Going off SCD yogurt :(

Sigh.. one of the best things about the SCD/GAPS diet has been that I can enjoy such a wonderful treat. From sinfully creamy yogurt made from half n’ half, to tart and tangy dripped goat yogurt, oh my goodness it has been nice. It’s the one thing I always missed if I traveled away from home, and I always made sure I had a batch waiting for me upon return. SCD yogurt has never caused me an upset stomach. SCD yogurt has helped me manage a sore throat during a cold. You might ask why I would give this up when already on such a restricted diet?

Well, as much as it doesn’t cause immediate digestive problems, it does seem to be causing some symptoms. I tend to have pale stool if I eat too much yogurt, especially cow yogurt. This indicates that maybe when I’m eating it, for some reason my liver and pancreas aren’t pumping out the necessary enzymes and bile. I also have had some very mild pain/discomfort over the liver area. I had it checked out by ultrasound and blood tests, and there are no problems, but I definitely don’t want to continue it. This is not a good situation to be in when trying to make sure the body can get rid of all toxins. In the case of endometriosis, you want the liver to be able to efficiently and properly handle estrogen.

I also seem to have a nagging post nasal drip. I often feel mucus in my throat and it’s quite uncomfortable. My left tonsil has been a bit red and swollen for months now and it just won’t go away. Dairy can be mucus promoting, so in an overly-mucused body, I think it’s a good idea to try going without.

I have also gone without nuts lately as I found that I just was not tolerating them. They definitely caused digestive symptoms! I find since stopping the nuts, I can eat tons of veggies, something I have never been able to do. So I’m enjoying many new types of dishes and vegetables lately. I also found I tolerate coconut very well, so I have started baking with coconut.

When I first started SCD I was actually not eating nuts or dairy. So really, I have done this before. Shouldn’t be too hard! If only I had kept it up back then. I did gain a lot of healing in the first few months on the diet.

So my diet would look something like the following: (all organic, pastured etc)

Meat/eggs: beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, duck, pork, goat, llama
Veggies: squash, zucchini, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cooked greens, beets, carrots, onions, garlic, tomatoes
Fruit: apples, berries, lemons, papayas, pears, bananas, grapes, oranges, mango, pineapple
“Dry goods”: coconut flour muffins, small amount of soaked nuts infrequently

Today was my last day having yogurt, I finished up my last batch and won’t make anymore for a while.

Update (March 2010): I reintroduced cow milk yogurt with no problems a couple months ago. I am now using NON-homogenized whole organic cow’s milk and doing just fine. I eat 1 or 2 cups per day. I try not to go over 2 cups per day as I think it’s not good to have too much of one thing. I am waiting on a cow-share dairy program to start up soon in my area and will be getting raw milk from that. I hope to make some raw milk yogurt fermented 24 hours from it.