Coconut flour is surprisingly versatile… as one who really doesn’t like coconut, I’ve been really pleased at it’s results when making SCD food! Thanks for posting!
I’m new at this coconut flour thing so I’ve only ordered it once and that was from http://www.tropicaltraditions.com. I was happy with the product, but have no basis of comparison.
Hi there! I wanted to let you know that I gave your blog a Liebster Award! You can see it on my site Againstallgrain.com. Thank you for all of the hard work you put into your blog for all of us SCDers! Wishing you health in 2012!
I have 3 question about 3 different Coconut products are they legal?
Is there a way to make Yogurt with Coconut Milk or Coconut Cream? use Coconut Secret’s Raw Coconut Aminos? Also, is Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Nectar a safe sweetener to use along with Luo Han Guo, Monk Fruit?
READERS: I just realized that when I replied to Cathi’s comment from 2/26/12, I forgot to include it here for public consumption. She responded to my response with further inquiry and I will include the conversation below:
==============
Cathi,
You can make yogurt from coconut milk. I’m not sure about coconut
cream. I haven’t tried making either myself, but yoghurt from coconut
milk gets mentioned frequently on the BTVC-SCD group on yahoo as an
alternative to dairy yoghurt.
Coconut Secret’s Raw Coconut Aminos are illegal because they contain
coconut sap.
Coconut nectar is illegal.
I would speculate that the Lou Han Guo (monk fruit, budda fruit, etc.)
would be illegal due to it’s description on wikipedia: “The fruit
extract is 300 times sweeter than sugar and has been used as a natural
low-calorie sweetener…”
-Paul
===============
Hi Paul:
Thank you for your quick answer. But I still have a couple of question about why these products are unsafe. I hope you can help me with an answer.
Could you please explain to me why Coconut Sap would be illegal, what is in it that causes inflammation? Also, why would fermented Coconut Sap be bad, doesn’t fermenting usually get rid of harmful properties in a particular vegetable or fruit or are some things still left, such as when fermenting grains? Just trying to learn and understand this diet. As for Luo Han Guo, again what are the properties that would be harmful?
Just wondering and trying to understand this Diet Better.
Thank you for your help.
Cathi
— and —
Cyclamates are also 300 times sweeter than sugar, but it’s not illegal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siraitia_grosvenorii
So, is there ingredient within Luo Han Guo that makes it bad. Yes, I know that most of the products that are being sold out their either have inulin or erythitol mixed in it making it bad. But what if, it was found pure with nothing mixed in. Wouldn’t it be safe according to what Wikipedia says about it. Oh buy the way I did have chance to use it in the pure form with nothing mixed in. It was really neat stuff. There was a company at one time that was going to market a pure form, and they asked me to sample some of their product and bake with it. It was really nice stuff. I did not have to use much and it did not have a bitter taste like stevia. Stevia is illegal and I understand why, but I don’t understand about Luo Han Guo, except when it’s mixed with something like inulin or erythitol. That I get.
Thanks for your help.
Cathi
=================
Hi Cathi,
I’ll try to answer your last two emails with this one.
Regarding luo han guo:
You make a good point about cyclamates sweetness and its legality. The
problem here is that Elaine explicitly allowed cyclamate, but gave no
guidance for lou han guo. We have to guess as best as we can.
When dealing with the SCD, there are essentially two categories of
foods: 1) foods that are explicitly legal or illegal, and 2) foods
that are outside that realm. The first realm encompasses foods that
are mentioned in one on the following places: the BTVC book,
breakingtheviciouscycle.info, and pecanbread.com. Of course the second
realm is much bigger than the first as Elaine could not possibly test
every foodstuff. The BTVC-SCD group on Yahoo can be helpful for
determining if foods in realm 2 are legal.
So what does one do when trying to decide about foods not mentioned in
realm 1? This can be a grey area. Some foods are clearly illegal and
some may appear to be legal. Of course the safest thing to do is not
eat outside of realm 1. When foods are outside of realm one I try to
to make inferences and connections to things that are within the first
realm. In the case of luo han guo my first thought would be that it is
legal since it is a fruit, but I’m concerned that it has such a power
of sweetness and that it is used as a low calorie substitute. My
understanding of low – calorie sweeteners is that they are low calorie
because the body does not digest them. As the BTVC quotes at the
beginning of chapter 5, “What the patient takes beyond his ability to
digest does harm.” For this I am wary of luo han guo. I do not know
the composition of luo han guo. It may be fine or it may contain too
high a level of inulin like jerusalem artichokes which, being in the
first realm, are illegal.
The short answer about luo han guo is that I do not know. It is in
realm #2 and I have to speculate. The longer answer is that I advise
against it because I don’t know it’s composition and what I can find
about it gives me concern.
Regarding coconut sap and fermented coconut sap:
This is in realm #2 so I have to speculate. We do know that maple
syrup is illegal and that is the sap of the maple tree. Already, I’m
thinking that it should be avoided for this alone. Can you tell me if
coconut sap is delivered in a concentrated form? If so, this would
also make it lean towards the illegal. Is coconut sap a monosaccaride?
We don’t know, so again it’s leaning towards illegal. And finally, I
just found something interesting on http://www.coconut-info.com//aboutcoconuts.htm. It talks about a drink
called “tuba”. It is fermented coconut sap and near the bottom of that
page, it says that tuba is stimulating and acts as a mild laxative.
That certainly nails it for me – anything that has a laxative effect
should be avoided. As far as an inflammatory action of coconut sap is
concerned, I have no idea what action it may or may not have.
When I give advice to anyone, I err on the side of safety. The worst
thing I could possibly do is give someone advice that would set them
back or hurt their progress. If you decide to incorporate luo han guo
into your diet, I strongly advise you to be sure to record it in your
food diary so that you may discover what it does for you. The tricky
aspect of this is that should it in fact be illegal, it not only could
set you back, it may take a month to realize it. Not all foods make
their effect quickly and clearly known. And in that theoretical month,
perhaps you introduced other foods and now have a confusion as to what
is negatively affecting you.
Thank you Paul for your Well Thought out ideas about Luo Han Guo.
Caution is always a good thing. I hope in the future we will have a better idea about Luo Han Guo. In the past I have also used Luo Han Guo Tea to settle the stomach. It actually had a very good taste and did seem to help. But, since going SCD, I have not tried it. I guess I will just have to wait and see. Maybe the future will have a better idea of what the actual properties are of Luo Han Guo. I know Asian history shows Luo Han Guo used as a therapeutic drink for stomach and intestinal area, but how many other herbs out there have also been used for similar purposes in the it’s past yet for most people on the SCD diet is not Good. I guess it goes back to “One man’s food can been another Man’s poison”. AND knowing thyself is the most important thing, when it comes to eating, so don’t be hasty or lack caution, when it comes to eating food that could you thyself. SCD has some pretty clear boundaries to stay in for safety, maybe in the future those boundaries may include some other foods that weren’t included before after careful research and testing. Thank you for your kind answer and I truly appreciate. A lot to think about
I have found over time, I no longer crave the sweeteners. I was a sugar and cream in my coffee woman, now I like my coffee black. Honey was a difficult taste in baking for me in the beginning, now if a different sweetener is used the taste feels off. I also tired of looking up “is such and such a monosaccharide” when honey fits the bill. I can use a different honey (clover, fireweed, blackberry, tupelo, and many more) for a different taste without sacrificing the monosaccharide quality for my gut.
Eating SCD 
Thanks for the post – I have the coconut flour, but haven’t been able to bake with it very successfully. Thanks for the advice from those who do!
Coconut flour is surprisingly versatile… as one who really doesn’t like coconut, I’ve been really pleased at it’s results when making SCD food! Thanks for posting!
You betcha.
-Paul
Hey Paul, thanks for the link.
What brad of Coconut Flour do you use? Do you order it online?
Cheers,
Ryan
Ryan,
I’m new at this coconut flour thing so I’ve only ordered it once and that was from http://www.tropicaltraditions.com. I was happy with the product, but have no basis of comparison.
-Paul
Hi there! I wanted to let you know that I gave your blog a Liebster Award! You can see it on my site Againstallgrain.com. Thank you for all of the hard work you put into your blog for all of us SCDers! Wishing you health in 2012!
http://againstallgrain.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/i-got-a-liebster-award-whats-a-liebster/
I have 3 question about 3 different Coconut products are they legal?
Is there a way to make Yogurt with Coconut Milk or Coconut Cream? use Coconut Secret’s Raw Coconut Aminos? Also, is Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Nectar a safe sweetener to use along with Luo Han Guo, Monk Fruit?
READERS: I just realized that when I replied to Cathi’s comment from 2/26/12, I forgot to include it here for public consumption. She responded to my response with further inquiry and I will include the conversation below:
==============
Cathi,
You can make yogurt from coconut milk. I’m not sure about coconut
cream. I haven’t tried making either myself, but yoghurt from coconut
milk gets mentioned frequently on the BTVC-SCD group on yahoo as an
alternative to dairy yoghurt.
Coconut Secret’s Raw Coconut Aminos are illegal because they contain
coconut sap.
Coconut nectar is illegal.
I would speculate that the Lou Han Guo (monk fruit, budda fruit, etc.)
would be illegal due to it’s description on wikipedia: “The fruit
extract is 300 times sweeter than sugar and has been used as a natural
low-calorie sweetener…”
-Paul
===============
Hi Paul:
Thank you for your quick answer. But I still have a couple of question about why these products are unsafe. I hope you can help me with an answer.
Could you please explain to me why Coconut Sap would be illegal, what is in it that causes inflammation? Also, why would fermented Coconut Sap be bad, doesn’t fermenting usually get rid of harmful properties in a particular vegetable or fruit or are some things still left, such as when fermenting grains? Just trying to learn and understand this diet. As for Luo Han Guo, again what are the properties that would be harmful?
Just wondering and trying to understand this Diet Better.
Thank you for your help.
Cathi
— and —
Cyclamates are also 300 times sweeter than sugar, but it’s not illegal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siraitia_grosvenorii
So, is there ingredient within Luo Han Guo that makes it bad. Yes, I know that most of the products that are being sold out their either have inulin or erythitol mixed in it making it bad. But what if, it was found pure with nothing mixed in. Wouldn’t it be safe according to what Wikipedia says about it. Oh buy the way I did have chance to use it in the pure form with nothing mixed in. It was really neat stuff. There was a company at one time that was going to market a pure form, and they asked me to sample some of their product and bake with it. It was really nice stuff. I did not have to use much and it did not have a bitter taste like stevia. Stevia is illegal and I understand why, but I don’t understand about Luo Han Guo, except when it’s mixed with something like inulin or erythitol. That I get.
Thanks for your help.
Cathi
=================
Hi Cathi,
I’ll try to answer your last two emails with this one.
Regarding luo han guo:
You make a good point about cyclamates sweetness and its legality. The
problem here is that Elaine explicitly allowed cyclamate, but gave no
guidance for lou han guo. We have to guess as best as we can.
When dealing with the SCD, there are essentially two categories of
foods: 1) foods that are explicitly legal or illegal, and 2) foods
that are outside that realm. The first realm encompasses foods that
are mentioned in one on the following places: the BTVC book,
breakingtheviciouscycle.info, and pecanbread.com. Of course the second
realm is much bigger than the first as Elaine could not possibly test
every foodstuff. The BTVC-SCD group on Yahoo can be helpful for
determining if foods in realm 2 are legal.
So what does one do when trying to decide about foods not mentioned in
realm 1? This can be a grey area. Some foods are clearly illegal and
some may appear to be legal. Of course the safest thing to do is not
eat outside of realm 1. When foods are outside of realm one I try to
to make inferences and connections to things that are within the first
realm. In the case of luo han guo my first thought would be that it is
legal since it is a fruit, but I’m concerned that it has such a power
of sweetness and that it is used as a low calorie substitute. My
understanding of low – calorie sweeteners is that they are low calorie
because the body does not digest them. As the BTVC quotes at the
beginning of chapter 5, “What the patient takes beyond his ability to
digest does harm.” For this I am wary of luo han guo. I do not know
the composition of luo han guo. It may be fine or it may contain too
high a level of inulin like jerusalem artichokes which, being in the
first realm, are illegal.
The short answer about luo han guo is that I do not know. It is in
realm #2 and I have to speculate. The longer answer is that I advise
against it because I don’t know it’s composition and what I can find
about it gives me concern.
Regarding coconut sap and fermented coconut sap:
This is in realm #2 so I have to speculate. We do know that maple
syrup is illegal and that is the sap of the maple tree. Already, I’m
thinking that it should be avoided for this alone. Can you tell me if
coconut sap is delivered in a concentrated form? If so, this would
also make it lean towards the illegal. Is coconut sap a monosaccaride?
We don’t know, so again it’s leaning towards illegal. And finally, I
just found something interesting on
http://www.coconut-info.com//aboutcoconuts.htm. It talks about a drink
called “tuba”. It is fermented coconut sap and near the bottom of that
page, it says that tuba is stimulating and acts as a mild laxative.
That certainly nails it for me – anything that has a laxative effect
should be avoided. As far as an inflammatory action of coconut sap is
concerned, I have no idea what action it may or may not have.
When I give advice to anyone, I err on the side of safety. The worst
thing I could possibly do is give someone advice that would set them
back or hurt their progress. If you decide to incorporate luo han guo
into your diet, I strongly advise you to be sure to record it in your
food diary so that you may discover what it does for you. The tricky
aspect of this is that should it in fact be illegal, it not only could
set you back, it may take a month to realize it. Not all foods make
their effect quickly and clearly known. And in that theoretical month,
perhaps you introduced other foods and now have a confusion as to what
is negatively affecting you.
I hope this had helped.
Cheers,
Paul
I too am trying to find out of Monk Fruit sweetner is legal on SCD.
Kathy,
I just updated my reply to Cathi (above) regarding monk fruit sweetener.
-Paul
Thank you Paul for your Well Thought out ideas about Luo Han Guo.
Caution is always a good thing. I hope in the future we will have a better idea about Luo Han Guo. In the past I have also used Luo Han Guo Tea to settle the stomach. It actually had a very good taste and did seem to help. But, since going SCD, I have not tried it. I guess I will just have to wait and see. Maybe the future will have a better idea of what the actual properties are of Luo Han Guo. I know Asian history shows Luo Han Guo used as a therapeutic drink for stomach and intestinal area, but how many other herbs out there have also been used for similar purposes in the it’s past yet for most people on the SCD diet is not Good. I guess it goes back to “One man’s food can been another Man’s poison”. AND knowing thyself is the most important thing, when it comes to eating, so don’t be hasty or lack caution, when it comes to eating food that could you thyself. SCD has some pretty clear boundaries to stay in for safety, maybe in the future those boundaries may include some other foods that weren’t included before after careful research and testing. Thank you for your kind answer and I truly appreciate. A lot to think about
Cathi,
You’re welcome!
-Paul
Hi Paul,
I just found your site!! I’ve been looking for more SCD blogs, so just thrilled to find you! Off to explore your site…
Be Well,
–Amber
Amber,
I hope you find things you like. You have quite a nice thing going on The Tasty Alternative – it’s a great blog.
-Paul
I have found over time, I no longer crave the sweeteners. I was a sugar and cream in my coffee woman, now I like my coffee black. Honey was a difficult taste in baking for me in the beginning, now if a different sweetener is used the taste feels off. I also tired of looking up “is such and such a monosaccharide” when honey fits the bill. I can use a different honey (clover, fireweed, blackberry, tupelo, and many more) for a different taste without sacrificing the monosaccharide quality for my gut.