
There is a lot of information in Breaking the Vicious Cycle about what you can and can not eat on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). Food is divided into two camps...legal vs. illegal. This list is based primarily on the molecular structure of the sugars in the food...monosacharides (simple sugars) are in...everything else is out. Fortunately, you don't have to be a chemist to sort it all out. There is a comprehensive list of legal and illegal foods that takes all the guesswork out of the diet. You can find the list in the book or online. (I tend to keep the online version handy on my phone, so I can double check ingredients while I'm food shopping.) If you follow the rules blindly, you can't mess up. That being said, there are inconsistencies which you will start to question after following the diet for a while. I'll address some of those in another post, but for now, let's stick to the plan and go with what we know.
In my last SCD 101 post, I shared how I transformed my pantry from a sloppy carb-laden hole in the wall, to a super-charged, bionic pantry ready to fight flare. As promised in that post, today I will tell you what to stock your pantry with for success on the SCD. Being prepared is half the battle...
I've created a shopping list for you. It has three sections, pantry, fridge and freezer. These are things that are always good to have on hand and do not include all of the items you will still want to shop for weekly, such as fresh produce and protein. If you keep your pantry well stocked, you will save time and money by not having to run to the store for missing ingredients while in the middle of making dinner or because you have nothing planned for your next meal...or because the meal you planned turned out like crap, which is what happened to me last night. ;)
IN THE PANTRY
Nut flours, shredded coconut, baking soda, honey, vanilla, cinammon and some oils are essential if you plan to do any baking.
Nuts, nut butters and dried fruits can also be used to enhance baked goods and are good for snacking. You will also find that nut flours make an excellent replacement for breadcrumbs.
Beans and lentils are your new best friends when you are not allowed to eat starch. Keep several kinds on hand to keep things interesting. It's also a good idea to soak and par-cook beans to keep in your freezer for super fast meals when you haven't planned ahead. Try swapping in beans in place of rice or potatoes in your favorite recipes.
Olives, pickles and tuna are great for a last minute antipasto or as hors d'ouvres. These items are SCD legal, but you still need to read labels carefully, because there are a lot of weird ingredients in things you would never suspect.
Canned tomatoes are a controversial SCD ingredient. There are a lot of opinions about canned tomato products and in fact, there are even differing opinions in different versions of Breaking the Vicious Cycle. My book (printed 2010, bought used) and the website, say nothing except tomato juice for cooking, but my mom's newer copy of the book says that some canned tomato products are ok. My approach is to can my own tomatoes, but if you can't do that or don't want to, find a trustworthy brand, buy the least processed product with nothing but tomatoes on the label, and don't eat them more than once a week or so.
IN THE FRIDGE
Eggs are really a workhorse in an SCD kitchen...keep several dozen on hand for fritattas, hard boiling, scrambling, baking...you will go through a lot of eggs. I like to buy a dozen extra to set aside for a week or two before boiling...older eggs are much easier to peel than fresh.
Butter, Ghee or Bacon Fat, depending on your preference, are flavorful fats that enhance any dish. I keep all of my bacon drippings in a glass mason jar in the fridge and don't hesitate to use them when sauteeing greens, eggs, or anything that would benefit from a little smokey bacon-y flavor.
SCD Yogurt is easy to make from whole milk and is a very important part of restoring balance to your gut flora. I always keep several jars on hand for smoothies and for use in place of cream, cream cheese, sour cream, etc. You can even strain it down and make a delicious yogurt cheese with it. I'll tell you my (mostly) foolproof technique for making yogurt in a crockpot in a post very soon.
Aged cheese and parmesan are always good to have on hand. I find that cheese can fix almost any kitchen disaster...LOL. And there are so many legal cheeses, that you will never get bored trying them all. Beware of shredded and grated cheese though because it often has starch added to keep it from clumping. It's best to grate or shred your own.
Pesto is another flavorful ingredient that I always keep on hand. It's easy to make and packs a real flavor punch. It's wonderful on fish, veggies, SCD pizza, etc.
Bacon and Prosciutto are two great meats to keep around. Bacon is allowed once a week if cooked very crispy, IF it has sugar. If you can find one that is sugar free, you can have it more often. I have found a sugar-free, natural bacon from Hempler's that is made with honey and a sugar-free priscutto from Trader Joes that is just ham and salt.
Fresh juices (not from concentrate) and sparkling water are great to keep stocked in your fridge. You can make your own fruit juice "soda" by splashing some sparkling water into your favorite juice. You can also make iced tea more fun by splashing some juice into it for a little extra flavor.
Mayo, mustard, horseradish, ketchup and BBQ sauce are useful to keep stocked. You can make your own of any of these, but there are some safe ready-made products to be had. I do make my own ketchup and BBQ sauce because I have not found suitable "processed" versions, but I buy Spectrum Canola mayo, Maille Dijon mustard and sugar-free horseradish from a small local vendor.
IN THE FREEZER
Bananas, berries and peaches are some of my favorite frozen fruits to keep on hand. They are ideal for quick smoothies in the morning, can be cooked down into syrups and jams or used for various berry desserts. To freeze your own bananas, let them ripen until the peels are good and spotty, then peel them and toss the bananas into a ziploc. It's that easy. I buy an extra bunch each week just for this purpose.
Spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, bell peppers and artichoke hearts are my favorite freezer veggies. I buy peppers at the end of the summer when they are on sale and chop, them for use later in soup, chili, etc. The rest I buy frozen for nights when I've not planned ahead and need a steamed veggie for a side dish.
Fresh Herbs are also nice to have in the freezer. Many can just be frozen and chopped as needed. I keep fragile herbs that don't dry well, such as taragon, cilantro and dill in the freezer.
Beans, as I mentioned in the pantry section, are great to have in the freezer. Whenever I make something with beans, I soak a few extra cups, cook them until just soft and then freeze them in mason jars. It's like having the convenience of canned beans, only SCD legal.
Chicken Stock is another must-have in my freezer. I make stock all the time. It's the easiest trash-to-treasure recipe there is and saves you a bundle. Not to mention, canned stock is off limits. So do yourself a favor, learn how to make chicken stock and always keep a few quarts at the ready.
Protein is the last component in my freezer. I like to keep a bag of cooked shrimp, some fish filets, chicken breasts, ground meat and sometimes even cooked, diced chicken. All of these things can be defrosted fairly quickly and are the building blocks of just about any meal.
Don't worry about remembering all that just now. I put together a cheat sheet for you 'cause I'm all about convenience. Save the image below or click this link to download a PDF: Download SCD PANTRY STAPLES

That's all for today. Did I miss anything? What are your favorite pantry staples? I hope you'll come back soon to join me in Fighting Flare. XOXO, Cindi
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