Steven Wright, creator of SCDlifestyle, was interviewed on the Anxiety Summit by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.
Anxiety: the SCD diet, carbs, adrenals and leaky gut
- The Specific Carbohydrate Diet /SCD: the history and the basics
- The GAPs diet – the similarities and differences
- Stressful times and panic attacks and recovering
- Adrenal health and restricting carbs too much
- Leaky gut and glutamine
Here are some gems from our interview (I really enjoy Steve’s common-sense advice, especially when you are feeling overwhelmed):
And so if you can adopt the mindset of hey, you know what, this is just an exploration of food. I’m just going to throw out all my beliefs for six months and I’m going to try buying that weird fruit at the grocery store; I’m going to buy a new pan; I’m going to burn some things and just try to make it an exploration, like try to mess it up. If you can do that, if you can get some sort of mindset shift there where it becomes a fun little game, what I would do is I would have a spice of the week and I would put that spice on everything. I don’t care what they say in cookbooks or chef schools, I’ve never been to chef school actually. I would like love to go maybe sometime. But I would just take like oregano and I would put oregano on everything. I’d put it on my vegetables; I’d put it on my fish; I’d put it on the beef; I’d put it on the chicken I cooked just to see what it tasted like. Like somebody says you should never put rosemary on your whatever you’re cooking. Well how do they know? Why don’t you make up the choice for yourself?
We cover leaky gut, autoimmunity and anxiety:
So your immune system is concentrated in your gut. It’s remarkable to think of that, but the reason why is in case these different molecules of the wrong size or the wrong type get into your gut then they gum in and they just kind of like start to attack it and it creates a war. And so if your gut is chronically leaky, like it is for essentially anyone with an autoimmune condition, because that’s per Dr. Fasano’s theory, that’s essentially the way in which you become autoimmune, you’re going to have a war raging in your bloodstream, in your body, in your gut for all day all night. And so that consumes a lot of resources; it creates a lot of inflammatory cytokines; it also regulates some other pathways, which can be circulated, end up in the brain and end up causing anxiety and depression. And so I do believe that there is a subset of people who have anxiety who have either leaky gut as one of their main causes or at least it’s contributing to it. And so digestive health is really important for anxiety in my opinion.
This article: Diet and Inflammatory Bowel Disease, discusses the diets commonly recommended to IBD patients and reviews the supporting data for the low-fermentable oligosaccharide, disaccharide, monosaccharide, and polyol diet; the specific carbohydrate diet; the anti-inflammatory diet; and the Paleolithic diet. The authors of this paper do say that the role of dietary interventions in the management of IBD still needs to be tested vigorously in patients.
Here is the SCD Quick Start Guide
And for health practitioners wanting to learn how to get their message out in a bigger way and help more people: The Practitioner Liberation Project
If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com
Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.
You can find your purchasing options here.: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, Anxiety Summit Season 3, and Anxiety Summit Season 4.
I am SO thankful for this Summit & the shared info… very helpful! My question: what would you recommend to heal leaky gut for those of us with glutamine problems [GABA/Glutamate etc]?
Kay
Bone broths are very healing if they are tolerated. What glutamine/GABA problems do you have? do you react to taking a glutamine supplement and how?
Yes, I reacted to a supplement that had a “proprietary blend of L-5-Hydroxytryptophan, GABA, & L-Glutamine USP”. Every time I took a capsule, shortly afterwards my body would feel very excitatory, racy. The only fillers in the capsule were cellulose & l-leucine. I have taken GABA with no problem. Both MSG & milk/casein have also given an excitatory type reaction. Though I don’t know about the 5-HTP, I’m assuming the glutamine played a role in the reaction. That is why I’ve asked for a supplement recommendation to heal leaky gut besides glutamine. Thanks!
Kay
5-HTP can do that as well (especially if cortisol is high) as well as too much GABA. You would only know by doing one at a time. If glutamine is the issue you can find other options here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/glutamine-healing-leaky-gut/
I can be alert, feeling good, go fix some food, then fall off asleep. It is after a salmon and broccoli, or bacon and a green shake. I am at a loss for crashing like this. Any ideas what the cause could be?
Bobbi
If you’ve identified a few key foods (the list mentioned) eliminate one at a time and see how you feel, then add it back and see how you feel. It can be that easy or it may require testing to figure it out
I printed the free chart listing health conditions as history of leaky gut. Ceasarian birth is listed as possible reason. Is it because baby was not exposed to mother’s vaginal good natural bacteria?If yes, can’t this not be repaired by taking both fermented foods (Live food) & probiotic capsules. It is a question of how much will lead to 80% good bacteria ration recommended by some medical pros I heard in webinars on health. Do you agree?
Why is hormonal imbalance a possible cause? Is taking progesterone cream & estrogen cream given to me by MD correct imbalance & lead to less leaky gut?
Trina
Yes, fermented foods and probiotics can rebalance the gut. Hormonal imbalance is tied to adrenal health which can impact the gut and digestion
Thank you for the great information in this interview! I have been doing an elimination diet for the past 2 months, and haven’t seen changes in the digestive symptoms I’ve been experiencing, mainly indigestion type symptoms (burping, gas, bloating), and skin breakouts, energy, and mood issues. As I look at next steps, I’m considering going on a low FODMAP diet or even trying something like the SCD diet. But, I find that if I don’t have a grain or starchy carbohydrate for at least 1- 2 meals during the day, I end up feeling really hungry, and hunger is a trigger for anxiety and panic attacks for me. So, I’m hesitant to take the step to eliminate legumes and grains (even though doing so may help reduce the digestive symptoms I’ve been experiencing) because I’m afraid of not being able to have enough bulk in my meals to not to be hungry all the time. I have been taking about 2000 mg of L-glutamine (in divided doses) throughout the day between meals for help in regulating blood sugar. I’m not sure if it’s helping. But, beyond this, I would love any suggestions that you or Steven have for approaching something like this.
Jill
When you remove/reduce carbs you need to increase fats a lot – that often helps
Where does dairy produce fit into this (and all other) summit subjects. It is often mentioned, but never with specifics.
I think I am addicted to dairy…….is it the sugars?
Bronwen
Many people with gluten issues also often have issues with dairy. It can be the caseine or the caso-morphins that are addicting (like drugs are)
he talks about needing a few basic supplements to get started, several times, what are they please?
Pip
A good basic multivitamin
Trudy if I am doing the SCD at what stage would I use the recommendations in your book? I have been on Paleo and Paleo AIP and they are not working. I have already purchased the Leaky Gut Program but I didn’t use it. Do I need Steve’s book as well?
Thank you both for a fantastic interview.
Faye xxx
Faye
Which recommendations in my book? the amino acids? if yes I’d do them from day 1
I struggle with histamine intolerance that started around the same time as my gut problems (parasite, SIBO, hypochlorhydria etc) I have cleared the infections and my gut is healing but I’m still have trouble tolerating histamines and salicylates. any advice? could it be a liver or nutrient deficiency issue?
Vivien
I’d suspect that the gut needs additional healing or that something is still doing damage
I’d also check out Yasmina’s site for the histamine issues https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/anxiety-summit-histamine-anxiety-depression-schizophrenia/
Steven, thank you so much for all your information. I appreciated what you said about getting a variety of foods in your diet, and paying attention to your body and changing your diet as you heal. I’ve always believed it is important to get a large variety of healthy foods, minerals and nutrients.
I have a couple questions that revolve around what you said about nuts. Both of you seemed to say that nuts are hard to digest, even if soaked or ground up. What about nut milks? Are they also harder to digest? Would coconut milk be a good alternative to almond and other nut milks?
Carrie
I’m wary of nuts and nut milks because it’s a LOT of nuts. Also many people with anxiety have low zinc and high copper and nuts are high in copper so can be an issue.
I think coconut milk is a good alternative. Based on what I’ve read recently about the can lining home-made would be my choice
Loved this interview as I mentioned on your FB page Trudy, thank you. Really keen to try a SCD now having pondered over it in 2014 however am a little worried about the reduction in carbs as I am still struggling to put on weight on the Mediterranean Paleo diet we have been on for 2 or more years now which includes rice, pseudo grains (quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth) starchy vegetables etc. If I remove those I’ll lose even more weight which is a concern. My overall portion sizes (healthy fats, protein, vegetables, carbs) are large. Have to be careful with too much sat fat though to keep CV health in check…
Drew
It is a balancing act. Sometimes it’s the removing of carbs to see how you feel and then figuring out how to do the rest. Typically it’s increasing the fats, even the saturated fats!
And don’t forget the grains are a big thing with SIBO too.
Thank you for the great interview Trudy and Steven.
Me too can not lose more weight. Told even quinoa not so good when dealing with hashimoto…? But can not just eat veggies and protein; already at low weight.
Also is it good to do gluten blood test? to see if intolerant?
thanks much !
Romy
If you cut back on carbs you have to increase the healthy fats to be getting enough calories.
I find gluten testing to be very helpful. Dr Tom covered gluten testing in his interview https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/gluten-anxiety-testing-conundrum/
Hi,
Would you suggest eliminating of some extra foods, when going to SCD while suffering GERD, please?
E.g.is bone broth and fats still good? They say that fats mame GERD worse.
Thanks a lot!
Matt