When I first started eating the Specific Carbohydrate Diet I suffered from withdrawal symptoms from missing the ‘normal’ meals I was used to eating. In actual fact they were not physical withdrawals but emotional ones. I missed my comfort foods. Specifically the ones that I would have after a stressful day at the office. There was nothing quite as comforting has having that cup of tea and a biscuit while watching ‘Frasier’ on TV. And on cold winter nights a hot steaming bowl of Minestrone was just like slipping in between warmed sheets. So out of sheer necessity for the well being of my emotional comfort I wrote the “Healing Foods” cookbook. There I simply recreated all the meals that had comforted me throughout my childhood and adulthood. Baked beans, muffins and pancakes through to stews and lamp chops as well as my favorite salads, vegetables and desserts. I simply reinvented them with the ingredients that were allowed on the SCD. It was simple and it worked. The food tasted just as good if not better and best of all my brain believed it and was comforted.

Then came the day that my young son invited over a bunch of friends to watch a movie, and pizza was ordered. When it arrived the smell alone brought back memories of happy times, namely Pizza night, which in our family was always on Fridays. It was the one time we were allowed to watch TV and eat at the same time. There were no arguments over dinner or investigations of how school was going or whether we had finished our homework. Ordering pizza on a Friday night marked the end of the week and the beginning of the weekend. My mother would say, probably to assuage her guilt over feeding us something unhealthy, that if we ate 21 meals a week and 18 of those meals were healthy than surely three meals could simply be whatever rubbish we felt like eating. It was the one recipe I had left out of the cookbook, as it seemed impossible to recreate. Nevertheless I decided that I would try and the results were such that now, even if I could, wouldn’t go back to eating ‘normal’ pizza ever again. So without further ado here is the recipe for the base. These can be made in advance and frozen and then simply covered with your favorite toppings. They also taste incredibly good cold and kids will love them in their lunch box.

Ingredients

Serves 2 (depends as my son can eat a whole pizza by himself)

1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup cheddar grated
6 slices of Provolone or Cheddar (thin slices)
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2-3 Tbs cold water

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Then form the dough into a ball and place in between waxed baking paper. Use a pastry roller to roll the dough out flat until it is about 2 mm thick. Remove the top sheet and cover the dough with the slices of cheese. Bake in the oven on 150 C for about 15-20 minutes. The edges will begin to brown and that is when the base is ready. Take it out of the oven and cool before adding toppings. (At this stage you can freeze the bases). After you have added the toppings place the pizza back into the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the toppings begin to look cooked.

Topping suggestions

2 Tbs tomato paste
or sliced tomatoes
olives, peppers (capsicum), mushrooms
asparagus, shredded carrots, eggplant
ham & pineapple
chicken & avocado

Coconut Flour & Oil

Coconut Flour is a low-carb, high-fibre, gluten-free alternative to wheat flour. It contains no fillers, grains, or soy.

Coconut Flour is made from fresh organic coconut meat. The meat is dried and defatted and then finely ground into a powder very similar in consistency to wheat flour. Use 15-25% in place of other flours in most standard recipes. A variety of delicious baked goods can also be made using 100% coconut flour.

Coconut Flour is a low carb flour. It is ideal for baking low – carb breads and baked goods. It has fewer digestible (net) carbs than any other flour, including soy! It even has fewer digestible carbs than most vegetables.

Coconut Flour is a good source of protein. It has as much protein as wheat flour but it has none of the specific protein in wheat called “gluten”. This is an advantage for a growing percentage of the population that have developed an allergy to gluten or a wheat sensitivity.

Coconut Flour is high in fiber. It contains 38.5% fiber which is the highest percentage of dietary fiber found in any flour (wheat bran is 27% fiber). Coconut flour contains almost 3 times as much fiber as soy flour. Instead of contributing to health problems like starch and sugar do, fiber promotes good health.

This great information comes from a fantastic website which sells coconut flours and oils in Australia. Coconut Flour and oil is widely available throughout the U.S and Europe. It is worth noting that coconut flour comes in different qualities. Some flours are coarse and I do not recommend them. Look for coconut flour that is similar to corn flour in consistency. This flour makes the best muffins and crepes or pancakes and you can find recipes for those on our website in the ‘Flog’ section.

Coconut Oil

There are some who prescribe to the miracles of healing with coconut oil. It is definitely worth considering as the research has shown coconut to be effective in a variety of treatments including relieving symptoms associated with Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis and stomach ulcers. Not only that, it is also the world’s only low-calorie fat and does not lose its benefits by heating. It has been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years and has been revered as ‘the tree of life’, as every part of the tree is used for either food, building, clothing or healing.

Crepes

6 eggs

1 tsp coconut oil

½ tsp vanilla essence

1 Tbs coconut cream

1 tsp honey

3 Tbs coconut flour

This recipe makes thin crepes which are delicious with any kind of filling, whether savory or sweet. If using as a savory crepe eliminate the honey and vanilla essence and add a pinch of salt instead.

Combine the eggs with the coconut oil, vanilla, coconut cream and honey and whisk until light and frothy. Add the sifted coconut flour and combine. The consistency of the batter should be the same as normal crepe batter. It should coat the back of spoon but be quite thin.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan on medium and pour about 3 Tbs of batter into the pan. Lift the pan by the handle and roll the batter over the surface of the pan until the whole surface is covered. It only takes around one minutes for the crepe to brown on one side. Turn it over and brown on the other side.

Use these crepes as sandwich rolls filled with your favorite filling. Great for lunch.

Ayurvedic Cooking

Ayurveda is another one of those mystic alternative healing systems that has been around since the Iron age or around 5000 B.C. It has survived this long because some of it actually works very well. This is not to say that Indian people rely on Ayurveda completely, actually most would prefer the one-pill-cure-all, as the Ayurvedic treatments can be somewhat uncomfortable and cumbersome. Nevertheless I am, as always, interested in complimentary medicine and am for ever on the search to figure out why some people like myself are afflicted with a digestive disease. I have now been asymptomatic from ulcerative colitis for over four years, thanks to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), but still experience problems if I veer from the diet. This has led me to think that diet certainly is the first step towards a cure, but if the body, mind and spirit are not nurtured as well a full recovery cannot occur.

Ayurveda works on the principle that there are three types of fundamental mind/body types (doshas). These are Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Then there are also the three types of inner qualities (gunas). These are Sattva (equilibrium, evolution, intelligence), Rajas (activity, agitation) and Tamas (inertia). These ‘mental doshas’ describe the activity of the mind. Both the ‘mind doshas’ and the ‘body doshas’ are present in every person, but to function in society and be of a healthy disposition the mind/body doshas need to be in balance. Ayurveda aims to restore a balance to those doshas and therefore allowing the body to heal itself and the mind and spirit to be in balance. Therefore, what we ingest is an important part of ‘whole’-istic healing. It is well known to today’s scientists that the carbohydrates in foods affect the body in different ways. Take serotonin, which plays an important part in regulating our sleep, moods and sensory perceptions. It is found extensively in the gut and different foods have different effects on serotonin. If we eat too much starch our serotonin levels rise as does our blood-sugar level. The result is a viscous cycle of craving more starch as those levels fall, sometimes to low.

The Ayurvedic diet takes into account our fundamental mind/body type and provides a range of foods which aim to correct any imbalances that might have been caused by bad diet, stress or illness. If your Vata dosha is out of balance you might find that your body’s balance is off or that you have trouble sleeping and you are feeling restless. To pacify these problems it is then recommended that you ensure not to skip any meals and you have a regular life style. Walking is the ideal exercise for balancing Vata. Drinking warm milk with a pinch of nutmeg before going to bed will also help to induce sleep.

If Pitta is out of balance then you might find that you are constantly irritated, your skin might be sensitive and you are experiencing heartburn or excess stomach acidity. To bring a balance back to your constitution it is then advised that you eat ‘cooling’ foods to balance the fiery quality of Pitta. These foods include sweet juicy fruits such pears as well as coconut juice. Eat less salty, pungent and sour foods.

Signs that you need to balance Kapha are, for example, if you are gaining weight even though you have no appetite or if you find that it is hard to wake up even though you have slept long hours. Another sign is if your digestion is sluggish and you feel heavy and lethargic after a meal. To balance this dosha it is recommended that you eat light warming foods such as clear broths, and Kapha balancing steamed vegetables. Avoid sugary foods and eat less of the salty, sweet and sour tasting foods.

On a recent trip to India I came across a lady whose Ayurvedic cooking skills are world famous. Here is one of her recipes from her upcoming cookbook ‘Mysore Style Cooking’.

Sandhya’s Soup

Serves 2

½ cup tuvar dhal
2 tsp tomatoes, chopped
½ tsp cumin seeds, coarsely ground
4 – 5 black pepper, coarsely ground
2½ cm (1 in) tamarind or ½ tsp tamarind concentrate or
juice from ½ lemon
2 Tbs fresh coriander leaves, chopped
3 cups water
salt to taste

Tempering

1 Tbs ghee
½ tsp black mustard seeds
4 – 5 curry leaves
1 pinch asafetida

Method

Wash the tuvar dhal and place it with 1 cup of water into a heavy-bottomed pot or pressure cooker. Cook for 20-30 minutes in the pot or 4-6 minutes in the pressure cooker. Remove from heat and process in an electric food processor with the water until smooth. Set it aside.

In a heavy-bottomed pot add blended dhal, tomatoes, cumin, 2 cups of water, black pepper and tamarind. Bring to boil and turn off the heat.

To prepare the tempering heat ghee, add black mustard seeds. When they begin to splutter add curry leaves and asafetida frying for a few seconds.

Add this tempering to the boiled soup and mix in the coriander.

Serve hot. This soup can also be eaten with rice.

Recently I went to Bali to do some yoga (new years resolution No. 1) and was inspired to view my lifestyle and way of taking care of myself with different eyes.

Ubud is an artists village and resort in the hills of Bali. The residents there have lived in the area since the beginning of time and spiritual practices come before rice growing, eating, working and anything else. Everyone walks at half the pace of a New Yorker, not slow – just aware. Everybody smiles, except perhaps the odd foreigner who is struggling with the humidity, but even they will forget the discomfort after a few days and smile along with all the others.

I was in Ubud to give a kick start to practising yoga on a regular basis, again. For the past twenty years, I have intermittently practices various forms of yoga, but never regularly. At forty-four I figure I might have another forty years to go, and I want these to be the best ever. You know when someone asks you what you would do if you could be twenty-five again and knew everything you know now, how much difference it would make? Well, I gather being around forty or so is the ideal opportunity to be twenty-five again (even if it is only a mental projection) and ‘do’ life with the knowledge of a forty year old. My aim is to feel better at fifty than I felt at twenty-five. (Whether 40 or 50 or 60 the same can apply)

So, let’s say I have gone to sleep and wake up in the morning and I’m twenty-five and I remember everything; my brain is forty-four. I know that at around thirty I am going to get severe Ulcerative Colitis, and I will be spending the following ten years wondering whether my life is worth living. I realise I can’t control everything in my life, but here I have been given a chance to make a big difference to my health in the future. What would you do?

This is what I would do (keeping in mind, I know what I know)

Stop drinking alcohol
Stop smoking
Party not as hardy
Eat healthier (moderating my diet with the SCD)
Practice yoga
See a therapist
Meditate

Now, let’s get back to the present and apply the above projection to the future we have left. The mirror might not allow us to pretend that we are twenty-five, but the principle can still be applied. Most of us have at least twenty years left, to do the best we can and feel better than ever. Thankfully, I gave up smoking sixteen years ago, and I don’t drink anymore, I eat much healthier (SCD) and do not party hardy. I am fulfilling new years resolution No. 1 and am practising yoga regularly which includes meditation; and my therapist is working on the emotional healing I still have to do. This is keeping me in remission. And yet there is more to add to the process of healing and something we rarely think of either at twenty-five or in our later life – loving ourselves! I have always cringed when I have heard this term. It sounded self-possessed and just far too touchy-feely. Which brings me back to Bali….

The Balinese have an obvious love for themselves. Matter of fact they love themselves so much that it spills over on to everyone around them. I finally got it: “You have to love yourself before you can love others” meant that you had to love yourself so much that you always had more than enough love to give to others. And how does this relate to health? Well, scientists have proven many times over that a happy organism is a healthy organism. Our body will tell us if we are doing the right thing by ourselves. That bottle of wine might have made us happy for a few hours one night, but the next day we are feeling miserable. Loving ourselves is taking care of ourselves, the way you would take care of a vulnerable child. Those of us suffering from severe digestive disorders need to understand that food is the first step, lifestyle the second, physical health the third and emotional health the fourth. No matter which one of these comes first, all of them add up to loving oneself and when it starts to spill over pass some on to the next person.

This is my favourite (loving-myself) recipe

The recipes is for ten of these delectable tarts, giving you the ability to treat (love) yourself for the next ten days. Make sure you are alone in your favourite spot in the house; a cup of tea and only the thought that you thoroughly deserve this.

Lemon Tarts

Lemon Tart

Makes 10 Tart Shells

200 g (2 cups) almond flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
30 g butter – cold, diced small
2 Tbs honey

Lemon Filling
6 egg yolks
225 g (¾ cup) honey
120 ml (½ cup) fresh lemon juice
110 g (½ cup) butter – diced
1 Tbs grated lemon rind

Preheat the oven to 200˚C/390˚F
Lightly oil 10 aluminum tart moulds

Combine the almond flour with the baking soda and salt. Add the butter and honey and knead to combine. Do not worry if some of the butter still shows in the dough. Form the dough into a flat disk and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Then take the dough from the refrigerator and place between two sheets of baking paper. Roll the dough out thin, about 3 mm/⅛ inch thick. Cut out rounds, slightly larger than the tart moulds and mould the dough into the shells. Place onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, until they are baked through and slightly brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Meanwhile prepare the filling by placing a heatproof bowl over the top of a pot filled a quarter of the way up with water. Bring to boil then turn down the heat to a simmer. Whisk the egg yolks and honey in the bowl until well combined. Then add one chunk of butter at a time, whisking constantly. Add the next chunk when the first has melted. Add lemon juice and rind and keep mixing. This will take about 15 minutes and it helps to use an electric mixer on slow to keep mixing constantly. Keep mixing once all the butter has been used until the filling has thickened. Remove from the heat and let cool down to room temperature. Then fill the cooled down tart shells and place in the refrigerator to set. Refrigerate in a covered container.

Here is what this easy guideline can do for you:

Apples

Apples contain vitamin C which boosts your immune system. They are also high in antioxidants and rich an flavonoids, which helps to prevent heart disease and cancers. Not only does an apple have around one and a half times more antioxidants than a 75 gram serve of blueberries, it has more than twice the antioxidants of a cup of tea, about three times the antioxidants of an orange and almost eight times the antioxidants of a banana (according to the past 10 years of scientific research and published in ‘The Apple Report’)

Breathing

The primary role of breathing is gas exchange: our cells need oxygen and their waste product, carbon dioxide, needs to be expelled. Breathing is an automatic body function, controlled by the respiratory centre of the brain. However, we can also deliberately change our rate of breathing.

Different healing systems, from different cultures, have long realised the healing benefits of the breath, including yoga, Tai Chi and some forms of meditation. Many holistic practitioners believe that the breath is the link between the physical body and the ethereal mind, and that spiritual insight is possible through conscious breathing.

Regardless of the philosophy, scientific studies have shown that correct breathing can help manage stress and stress-related conditions by soothing the autonomic nervous system. (Better Health)

Chewing

Most people think that digestion begins in the stomach. This is not true. Digestion starts in the mouth. Saliva in your mouth contains enzymes that are important to food digestion.

When you do not chew your food thoroughly, this will result in incomplete digestion. Large particles of food will pass into the colon and become a breeding ground for bacteria. This can lead to bacterial overgrowth. Properly chewed food is important for a healthy lower GI tract.

A good way to tell if your food has been chewed properly is to chew until you can no longer recognize the food by the texture. If you are chewing a carrot and are still able to tell it is a carrot by the texture in your mouth, then you need to chew it a lot more before you swallow. (The benefits of chewing properly)

Drinking

How much water should you drink each day? A simple question with no easy answers. Studies have produced varying recommendations over the years, but in truth, your water needs depend on many factors, including your health, how active you are and where you live.

Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don’t have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy, make you tired and influence how well your stomach digests food. Lack of fluid can cause constipation.

To ward off dehydration and make sure your body has the fluids it needs, make water your beverage of choice. Nearly every healthy adult can consider the following:

* Drink a glass of water with each meal and between each meal.
* Hydrate before, during and after exercise.
* Substitute sparkling water for alcoholic drinks at social gatherings.

If you drink water from a bottle, thoroughly clean or replace the bottle often. (The Mayo Clinic)

Exercise

Everyone knows this one. Walking or climbing the stairs is considered exercise. It’s not necessary to spend two hours pumping weights in the gym. Walking 30 minutes each day can reduce and prevent the risk of Diabetes 2 combined with a moderate change in diet, by 50%. Exercise not only benefits your body, but your organs as well. It certainly makes the heart stronger and aids digestion and has been proven to combat depression.

The Law of Attraction

One quick word on the law of attraction … putting aside the rather vague notion that all you have to do is repeat a mind-numbing mantra endlessly and believing that what you want you already have, has never worked for me. Even though, in a Pavlovian fashion, I find myself repeating the mantra “There is a free car space at the front entrance of my bank, nail salon, deli,” whenever I am heading that way. Has it worked? Yes, it has …. once or twice…! So, how will doing A, B, C, D attract more health into my life? First, if you’re not doing any of the above, the apple alone will probably make a huge difference. Second, combining all five, ads up to a hell of a lot of benefits. And third, you are doing something and not just thinking about it!!

Ivan Pavlov

Oh yes, another quick word on Ivan Pavlov after whom ‘Pavlov’s Dog’ or ‘Pavlovian Conditioning’ was termed. It was popularly believed that by ringing a bell Ivan Pavlov had conditioned his dog to salivate in anticipation of food and therefore developed the concept of conditioned reflex. In fact Pavlov was also given the Nobel Prize for his research pertaining to the digestive system. So it kind of ties in with the law of attraction. As we condition our digestive system with healthier foods, it is only natural for health to be attracted to our whole being. As you will, a ‘conditioned reflex.’

Apple and Blueberry Crumble

Serves 4
Filling
1.350 kg (2 lb 11 oz) Granny Smith apples – peeled, diced and cored
200 g (1 cup) frozen blueberries
1 Tbs fresh orange juice
1 tsp lemon rind – grated
3 Tbs honey
Crumble
100 g (1 cup) almond flour
60 g (¼ cup) cold butter
1 tsp honey

Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F
Butter a 20 cm/8 inch square baking tin
Place all of the ingredients, retaining 2 Tbs of honey, in a medium size saucepan and cook covered on medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove lid and simmer on high for another 5 minutes. Drain the fruit of its juices in a sieve. Pour the juice back into the saucepan, adding the remaining tablespoon of honey, and simmer until reduced down by half. Retain this syrup for later. Cool the fruit in refrigerator.
Meanwhile, make the crumble by combining the almond flour, butter and honey in a food processor. Mix until chunky crumbs are formed. Place the crumble in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
When the fruit has cooled down, place it into the prepared baking tin and top with the crumble.
Bake for 30 minutes or until crumble is golden brown. Serve warm, topped with a little french cream or scd yogurt and the retained syrup.

It may be startling, but according to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) of Maryland, we each house two to five pounds (1.0 to 2.26 kilograms) of live bacteria inside our bodies. Bacteria come in good and bad varieties, or more to the point, can be helpful or harmful. While the vast amount of attention is given to bad bacteria because of their potential for creating illness, humans share a necessary symbiotic relationship with many types of helpful bacteria. Some are crucial to our very survival.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) uses yogurt as one of the vehicles of introducing good bacteria back into the body.

(Read what Elaine Gottschall had to say about using yogurt.-click here)

It is also helpful to (find a practitioner-click here) who understand the importance of probiotics. So many times do I hear that doctors do not recommend probiotics when placing a patient onto antibiotics. Which is extraordinary considering all the research that goes into probiotics.

(Read some of the most recent article written on this subject-click here).

How to Make SCD Yogurt

I have recently discovered a great new kitchen gadget the Excalibur Food Dehydrator. Well, it’s more than a gadget it is a ‘power house for healthy food production’. You can make incredible dried snacks, but ALSO YOGURT!

(Check out the details here-click here).