Highlights of SCDROCKS 2023

 

I wanted to give the highlights of the third SCDROCKS conference held in Bellevue Washington earlier this month, put on by the Specific Carbohydrate Diet Association. In a nutshell, the speakers were fascinating, we gorged ourselves on spreads of SCD catered food, the weather was heavenly, the Blue Angels were in town both days, and there was plenty of time to socialize with like minded people. It was a delightful weekend. As usual, Texas was well represented, even though this was a smaller conference. I even met new Texans!

The keynote speaker was the world renowned Dr. Alessio Fasano (picture above with me and Miriam). His presentation was titled "How nutrition can impact the microbiome composition-permeability-immune response". He discussed his experience in discovering the endotoxin "zonulin", and the role it plays with genes, the immune system, and epigenetics in causing chronic inflammatory diseases (CID), plus the role of diet in disease.

Tracee with Sherry Lipp (Happy Gut for Life), Dr. Ali Arjomand (Modulla Health),

 Miriam Richard (Dogs in Vests), Tali Guday (Gut Harmony), and Stella

Dr. Christine Bowen, ND, FABNG (Bothell Natural Health) spoke about IBD and other conditions. Her talk and slides were loaded with nuggets of valuable information. I have Celiac disease and learned more than I thought I knew. Her slides were great:

Dawn Sabine talked about her experience as a UC patient and award winning professional bodybuilder while following the SCD. 

Sherry Lipp, (Happy Gut for Life) blogger/author/health coach, shared her journey and motivational tips.

Dr. Ali Arjomand, PhD. (Modulla Health), spoke about the oral microbiome and oral health. A look at how everyday products and devices can change our oral microbiome and therefore our health. He also taught us about the role of the oral microbiome in nitric oxide production.

Natalie Hill, RD, LD, (GI Care for Kids), spoke about pediatric SCD. She went over each age group, starting with infants. She talked about issues each group dealt with and strategies for success. I found the teen and early adult section very useful since my son is now that age. 

Notice the windows behind the speaker. The Blue Angels were in town for a Seattle event and performed in the afternoon on both days. The window blinds raised up and we had an amazing view of the show. (thank you Jan for the pic)

And of course, who could forget the food! It was a fabulous spread 4 times a day. Here was our daily feeding schedule: In the morning there was a breakfast spread (which included salmon the first morning), followed by the first speaker, followed by a snack spread, followed by the second speaker, followed by a lunch spread, followed by the third speaker, followed by a snack spread, followed by the Blue Angels, followed by lots of social time. We were so spoiled! I wanted to try every dish offered but just didn't have enough room.

Chef Laura Taylor (Honest to Goodness Personal Chef Services) was the talent behind the food. She has also catered for Camp Oasis, a camp for children with IBD, so she is an SCD pro. 

We received a Wellbee's swag bag which included honey sweetened Halva and a Wellbee's catalog. The catalog has recipes in the back. A few Wellbees products were served during the meals, which allowed a chance to sample their products. The BBQ sauce was very good on the chicken nuggets.

You can watch the presenters from prior SCDROCKS conferences in the video library here. Eventually this conference will likely be in the library as well.  It's definitely worth watching. But I have to say, if you ever get a chance to come to a SCDROCKS! conference in person, it's a wonderful experience. I think the friendships I made are my favorite part, and you can't get that from a video.

2023 SCDROCKS Conference

 

Join the Specific Carbohydrate Diet community, including followers, parents, caregivers, doctors, clinicians, companies, and others from around the world! The SCDROCKS Conference weekend on August 5 and 6, 2023 will be filled with 100% SCD-compliant food. You will not need to cook or wash dishes. Meeting with other community members in person, after days, months, and years communicating online will be a priceless experience! The speakers as well as the inspirational stories will leave you with memories for a lifetime! There will be presentations and activities for all ages to help us learn, while we enjoy a weekend of engagement! Our conference venue is Bellevue College, Student Success Center (U). It is located at 3000 Landerholm Circle SE, Bellevue, WA 98007.

      Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Alessio Fasano

 

A pediatric gastroenterologist, Alessio Fasano, MD is head of the Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In 2000, his group discovered zonulin, a protein associated with gut dysbiosis that regulates intestinal tight junctions. His basic research focuses on bacterial pathogenesis, gut microbiome composition and function in health and disease, the regulation of gut permeability, intestinal mucosal biology and immunology and SARS-CoV2. He is director of the Center for Celiac Research and Treatment at MGH and widely sought after as an expert in celiac disease, intestinal permeability and autoimmune disorders. Dr. Fasano is the author of Gluten Freedom and co-author with Susie Flaherty of Gut Feelings: The Microbiome and Our Health, published in March 2021 by MIT Press.

For more information visit The Specific Carbohydrate Diet Association's SCDROCKS conference page here: https://scdrocks.org/

See you all there!

SCD Cookbooks Available at Fort Worth Public Library

 The Fort Worth public library carries some great SCD cookbooks. Fort Worth residents can go online to request titles and then pick up at the nearest library branch. The library  website: https://www.fortworthtexas.gov/departments/library If you would like them to carry a book they don't have, you can request a purchase for their collection. I have found they are more likely to purchase newer titles.

Here are the current titles:

The SCD for Autism and ADHD: A Reference and Dairy-Free Cookbook for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, by Pamela Ferro R.N., Raman Prasad, & Nilou Moochhala.  The first half of the book contains fascinating information on the diet and gut research for autism and ADHD, and is a valuable guide for implementing the diet. The second half contains over 150 dairy-free recipes. You don't have to be dairy-free to enjoy the book. The recipe for crepes alone is worth it's weight in gold. They make great sandwich wraps.

Every Last Bite: A Deliciously Clean Approach to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet by Carmen Sturdy. This book contains over 150 recipes. Fans of her blog (https://www.everylastbite.com/) will enjoy this cookbook.

Everyday Grain-Free Baking by Kelly Smith. Not every recipe in this book is SCD legal, but of more than 100 recipes the majority are. The recipes are clearly marked which are SCD and which are not, both on the recipe itself and on each chapter index. The only red flag I saw was and option to add gelatin to yogurt while making it (you need to stick with BTVC for yogurt instructions).

There is a wide selection of SCD baked goods, from breads, rolls, biscuits, crackers, scones,  pancakes, waffles, muffins, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, bars, pies, tarts, custards, crisps, granola, frosting, pastry cream, etc. I have tried the cinnamon rolls and cinnamon crumb coffee cake and both were delicious. 

Most of the baked good recipes use a combination of almond and coconut flour. She does have some all coconut flour recipes such as a biscuit, muffins, pancakes, a cupcake, and a snack bar. 

Against All Grain by Danielle Walker. This is another book where there is an occasional recipe that is not SCD legal, but she also clearly marks which are. This book contains a great selection of everyday recipes and is a favorite cookbook among many SCDers. Not to mention it was a New York Times bestseller, which just goes to show how delicious SCD can be.

Nutrition in Immune Balance (NIMBAL) Therapy: Using Diet to Treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease by David L. Suskind M.D.  This is the dietary program for IBD at Seattle Children's Hospital based on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. This book contains helpful guidelines for implementing the diet for your child and a selection of SCD recipes. Dr. Suskind has been a speaker at SCDROCKS conferences which can be found here: https://specificcarbohydratedietassociation.org/dr-david-suskind-1

DINE-CD Study Results are In!

 The results of the DINE-CD study were recently published. The study goal was to determine if diet really can make a difference in Crohn's Disease. Both the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and the Mediterranean Diet were studied. The good news? Diet does indeed matter!

"Researchers compared the effectiveness of a Mediterranean style diet to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet™ in nearly 200 Crohn’s disease patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms on stable doses of medications. With both diets, nearly half of the patients experienced resolution of their symptoms. After six weeks, 43.5% of patients following a Mediterranean style diet and 46.5% of patients following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet™ achieved symptomatic remission.."

"FC {Fecal Calprotectin} response was achieved in 8/23 participants (34.8%) with SCD and 4/13 participants (30.8%) with MD (P = .83). CRP response was achieved in 2/37 participants (5.4%) with SCD and 1/28 participant (3.6%) with MD (P = .68)."

The study was funded by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and another grant.

To see the announcement at the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation click here.

More Information on Diet and IBD

For those of you just beginning your journey of researching diet for IBD, here are valuable links to gastroenterologists experienced with this topic. Of course, the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall, a microbiologist, is a must read.

--The Specific Carbohydrate Diet Association has a video library that includes several from doctors:

https://specificcarbohydratedietassociation.org/video-presentations

-- Dr David Suskind of Seattle Children's Hospital does an excellent presentation explaining how diet affects the microbiome and what goes wrong in IBD:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBTrD4m1vGU

Parents SCDROCKS Conference November 14, 2020

 The Specific Carbohydrate Diet Association is hosting an online SCDROCKS conference on November 14, 2020. It is a free Zoom conference for parents with children on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. Included speakers are:

• Dr. Eric Vasiliauskas (Director of the Cedars-Sinai Nutrition & Integrative IBD Multidisciplinary Subspecialty Program and Professor of Medicine & Pediatrics, UCLA School of Medicine).

• Dr. David Suskind (Director, Quality Improvement; Co-chair, Nutrition Subcommittee at Seattle Children's Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington).

The following is from the Specific Carbohydrate Diet website:

PARENT'S SCDROCKS CONFERENCE

November 14, 2020 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm (EST)

We are hosting the Parent's SCDROCKS Conference via Zoom on November 14, 2020 at 12:00 pm until 4:00 pm (EST). Hear from and talk with Dr. Eric Vasiliauskas, Dr. David Suskind, Jessica Gartenstein, parents, children and more! We are excited to offer this Conference to provide parents and the community with support, guidance, inspiration and tools to help them manage and cope with life's challenges.  The moderated Open Forum is always a great experience! This event is open to anyone!  Everyone will leave the event with new information.  

For more information and to sign up

SCDROCKS Virtual Conference October 17, 2020

This year's SCDROCKS conference will be FREE and on Zoom. The conference will be on Saturday, October 17 from 12-4 pm EST (11am-3pm Texas time). The keynote speakers are: 

Dr. Christine Bowman: "My SCD journey, commonly missed conditions and favorite treatments"

Dr. Laurie Keefer: "Resilience, Self-Care and the Brain-Gut Connection: Navigating a post-COVID19 world with a Chronic Illness" 

For more information and to sign up visit: https://specificcarbohydratedietassociation.org/scdrocks-conference-1

The SCDROCKS conference is sponsored by the Specific Carbohydrate Diet Association.

SCD Survey and Free SCD Video Library

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet Association is doing a survey that is open to SCD followers, caregivers and their supporters. It's a 5 minute survey but very important. Everyone will learn from the results, including the medical community. There is no identifying information. No Cookies. https://specificcarbohydratedietassociation.org/scd-survey

There are also free videos from the 2018 & 2019 SCDROCKS Conventions: https://specificcarbohydratedietassociation.org/