What's the latest consensus on eating carbohydrates and how it effects IBD?

I've been reading about the effectiveness of the Ketogenic diet to treat disease, cancer, and brain degenerative disorders. It is similar to the Paleo and SCD, but there isn't a whole lot of research or any on the SCD diet and it's effectiveness to treat IBD. So the research on keto diets seems to be the closest thing we have.

I myself have tried the paleo and considered the SCD diet but have found the adherence and maintenance of the SCD diet extremely difficult. Several reasons for concern for me are weight loss, and overall stress trying to adhere to the food restrictions, and properly fueling workouts. Sounds counterintuitive to stress about the food I eat when stress could negatively impact my illness.

I do currently avoid gluten, and try to limit my carb choices to fruit, rice, quinoa, and gluten free oats.

What is your opinion on carbohydrates? Are they definitively bad for our diseases or is this strictly a case by case basis?


*On a side note what if genetically modified (GMO) carbs are the real problem. I have seen studies that indicate RoundUp used in the crops can alter the gut bacteria and cause "leaky gut" also it is cited as a possible reason for the increase incidence of Celiac and IBD.

"Glyphosate "RoundUP" has been tied to reproductive issues, inhibition of cytochrome detoxification enzymes, initiating the progression of increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut), suppressing the ability of gut bacteria to produce amino acids, create gut bacteria imbalances and pathogenic bacteria overgrowth and binding to nutrients like selenium, zinc, calcium and cobalt so the crop is deficient in minerals. "

First off the idea that carbs are the cause doesn't coincide with centuries of use of grains as a primary food source.

The escalation of IBD, specifically Crohn's and Colitis is recent, grain as a primary food source long predates this. If grains are at all linked to the rise in IBD, it's something modern involving them.

The idea that everyone is somehow gluten intolerant and that some people are just less symptomatic than others seems like a pure tinfoil hat theory to me. We have healthy people eating western diets. They exist.

Secondly, while elimination of grains might provide a benefit it's important that we still are finding ways to replace the prebiotic properties of the grains we are eliminating or else we risk further dysbiosis by starving our natural gut flora which thrives on undigestable plant matter.

When I went full keto I got better at first, but long term it made me worse to the point where I could barely eat anything without a reaction. I learned later that this was due to lack of resistant fibers in my diet. Now I'm on a slow road to rebuilding my microbiome, and it's an uncomfortable one as your bacteria regrow, the food you give them causes gas, bloating and cramping. It takes time before you can eat all the fibers you have to again once you've starved them out.

I would have to agree with you Instant Coffee SCD made me worse but I persisted with it for nine months with disastrous results. At four months pregnant I had to have a stricture removed and temporary ileostomy. My Crohns which had been confined to my ileum for twenty years had also spread to my colon. I am convinced this was because of SCD. I had stopped taking my medication when I was pregnant which is why I tried SCD but I had previously stopped medication years ago with no Crohns spread. I don't know with gluten because when I had my ileostomy the majority of what I had to eat was wheat to slow down my output and I had no Crohns and no meds. However I have previously adhered to a gluten free dairy free diet whilst on imuran and I was in remission. I have read that gluten feeds adherent invasive e coli which is a big suspect in terms of causing crohns but like everything with this disease there is no definite answer. I just wish I had not killed myself doing SCD and making my disease so much worse.

The sources of wheat most people get like white flour are super refined to the point they are almost sugar. The resistant starches that prevent them from being available to invasive bacteria have been broken down into simple carbs.

If you are not gluten intolerant you need to be eating whole grain wheats to feed good bacteria species and not feed bad ones.

If you are gluten intolerant you need to look at alternate sources of RS like oats, psyllium, green bananas, plantains etc.

A consensus on carbs will come, but just after world peace and an end to poverty.

If you didn't like paleo then maybe somewhere between 'perfect health diet' and 'pegan' would suit you.

People are eating less fiber and more refined carbs, and this is probably a big part of the problem. But having said that you can get all the fiber you need from whole plant foods without grains, or from non-gluten grains if you want to eat them.........