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Best IBD-AID cookbooks


There are no IBD-AID recipe books. At the time I write this, you cannot purchase a book and know it’s 100% IBD-AID as-written.

Recall that SCD is kind-of a “subset” within IBD-AID; the food list under IBD-AID is broader than under SCD. That means that about 95% of SCD recipes will work for IBD-AID. There are a few SCD cookbooks, and I’ve read nearly all of them, but I only enjoy two of them.

    • Kerwien, Erica, Cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet ... I have the 2013 original, but she updated it in 2021

    • Conrad, Kendall, Eat Well, Feel Well: Specific-Carbohydrate-Diet compliant recipes (2006) 

That said, all other cookbooks require some adaptation in order to meet IBD-AID. Here are some cookbooks which are “a good start.” They aren't necessarily "diet" books, but they have 5 or more recipes which qualify as-written, or they contain recipes which can be adapted to IBD-AID without a ton of inconvenience.

    • Barbieri, Cindy, Paleo Italian Cooking (2015)

    • Braun, Pamela, Frozen Paleo: Dairy-free ice cream, pops, pies, granitas, sorbets, and more (2016)

    • Gallucci, Laurel and Claire Thomas, Sweet Laurel: Recipes for whole-food, grain-free desserts (2018) … uses a lot of arrowroot and tapioca

    • Gallucci, Laurel and Claire Thomas, Sweet Laurel Savory: Everyday decadence for whole-food, grain-free meals (2021) … uses a lot of arrowroot, tapioca, sorghum and cassava

    • Goyoaga, Aran, Cannelle Et Vanille Bakes Simple (2021) ... uses a lot of uses a lot of arrowroot, tapioca, sorghum and cassava

    • Jaffrey, Madhur, Spice Kitchen (1993) … many recipes qualify

    • Joulwan, Melissa, Well Fed 2: More Paleo recipes for people who love to eat (2013) … many recipes qualify

    • Joulwan, Melissa, Well Fed Weeknights: Complete Paleo meals in 45 minutes or less (2016) … many recipes qualify

    • Kimball, Christopher, Milk Street Vegetables (2021) … many recipes qualify

    • Mayfield, Julie and Charles, Weeknight Paleo (2017)

    • Pathak, Meena, Indian Cooking for family and friends (2003) … many recipes qualify

    • Roden, Claudia, The New Book of Middle Eastern Food … many recipes qualify

    • Smith, ChiYu, Asian Paleo (2019) … many recipes qualify

    • Vairavan, Alamelu and Margaret Pfeiffer, Indian-inspired Gluten-Free Cooking (2013) … many recipes qualify

    • Walker, Danielle, Against all Grain: Gluten-free, dairy-free and grain-free recipes (2013) ... note that Walker’s other books use lots of arrowroot and tapioca

image source: Chef Mom

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About Happy Belly

I’m Chef Mom. I love to cook, and to explore international tastes. I’m a crazy researcher, I explore TONS of sources, and I like to share. On this blog you’ll find IBD-AID, Specific Carbohydrate Diet, Whole 30, and Paleo, vegetable-forward yumminess -- including recipes and practical, real-life suggestions for comfort through IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease). I’m not a medical professional, but through dietary changes, my family has found comfort and easing of medical symptoms, plus fresh new healthy menu choices. I’m the one who does most of the cooking in our family. I LOVE exploring cookbooks. I like digging through gourmet recipe sites (New York Times, Bon Appetit, Ottolenghi, etc), and sites of expats and international cuisine, to find overlaps with our diet.  My dishes follow the IBD-AID diet. IBD-AID is kind of like “contemporary medical research updates the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD).” In comparison to popular diets, my dishes overlap Whole 30, Paleo, and gluten-free and...