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.
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| Type of Foods | SCD Approval | Explanation | NiMBAL Research |
| Ham | Legal | Legal only if cured with salt, ham is illegal if cured with sugar, dextrose, etc. | A dietary approach to treating IBS in patients with IBD showed ham is one of the foods that don’t induce symptoms. |
| Haricot beans | Legal | These are legal and are the same as navy beans. Dried legumes should be soaked before eating. | In this study, navy beans reduced levels of inflammatory markers in the colon but increased mucosal damage. Make sure to soak your beans if bought dry to reduce their levels of complex carbohydrates and starches. |
| Havarti cheese | Legal | May be eaten freely. A Danish cheese aged for 3 months, so is lactose-free. | Consumption of cheese has been shown in this study to support healthy bacterial species and decrease harmful bacterial species. |
| Hazelnuts (filberts) | Legal | Nuts sold in mixtures are not allowed, as most are roasted with a starch coating. Nuts should only be used as nut flour, in recipes, until diarrhea has subsided. | Frequent nut consumption is associated with a healthy profile of inflammatory biomarkers. |
| Hemp seed, hemp protein powder | Illegal | High in protein, fiber, manganese, and essential fatty acids. | No studies have been done examining the effects of hemp on IBD. However, consumption of a lot of fiber can support an overgrowth of bacteria which may be harmful to those with IBD. |
| HN-Zyme | Legal | A supplement formulated to help the digestion of starches, carbohydrates, and fats. Contains papain and bromelain. | Bromelain decreased the amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines in colon biopsies from patients with UC in this study. |
| Homemade yogurt | Legal |
For instructions on how to make SCD-compliant homemade yogurt, click here. |
Consumption of yogurt exerted anti-inflammatory effects in patients with IBD in this study. |
| Honey | Legal | A safe, tasty source of simple sugars. |
According to this study, antioxidants from Manuka honey were found to help reduce UC in rats. |
| Horseradish sauce | Legal | Legal if homemade. If manufactured, watch out for illegal additives. | Horseradish extract reduced levels of pro-inflammatory molecules in an animal model. |
| Hot dogs | Illegal | Commercially produced hotdogs will normally be illegal, but here is a legal recipe on the SCDiet website. | No studies have been conducted examining the effects of hotdogs on IBD. Be careful with hotdogs containing red meat, because a colitic mouse model given a diet of red meat resulted in an increase in IBD. |
| Hydrolyzed Protein | Illegal | This is another term for MSG. Regardless of whether it is SCD legal or not, we should all try to avoid it. MSG can be a potent neurotoxin. | MSG increased inflammation in the intestine of an animal model, and decreased the overall health of the intestine as well. |
