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Difference between IBD-AID and SCD / Specific Carbohydrate Diet


IBD-AID and SCD have similar roots, but at this point they are quite different. Since I've been Chef Mom under both diets, I can say that I find SCD to be much more restrictive, IBD-AID to be much broader in its list of recommended foods. Both diets limit your starches and sugars intake, and guide you to avoid processed foods, instead sending you back to pure food ingredients.

The definitions

SCD began as a hypothesis developed in the 1920’s by Dr. Sidney Haas, that if you starved the “bad bacteria” your symptoms would disappear. It was popularized by Elaine Gottschall through her book Breaking the Vicious Cycle (1994), together with lab research circa 1970-1990. The lab testing SCD received sounds like it was more like analysis of the chemistry inherent in the foodstuff itself, without much data on how it affected the whole patient.

Recently, Seattle Children’s Hospital has begun to work with SCD and pediatric IBD patients. 

IBD-AID is being developed today by the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Center for Applied Nutrition. I say "being developed today" because, while basic food list info is up on their website, these findings are being released even while the research advances. Several times, over the period I’ve been observing IBD-AID, UMass has released updates which expand the approved food list, as their research reveals more.

IBD-AID appears, to my amateur eye, to have begun with a hypothesis similar to SCD—“starve the bad gut bacteria”—but IBD-AID adds another layer which I’d paraphrase as “build up the good gut bacteria.” IBD-AID takes into account contemporary science about the importance of gut biota and balancing the gut environment.

What foods are different

SCD labels foods as “legal” or “illegal.” illegal foods generally include all grains and their derivatives; all sugars and sweeteners except for honey; potatoes, sweet potatoes, and most starchy vegetables; starches, food additives, mucilaginous foods and gums. Illegal foods include all forms of soy; liquid dairy and soft cheeses; sea vegetables/seaweed. Gottschall put legumes/beans and organic fermented soy products on her caution list.

SCD has a severely restricted protocol for when a person is experiencing a flare. Some foods, like legumes, are recommended only after a person has been on SCD for a number of months.

IBD-AID’s recommendations go by phases: Phase I while in an active flare, Phase II for reintroduction, and Phase III in remission. Texture is important, for instance in Phase I little is raw and a lot is pureed.

Like SCD, IBD-AID discourages all grains and their derivatives; all sugars and sweeteners except for honey; potatoes and some starchy vegetables; food additives, many starches; liquid dairy and soft cheeses.

Where IBD-AID differs is that it's not just about limiting foods. IBD-AID strongly encourages people to eat prebiotic and probiotic foods.

IBD-AID allows starchy vegetables such as plantains and sweet potatoes if you "limit to occasional intake."

Also, UMass is currently researching pseudo-grains. IBD-AID allows gluten-free oats, buckwheat, flax, hemp, chia (all of which are “illegal” on SCD). IBD-AID allows sea vegetables (kombu, nori), organic non-GMO soy products (miso, tofu, soy sauce), baking powder, and additional specialty vegetables which SCD does not.

Another important difference is that SCD expects 100% adherence to the diet. IBD-AID remission phase expects about 80% adherence. 

You can click on the Venn Diagram in this post, to enlarge it.

(An extensive food list is coming soon)

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