Salads
When I refer to salads, unless specified otherwise, the recipe is: red-leaf lettuce, tomato, Vidalia or red onion, organic extra virgin olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Optionally, I often add organic raisins. On work days, I make the salad in the morning if we ate all of it the night before. I try to eat a salad or fresh veggies with EVERY meal (except breakfast).

Tomato puree
I haved used Pomi, from Italy. It seems to be just fine for me (even though BTVC explicitly states tomato puree must be made by hand) but you should follow the rules.

Spices
I sometimes buy bulk, whole spices and grind them to make my own curry. It is fun!

Thai food
Thai food is often full of coconut and sugar. When eating out, ask them to not add any sugar, and eat something coconut-free during the early stages of the SCD.

Rice
I do not eat any rice. In the past I have experimented with either whole grain organic brown rice or wild rice (supposedly less gluten, more grass-like). About a handful with PLENTY of other food. I can't definitively say that either bothered me but I really felt that it was important not to mislead people who visited Flog into thinking non-SCD was "OK", so I just stopped. There really are so many foods on the SCD that non-SCD just isn't that important.

Bread
The only bread one might find on my plate is usually with a very rare sandwich (not processed cold-cuts, mind you!). It is quite easy and practical to eat an open-faced sandwich with a fork and knife! Otherwise, I simply put both halves of the sandwich contents on the same half, and eat around the bread, tearing it off as I go (it acts as a sort of wrapper).

Fried foods
Again, very rarely.. usually when I am feeling "naughty" or think I deserve something "special". I always have a big salad and extra veggies to help keep things in balance. Again, don't do as I do!

There are probably other modifications between what you read here and what BTVC dictates. Please make your own modifications at your own discretion!

 

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Listen To Your Gut, by Jini Patel Thompson.
Brief review by Mike Simons, 6/24/2000:
This excellent inspirational book describes a whole-body approach to overcoming Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis, and IBS. Ms. Patel provides a valuable framework of diet, exercise, stress management, and herbal treatments for quick relief of symptoms; she also includes thought-provoking questions in a worksheet format for further exploration of each chapter's concepts. While the author had minimal success with the SCD, (her personal lifestyle was not compatible with spending 'time in the kitchen'--she became "an irritated, angry person") she does recommend a very SCD-like diet throughout the book. My personal recommendation is to read this book after reading Breaking the Vicious Cycle, and assimilate the best of the two books into your own natural healing methods.

More of my review LTYG's web site; stay tuned for Jini's second book: THE IBD REMISSION DIET: Achieving long-term health with an elemental diet & natural supplementation plan.

Positive Options for Crohn's Disease: Self-Help and Treatment, by Joan Gomez, M.D.
Brief review by Mike Simons, 4/20/2001:
Covering the digestive system, signs and symptoms of Crohn's, types of tests and diagnosis, and medicinal and surgical treatment options, readers benefit from Gomez's explanation of digestion, the challenges of nutrition/absorption, and the many medicinal and surgical treatments.

As someone who was looking for an uplifting book with solutions, this book primarily about drugs and surgery disappointed me. One quote early on reads, "Getting the best out of life when you have this illness [Crohn's] means reengineering your whole lifestyle". There really must be a more positive way of saying this! Barely fifteen pages are dedicated to the root cause that diet plays in inflammatory bowel disease. Gomez finally mentions the research of British professor Herman-Taylor but fails to mention the successes found by the case studies done by Elaine Gottschall, author of "Breaking The Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet". My suggestion for future editions: show the reader some positive steps to take. For example, "through a regimen for remission, personal introspection, professional medical assistance, and the inclusion of exercise, support, and whole-body awareness, the patient can join a growing community of people achieving positive results."

Relax For The Fun Of It: A Cartoon And Audio Guide To Releasing Stress, by Allan Hirsh, M.A.
Brief review by Mike Simons, 11/3/2001:

I recently received this enjoyable and helpful book and audio guide from a fellow IBD friend. Following a busy, eventful workweek I read the book and listened to the audio, and the combination worked wonderfully. It works -- I fell asleep for a few moments the first time I listened to Hirsh’s relaxation guide!

Hirsh is a psychotherapist, trainer, and able cartoonist; his gentle humor and comfortable style make stress management easy and fun. The book’s text provides short, insightful tips and suggestions for managing stress, learning how to relax, increasing creativity, and more. The cartoons poke fun at our everyday selves and serve to reinforce the text. Hirsh’s soothing voice on the audio guide (CD) calmly takes the listener through a series of easy exercises to release stress and relax. One requires less than 20 minutes listening for the CD to work its’ magic. This first-time listener finished feeling calm and refreshed; repeat listeners are assured ever-greater rewards!

Hirsh’s work is geared toward the public at large. Having experienced excellent body workers, yoga instructors, and massage workers in the past, I think it would be interesting to see (and hear) how the book and audio guide would be customized for people with health problems, such as IBD or IBS. For example, it would be interesting to hear some visualization techniques (tips on how to clear the mind, suggested colors, digestive parts to visualize healing, more focus on diaphragmatic breathing).

This book and CD are wonderful for anyone wanting a gentle ‘push’ to relax while traveling on a commuter train, plane, or at home at the end of a busy day.

OK, I read everything, now let me see Flog!