Healthy Living Cookbook: Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet: The Grain-free, Lactose-free, Sugar-free Solution to IBD, Celiac Disease, Autism, ... Cystic Fibrosis, and Other Health Conditions [Paperback]

This is my first review but I had to write one because this book is fantastic! I have made five recipes in the past five days and my 5 year old son (with severe ulcerative colitis) has loved every single one (the rest of the family has loved the food too)! I own every SCD cookbook and this one seems to have the most recipes that are winners. So far, we have made: a chinese chicken dish (actually tastes like chinese chicken but without soy sauce- amazing); vietnamese pork (same); almond puff (tastes like cake!); chili-lime crackers (tastes like mild cheez-its!); and shortbread (buttery and tasty). We are going to keep trying recipes but love this cookbook and wanted to post this review while ordering another copy for my son's grandmom. Well worth adding to your library. I have a new favorite cookbook! It's "Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet" by Raman Prasad. Although the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) includes lots of great food choices, it doesn't allow for dining at my favorite Asian and Indian restaurants. Raman's culturally diverse recipes are bursting with the flavors of the ethnic cuisines I've been missing. One of my favorites so far is Kung Pao Chicken, which is wonderfully flavored with Raman's SCD Asian Sauce (hurray for a yummy soy sauce substitute!). And in my opinion the Beef Vindaloo rivals some of the best Indian restaurants in our town. I love, love, love this cookbook's mouthwatering photography; the compelling foreword and introduction to the diet; and the personal touch of Raman's stories about food, family, and friends. I highly recommend this great cookbook for anyone who wants to add some pizzaz to their SCD fare. --Amy McKenna

Raman has put together a collection of simple but superb SCD recipes. I really appreciate the thought that has gone into crafting each recipe and love the international flavor of the recipes. Highly recommend the Sage Chicken with Portobellos, Ruma's Layered Pot Roast (divine!) and the Wild Salmon Over Vegetables. I am not on the SCD diet - but use his cookbook as a way of eating delicious, nutritious and healthy food. Thanks Raman - and I look forward to your next book! --Sophie Moochala

I've been SCD for over three months and all the while my husband and daughter would NEED extra *illegal* sides to get them through meal times. For two weeks, every recipe we've made has come from this recipe book and no one is asking for an *illegal* side or substitute. I'm used to purchasing a cook book and only have one or two worthwhile recipes that make it into our weekly meal plan. Now, the book is our weekly meal plan! (Per my husband's request.) The Lemon chicken, Thai chicken, Vietnamese pork, Moroccan steak, spinach puffs, focaccia, lettuce wraps, the pizza and crust, the crackers, and dips all turned out beautifully. We make dinner every night and haven't had a repeat or failed meal yet! In addition, my (overweight and wonderful) husband has been losing weight and I've finally started gaining weight at 25 weeks pregnant. All due to him eating healthier, and the food being so tasty I want to eat more of it. --Canary Jen

Raman Prasad was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of seventeen. His health steadily deteriorated in the years that followed, resulting in several hospital stays and various health complications. It was during this time that he came across Elaine Gottschall's book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle, which outlined the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and the science behind it for putting inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), celiac disease, and diverticulitis in remission. Raman has followed the SCD successfully for more than ten years, which has resulted in a happy return to good health and a normal life. Inspired by his recovery, he established scdrecipe.com in 1998, which includes over 500 SCD recipes and other relevant information about the diet. Prasad is also the author of the self-published memoir Colitis & Me: A Story of Recovery and the SCD cookbook Adventures in the Family Kitchen, which combines traditional Italian-American and Indian family recipes.