SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet)

SCD, the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, restricts many complex carbohydrates: grains, starchy foods, some dairy and most processed foods. The idea is to reduce poorly tolerated carbohydrates that may worsen fermentation and gut symptoms.

SCD is not keto. It may include fruit, honey, some prepared legumes and yogurt, so carbohydrate intake can be higher than LCHF. It is best viewed as a gut-focused protocol, not a ketosis strategy.

Where SCD Can Be Appropriate

SCD is most often considered in chronic gut complaints, inflammatory bowel disease or marked sensitivity to starches and some sugars. In practice, the useful question is not ideological purity but whether pain, stool pattern, bloating, weight, laboratory markers and overall sustainability are moving in the right direction.

If SCD reduces symptoms but makes the diet too narrow and socially draining, a more flexible working version is usually needed. Otherwise, the plan quickly turns into rule-following for its own sake instead of real support for the gut and nutritional recovery.