This Homemade SCD GAPS Diet Yogurt is fermented for 24 hours, making it virtually lactose free and easier to digest. Enjoy with fresh fruit and honey for breakfast for an afternoon snack.
Have you heard of the SCD or GAPS Diet? SCDstands for Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I first came across this diet when my youngest son was suffering from gastrointestinal issues four years ago. Our nutritionist suggested we give the SCD a try. At the time, the diet seemed far too restrictive for my son, so instead of trying it, I went down the road of an elimination diet where I removed over twenty foods that he tested allergic or intolerant to. Fortunately, the elimination diet did the trick; otherwise, we were going to try the GAPS or Specific Carbohydrate Diet next.
The SCD is often recommended for people with intestinal health issues and other illnessessuch as Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Diverticulitis, Celiac Disease, Autism, and Cystic Fibrosis. The GAPS diet (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) is often suggested for people with autism, ADHD/ADD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, schizophrenia, depression, eating disorders, manic depression or bipolar disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Although there are some differences in the foods you can eat on each diet, they are both gut-healing diets.
Recently, the GAPS Diet and SCD have crossed my radar screen again. We have dairy intolerances of some sort in our family. I don’t know whether it’s the lactose or casein in dairy products that’s bothersome; a few family members think it’s the lactose, and the other half think it’s the casein. So, when I finally decided to look into the SCD in more depth, SCD or GAPS Diet yogurt popped up as one of the first foods to introduce into the diet. SCD or GAPS Diet yogurt is not the same as store-bought yogurt, nor is it the same as regular homemade yogurt. SCD or GAPS Diet yogurt is fermented yogurt that is virtually lactose-free and easier to digest. The yogurt is allowed to ferment for 24 hours, at which point, the lactose is “eaten up.”
The trick is to maintain the temperature of the yogurt at a steady 105-115 degrees fahrenheit for at least 24 hours. There are a few ways to achieve this. You can buy a yogurt maker. You can use your oven pilot light. You can sous vide it. Or you can use a food dehydrator like I did. The food dehydrator can be set at 105 degrees and left overnight, as can the sous vide circulator.
I used organic grass-fed whole milk and plain yogurt containing the cultures Lactobacillus bulgaricus, L. acidophilus and S. thermophilus (The SCD says to avoid yogurts with bifidus). You can also use a yogurt starter containing the recommended cultures.
This yogurt can be served with fruit and honey for breakfast, or added to smoothies and dips. It would also make a wonderful base for ice cream.
Note: The GAPS Diet and SCD are not the same diet; there are some differences, but this yogurt works for both diets.
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SCD Diet Yogurt Recipe
Cook Time1day
Total Time1day
Ingredients
1/2gallongrass-fed organic whole milk
1/2cupplain yogurt containing Lactobacillus bulgaricusL. acidophilus and S. thermophilus
Instructions
Heat milk in a large pot until it reaches a simmer, about 180 degrees fahrenheit.
Let cool to room temperature (I let it cool down to 80 degrees).
Remove 1 cup of cooled milk to a bowl and stir in yogurt until blended. Stir into pot and mix until blended. Divide milk among mason jars.
Place in dehydrator and set to 105 degrees fahrenheit. Leave undisturbed for 24 hours. Remove and set in refrigerator until ready to eat.
In the US there are two brands of commercial yogurt that are SCD legal. Dannon plain yogurt, and Butterworks whole plain yogurt. Always be sure to read the label, the yogurt should only contain milk or milk solids and bacterial cultures, but not any starting with Bifid.
Natasha Cambell-McBride, author of the GAPS diet book, includes dairy at the beginning stages of the protocol because the problem for many people is simply the lactose in the milk. The yogurt recommended in the protocol is a long-fermented yogurt (24 hours) so the lactose is essentially eliminated.
A2 milk is milk that contains only the A2 type of beta-casein protein rather than the more common A1 protein found in regular cow's milk. A2 milk may be better suited to people with allergies. Milk from goats, sheep and camels are mostly made up of A2 proteins and are commonly preferred on GAPS & SCD.
Direct-set yogurt starters are one-time-use cultures. It is possible to use some yogurt made with a direct-set starter to make a new batch of yogurt, but after a few batches, the culture will weaken and a new dose of direct-set starter is needed.
While any type of yogurt can fit in a healthy diet, Greek yogurt and skyr (Icelandic yogurt) are the healthiest choices because they tend to be lower in sugar and higher in protein, says registered dietitian Jamie Nadeau.
Edit: As someone in the comments pointed out, another great source of carbs on GAPS is simply dairy. Raw milk, kefir, and yogurt are healthy probiotics that will give you a nice carb boost as well.
Does homemade yogurt have more probiotics than store bought? Certainly. The heavy processing and use of additives in regular yogurt you buy from store destroy probiotics. On the other hand, you can prepare homemade yogurt by natural fermentation of milk minus the processing and with no additives.
Add yoghurt starter to milk and stir in with a wooden spoon. (The bacteria in the yoghurt will die if you mix it in while the milk is still hot.) Pour into jars and set in a dehydrator or yoghurt maker for 24 hours at 37°C. Your yoghurt makers may require you to set the timer and turn on the 'warming' button.
All types of eggs are allowed, preferably organic and free-range. Plant-based milks, such as almond and coconut. Ghee, pastured-cow or “grass-fed” butter. Milk from animals is not allowed.
For the yogurt, either Greek or regular yogurt is fine, but avoid any flavorings; stick to plain, unflavored yogurts. When you're buying yogurt, also check that it lists “Live Active Yogurt Cultures” in the ingredients — we need those! The live cultures are what actually turn the milk into yogurt.
Fermentation time: The longer you ferment the more tart, and thicker, your yogurt will be. Different cultures work at different rates, but as a general guideline: 6-8 hours produces a mild yogurt, 8-12 hours a tart yogurt, and more than 12 hours produces a sour yogurt.
Pasteurized milk is an excellent choice for making yogurt at home. HTST (High-Temperature Short Time) or Flash Pasteurized milk is heated to 161ºF and held there for 15 seconds. If your bottle of milk is labeled “pasteurized,” it has most likely been treated in this way.
With a fat content of 5%, it is an excellent choice for those who are looking for a yogurt that is low in carbs, which makes it perfect for keto. fa*gE 5% yogurt is also low in sugar, making it a healthy option for people who are watching their sugar intake.
Because of its straining and fermentation processes, Greek yogurt has less lactose than regular yogurt, milk and even ice cream. Its live and active cultures help break down the lactose it contains, making it easier to digest.
Yogurt is a healthful food that contains a good amount of protein, calcium, potassium, and vitamin D. Research suggests that probiotic yogurt may be particularly beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes. Probiotics may help to reduce inflammation in the body.
Introduction: My name is Lakeisha Bayer VM, I am a brainy, kind, enchanting, healthy, lovely, clean, witty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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