Preparing for Day One

Monday, June 4, is the Day We Begin.

Technically today. But I haven't gone to bed yet, so for me, it's tomorrow.

Today (really yesterday), I prepared. I'd already de-gluten-ized the kitchen about a week ago. We haven't bought many SCD-illegal products in the past few weeks, in anticipation of starting the diet. So what did I do today, you ask?

I made homemade chicken soup, from scratch. I used the free Quick Start Guide from SCD Lifestyle as a jumping off point. I'd never made chicken soup before. (Not from any lack of prowess in the kitchen; only because I've never been much of a fan of chicken soup.) I had organic chicken breasts in my freezer, and organic carrots, celery, onions, and garlic waiting to be used. I chose parsley over kale, chard, and other greens from my local CSA last Tuesday in anticipation of this soup. I had homemade vegetable stock in the freezer, but opted not to use it, because I can't remember if it had potatoes in it or not. I'll be making more stock this week, so the next batch will have the added flavor and nutritional bonuses of all those organic vegetable scraps. Even without a vegetable stock base, the soup was YUMMY. Shelby even asked for spoonful after spoonful of the broth.

Something else that was a new experience - making homemade gelatin that doesn't come from a brightly colored Jell-O box. I followed the recipe in the Quick Start Guide and flavored it with white grape juice, mostly because that bottle was already open in the fridge. Since there was no added sweetener or chemically gobbledygook, I was perfectly happy to share it with Shelby, who was perfectly happy to eat it. She was disappointed when she asked for more and I showed her the plate was empty.

So far, I think the intro diet will be relatively easy. It might be more difficult for James, because he can't eat eggs. It'll be interesting to see if he's able to eat eggs later on. I might swing by the butcher's and pick up more meat tomorrow so he has options. Maybe I'll get him some fish, too.

The SCD Intro Diet:

Meats - chicken, beef, turkey, lean pork, lean game, eggs (roasted, broiled, boiled, or grilled)
Vegetables - carrots (peeled, cooked, and pureed)
Juice - apple cider (fresh only), grape (100% juice, no sugar added)

AND THAT'S ALL.

Well, for most, there are other options that include dairy. But we don't eat dairy anymore, at least not for now. I'll be making yogurt from homemade almond milk once we're out of the introductory phase. (Making yogurt. How crazy is that?)

I'm going to have James rate all his symptoms at the end of each day to measure any changes. I'm going to do a chart, too, for things like headaches and things that bug me on a fairly regular basis and see if the dietary changes help with any of that. I'm not expecting things to happen overnight, but I think charting will help us see smaller results sooner than we otherwise would.

For more on the introductory diet, visit Breaking the Vicious Cycle or download the free phasing charts from SCD Lifestyle.