuts.

I have been reading about the SC diet, but it seems like nuts are used as a substitute in many recipes (e.g. nut flour).  Does anyone who has followed this diet know if it's possible to do without using any nuts? 

Also, how soon would we likely see improvements in my daughter's health if it does work for her?  I have been told repeatedly not to modify her diet because food is not linked to her illnesses, but I would rather modify her diet than subject her to yet another medication.

Thanks!

 Reply posted for breezy.

Thanks Breezy,

Mine too! They choose to eat like me and hardly touch the extra rice, potatoes etc that I cook for them. Even biscuits and cakes often get forgotten and left in the cupboard now. I can't remember either of them needing an antibiotic or having a day off school since I changed the way I cook nearly four years ago, and no problems with weight either.

Linsy

 Reply posted for Lca.

Hey gang!

I just wanted to say- go parents go!  My kids do not have UC or Crohn's but I do.  When the brood lived at home, they ate like mommy.  My babies went thru elementary, middle, and high school with NO antibiotics.  They did not take antibiotics until they left the nest. I let them have junk food but it was a treat.  We made homemade pizza, pasta, bread, etc.  Our diet was low carb and protein rich.  My kids snacked on yogurt, berries, fruit, and veggies.  They call me with "Mommy what can I take, eat, do for ......?"  They tend to choose natural remedies, exercise, and diet.  Diet and lifestyle matters, my trio are proof. 

I think it is wonderful that you are starting the SCDiet.  You are leading the way to a healthy, happy life.

Hugs!

Breezy

 Reply posted for JAMom.

I have never used a dehydrator but I have an electric yogurt maker from Lakeland Plastics in the UK. They have a website but I'm not sure if they export to USA or if the electrics are compatible. The yogurt maker isn't always shown on the site. I just phoned and they had them in stock but not advertised. It is very simple and cheap and the internal containers can be bought separately. I also use an ice cream maker frequently. Yoghurt ice cream is the best!

If you have good results with diet be very careful not to stop medication without the doctor's advice. I still take Mesalamine every day. When it works I think the diet can  improve symptoms very fast but the underlying problem is much, much slower to heal. According to Lutz and Allan uc can still be improving after eight years. Your daughter is lucky that you are looking into her diet so soon. My health deteriorated for five years and I had some bad reactions and side effects from the medication before I started to read for myself instead of trusting the drugs.

It may seem difficult at first but  replacing  rice, pasta and potatoes with some extra  buttered vegetables very soon becomes easy. Do make sure you have some legal sweet snacks on hand. Acacia honey tastes just like a slightly citrus sugar syrup and I use it to sweeten fruit, ice cream etc.

I hope this helps a little. I have children and often wonder if I would have been brave enough to make changes my doctor didn't recommend for them (although my doctors are tolerant if not supportive).

If you are at all scientific have a look at the Hyperlipid blog (much easier after reading LWB) by a vet who controls arthritis with a high fat diet. His own  diet is quite extreme but I think his theories and interpretation of research are genius.

L

 Reply posted for Lca.

Thank you for the additional information.  We are going to start it this week and try to do the best we can to stick to it.

I have been doing a lot of reading (Breaking the Vicious Cycle and various Websites and email groups) trying to get prepared.  I have read about the benefits of having a food dehydrator and a yogurt maker.  Money is very tight but I have built up a nice stash of Amazon.com gift cards from taking online surveys and a search site so I could use them up and get the Excalibur 9 tray dehydrator that can also be used to make yogurt.  I hate to use up all that money so quickly, but will if it's worth getting it. 

Do you use a dehydrator and/or yogurt maker, and if so, what do you recommend?

Thank you!

 Reply posted for JAMom.

I second Alan's advice especially about the fats.
SCD has made a huge difference to my health over the last 3 1/2 years but if it is too difficult without the nuts read Life Without Bread by Lutz and Allan about the health benefits of simply reducing carbohydrates and increasing  good fats. SCD certainly adds additional benefits for me (especially the advice on lactose) but LWB gives much more detail on the reasons this kind of diet works and is a bit more flexible than SCD.

A few months after starting SCD I suffered from Iritis in both eyes and needed treatment with steroid drops but it has not recurred although I was told that it would. Symptoms of Reynauds disease have also disappeared.

I used to be hungry all the time but now on low carbs I can go for hours without eating. It does take some time to adapt to this way of eating and I lost quite a lot of weight at the start. At first I ate a lot of thick soups when I was hungry and once I could tolerate it I ate a lot of  SCD French cream with fruit cooked with honey, and SCD ice cream.

From my experience it is well worth persevering with diet changes but if it is too difficult with a small child do  at least look into removing all refined oils and using only low omega 6 oils, butter, animal fats and coconut oil. I made this change some months ago and have really noticed a further improvement. (Very slight but regular bleeding while on SCD has almost disappeared - according to Lutz this is often the last symptom to go with uc).
The best of luck

 Reply posted for alanschachter.

Thank you for all the information. 

My daughter is taking VSL #3 to see if it helps before starting Sulfasalazine.  She is already on Humira and Methotrexate for the JA and uveitis.  I hope if she starts the Sulfasalazine, she can come off the Humira and Methotrexate within a few months, but the gastroenterologlist said we'd wait and see.  If the VSL #3 doesn't work, she'll start the Sulfasalazine.  If that doesn't work, she'll have to go on Remicade.

My daughter switched from Enbrel to Humira because of the uveitis, but it hasn't fully worked - she has to have three eye drops per day to keep it quiet.  I am wondering if the uveitis is linked to the UC since the Humira/Methotrexate isn't keeping the UC or the uveitis quiet.  Maybe if we get the UC under control, the uveitis will stay quiet too.  I don't know what the chances are, but I would love to tell my daughter she doesn't need Humira ever again.  It has been a source of major anxiety for her due to the burning sensation.  She's been getting weekly shots since before her 2nd birthday and had been great about it until we added the Humira 18 months ago.

Was the intro diet difficult for your daughter?  I am thinking we should wait until she goes on spring break starting on 4/10 to do it as I don't know how she'll make it through the school day on limited foods for 3-5 days.  She's always "starving" and constantly eating.