This book offers help to those who have Chronic Intestinal Distress and is highly recommended.

I usually don't write reviews, but this book has literally changed the lives of so many people in my family, I thought I'd at least have to thank Elaine for this book publicly.

My mother has had Crohn's disease since she was a little girl, but Doctors didn't know what was wrong with her until later. She'd literally drink gallons of anti-acids and over time, began to think that everyone just went around having a stomach ache and other "bathroom" problems...that was normal to her.

After having children, she had severe flare-ups that left her skeletal and hospitalized, fighting for her life. She went to a Naturapathic Doctor and he got her on a raw diet (free of processed flours or sugars, no meat, dairy, eggs or grains whatsoever). This healed her for the time being. She was able to maintain herself and go back to her regular eating habits carefully through having the next 5 children, but the last one, along with financial troubles and a death in the family left her stress levels frazzled, and made her immunity susceptible to the Crohn's. She went down to 100 lbs for her 5'8 frame and was too weak to walk. She tried to go back the raw diet, but it didn't help. Nothing did.

The Doctors told her she didn't have Crohn's (even though she'd been diagnosed numerous times previously that she did), but Ulcerative Colitis and that cutting out her large intestine would solve the problem. She finally gave in and got the surgery and had a J-Pouch made from her small intestine to work as a small colon, but the surgeon made mistakes...he left a small hole which seeped toxic waste into her abdominal cavity causing excruciating pain. She convinced them that this was not normal, since not even the highest morphine doses were helping subdue all the pain. They fixed it, but she would regularly pass little titanium staples and once they found the reason behind another extremely painful gut pain: there was a staple that hadn't been closed all the way and was ripping her with its sharp edges. The doctors gave her a 1% to 2% solution of Nitroglycerin (yes, that Nitroglycerin: to make bombs) for the "butt burn" which made things worse and had her on numerous medications to mask all of her symptoms. Steroids, blood thinners, opiates, Azacol (the "cure all"), and dermatologist prescriptions for her Pyoderma gangrenosum: this is where you get deep ulcers on the skin of your legs that start as hard lumped hot-spots and then erupt (sorry, pretty graphic). All the while, her doctors and dietitians have told her to eat whatever she wanted. She had no reason not to trust them, but her doctor actually told her just recently: "You have exhausted my knowledge base." So, basically he'd give her whatever she wanted just to shut her up because he could no longer help her and her constant pains and burning.

Happy Ending: A friend gave me the title to this book, I researched it and flew home to give it a go. They were tiresome of the "Cure-alls" that everyone was giving them. They tried Acupuncture, Homeopathy and herbs...you name it, they tried it. Why would this be any different? Because of the science behind it!

The first day, she showed improvement and burning started to subside to the point that she has been on the diet for 3 weeks now and has stopped taking all of her medications, which I don't know if I would recommend because it was really hard for her and it might've been better to stay on the drugs and get better at the same time. But she couldn't tell if the diet was working or not past a certain point because she wasn't sure if the pain was being masked by the drugs. She was already trying to detox off Oxycontin when she started the SCD, but was sick of the withdrawals, so stopped cold turkey to get it out of her system.

Currently her burning and pain levels are at a "1" and "2", 10 being the worst pain, and is off all medications. She now has only a small amount of pain in a specific spot (the doctor says it looks like a bruise and offered to just kill the nerve endings there...of course we said no! Come on, is there any holistic view here at all folks?) and though she was had a hard time with energy, she is getting stronger day by day! I share her entire story in case someone with similar experiences is searching for the answer because we couldn't find anyone who had a J-Pouch AND Crohn's!

Perhaps someday she can transition into more raw foods for the concentration of energy and nutrients or at least juicing, since she has no large intestine, but for now, "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" has saved her life along with my family's. She still has kids living at home that she can be a Mom to now: a 6 yr-old, a 10 yr-old, and a 16 yr-old. This has truly been a blessing.

I bought this book for my 27 year old son. He has suffered with ulcerative colitis for 6 years. The last 4 years have been very bad. Bed ridden a few times a year. Heavy doses of drugs just to get it under control. Doctors where not much help at all. He was just miserable.
He's been on the diet for almost 3 months. The first couple of weeks were very hard for him. He wanted to quit, I Talked him into giving it a month. He called me a few weeks ago and said ` Dad
this is the first time in 4 years I've felt normal. I love this diet'.
He's off the drugs and happy. The diet has made such a difference in his life, I wanted to share that with anyone having similar problems.

I was introduced to this diet 7 years ago. Began the diet with my physicians knowledge and was able to go prescription drug free within a year. The diet really works and the book not only gives the how to and recipes, it gives the scientific information to back up the evidence. I highly recommend this book/guide to all that suffer from intestinal disorders.

Please read this book if you or anyone you know has bowell troubles. It will save you.

I love the IDEA behind this book but its not right for everyone. The author wrongly assumes that EVERYONE will benefit from this pre-made diet plan. I didn't understand why the author ENCOURAGED use of COW's milk for cheese and for homemade yogurt??? I am sorry but cow's milk is VERY hard to digest!! AND encouraged the use of peanuts (Which is one of the foods that many people are allergic to!!) After being on this diet for only two weeks, I lost twenty pounds, was severly malnourished, dehydrated AND ended up in the hospital for a week and was put on a FEEDING TUBE!!! But diet can play a HUGE role in getting better, I found a great homeopathic doctor with an EDS machine, and THAT is what pulled me through (pain free and medication free since visiting that doctor) My success has NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS BOOK!!

I love the IDEA behind the book but I wouldn't waist any money on it. I suffered from Crohn's disease for two years and figured that this book would help. But the author wrongly assumes that EVERYONE who has any of these disease will be fine with certain food item such as cheese and almond flour. Just because it worked for her daughter does NOT mean it will work for everyone. People with these diseases need to find out exactly what their food allergies are and THEN plan a diet based on that, but you just wont get that information from this book.

My 18 year old son was diagnosed with UC in May and I was told it was lifelong and incurable and he would be on medicine forever. That's when I fired the Dr. and found this amazing book. I am NO cook! We kept a journal of what he ate, bm's, cramps etc. and I have a whole spreadsheet that proves it works. By day 7 he had no cramping at all, by day 27, regular bowel movements returned.

I think it's absolutely retarded that Dr's say what you eat has nothing to do with your health........... who trains these people??

My son was 21 when he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2004. We found Breaking the Vicious Cycle in 2006. It was a godsend for my son. After being on the diet for a year or so, he was feeling like a new man, so much so that he went off the diet. Needless to say, that didn't last long! He had a major flare-up of his colitis within weeks. He now knows that this is going to be a life-long diet for his health and sanity. He "slips" every once in a while, but he's young and that's to be expected. I highly recommend this book/diet to anyone with any kind of stomach/bowel/colon problems. If it helped my son, it can help you, too!

I bought this book because I was no longer digesting food normally. Nearly everything I ate was passing through unchanged, and I was very concerned that I would be unable to work, enjoy going out for a normal life, not to mention what may happen to my health if I could not digest food! Doctors/scopes were no help. There were no pathogens detected, and I do not have any of the diagnoses listed by other reviewers; the only lead I have is that it seems the decade of nonstop NSAIDs damaged the small intestine, not accessible with scopes. I've since learned from medical journals that NSAIDs rapidly ulcer the small intestine in the vast majority of people. Anyway, I followed this diet, with very quick improvement. The references to actual research was one of the things I appreciated. If a doctor doesn't "buy into" this program, I am ready with the proof! I also don't think I ever would have figured out that starches were a problem if this book didn't clearly spell that out. It has been half a year for me; healing this much damage does take time and I am not done, but as long as I follow the diet I do very well. Regardless of the source of intestinal damage, it seems there is a similar healing process so this book is likely to be helpful to anyone who needs to heal the intestines. I highly recommend this book. Best wishes for good health!

Hello,
I had decided to write the review after reading and implementing [for my son] what book is suggesting.
My son developed colitis when he was 16 , after going through the doctors and pills we realized , that there must be the other way than taking medicine for rest of the life.
We spent a lot of time doing reaserch to find alternatives and came across a lot of information and this book - Breaking the vicious cycle- read the book , and with the proper diet [ our son is not taking pills anymore] he had not have a "flare-up" for 5 years.
I would highly reccomend this book - after reading - please "stick" to it.

I've known for years that I was gluten-intolerant and strictly avoided it. A friend of mine who is also gluten-intolerant with other problems (rice and corn etc) recommended this book to me and while I didn't seem to have any problems with other foods, I have been struggling with feeling tired all the time and sick and achey. Well, I have been on it now for almost a month and I am practically a new person. The first 2 weeks were a little rough, I really felt "wiped out" but I hung in there and at the beginning of the third week, I started feeling so good and having so much energy! I'm nearly 40 years old and I have never felt this good! On the sdc website is an explanation for the feeling tired, too long to post here, go read it, it's very interesting. Plus, I'd like to point out that the feeling bad at first is like the pain from a surgery. Ya know, the injury is one kind of pain, but the surgery pain is a "healing" pain, well that's the best way to describe the first two weeks on this, you feel bad, but it's not the same feeling bad that you get from eating something you shouldn't, at least it was for me. I also love all the recipes in the back of the book, they are just basic recipes, but tasty and I've already started redoing some of them to suit my own tastes. I also feed my whole family and have fed company some of the dishes and everyone has remarked on how healthy the food is and how good it tastes. I hope everyone who gets this has the great success that I am having. And also remember, this diet isn't for life, I intend to stay on it for a long time to make sure I am all the way healed, and I look forward to an occasional chocolate, but right now, NOTHING is worth risking messing up this wonderful wonderful feel good!

I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease last September. I was in a lot of pain because I had inflammation from my stomach all the way to the other end. Conventional meds weren't working so my doctor told me in December that I would have to go on Humira or Remicaid or would be facing surgery in the next year. Either would cost me about $600/month out of pocket. I got the BTVC and started the diet Jan 5, 08. I didn't do the intro portion and jumped right into eating whatever I wanted. I had some relief but was still taking pain meds. I joined a Yahoo group dedicated to SCD and found out about the intro diet. I started that on Feb 5. My pain stopped within 48 hours and I have only had a couple of "flares" or setbacks as I call them since. I slowly add food one thing at a time to my diet, go back to intro when I eat something that doesn't agree with me, and I couldn't be happier. The reason most people fail on this diet is because they eat advanced foods to fast. I am currently off all meds and haven't had to take a pain pill since Feb 5. Go to www.pecanbread.com and look at the stages they have outlined. They don't work for everyone, but will give you and idea of what is considered an advanced food. Try the diet if you have digestive issues. I promise it's worth it.

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia 8 mo ago. Since then ,I have had bouts of diarehha and constipation. This book and diet have changed my life. I was 4 days into the intro diet and my problems stopped. I buy Trader Joes Greek Style Yogurt instead of making my own yogurt and I take a SCD Probiotic by Kirkman( on line) I found the Farmers Cheese at Whole Foods and Gelsons ( in CA) I take Freeda vitamins ( SCD approved )The cheese cake recipe is wonderfull topped with cooked peaches. I also love the muffins with blueberries. Buy the book and change your life! A

Not a literary masterpiece by any means, it could use a good re-write and be more organized. But, a quick read (over half of the book consists of recipes or deals with issues of little concern to most: autism, mental illness, etc.) that yielded remarkable results. I got almost immediate relief from incessant diarrhea and gas. I won't re-hash the details as many reviews here have done a fine job of that. I'll just throw in a few tidbits:

It's not as brutal of a diet as it looks at first sight. After a couple of weeks on the restrictive meat-and-cheese initial phase, fruits, nuts and veggies come into play. Before starting the diet, fruits and nuts would aggravate my diarrhea, but now I can eat as much of those as I like with absolutely no discomfort. This is crucial for me, as I like to snack and the diet forbids most common snack foods. Also, the author severely restricts aspartame-sweetened diet soda out of concerns that they may contain traces of lactose, but I down four or five of these a day with no apparent adverse effects. And, removing candy and chocolate from my diet made other foods taste sweeter. So I cheerfully pig out on baby carrots, cherries, nectarines, apricots, dates, cashews, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, and Swiss cheese, and wash it down with diet cokes and diet tea. Not so bad. And, despite the horrid calorie count (I really like nuts), I've dropped ten pounds without really trying.

The wife and I both work and rarely cook, and eating out on this diet is a challenge. Potatoes are forbidden, but most restaurants will substitute other veggies. Favorite standbys: Steak, prime rib, fish, scallops, shrimp, fajitas, chili verde. Fast-food: El Pollo Loco...Mexican cuisine is a godsend, because so much of the diet is bland, as most other cuisine's sauces have forbidden sugar or flour. Egg-drop soup usually has no forbidden ingredients and is one of the few "interesting" soups on your menu.

Yeast overgrowth in the gut is not really addressed in the book, is also reduced by sticking to the diet and easily remedied: eat some garlic, which kills yeast, and is good for you in any case.

Going without is tough, but keep in mind even when you were allowed to eat donuts and chocolate and ice cream and candy, it was just going to make you fat and rot your teeth!

I highly reccommend this book. No matter what you have I'm sure it will help. If you try to do things naturally Read this first then go on with what you feel is needed. Explains the digestive system very well and how it works also how important it is to go naturally as possible. This diet is the first one that I would try first.

I have crohn's and this book was helpful as far as teaching me the importance of steering clear of carbs and sugars and starches, however it is very difficult to follow as it allows NO SUGAR and NO CARBS, which sadly enough seems to be a staple of the American diet. It is very expensive to follow such a diet, almond flour costs about 40 bucks a bag and the price of organic meats is outrageous. However it does teach about intestinal health and it has helped me to alter my diet, but it was very difficult for me to follow this diet 100% of the time, I lasted about 3 days, and I definitely had carb withdrawl. I miss bagels....

This book was recommended to us when our daughter was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. I combined the diet with the medications prescribed by her doctor, as well as specific advice like diet being low fiber. After a year and a half on the SCD, she is symptom free, all blood tests normal. I believe this diet has given her time to heal. My only criticism of the book would be the need for revision. After much research and continual inquiry with manufactururers, I have discovered that labels can generally be trusted. The book leads the reader to believe that ingredients such as sugar do not necessarily have to be listed. I have discovered that labeling regulations must now be stricter than at the time the book was written. I wish we had known this, as it would have made food choices a bit less difficult. My advice is diligent label reading, contact companies as to ingredients, especially asking about things like 'natural flavors', learn what wording can disguise things like sugar or corn (i.e. maltodextrin which is derived from corn),and eat lots of that homemade yogurt. The yogurt has worked wonders. Also, in the way the book was written, we did find the diet a bit difficult to follow in the beginning, recommended sites like Pecanbread will help. The diet has been an answer to prayer.

"Breaking The Vicious Cycle" was a great find. I have incorporated the diet in my household using the recipies in this book as well as recipies from cookbooks suggested by the author of this book. My husbands health has greatly improved and he has only been on this diet about two months. I totally encourage anyone with digestive issues to buy this book and try the diet.

Finding this book has saved my bacon - that's all there is to it. After 30 years of suffering with 'IBS', which turned out in the finish to be ulcerative colitis, within days I was well after following this diet strictly, and I now have a level of health I hadn't known since my teenage years. I cannot quite follow, and do not care about the logic behind the diet, but for me, it works. For anyone with a bowel disorder, it is certainly worth a try.

Not especially comprehensive or news-breaking (much of the advice is similar to the fashionable South Beach Diet, though this book's emphasis is not on losing weight). What it comes down to is the wear and tear on the gut due to the ingestion of complex, hard-to-digest sugars, grains and starches. The more you indulge in them, the more they harm the intestine (the vicious cycle), producing nasty mucous that leads to poor malabsorption of critical nutrients. So ban the sugars, breads, pasta and stick with selective meats and vegetables.

The testimonials certainly suggest that the book has helped many--not weight problems but numerous digestive and related, serious illnesses. And $20 is a lot less to spend than the exorbitant prices for herbal "cures" for malabsorption being advertised on the internet (face it, chronic pain is "physical work," and some of us are willing to shill out any amount for a pill that promises relief as opposed to adding to our labors and fatigue). And you can get gouged even more by subscribing to one of the internet "courses" that few consumers are able to adhere to.

One thing about the book's advice puzzles me--honey is recommended as a form of pure glucose requiring little work on the part of stomach to digest. But look in a book even more popular than this one--"The Master Cleanse" by Burroughs--and you'll find honey condemned as a "toxic" food. Certainly an overstatement, but the scientific evidence suggests that honey contains at least as much fructose as it does glucose, so I'd be hesitant, despite my grandparents' advice and practice, to substitute honey whenever sugar is called for. Finally, if you intend to follow the book's regimen, be prepared to make your own yogurt--absolutely nothing of the store-bought variety meets the author's stringent requirements.

Basic thesis: simple sugars, like those contained in synthetic liquid diets, get into the bloodstream and nourish the body; complex sugars, on the other hand (table sugar, milk, starch), ferment in the digestive tract, throwing it into disrepair and producing harmful bacteria and protective mucous that merely make the digestive system's job increasingly tough the next time such food is consumed (that's the "vicious cycle"). Despite such a sugar-centered, carb-conscious thesis, the author does not offer a great deal of examination of, or discrimination among, sugars. It's basically glucose (pre-digested, or simple, sugar) vs. sucrose, lactose, and complex starches. So now we're back to my grandparents' belief that raw honey is "nature's perfect food," despite all of the intervening evidence suggesting honey is basically the same stuff as sugar and should be regarded as such by anyone who is hypoglycemic, diabetic, calorie conscious.

Not surprisingly, the author traces the source of most diseases to a single major culprit: in this case the problematic absorption of grains, milk, starches--but what about fructose malasorption? Since when is fructose radically different from sucrose and dextrose? You'll probably have no difficulty locating an equal number of publications by GI gurus telling you that symptoms like bloating, pain, diarrhea and depression are CAUSED, not cured, by the kind of monosaccharide (ie. fructose) found in honey and fruit. (In fact, the one digestion book currently outselling this one--Stanley Burroughs' Master Cleanse--demonizes honey as a pernicious, poisonous substance.) What one doc calls a cure the other calls a cause. Who are you to believe? (You'll have to be the physician and diagnostician, but as usual it's easier to administer to patients other than one's own person. No more humbling words have ever been spoken than "Physician, heal thyself!").

The author has inspired many (the testimonials were what motivated me to buy the book), moreover curing patients with digestive and behavioral disorders, including children. To them the book, though quite thin, spare (and selective) in its presentation of evidence, and even repetitive, is understandably priceless. For some of us, on the other hand, let's say this latest nutrition book seems no better than "fairly valued" at twenty bucks. (I'll raise my rating if the recipes pan out.)

The good news is that the reader isn't asked to subsist on a diet of water, lemon juice and maple syrup (give me honey any day!), or on radical elimination diets permitting nothing but rice, lamb and water morning, noon, and night. Also, the book is a fairly quick read. So skip the bread and milk, ice cream and doughnuts, spaghetti, potatoes and even rice this week, and use the money saved to purchase the book for some attractive recipes to replace those mean and evil carbs (though be forewarned that homemade yogurt--and no store-bought substitutes, mind you--is high on the list of priorities).

I have little time to "breed" bacterial colonies for home-made yogurt, so for the present we'll start by modifying the popular lemon juice diet with honey replacing maple syrup and stocking up on Tab (is it still being sold?). Along with sucrose and starches the author condemns artificial sweeteners like aspartame, maltodextrin, sorbitol, xylitol but not saccharine. As I recall, Tab was one of the few diet drinks I could tolerate--closer to the Real Thing, anyway, than that unwelcome imposter Pepsi.

Basic thesis: simple sugars, like those contained in synthetic liquid diets, get into the bloodstream and nourish the body; complex sugars, on the other hand (table sugar, milk, starch), ferment in the digestive tract, producing harmful bacteria and protective mucous that merely make the digestive system's job increasingly tough the next time such food is consumed (that's the "vicious cycle"). Despite such a sugar-centered, carb-conscious thesis, the author does not offer a great deal of examination of, or discrimination among, sugars. It's basically glucose (pre-digested, or simple, sugar) vs. sucrose, lactose, and complex starches. So now we're back to my grandparents' belief that raw honey is "nature's perfect food," despite all of the intervening evidence suggesting honey is basically the same stuff as sugar and should be regarded as such by anyone who is hypoglycemic, diabetic, calorie conscious.

Not surprisingly, the author traces the source of most diseases to a single major culprit: in this case the problematic absorption of grains, milk, starches--but what about fructose malasorption? Since when is fructose radically different from sucrose and dextrose? You'll probably have no difficulty locating an equal number of publications by GI gurus telling you that symptoms like bloating, pain, diarrhea and depression are CAUSED, not cured, by the kind of monosaccharide (ie. fructose) found in honey and fruit. (In fact, the one digestion book currently outselling this one--Stanley Burroughs' Master Cleanse--demonizes honey as a pernicious, poisonous substance.) What one doc calls a cure the other calls a cause. Who are you to believe? (You'll have to be the physician and diagnostician, but as usual it's easier to administer to patients other than one's own person. No more humbling words have ever been spoken than "Physician, heal thyself!").

The author appears to have earned a college degree late in life, and is no doubt sincere, well-intentioned, has inspired many, moreover curing patients with digestive and behavioral disorders, even children. To them the book, though quite thin, spare (and selective) in its presentation of evidence, and even repetitive, is understandably priceless. For some of us, on the other hand, let's say this latest self-help book is no better than "fairly valued" at twenty bucks.

The good news is that the reader isn't asked to subsist on a diet of water, lemon juice and maple syrup (give me honey any day!), or on radical elimination diets permitting nothing but rice, lamb and water morning, noon, and night. Also, the book is a fairly quick read. So skip the bread and milk, ice cream and doughnuts this week, and use the money saved to purchase the book for some attractive recipes to replace those mean and evil carbs (though be forewarned that homemade yogurt--and no store-bought substitutes, mind you--is high on the list of priorities).

I have little time to "breed" bacterial colonies for home-made yogurt, so for the present we'll start by modifying the popular lemon juice diet with honey replacing maple syrup and stocking up on Tab (is it still being sold?). Along with sucrose and starches the author condemns artificial sweeteners like aspartame, maltodextrin, sorbitol, xylitol but not saccharine. As I recall, Tab tastes half OK--closer to the Real Thing, anyway, than that unwelcome imposter Pepsi.

Basic thesis: simple sugars, like those contained in synthetic liquid diets, get into the bloodstream and nourish the body; complex sugars, on the other hand (table sugar, milk, starch), ferment in the digestive tract, producing harmful bacteria and protective mucous that merely make the digestive system's job increasingly tough the next time such food is consumed (that's the "vicious cycle"). Despite such a sugar-centered, carb-conscious thesis, the author does not offer a great deal of examination of, or discrimination among, sugars. It's basically glucose (pre-digested, or simple, sugar) vs. sucrose, lactose, and complex starches. So now we're back to my grandparents' belief that raw honey is "nature's perfect food," despite all of the intervening evidence suggesting honey is basically the same stuff as sugar and should be regarded as such by anyone who is hypoglycemic, diabetic, calorie conscious.

Not surprisingly, the author traces the source of most diseases to a single major culprit: in this case the problematic absorption of grains, milk, starches--but what about fructose malasorption? Since when is fructose radically different compared to sucrose and dextrose? You'll probably have no difficulty locating an equal number of publications by GI gurus telling you that symptoms like bloating, pain, diarrhea and depression are CAUSED, not cured, by the kind of monosaccharide (ie. fructose) found in honey and fruit. What one doc calls a cure the other calls a cause. Who are you to believe? (You'll have to be the physician and diagnostician, but as usual it's easier to administer to patients other than one's own person. No more humbling words have ever been spoken than "Physician, heal thyself!").

The author appears to have earned a college degree late in life, and is no doubt sincere, well-intentioned, has inspired many, moreover curing patients with digestive and behavioral disorders, even children. To them the book, though quite thin, spare (and selective) in its presentation of evidence, and even repetitive, is understandably priceless. For some of us, on the other hand, let's say this latest self-help book is no better than "fairly valued" at twenty bucks.

The good news is that the reader isn't asked to subsist on a diet of water, lemon juice and maple syrup (give me honey any day!), or on radical elimination diets permitting nothing but rice, lamb and water morning, noon, and night. Also, the book is a fairly quick read. So skip the bread and milk, ice cream and doughnuts this week, and use the money saved to purchase the book for some attractive recipes to replace those mean and evil carbs (though be forewarned that homemade yogurt--and no store-bought substitutes, mind you--is high on the list of priorities).

I have little time to "breed" bacterial colonies for home-made yogurt, so for the present we'll start by modifying the popular lemon juice diet with honey replacing maple syrup and stocking up on Tab (is it still being sold?). Along with sucrose and starches the author condemns artificial sweeteners like aspartame, maltodextrin, sorbitol, xylitol but not saccharine. As I recall, Tab tastes half OK--closer to the Real Thing, anyway, than that unwelcome imposter Pepsi.

If you're reading this it's probably because you have been diagnosed with some form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Crohn's or UC in my case the disease is indeterminate. After 5 years of trying all medications with the exception of Remicade my case was spiraling downhill. The only thing that would help my continuous intestinal bleeding was ever increasing steriods, Entocort and Prednisone. After getting pancreatitis for the second time from Immuran I decided to try the diet since I had nothing to lose. Within two days my bleeding stopped and hasn't returned. I had a colonoscopy two months ago and the doctor was very surprised with my quiescent disease, no active inflammation. I wouldn't go off the diet today if someone offered me $10,000 to do so.

The diet seems very overwhelming when you first read the book. I enlisted the help of my mother in baking me one SCD item a week. I've found if she makes a loaf of the SCD bread this really helps me get through with legal pizzas and toast. I've found a lot of convenience foods that work well for me too like raisins and dried apples. Good luck and give it a go!

In summary this diet had helped me more than any medication or doctor in the last 7 months.

Guided by the book, I started the SCD diet in June 2007 (9 months ago). At the time I was on Remicade and had had a bowel resection for my Crohn's disease. I have suffered for over 20 years with the disease and my doctor said I would be on Remicade for the rest of my life. After being on the diet for only 3 months, my insurance changed so drastically that I could not afford the Remicade. With great trepidation, I took myself off of it. I have now been off of Remicade for 6 months. While I am still healing, my life is so very different than it was a year ago. I never miss work, I have no pain, I no longer need to plan my life around trips to the restroom. I credit the book, God, and the diet for my miraculous healing. The diet is very difficult and I really did not think I had the will power to tackle it. I am so glad that God gave me the strength. Although the SCD diet is quite restrictive, it is not as restrictive as inflammatory bowel disease!

Everyone who suffers from any autoimune disease must read this book. Thís diet has changed my life, and has changed the lives of many others.

The diet is said to mainly help intestinal disease and autism, but I believe anyone who is generally sluggish, low in energy, or has a host of unspecific annoying symptoms like joint pain, sinus pain, excess weight etc, should give it a try.

I became ill in 2004 with an unspecified intestinal disorder but symptoms were not dissimilar to crohns or unlcerative colitus. Within days I felt better generally, within two weeks my symptoms had subsided. After a year I was mostly pain free - and felt better than I had ever felt, even pre illness. I still follow the basic principals today - I now just believe that this is a healthy life style. Now that I am well I have adjusted this diet to be primaily whole foods, I do eat grains especially in the winter, but mostly spelt and rye.

I was diagnosed with Colitis about five years ago. It has remained relatively quiet but lately has really proven itself to be a force in my life. In trying to gain a better understanding of this disease I search several websites and came across http://breakingtheviciouscycle.info
It was there that I discover the author of this book and gave me the desire to read more. The book was written in layman's terms of the disease which was very helpful to me. It also discussed methods of treating the disease through a very specific diet of limited carbohydrates. I've used the suggestions and found them to be very beneficial. If I would recommend the book for any reason it would be to gain a better understanding of the disease and how to combat it. Granted, not every treatment works on every person, but the helps in this book certainly were helpful to me.

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and then Crohn's about 4 years ago. The medication that my doctor put me on worked for a little while, but than stopped having any affect on my colon. I tried several different medications, including Remicade, but my symptoms just kept getting worse. I was hospitalized twice last year because my inflammation was so high and I was losing so much blood.

Then about 4 months ago, my husband came home from work with a web link he had found while researching UC and Crohns, it was for this book. I immediately navigated to the website the next day for research and then read all of the reviews on Amazon. I figured...What do I have to lose? I had been feeling like I was slowly dying. I was so encouraged by the reviews that I bought the book, read it and went straight to the grocery store to start buying SCD legal foods that week.

I have followed the diet for 4 months now, but my blood work came back after the first 3 weeks with absolutely no signs of inflammation. I was finally in remission, after being in a constant flare for one straight year. That really encouraged me! I was getting stronger every day. After only 4 short months I now have no symptoms whatsoever!!!

This diet is unbelievable! I share it with other friends that are suffering from the same type of illness because I know from personal experience that the GI's won't recommend a change in diet because they truly believe that diet has no affect on the colon. I feel very sad for those that follow their doctor's advice and then suffer endlessly.

One quick comment about the difficulty of the diet! It is challenging at first, especially if you are not that experienced of a cook (like me). But now it is like second nature. I just do it and it makes me feel wonderful! My motivation is thinking about how I used to be pre-scd, my energy was so low that I couldn't even do simple house work and I didn't feel like doing much of anything else. After one month on the diet, my husband came home one day to find me painting the living room. My energy is off the charts! I even went running last week. Yeaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess what I'm trying to say is, buy the book. Try the diet for 30-45 days to see how you feel! What do you have to lose?! Having to cook for yourself is not any worse than the constant pain, tremendous blood loss, low energy and the feeling of complete hopelessness. To me it is exciting, hopeful, healing and energizing. I am grateful to have found such a simple cure. My thanks is to the late Elaine Gottschall for having the courage and perseverance to share her story and the path to success and then provide us with the road map so we all could follow.

I have bought this book several years ago and read it few times. I suffer from Crohn's disease for some years now and am still looking for some "perfect diet".
Advices in this book are generally good, and basically - you can't say that anything is wrong on first sight. After all, it was written by a person who suffers IBS herself and has checked all this recipies on herself. So, what can possibly be wrong in it? Fact is that Crohn's disease has many faces. I know many people who suffer from it (through membership in Crohn's and Colitis society in my country and also occational days in hospital) and had a chance to discuss their eating habbits, advices and sometimes even to discuss advices from this book (which I borrowed to few of them). Result is: there is no general rule about diet because it depends on which part of your bowel is affected. In practical this means that some dishes (ingredients, spices, etc.) are good for one person and bad for another. And vice versa.
So, my advice is: read this book, but don't follow blindly. Idea behind is good, even testing of dishes was good, but not enough good. You have to check and decide for yourself if everything written inside really works for you too.
Second problem with this book is that it is not internationalized. Actually, many cookbooks have the same problem when "chef" likes to play around with some exotic ingredients. In this particular situation, some ingredients mentioned in this book are almost impossible to find in Europe (for what reason - I don't know), but the fact is that I feel a little bit handicaped. What would be good in this situations is that writer makes additional effort and explains with more detail for what purpose some spices are used and how can they be replaced with more conventional ones. A list of shops in US where you can buy this spices offers no help to readers in other continents. This is the reason I'm giving this book three stars only - I just think it is not complete and targets on wider audience than it really supports. Otherwise, it is still valuable to read.

I am writing b/c it was primarily b/c of the reviews on Amazon that we decided to try the SC diet after our daughter was diagnosed with a very bad case of Crohn's Disease. When she was diagnosed 1.5 years ago, even IV prednisone was not bringing her SED rate (an inflammation marker) down from a scarily high number. After two weeks on SCD, her SED rate was normal!

My daughter's GI doctor encouraged us to use the diet and says that he tries to get all his patients on to it b/c the results are so impressive.

I would encourage anyone having GI/IBD troubles or ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) to try this diet. You have NOTHING to lose, and a world of good health to potentially gain.

Good luck!

This is a must-have for those on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. You also want to add the websites on the diet to your favorites. The book does not contain all of the information that is on the websites (especially some very important tips and guidelines), and I had to print out several pages to keep handy.

We got this book from the library along with several other books on the subject. The other books were slicker, more professional looking, so we left this one for last to look through. It reviewed several medical problems that did not concern us, but when we got to the general description of how the digestive process works and what can go wrong with simple what to do about it suggestions and recipes - well, then we found we could not do without this book and had to buy it. We use is regularly now. By the way, we too are more regular.

Elaine Gottschall's book, Breaking The Vicious Cycle, which details the SCD, saved my life. This book is THE AUTHORITY on doing the SCD. It describes in plain terms, the science behind why and how it works. It details what to eat and what not to eat. There are even many recipes included that will help you see the many possibilities of yummy foods you can have on SCD. Many of these recipes are extremely kid friendly.

I tried many things before SCD, gluten free, casein free, various other elimination diets, rotation diets, digestive enzymes, but nothing worked to the level that SCD did.

Before trying the SCD, I had Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (autoimmune), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, the early stages of both Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis, and symptoms of Bipolar disorder.... I was lost in chronic pain, brain fog, insane exhaustion-- unable to enjoy life. SCD has given back the joys in my life. I've lost 80 pounds and have stabilized at a healthy weight. I have so much more energy to live, not just physical energy, but mental energy as well. I can keep track of what chores need to be done and don't feel overwhelmed or daunted anymore, and I have the energy to actually complete them! I can discipline my children and actually be effective. I can follow conversations. I can move and walk and even dance pain free. I feel connected to the world around me instead of lost in fuzzy brain fog. I can enjoy my children, my husband, my friends, my family and my life once again.

My son has been pulled from the brink of Asperger's by this diet. His ADHD has also been fading. Emerging is this sweet, calm, focused, articulate little boy. SCD also gave him the first solid stools of his entire life. His little body is rapidly healing on this diet. I should also note that Feingold Program did not help at all and actually made his sensitivities worse, even after trying it for many months! SCD gets at the source of the salicylate problem. Removing them completely with Feingold is just a band-aid approach. Doing SCD my son's list of salicylate foods that he can tolerate is growing and growing. He can now have tomatoes, many high sal spices, small amounts of berry juices, which before SCD would have sent him pinging off the walls.

Thank you Elaine for bringing this diet out into the public's knowledge! Rest in peace knowing you made a difference in this world.

"All diseases begin in the gut" - Hypocrites (460-370 BC)

R e a d t h e b o o k !
T r y S C D!
It is specific healthy whole foods. It can not harm you.
When you go on the SCD diet you can see for yourself intelligently from your first hand experience if it works for you. I was eating this way for over six years and it was not that hard to eat healthy when it made me feel great and stop all my symptoms..

The SCD diet has a very high percentage of success and there is a good reason for this.
It completely eliminates refined sugar, artificial sweeteners and flavorings, white flour, any food high in trans fat and of course any junk food, which is bad for everyone.
This diet takes care of: bacteria overgrowth, gluten intolerance (very common in IBD patients), allergies for wheat and oats and allergy for soy.
Eliminating milk from an adults' diet helps with digestion for everyone, with or without lactose intolerance or milk allergy.
The downside of this diet is that it is unnecessarily restrictive, hard to follow and extremely expensive .
There is no need to eliminate all the grains for ones with gluten intolerance or wheat allergy and of course for ones whose problematic food is milk. Maybe white rice really is not good, but brown rice has very high nutrition value and should be allowed. Quinoa and amaranth are very good sources of protein, iron and calcium.
Maybe at the time that the book was written there were no available high quality commercial yogurts, but now one can find lots of them in any health food store.
This is definitely not a diet for ones with allergies for nuts, fructose intolerance and who has difficulties to digest animal protein.
The difference between SCD and elimination diet is that SCD eliminates foods just 'in case', because they could be a problem, while elimination diet is designed to identify the food allergies and/or sensitivities for every individual person and remove only that foods, which are problematic for that person.
Also, elimination diet does not sell books for $22.

I have Crohn's disease, and lately I've read several books about nutrition for people with IBD, gluten intolerance etc. This is the only one I'm keeping

Diet and nutrition are complicated, and there is little agreement beyond the basics. The thesis in this book is that many people, especially those with IBD, have difficulty digesting complex carbohydrates, found in grains, milk and sugar. This is bad not only because of reduced absorption, but also because those carbohydrates remain in your gut longer than they should, and become food for harmful bacteria.
By avoiding complex carbohydrates, and getting your carbs from fruit, you help starve the harmful bacteria.

I've been following the book's thesis, and am feeling better than I have in a quite while. But the main reason I recommend the book is that it's well reasoned, sensible, and optimistic. So many books have doomsday scenarios. This one even suggests you can leave the diet once you're healed.
Along the way there are tons of pieces of information backed by references to real articles on real journals.
If you're suffering from IBD or gasses, cramps etc., give this book a serious try.

This book made a huge difference for my husband who was suffering from a bad case of ulcerative colitis. Her approach is so sensible and based in science, it's a mind bender why doctors are not utilizing her knowledge. Within a few days of following the diet suggested, my husband had a great improvement in his symptoms. I'm recommending this book to all my friends who have "stomach problems" and those who have lactose intolerance.

This is a book for people suffering from intestinal destress. It works wonderfully in that capacity. In addition my wife who has no problem started the diet and started losing weight--a pound or so a week. She is delighted.
One proviso, the author says that diet soda is acceptable. My experience is aspertame is toxic in any form and should be avoided.
With that stated I am recommending the book to my friends.

A friend told me about the SCD--she had kept her Crohn's Disease in remission while on the diet--and I decided to give it a try. I'd been living with Crohn's for over 10 years, with syptoms of fistulas, bloating, cramping, nausea, and pain. The drug 6MP helped for a while, but stopped working for me at the beginning of 2007. So, the SCD was really worth trying at that point. Plus, I wanted to become pregnant and not while on 6MP. I started the SCD in February 2007, and my syptoms improved right away. I did feel a little spacey and tired during the first couple weeks on the diet--probably detox from all the foods that had been giving me trouble. I was able to ramp down on the 6MP and was off it by March 1, 2007. I felt better on the SCD without medication than I'd ever felt before. I got pregnant by the end of March, and so far everything is going well. I consulted with a prenatal nutritionust, and she agreed that the diet is very healthy. I have a few "yucky gut days" here and there, mostly if I am not getting enough rest or have a virus. The diet is hard when you start out because you have to really rethink your recipes and your lifestyle (much less eating out!). But when I think about how good I feel, it's totally worth it. I love the almond flour baked goods, and I'm eating more fruits and veggies than ever. Once you get into the swing of things, it's easy. And I find that after a few months on the diet, I don't even miss the foods I used to crave. I would highly recommend giving the SCD a try if you are having any intestinal issues. The diet has even helped my Mom, who has suffered from arthritis in her knees for years. She's having no pain whatsoever!

I highly recommend this book for anyone suffering from digestive disorders. I have suffered for 40 years and NOTHING has given me relief from terrible daily pain. I have read hundreds of books and worked with numerous doctors - never getting relief - until I started the diet recommended in Ms. Gottschall's book. My life has been transformed. For the first time since I was 18 months old, I am living PAIN FREE and experiencing what I could only try to imagine until this time in my life - normal bowel function!! This may not be the answer for all, but it is based on good science and is certianly worth a try for anyone suffering from IBS, colitis, celiac disease, or any kind of intestinal dysfunction. I also recommend Dr. Mark Pimentel's book, "A New IBS Solution." For me, the two books are a perfect compliment.
A.Wallace

I have known about this book and the author for many years through Dr. Ronald Hoffman, who was my "health guru" in New York. He is also on the radio, which is where I first heard him, and now syndicated all over the country. I never thought that I would have to use the "specific carbohydrate diet" espoused in this book, as I had never had stomach problems. However I developed intestinal distress at the beginning of March, and was told it was a possible parasite. For three months I suffered with chronic diarrhea, and whatever the Doctors gave me did not work. My colon never went back to the way it was, and I went for a variety of tests, but got no real answers or a solution. I finally decided to take matters into my own hands, and after a month on this diet, which I do not find difficult at all, I feel like myself, and I am 100% improved. Thank you, thank you!

Doreen Altman

This is a well written book with great recipes, including yummy easy baked goods. This Specific Carbohydrate Diet is helping my son, who has autism and Landau-Kleffner Syndrome, speak more clearly, be calmer, feel more comfortable and have fewer headaches. I'm on this diet too and I feel great, more energy (I have no particular health problems). It's a healthy, nutritious diet, plenty of healthy carbs and protein and healthy fats/oils. I find it easy to cook large batches and freeze them. Elaine writes from long, tried and true experience. This is not a theoretical book or weird science experiment. Rather, she is handing down what has actually worked for thousands of people. This is a highly recommended book.
Rebecca

I've had IBS for years and found this diet and book last September. I've been on the diet for 8 months and have had a complete cessation of my symptoms. I highly recommend this book to anyone with digestive disorders.

This book is filled with great information for people suffering with intestinal disorders such as ulcerative colitis, crohns and other similar diseases. It is clearly-written, and very informative. You won't find many authors who would write such a book, and also unselfishly have all pertinent information from the book online to help others. Wonderful woman. Check out [...]

This book really works! My husband was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis last year and the doctor said that he needs to have his colon taken out. We contacted a nutritionist and said that diet with help. The first diet we tried didnt work, we spent so much on the suppliments and doctor phone consultations and my husband's symptoms were getting worse. THEN my husband stumbled upon this book!!!!! Within two days on the starter diet, we saw improvements. It is a strict diet, but the recipes inside the book helped a lot, and they are yummy too. I highly recommend this book to anyone suffering from Ulcerative Colitis and is really serious in breaking the vicious cycle :) I dont think this book will work, if you're not committed to it 100%

After doing nearly two years of research on my Fiancé's 'condition', I became convinced he had Crohns Disease. He had been hospitalized early last year for a fistula and released, without a diagnosis or any direction as to preventing another. I received instructions as to his dressing changes, but I was concerned about how to avoid another hospital stay. I found information online that described Crohns and the various drug and surgery treatments, all stating there was not a 'cure' for this disease. -Until I came across this book! This book outlines Crohns, Autism, neuro issues, all in a very easy to read, without being condescending way. The best part is after you understand the origin of each issue, you are given a step by step method of CURING it! From the first day I rec'd the book, I began fixing the recommended foods for my Fiancé and he has started to feel better! Now two weeks in my possession, he is starting to look better! He hasn't any complaints of indigestion or mouth sores. He can confidently enjoy a meal without the concern of what may follow and his energy levels are starting to return! The guidence is clear and the recipes easy to follow, this book makes what Dr.s haven't been able to figure out, almost easy. I am so grateful that a bit of a dietary adjustment and creativity has had such high dividends. If you have any health issues, I recommend picking this book up. -You'd be surprised just how much effect what you eat has on how you feel. I have to admit, even I feel better!

This book really works! My husband was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis last year and the doctor said that he needs to have his colon taken out. We contacted a nutritionist and said that diet with help. The first diet we tried didnt work, we spent so much on the suppliments and doctor phone consultations and my husband's symptoms were getting worse. THEN my husband stumbled upon this book!!!!! Within two days on the starter diet, we saw improvements. It is a strict diet, but the recipes inside the book helped a lot, and they are yummy too. I highly recommend this book to anyone suffering from Ulcerative Colitis and is really serious in breaking the vicious cycle :) I dont think this book will work, if you're not committed to it 100%

After doing nearly two years of research on my Fiancé's 'condition', I became convinced he had Crohns Disease. He had been hospitalized early last year for a fistula and released, without a diagnosis or any direction as to preventing another. I received instructions as to his dressing changes, but I was concerned about how to avoid another hospital stay. I found information online that described Crohns and the various drug and surgery treatments, all stating there was not a 'cure' for this disease. -Until I came across this book! This book outlines Crohns, Autism, neuro issues, all in a very easy to read, without being condescending way. The best part is after you understand the origin of each issue, you are given a step by step method of CURING it! From the first day I rec'd the book, I began fixing the recommended foods for my Fiancé and he has started to feel better! Now two weeks in my possession, he is starting to look better! He hasn't any complaints of indigestion or mouth sores. He can confidently enjoy a meal without the concern of what may follow and his energy levels are starting to return! The guidence is clear and the recipes easy to follow, this book makes what Dr.s haven't been able to figure out, almost easy. I am so grateful that a bit of a dietary adjustment and creativity has had such high dividends. If you have any health issues, I recommend picking this book up. -You'd be surprised just how much effect what you eat has on how you feel. I have to admit, even I feel better!

This diet for intestinal health will explain things as well as a doctor can on a range of problems, including Crohn's disease and colitis.