“People sometimes need a bit of help. And sometimes, they don’t even know it…”
I must open this chapter by talking about determination once again…
Things go very differently when you make a hard and final decision. It’s a commitment. And you could define commitment as something that you will see through, even after the initial enthusiasm dissipates.
Maybe you will be surprised that it’s not such an ordeal at the end of the day. Because the tasty treats that await you on SCD and on the journey to good health will be the last thing you will want to give up. In the very beginning some amount of self restraint will be necessary, though. It’s essential to eradicate the evil that has taken root in our gut. So the best starter is a quality broth, made from meat or vegetable. Forget about bouillons and other such chemicals. It would be best to print out or write the following statement and put it somewhere very visible in your home. “I don’t eat or drink that, which I don’t know how it came to be.” It’s time to cook, my friends…
I remember Marky’s first reaction when I gave her the Legal – Illegal list. She felt that she wouldn’t be able to cook anything and everything she learned in her life is now useless. Soon she found out that it’s just a change of ingredients and all the unique know hows that everyone learned are still applicable. Not even the “it’s too expensive” excuse holds ground, because there might be new things that you start buying, but there are other things that you will stop buying altogether. And don’t forget the money you will save by not eating potato chips, soda, corn flakes, salami and other junk.
For an easy start we devised a five step manual “How to begin – five phases”. You can find it in our member’s section or as a part of our “Heal with meal” series.
The first phase for example, consists of breakfast with banana cocktail, prepared only from banana and water (bananas must be spotty, yellow, very ripe, with no hints of green color), and maybe with a bit of cinnamon. And don’t you worry, soon you will find out that the taste comes from the banana, not the milk. This breakfast has become an iron rule and I almost always take a banana with me when I’m going out.
For lunch we can eat a very thick meat or vegetable broth. It doesn’t have to be unsalted or free of spice, only in case you want to challenge or punish yourself. Make a lot of it so you don’t starve.
Add to that raw fruits and vegetables. Those of you who have issues with intestines or are in relapse, apart from bananas, eat only cooked fruits and vegetables in the form of puree so you won’t irritate mucous membrane. Again, there is no lack of taste, fruits go with honey and vegetables with a bit of spice and salt.
After the first three phases you will lose some weight, but most will probably welcome this change. At this time you can add a bit of honey sponge cake to that apple puree or an egg omelette with the basic savory pie, or some treats from the spreads and Chutney category. If you are post relapse, notice your body’s reactions and adapt the diet. Be patient when adding citrus fruits and fiber rich and gassy fruits, be gentle to your gut.
It’s better to wait with the fried and baked variety of recipes of pumpkins/squash and zucchini for another week or two. Slowly add more fruits and dried nuts. You can try our Masala Spinach (curry) with a slice of almond bread, or even spinach pie, which is also a great snack for travels. If you are meat eater and have nothing for travels, you can try out meat with vegetables in restaurants, but remember.
I don’t eat that, which I don’t know how it came to be!
After a month keep introducing new “legal” foods and recipes, but keep an eye out for what your body does and listen to it. It will let you know when to move on and when to hold off.
Learn to drink clean tap water. Everything else is dubious. In a restaurant, the best choice is mint tea with honey or quality dry wine. After some time you will notice how terribly the packaged mineral water tastes. Coffee, even weak, is according to Elaine “legal”, but it slows down the recovery. It is acidic to the organism and while it tastes great with honey, it’s better to just get avoid it. With wine however, you will find new kinds of tastes after some time of the cleansing process. And not just with wine, this is one of the side effects of SCD.
Use the list Legal – Illegal list to constantly check if you are on the right path. Slowly you will create a habit and it will become second nature. Starving out the bad bacteria should be as swift as possible. The more you take this seriously the sooner you will see the results. This will motivate you to experiment and even make your own recipes.
The idea is simple, stop eating complex sugars and starve out the enemies. Trust in your body and focus your thoughts on the recovery. It’s important to come to a decision, not just try out a new diet.
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