Following dietary therapy can be challenging. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet has evolved over the years since Dr. Sydney Haas first reported on it. Since then we have learned much but there is still much more for us to learn. Below are foods that are allowed (legal) and foods that are not allowed (illegal) based off of Dr. Sydney Haas's initial description of the diet and Elaine Gottschal's Breaking the Vicious Cycle and our current research. In addition this food list includes up to date evidence based information on current research in foods.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
| Type of Food | SCD Approval | Explanation | NiMBAL Research |
| Raisins | Legal | Dried grapes. Try them cautiously. | Grapes contain resveratrol, a polyphenol that has been shown to have beneficial effects on IBD in multiple studies. |
| Rhubarb | Legal | A vegetable whose stalks are often used in pie. | Rhubarb contains piceatannol, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in multiple studies. |
| Rice | Illegal | Both brown and white rice are illegal. | Starches have been shown to aggravate IBD symptoms through this review. |
| Rice bran | Illegal |
Illegal except as a supplement filler as it is mainly oil. |
Starches have been shown to aggravate IBD symptoms through this review. |
| Rice flour | Illegal | Flour made from ground rice. | Starches have been shown to aggravate IBD symptoms through this review. |
| Ricotta cheese | Illegal | Italian cheese made from whey. Contains lactose. | Studies have been inconclusive so far concerning the effects of lactose on IBD. According to this study, ricotta cheese reduced oxidative stress in intestinal cells. |
| Romano cheese | Legal | A hard cheese. May be used occasionally. | Consumption of cheese was shown in this study to support healthy gut bacteria. |
| Roquefort cheese | Legal | Made from sheep milk. May be used occasionally. | Consumption of cheese was shown in this study to support healthy gut bacteria. |
| Rosemary | Legal | A fragrant herb comprised of multiple needles. | Rosemary contributed to intestinal health, increased anti-inflammatory cytokines, and decreased pro-inflammatory molecules in an animal model of colitis. |
| Rutabaga | Legal | Also known as swede. It is very fibrous, so go slow and be careful. | This study showed a component of rutabaga reduces inflammation in mice with colitis. |
| Rye | Illegal | A type of grain which contains gluten. | This cross-sectional study showed that a gluten-free diet reduced clinical symptoms in patients with IBD. |
