Baked Thai Meatballs packed with fresh flavors and paired with a simple chili sauce. Low FODMAP, Paleo and SCD approved.
*UPDATE 1/10/16* It’s recently come to my attention that coconut aminos are up for debate when it comes to an SCD diet because it’s made with coconut sap. As far as I can see it’s not listed at all on the Breaking the Vicious Cycle list of legal/illegal foods. It is however a recommended product listed on SCD Lifestyle and I’ve seen Danielle from Against All Grain uses it it many of her SCD recipes. Since Coconut aminos are fermented many people think that most of the remaining sap has ‘died off’. If you’re new to SCD it may be advised to steer clear of coconut aminos and then introduce it over time just to be on the safe side. Please leave a comment below if you have any more info on the matter!
So.
Have any of you ever heard of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)?
Up until a few weeks ago, I had only ever heard little bits and pieces of information about it. I knew it was similar to the Paleo diet and I had heard it compared to the GAPS diet, but beyond that it was just another acronym in a long list of acronyms that I can barely keep track of. Included in that list are FODMAPS, PoTS, EDS, CFS/ME – have I completely lost you yet?
If you’re new around here then let me sum it up for you quickly by explaining that my husband has only a million health issues that all stem in one way or another from Coeliac Disease that got completely out of hand after going undiagnosed for so long. Even though Mike’s been eating gluten free for over two years now his health has only improved marginally. Since taking a couple rounds of really intense antibiotics last year, his stomach has been completely off the rails. Things improved after he started taking a medical grade probiotic called VSL#3, but many of the issues still continued. Again, things started looking better after adopting a Low FODMAP diet a few months ago, but overall he still struggles with fatigue, bloating, and general IBS discomfort. It’s been lots of fun.
I’m still trying to learn more about the SCD diet myself, but after a lot of dejection and desperation, Mike’s decided to give this new diet a go. Basically in the SCD you’re only allowed certain types of carbs that are easily broken down and absorbed by the small intestine and no starches. Instead of being broken down and used as energy for the body, in a person with a compromised gut certain carbs and starches remain undigested in the intestines where the begin to ferment and feed the bad bacteria in the gut. I’m sure this is exactly what you want to read when you come to a food blog. Bacteria and fermentation: Yum. (I’m sorry!)
The diet mostly consists of meats, vegetables, most fruits, specific dairy products, nuts, and seeds. SCD is not low carb.Though there aren’t a whole lot current of studies to show that the SCD diet is effective in healing Coeliac Disease and other irritable bowl disorders or diseases like Crohns Disease, there are quite a lot of testimonial stories of people who feel like their lives have been changed for the better because of it. I can’t think of many people who wouldn’t feel better by cutting out all forms of processed foods and sugars (except honey).
To be honest, it means more to me to hear from a person who suffered through the pains of chronic illness say that their life has been changed by a lifestyle change than to hear a dietician say that not enough evidence supports the claim. I know to a lot of people diet’s like this sound extremely restrictive, but from my perspective of watching someone I love struggle so much on a daily basis I think it’s probably more restrictive and exhausting to have to live your life ruled by ill health.
Are you still with me? I don’t blame you if you decided to jump down to the fun stuff. Why am I telling you gross things about IBS etc? Apparently I don’t know how to get to the point fast enough. Given Mike’s new dietary restrictions, I’ve been needing to come up with more recipes that are both SCD Legal and FODMAP friendly. It’s been quite the job.
First up on the menu: these Thai Meatballs. How’s that for getting to the point?
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]Do any of you guys have experience with with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet? I’d love to know your experience/pick your brain if you do!
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Paleo Thai Meatballs
Baked Thai meatballs packed with fresh flavors and paired with a simple chili sauce. Low FODMAP & Paleo approved.
Ingredients
FOR THE MEATBALLS
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
- 1 large carrot, about 1/2 cup shredded
- 2 tbps fresh parsley chopped
- 1 red chili chopped
- 1/4 cup green onion, green parts only for Low FODMAP, chopped + more for garnishing
- 2 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 2 tablespoon Coconut Aminos or 1 -2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce* see note
- 3/4 salt to your taste *see note
- pepper to your taste
- 1 egg
- Dash red pepper flakes optional
FOR THE SAUCE
- 1/4 cup (60ml) Coconut Aminos * OR 2-3 tablespoons for gluten free soy sauce
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) low fodmap chicken stock
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce, only if you use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon chili paste
- 1 garlic clove crushed, omit for low FODMAP
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C
- In a bowl combine all of your meatball ingredients.Mix well and form into balls. If the mixture is a bit wet and sticks, wet your hand with a little water and then roll the balls.
- Place balls on lined baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes
- While the meatballs are baking, combine all sauce ingredients in a small pot over medium heat. Once boiling, stir, and reduce heat to a simmer.
- When meatballs are done pour sauce over it, or use sauce as a dipping sauce
Notes
Only use Tamari/gluten free soy sauce if you don't need this to be SCD. *If you're using Tamari or another soy substitute like Braggs Aminos you may want to decrease or get rid of the extra salt all together. If you plan on using soy sauce I recommend using a low sodium chicken stock. Otherwise I really love coconut aminos as a soy free alternative.
Nutrition info is calculated per meatball including sauce so that you can get a more accurate account
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
15Serving Size:
meatballAmount Per Serving: Calories: 64Cholesterol: 27mgSodium: 209mgCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 7g
Any substitute for chili paste? I can’t find any inexpensive GAPS approved one.
Hi Kristine! Is chili powder or chili flakes gap friendly? You can use those instead of the chili paste!
Yum! Very tasty. I made a Thai peanut satay sauce to go with them- my daughter and I both liked them. I only used half the meatballs for dinner tonight, planning to use the rest in egg drop soup similar to your recipe but with the addition of kale, mushrooms, turmeric. I can hardly wait 😆
Thanks Laura! So glad you enjoyed it!
Love this recipe and will make at least a double batch next time! Would you recommend freezing before or after cooking the meatballs?
Thanks
Thanks Alice! So glad you enjoyed them! You can freeze at either stage – the main difference is that uncooked meatballs can be kept about 3-4 months in the freeze and cooked meatballs can keep 2-3 so it mostly just depends on how long you want to store them for.
I am soy free so I use coconut aminos. BUT, I have a seafood allergy and the allergist says NO seafood = shellfish or fish of any kind. Must say that I miss tuna for salads!! Anyway, what would be an appropriate substitution for the Fish Sauce? or is it OK to leave out the Fish Sauce all together? I really want to try this and soon!!
Hi Leanne! No worries – you can leave out the fish sauce all together! The fish sauce mostly adds a salty/umami flavour which you can still kind of get by adding more salt later if you feel like it needs it. Hope you that helps!
Like others I ended up doubling the mixture to yield more meatballs to feed hungry male children. I have used both chicken and turkey mince and found the meatballs had a slight “gamey” taste with the turkey verses the chicken, may try half and half like a previous reader did. Found I needed to triple instead of doubling the sauce to ensure there was a enough as the flavours were awesome and I think everyone added extra. Once again thanks for a great recipe. IBS sufferers no longer need bland food, the flavours you bring to the table are great
Thanks Dionne! I’m so glad you enjoyed this! I like the idea of using half chicken/half turkey – I’m going to try that out myself next time!
I’ve been diagnosed very recently with IBS and still on the elimination part of the low FODMAP diet. I want to thank you for providing a lot of yummy recipes. I love the ethnic varieties. I do want to point out that most ‘stock’ and ‘broth’ have garlic and/or onion in them so low FODMAPpers will need to be careful with the broth while still eliminating and/or if they react to garlic and onion (which I suspect I do.)
Thank you again for helpful recipes though!
Good catch! I used to have a link to a low FODMAP stock but it looks like the link expired. I’ll make a note in the recipe now – thanks Jenny!
I use Progresso Tuscany chicken broth, no onion or garlic. I get six cartons at a time from Walmart.com.
Ooh thanks Zandra! That’s helpful to know!
Unsure of where you live, but in Australia, Massel brand liquid stock and cubes are FODMAP friendly and have no onion or garlic
These sound amazing and I cannot wait to give them a try! I have been allergic to milk my entire life, and I also have fructose malabsorption, acid reflux disease, and stick to the low-FODMAP diet. I will definitely be subscribing for more amazing recipes and following along on your journey!
I have a blog as well- Navigating the Allergic Life. Would love for you to check it out!
Hi Kristen! I hope you love them! I will definitely check out your blog!
Can you tell me approximately how many meatballs the recipe makes?
Hi Tammy! It makes about 15
Hello Sarah
I suffered terrible gut problems for over 7 years. The Consultant I was under was putting me on ever and ever stronger medication, and finally admitted that this was in fact destroying my liver and kidneys. I researched and came across the SCD diet. It took 2 years as it said it would. It completely change our lives, from being almost a total invalid, not being able to even go out, and just laying in a recliner all day, to now living a wonderful lifestyle. I am now 87 and not on any medication whatsoever.
Hope that this encourages other people to do the same.
Regards
Eric Hall
Hi Eric!
I’m SO happy to hear you’re doing much better now – thank you so much for sharing that! I always find it so encouraging to hear about people who have been able to take back a little control over their health/life by seemingly simple food choices. Health problems can be so overwhelming and I think it takes a lot of guts and perseverance to try something new.
Thanks again for sharing!
Totally delicious! I served these on a bed of napa cabbage and had them for lunch.
Thanks Jenna! So glad you liked them!
I made these tonight for my son and his girlfriend. My son is trying the SCD diet. I’m delighted to say that these meatballs and sauce were a hit with everyone! I’ll definitely make these again. We filled cupped lettuce leaves with them along with some stir-fried fennel and onion. Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome! Thanks so much for coming back to share – I’m so happy to hear you all liked them!
Sarah,
I have colitis, which is an IBD, like Chron’s. I was diagnosed 5 years ago. Less than a month ago I was diagnosed with IBS. I have to say the IBD diagnosis was very scary but the IBS diagnosis made me mad! The diet for the IBS is much more complicated than the IBD, combine that with the need for portion control and it is downright torturous. I spent several days depressed because I knew I would not be able to adapt my cooking. But slowly I am.
What I want to say to you though is how impressed I am with the knowledge you have. The fact that you have put so much time and effort into learning about all our weirdnesses just goes to show how much you love your husband. And the fact that you share it with the rest of us speaks to your kindness. So no matter what you call it, thank you. Your recipes are complete and delicious and do not feel like they are lacking in anything.
Hi Emily!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a kind note! This whole food/health journey with Mike has been such tumultuous journey. We’re always trying new things and trying to figure out all the dos and don’ts of getting it all right. I know it’s different for everyone so I’m really happy to know that it is sometimes helpful to others, even if it’s just solidarity in going through it too. It’s got to be so frustrating right now trying to adapt to a new diet but I’m willing to bet it’ll feel worth it soon enough! I’ve spoken to a lot of people who had to adopt different diets due to health problems (AIP, low FODMAP, paleo etc) and pretty much everyone felt better for having gone through it – not without first shedding some tears and throwing a few tantrums first. It’s hard, but it gets easier.
If you ever need any help/advice or even just somewhere to vent please feel free to reach out and I’ll do what I can!
Hi, Sarah!
This recipe is awesome! Even my picky kids ate them, though I had to reduce the spiciness a bit for my 13-year-old son. I was recently diagnosed with SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth) and was advised I should follow an SCD/Low-Fodmap diet for a while. These were perfect with a few alterations, and I served them with a spaghetti sqaush chow mein I also found on Pinterest. I can’t do dairy, soy or gluten, so coconut aminos it is! Looking to make them part of our PALEO/GF options at my work – a catering company!
Hey Meredith! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed them! Thanks so much for coming back to share how it went 🙂
I’ve made these meatballs several times for various things (staff potluck, housewarming party, family dinner) and they are a huge hit every time. I have a lot of friends with allergies so I’m always happy to be able to bring something they can enjoy. I’ve been asked for the recipe countless times and always direct them to your blog. Thanks again for such a delicious and easy recipe! I can’t wait to try the meatball egg drop soup recipe as well 🙂
That’s so cool – thank’s for coming back to let me know! I’m so glad to hear they’ve gone down well!
Today is the second time I’ve made these and they’re as delicious as the last time. I make a double batch and use 1 lb of turkey and 1 lb of chicken mixed and then freeze half the batch for an easy meal later. They freeze great!
Love your idea of freezing half for easy meals! So glad you like it and thank you SO much for coming back to let me know how it went 🙂
Hi,
These seem to have a very high saturated fat content for turkey. Could you check that for me please as it’s very unusual to have a sat-fat content the same as the whole fat content.
Thank you
Hi Karen! Thanks you so much for pointing that out to me – just went back and checked the meatballs & sauce and saturated fat on both of them was off! It’s only 1 gram saturated fat on both of those. Thanks again!
Thanks…that makes better sense. Much appreciated.
I have crohns disease, an Inflammatory Bowel Disease, not irritable bowel disorder such as you describe. IBD is a group of incurable bowel diseases that you cannot compare to IBS – irritable bowel syndrome. Please do not confuse the two.
Hi Kelly! My mistake! I changed the wording there to differentiate the disorder from disease. I think the reason I got confused there is because I’ve read people with IBS and some with IBD feel like some of their symptoms improved with the SCD diet – so I clumped them together in my brain when writing this. I understand the Crohn’s is on another level from regular IBS and I wouldn’t want to downplay that struggle. Thanks for pointing that out for me so I could fix it!
Hi! Tasty but ours leaked ALL over the pan. Used turkey , wonder why?
Hi Emily! They do that while baking – I think it’s just some of the fact/meat juice draining away. As long as they still hold up after baking then it’s all good. Glad you still thought they were tasty though!
I’m on the whole 30 diet, trying to be, just went on a road trip and had a very difficult time eating…..anyway….my son loves meatballs and I’m going to make these and put them over boiled rutabagas ……..hoping my family says it’s a redo….oh…..before I went to the holistic doctor, I was diabetic…..after all the blood work he did, I had leaky gut, hoshimoto ( still can’t spell that) , and the flap to my intestines closes and doesn’t open!!!! My thyroid wasn’t working either…BUT my pancreas was and making insulin on it’s own!!!!! they treated me with herbs and vitamins and now I am healthy as can be. I still have to watch what I eat…no sugar, no carbs and no dairy……I’m always looking for recopies that my family will love!
So glad to hear that you’re doing well now! I find it so reassuring to know that we can do things to improve our health through diet! We’re still trying to work out the best diet for my husband, but he definitely does better when he avoids refined sugars and dairy too.
Hope you and your family enjoy these as much as we do! Thanks for leaving a comment 🙂
These were AMAZING!! Made them as appetizers and they were gone in a couple of minutes. Will play around with the sauce next time. Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
Woohoo! Glad you all liked them! Thanks for coming back to let me know how it went 🙂
These are my new favorite meatballs!!! I made theese oversized and with no sauce. Yum!!!
Yay! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment/rating! 🙂
Thank you for this. Tonight was the third time I made them. I used Serrano chili and it was a good sub since I could not find a red one.
That’s great! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Made these for dinner the other night – we loved them, so did the kids!
Glad you guys liked them!
Thank you for “rambling” 😉 it was good to hear that I’m not the only one struggling, diagnosed CD a year ago after 20 years ill health. I’ve just started a grain free diet & I seem to be finding it difficult with being tired again. Looking forward to trying this recipe, thatnk you for sharing.
My pleasure! It’s nice being able to relate to other people on things like this – though I hate that anyone has to go through that kind of health drama. I know starting a grain free diet is something that can leave a lot of people feeling drained for the first few weeks as your body adjusts to the new normal so fingers crossed you bounce back soon!
Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
FABULOUS! The meatballs had a great thai flavor. The 3 of us gobbled them ALL down! (Sadly no leftovers for lunch tomorrow.) We will play with the sauce next time, as it seemed too …teriyaki? Not thai enough? Served it with rice & steamed vegis. Very satisfying. Thank you so much for a FAMILY WINNER!!!
So happy to hear you liked them!
Hi Sarah, About to try your recipe, it looks great, thanks for sharing! I wanted to give you some feedback about the SCD/Gaps etc… and your husband’s health. I have tried just about every gut healing protocol out there in an attempt to heal my brain fog and joint issues (as well as a few other issues). I have been working on this for 10 years and only in the last year have I found real healing. I’m guessing you know by now that his joint problems are very likely an auto-immune issue caused by his gut dysbiosis. I have found that when I eat too many complex carbohydrates my body becomes inflamed and my joints get set off. But if I keep it to a minimum, and focus on specific carbs, as outlined in the Gaps diet and SCD, I continue to heal and do not have pain and joint weakness. Yay!! The most important thing I want to share is that I spent 9 years self experimenting with diet before I decided to work with a functional medical doctor after which I finally had a true clearing of the fog in my brain (halleluja!!). Not sure if you have worked with a functional doc, but I’ve tried every other kind and these people are different… and in my opinion from personal experience, far better for helping heal chronic issues naturally. What I found is that everything I was doing was generally right, but we found through a very specific type of test that I had a pretty serious bacterial imbalance, along with candidiasis which was preventing my body from fully benefitting from the fabulous foods I was eating… After doing a few months of a specific protocol tailored to my specific issues… I started to see real progress… I recommend checking out Chris Kresser’s website and podcasts if you haven’t already, and I highly recommend finding a functional doctor, perhaps one that his office recommends, in your area. It is not cheap, but our health is worth whatever it takes in my opinion. Love and luck! Nicole
Hi Nicole!
Thanks so much for your comment! I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment like that. When it comes to gut/general health problems it’s nice hearing from people who understand/have gone through it….as much as I wish that no one has to deal with health problems like this.
Right now Mike’s biggest issues seems to be muscular/joint pains. We were just talking the other night about changing his diet up again – so your comment was very timely. We only really did the SCD diet for about a month or two (the time I originally posted this recipe). Because he had such bad gastritis at the time he had to eat a low FODMAP diet in conjunction with the SCD diet which was extremely limiting. Not to mention he was also dangerously underweight because of all his gut problems, so we had to cut the SCD short. I do really thing that even that shot period of eating SCD made a difference though. I think taking a break from all the starches/ sugars gave his gut the break it needed to get to a better place.
Now that he’s in a somewhat more stable place we’ve been thinking about going back to paleo/SCD. I’ve even thought about looking into finding a functional medical doctor, but it’s not been easy finding anyone. As you mentioned, I’d love some tailored guidance to help us get to a better place. I’m definetly going to start checking out more of Chris Kresser’s stuff though in the mean time. I used to listen to his podcast quite a bit, but I think I got a little burnt out on all my health/nutrition podcasts for a bit.
I’m so glad to hear that you’re starting to see progress! AS someone who’s seen how crap life can be when you’ve got chronic gut problems, that makes me so happy to hear!
Thanks again for your comment! Good luck on the rest of your journey! (Hopefully I wasn’t rambling too much in that reply!)
Hi Sarah, I randomly landed here but wanted to respond because I’ve also been dealing with long term (20 yrs) health issues around CD. Personally, I had disastrous results with the SCD and cannot recommend it. It triggered multiple additional food allergies in me, specifically almonds from all the almond meal baking. Also, I cannot take Elaine gottschall seriously when she lists chocolate as non compliant because it comes from the same plant as cocaine, which is patently false. However the FODMAP diet, which I’ve recently started is helping after a recent increase in GI issues, and is also scientifically backed. After a recent nose dive with fatigue and joint/muscle pain that was incapacitating I found out I was dangerously deficient in vitamin D, which most people with CD are. So I did something I should have done years ago- got a 5000iu vitamin d/k supplement and started taking l-glutamine, which helps heal the gut. Note that vit d takes a few months to increase to right levels. Just 4 weeks ago I thought I might be facing disability, but in the last couple weeks I’ve had great improvements in pain and fatigue lifting (and mood). I’m starting to feel like my old self and have hope again. It’s simple, but overlooked. Also know that it can take up to 6 years to heal your gut from CD, so he may not be out of the weeds yet, or he may have IBS and CD (I do), and will always struggle a bit. Also try removing dairy if you haven’t, it is very cross reactive for CD. As for alternate things, cannabid oil does seem to be promising, and was going to be my next try if the vit d hadn’t worked. Please feel free to dm me if you have questions. Good luck. It’s a hard journey.
Hi Shawnee! Thanks so much for your comment! As we’re still trying to figure out all his health issues I find it really helpful to get an idea of what’s worked/hasn’t worked for other people who are going through similar problems.
I totally know what you mean about the SCD diet – we only did it for a few months because it got to be too difficult when done in conjunction with the low FODMAP diet. Fortunately he didn’t develop any additional allergies from it, but we ate very little nuts/seeds at the time. Personally, the crazy amount of nuts in paleo baking in general is something that drives me a little crazy. I can’t imagine it’s a good idea for people who already have sensitive stomaches. Funnily enough the other main reason why Mike didn’t stick to the SCD diet too long was the whole chocolate thing. He only ever eats dairy free dark chocolate – as dark as he can get it – but it was still considered off limits and it was never really explained why. We’ve got no problems cutting out problematic foods, we just want a good reason for doing so.
That’s really good to know about the vitamin D! I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he was deficient seeing as how we live in a very rainy place with limited sun. If he’s more likely to be deficient because of his CD he’s probably extra low than most. Also great to know about the l-glutamine! I remember hearing about that a couple of years ago, but I’ve completely forgotten all about it since. I think I actually bought him a jar once only to realise when I got home that it listed gluten as a cross contaminate. Figures! I’m going to look for both of those today (certified gluten free this time).
Really glad to hear you’re starting to feel more like yourself again! God knows health problems like this have their ups and downs and I hope yours continues along the right path. I’m so glad we’ve got the internet these days so that people are able to come together and talk about what works for them and what doesn’t. It really is a huge help – thanks again for leaving a comment!
I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend kefir. It is a probiotic drink which you can make yourself at home. This stuff is unbelievable. I have had a chronic disease called restless leg syndrome for the past 2 years. To say it’s horrible is an understatement. It controlled my life 24/7 and kept me indoors. There’s basically no cure for it (all the doctors say this) and it only gets worse with time. A few months ago I found out that I’ve had IBS for my whole life. I then learned that there may be a connection between restless leg syndrome and bad gut health. So I put all my effort into the low fodmap diet and my restless legs improved pretty drastically in 3 weeks. I have been spending all my time trying to find out the best ways of improving gut health and eventually I found out that probiotics are very very good for the guts. So after even more research I eventually found out about kefir. I have been drinking half a cup of kefir every day for three weeks and my restless legs are completely gone! I am in complete shock. I’ve been like this for about 10 days now and feel amazing. In fact I’m still in shock that I feel so good and I think that will last for a while. I read one of your recipes (Thai meatballs I think) before and you mentioned the challenges that go with having a chronic disease that you can’t manage. I completely agree. My life went from extremely hard 24/7 to absolute heaven and I have to thank people like you who share all these great recipes for those struggling to manage. Thank you!
That’s amazing! I’m so glad it’s making such a difference for you! I’ve heard of restless leg syndrome before but I had no idea it could get that bad – so happy you’ve got it managed now! It never ceases to amaze me how many health problems really do stem from the gut. There was a period of time where my husband had such bad gastritis that he couldn’t eat much of anything without getting stomach aches. He’d get the sweats from the pain and he was really underweight at the time so eating too little was a huge problem. After he started taking some medical grade probiotics he was able to start eating more normally after about a week. I’ll definitely look into making kefir! Thanks for the recommendation – it sounds perfect!
I find cheese and dairy to be inflammatory too. I can not begin to tell you the laundry list of benefits from turmeric. There are so many ways to incorporate this into your daily life. One of my favorites is bone broth (with lots of herbs added rosemary, thyme, parsley) with my turmeric paste, I make from scratch, and freeze into ice cubes. It is then simple to take out a quart of bone broth with two cubes, pepper, and 1 tsp of olive oil, simmer for 15 minutes, drink. Wonderful flavor, with tons of health benefits, one turmeric is extremely anti-inflammatory. Make sure to add pepper and oil for your body to uptake the compounds from the turmeric. Another highly inflammatory food product is processed foods, bacon, lunch meats, hotdogs, boxed foods, regular loaf bread. Each one of these can be substituted for better options..
Bread… make homemade tortillas ( simple and quick to make. You can make a batch and keep in the refrigerator for a week)
Lunch meat… Cook a turkey, we use the infrared, slice thin freeze into small portions. We use a food sealer, A LOT.
HOTDOGS … horrible don’t eat.
Bacon… but you can buy good ground meat mix your own sausage, then you will not have any nitrates which are so inflammatory.
Box meals.. Cook from scratch, know what is going into your meals.
We catch our own fish, kill our own and process deer, grow tons of medicinal, culinary, and tea herbs, and have a variety of vegetables and fruits (if the deer don’t nail them!)
I really love how you incorporate turmeric! For a while I was making golden milk for him every day, blending up fresh turmeric & ginger with almond milk, but we ended up going out of town for a few weeks without access to a blender and I kind of just forgot about it until now. Your way sounds way tastier though so I’m going to start making some today!
For the most part we cook entirely from scratch. Since he’s coeliac there are so many packaged foods that don’t have clear or trustworthy gluten free labels that we’ve learned it’s usually better to just make as much as we can at home.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave that comment – I’m excited to make that turmeric bone broth. It’s been so cold this past week that I’m sure it’s going to hit the spot!
That’s so cool that you guys are able to eat what you catch/gather! I imagine home cooked meals are that much better when you know exactly where your food came from and who earned it. I’d love to learn more about wild herbs – we live near quite a lot of woods and I’m sure there are tons of plants around us that would be perfect for cooking/ making into teas.
Hi there,
Sounds like your husband is a lucky man that he has someone so committed to making his life’s more enjoyable.
For what it’s worth (and I know this is a very contentious issue) but I struggled with a bowel disease for 15 years and there were days where I couldn’t visit clients at their home for fear of soiling myself when I left the car ( I am an interior decorator and these meetings could go for hours sometimes), lower left abdominal pain, bloating, severe painful face rashes the whole box and dice and I was sick to death of gastroenterologists telling me I would have it for life – they didn’t know why it happened or how to get rid of it but just take/insert these drugs and they will help control it. Yes they helped to reduce the symptoms but gave me painful side effects and probably set my health back years. After my condition became so intolerable I was forced to look for natural remedies instead. Hello cannabis oil goodbye all bowel disease symptoms – yes all!!!! Now it might not be the answer for everybody but it sure as hell is not going to hurt you to find out. Not sure if Mike has tried it yet but I have my life back again and the bowel of a 48 year old not a 98 year old! I really wish for him that he finds his way back to the life he should have because I really sympathise with anyone suffering the affects of IBS or bowel disease.
Hi Lindy! Thanks for leaving your comment! It’s actually a pretty timely topic at the moment for us. Mike’s never been one to drink or smoke, but we were just talking about cannabis oil recently for his chronic joint pain. He doesn’t like taking pain killers and he definetly doesn’t want to go back on the methotrexate that he used to be prescribed for his arthritis (it’s a low dose chemo drug that can be pretty bad for you long term). It seems like medical cannabis might be one to try at some point. I knew it was supposed to be good for pain, but I never heard of it being used for gut issues so that’s fantastic to hear! Thankfully for us his gut issues have improved a lot in the past year, but he still has random flare ups and IBS issues that are hard to sort out. Personally, I know we’d both prefer him taking something like cannabis if it meant he didn’t have to take other drugs that lead to other health issues. Thanks again for your comment – I’m definetly going to look that up now!
What a winning dish! If you are contemplating trying this tonight, stop thinking about it and do it!! You won’t be disappointed 😉
Thanks so much Amy! That makes me so happy to hear how much you enjoyed it!
I agree! I made a few amendments based on ingredients I had in the house – not sure if they adhere to the dietary requirements. I added kimchi, replaced egg with avocado, and omitted the chili (which got covered by the kimchi anyway). I added maple syrup to the sauce. Thank you for the recipe – this is a winner!
Ooh, love the kimchi addition!
We enjoyed this as well! I used beef, since that’s what we had on hand, and I added a bit of lime juice and maple syrup to the sauce. I will certainly make this again! Thanks!
so glad you liked it! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment 🙂
Here I am three days later, making it again! Lol! I served this over zucchini “noodles”, and am prepping this for this week’s lunches. I send a bit of cilantro in the meat as well, and oooooh boy! Thanks!
So happy you like it! 🙂
Hi,
These look great! I have a sesame allergy, what other oil can be used to make the sauce?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Tara! If you don’t mind the slight coconut taste, I often use coconut oil in place of pretty much anything (except when it comes to deep frying). You can also use any type of vegetable or grape seed oil as well
Your Thai meatballs look amazing — and I love that they are diet specific. My son had a gluten allergy when he was younger so I know what it is like to have to change all your cooking and eating habits, although not to the extent that you are dealing with. But, it’s nice to know that there are delicious options out there!
Thanks Michelle! So glad to hear your son grew out of his allergy! It’s hard enough with a husband with food allergies – I can only imagine how stressful it might feel for a parent!
These were absolutely fantastic! We are adding them into our regular “rotation” for sure! Thanks for the beautiful, well-thought out recipe!
Hi Katie! I’m so glad you liked them – thanks for coming back to leave a comment! 🙂
Love love love! Making for the second time. Too hot for toddlers. Leaving out the red pepper.
So glad you liked them! Thanks for leaving a comment! 🙂
I see there is pepper flakes, but what kind of red pepper does this call for?
Hi Daphne! I’m probably being silly, but I’m not sure I understand. The only other pepper listed in the recipe is ground pepper and as far as I know red pepper flakes are pretty standard – if you buy them from a supermarket there is only one type to buy.
I believe she is referring to the “red chili”
I’m assuming it’s a red Thai chili which my grocer doesn’t carry. I was planning on leaving it out since not sure what to substitute it with. Serrano perhaps?
Oh! That makes sense – thanks Angela! Serranos would be great here if you can’t find red chilis. I’ll use serrano from time to time if I’m ever out and it still does the job!
Can you substitute with beef? Or to double do half beef and half turkey?
Hey Melissa! Sorry if I got back to you late! Substituting with all beef or half beef shouldn’t be an issue 🙂
Thank you! I went ahead and did just one batch, (with turkey)…to make sure I like them. I used Sweet Chili Sauce instead of regular chili paste. Used only 1/2 tsp. salt. Other than that, just as directed. They are great! I love the complex flavors!
Yay! Glad you liked them!
These were awful. We followed the recipe exactly. They didn’t form balls, they flattened into small domes in the oven. And they were dry dry dry!! The sauce over the top was good, but nowhere near enough to moisten the severe dryness of the meatballs. We each tried one and ended up tossing the rest in the garbage.
And we are foodies- my husband is a chef- and these sounded so good, esp since I’ve been so limited as to what I can eat on a low FODMAP diet recently.
Sorry to say, we will not be making these again.
Hi Elyssa,
Sorry I’m getting back to you late – your comment was stuck in my spam folder. Sorry to hear you didn’t like these. Since you mention that they were dry do you mind me asking what percentage of fat the meat was? I’m wondering if it was too dry because it was a lower fat turkey. Just last week I tried making another recipe out of my 2% turkey mince and it came out super dry. The reason I ask is because this is one my most popular recipes and I often get tagged on Instagram with pictures people have made at home saying they liked it.
Good luck on your low FODMAP diet!
I added some almond meal to the meat preparation for bulk. It worked very well. Would this work with your low FODMAP restrictions?
Almond meal can be a tricky ingredient for low FODMAP cooking. I think it mostly depends on how much you actually end up eating. For example 15 almonds and under is considered to be low FODMAP, but more than that and you might run into problems. When you’re adding almond meal to recipe like this that’s likely to be shared with several people you can get away it because the amount you’re actually eating is less than the total amount that was added. I hope that makes sense!
These look great! What would you recommend serving with them to round out a meal?
Hi Debbie! If you want to keep it paleo we like having them over zoodles or in lettuce wraps. If you don’t mind using rice I also like saving a bit of the sauce and mixing it into the rice with some steamed veggies
Thank you for posting this recipe! I had whipple surgery last year for pancreatic cancer. They removed pancreas, spleen, most of my stomach and part of intestines. I totally understand the difficulty of diet restrictions as I have been dealing with leaky gut syndrome big time and follow gluten free, grain free, low fodmap diet. Interested to learn more about the SCD diet. This looks like it could work for me. I am so blessed to be cancer free now!!! Thank you again for posting this and I will definitely share it and check out your other receipes! God bless you and your husband!!! ???
Hi Carla! I can only imagine how much you’ve had to go through to get where you are now – So happy to hear that you are cancer free now! Thank you so much for your kind words – they really do make my day 🙂
These thai meatballs look AMAZING! Just wrote down all of the ingredients I didn’t have to buy tomorrow for dinner. I am so excited to find a new recipe to try. Thank you!
Aww thanks Brooke! Hope you like it 🙂
What is red chili paste? Would it be Whole30 compliant? These look great just not sure on that one ingredient, I have everything else Thanks!
Hi Lisa! It depends on where you get it from/how you make it. If you’re interested in making it yourself here’s a link to a whole 30 one that I’ve used before: http://www.platedwithstyle.com/2013/12/30/paleo-sambal-chile-paste/
You could also use Thai Kitchen’s red curry paste – I just double checked their ingredient list on Amazon and they list: Red chili pepper, garlic, lemongrass, galangal (thai ginger), salt, shallot, spices, and kaffir lime which should all be ok for Whole 30.
Tried these with my family tonight. It is a great meatball recipe base that doesn’t use a bread product! However the “Thai” flavor was severely lacking. It was a very generic flavor that didn’t really taste like any Thai we’ve had before. We ended up adding about a tsp garam masala and a tbsp of yelllow curry.
Hi Holly! I’m glad you liked the base, but sorry you didn’t care for the flavors. At least you were able to adjust it to your own preferences – the beauty of home cooking 🙂
Wow, these are AMAZING!!!!! Thanks for the recipe. Definitely going to be one of our go-tos in the future. I did Coconut Aminos for the meatballs and the sauce. I didn’t have a red chili so I did jalapeno. I still thought they turned out perfect. Thanks! I thought the meatballs were super sticky and a little runny when forming. I couldn’t get them into nice balls, but I didn’t care they were little domes. The sauce makes it over the top great but my family still loved them without the sauce (if ever too lazy to make the sauce part) Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Thanks Kait! That makes me so happy to hear that you and your family loved them! 🙂
These look yummy! Wondering what you serve them with??
Thanks Emily! Depending on the mood we’ll have them over zoodles/rice or eat them in lettuce wraps 🙂
Hi
Loving the look of this recipe for Thai meatballs. I’m following Weight Watchers and wondered if anyone knew if it’s OK for that? Thanks in advance
Hi Heather! I wish I could help you with that one but I have no idea – hopefully someone seeing this might be able to answer it for you!
These were great and I’ll definitely keep them in my rotation. They tasted a bit salty though, so next time I’ll cut back on the salt & probably skip the fish sauce. (I used Bragg’s Aminos so maybe with the Coconut aminos the extra salt is necessary).
Glad you liked them! I’ve never tried Bragg’s, but I have found that when I use tamari in a recipe I definitely need less salt than if I were using coconut aminos – I’ll make a note of that in the recipe in case anyone else has that same problem. Thanks Amber!
Hi just made these tonight. There were really good but like the other poster too salty. I didn’t have coconut aminos and used Tamari. It was really too salty for my taste and over powered the rest of the flavors. Plus added salt in the other ingredients like chicken broth for example didn’t help. Sorry they are good but I can’t eat a lot of salty foods. Will have to adjust the recipe then I think it will work for me.
Hi Jo! Sorry it was too salty for you! Did you add extra salt to the recipe at all? I’ve made a note at the bottom of the recipe about possibly leaving out the salt if you’re using braggs aminos or tamari. Coconut aminos isn’t as salt which is why I have it listed in the ingredients list, but I can definitely see how it can be too salty if you’re using tamari to make this as well as a high sodium chicken stock
Making this tonight, egg-free!!!
Yay! Hope you love it!
Did you just omit the egg or did you substitute something in its place? I’ve recently discovered I have an egg allergy and I’m trying to figure out the substitution part! Thanks!
Hi Becki, I’ve tried these without the egg before (because I forgot to add it!) and they still came out alright! I’d recommend using a fattier meat if you don’t use an egg/binder. This thread might be a good place to find other suggestions too https://www.paleohacks.com/eggs/binding-meatballs-without-eggs-12445
For each egg, combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed (measure after grinding) with 3 tablespoons of water.
Stir well, and place in the fridge to set for 15 minutes.http://detoxinista.com/how-to-make-flax-eggs-or-chia-eggs/
I have started using arrow root powder I place of eggs. I love it in meatloaf, meatball & burgers. It’s a great binder and also lends a softness to the food.
Thanks for the recipe. Are the coconut amigos hard to find, do not think I have ever seen then at my local grocer. Whole Foods is about my only specialty store, do you think they carry them?
I’ve never seen coconut aminos sold at local grocers, but I know they sell them at Whole Foods so try them. If all else fails try Amazon because we can usually get it for the same price if not cheaper
I’ve found them at Sprouts and the Vitamin Shoppe. If you’re ok with soy you could use Tamari (gluten free soy sauce) or Bragg’s Aminos (I think these have gotten some flak for being more processed).
Thanks Amber!
Walmart Carrie it, of all places.
Hi Sarah,
I’m going to make your meatballs tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe.
SCD with low fodmap definitely works for people like me (undiagnosed celiac for 20 years) and your husband. Did you guys download the SCD book from the SCD lifestyle guys and do the intro phase, phase 1, 2 because that way you heal your intestines like we do with a baby. I did the intro diet and got to phase 2 each time, but kept battling SIBO and was misdiagnosed with Lyme so the antibiotics brought back the sibo and leaky gut – been battling the leaky gut for 3 months again doing paleo and low fodmap because I just won’t do that SCD intro again. Told my naturopath that I’d kill myself if I ate plain puréed carrots and butternut squash again. Anyway, I think your husband’s intestines would heal if he slowly did all the phases.
Here’s my new thing to heal my gut. Colostrum LD by sovereign laboratories. I think it is already working and I’ve been taking it for less than a week. I also plan to be my gastroenterologist for a prescription for enteragam – like colostrum, but I think more intense and its for people like me and your husband who have not healed going gluten free. Anyway, thought I’d share.
Hi Ali!
I hope your current strategy continues to work well for you! Mike was misdiagnosed with an ear infection a while back and had to take some heavy duty antibiotics which is what really set off his stomach issues. Turns out he just had blocked ears that needed cleaning, but the antibiotics really screwed up his gut bacteria – it sounds like you can totally relate.
We downloaded the book, but we never actually did any of the phases the way they lay it out. Since Mike was really underweight at that time we didn’t want him restricting too much food without professional guidance. If he lost any more weight I think he would have just disappeared. I also think he would have lost it if I told him needed to eat pureed carrots (completely understandable!). We did cut out illegal foods in general though – I really do think that cutting the starchy foods made one of the biggest differences. After a few months of eating low FODMAP and SCD he was starting to feel better in his gut health (he still has problems with bad joints/arthritis/POTS) and he ended up getting a gastroscopy which came back looking good.
He didn’t end up doing the SCD for very long – I know some people need a couple of years, but I really do think that short time eating low FODMAP combined with SCD helped a lot. And thank you so much for the colostrum suggestion! I’m going to look up that brand – I remember hearing someone talk about it a long time ago on a podcast, but then I forgot all about it.
Thank you for leaving a comment! I hope other people reading and experiencing the same thing will find it useful as well!
My husband went to an integrated medical doctor who gave him the book about SCD. He has had huge success and feels great. It is definitely a journey. I will caution you about a few things.
1.the diet has a very specific few days that you would be on until symptoms subside.
2. There are also lots of probiotics and supplements that are necessary for success.
When he first started this diet we just jumped into it without their help. It presented some problems,
I truly believe this diet has saved my husbands colon, and would recommend it to anyone suffering. But you may need an integrated professional to monitor as well. Doctors seem to never recommend a diet.
Good luck in your journey
Nina
Hi Nina!
I’m so glad yo hear that the diet has worked out for your husband and you guys found doctor to help see you through! I feel like finding doctors that understand what you’re going through/what your goals are is one of the hardest things. Thanks for leaving these tips here for everyone to see! I agree with both of them completely.
Mike’s gastroenterologist has been very kind and understanding. He gave Mike a prescription for VSL#3 – a top notch probiotic that’s often used for people with Crohns of ulcerative colitis. I think that made one of the biggest differences other than being on a low FODMAP diet. Other than prescribing probiotics we were mostly on our own for figuring out the diet part of it. I think the whole thing would have been a lot less overwhelming had there been someone to guide us along.
We ended up doing SCD for about 2-3 months – not very long in the grand scheme of things, but it really did help a lot. Mike was a pretty skinny guy starting out because of all of his health issues. We were afraid he’s end up losing too much weight if he kept eating low FODMAP/SCD. He also ended up getting an gastroscaopy to check the state of his bowel and they came back looking really healthy which was such a blessing. Since his IBS symptoms has pretty much disappeared we began slowly reintroducing foods back in and he seems to be doing pretty well with it all as long as he doesn’t have too many starchy/sugary things in a day. Now that his gut is in a better place we just need to get the rest of his body on track. He’s got arthritis in his hands/feet which makes building muscle difficult….at least we’re getting there!
Thank you for leaving a comment! I hope people find it as help as I do 🙂
Fun to see this recipe pop up on my Pinterest board as there aren’t many SCD-specific recipes out there! I’ve been on the SCD for about 1.5 years (have Celiac) and feel like my body is starting to heal. I am eating FODMAPS now as they didn’t seem to bother me but did AIP at the same time as SCD in the beginning and that was really hard! Glad to be able to eat some more but am still limited (haven’t added nuts/lentils/eggs back in yet). It’s quite a journey, but I’m hoping in the end that I am way more healed from all the damage the disease caused!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Sounds like a good one I will try out!
Yay! I’m glad the SCD is working for you and you’re starting to feel better! Good for you for doing AIP and SCD at the same time too – I can only imagine how difficult that was. I wish more people understood how difficult it is to heal from Coeliac Disease! We tried doing AIP/low FODMAP originally for my husband, but couldn’t keep up with the AIP. He used to be pretty underweight and we were afraid he’d end up losing weight more if he restricted himself too much. Thankfully after doing the low FODMAP diet for about 8 months he’s been able to reintroduce FODMAPs and is having no problem with those (thank goodness!). One thing we really struggled with was finding recipes online that complied with all of the above so I’m glad you found this useful! Thanks for leaving a comment – hope you like it!
Made the Low FODMAP version last week using ground turkey and they were SO GOOD! The flavor reminded my husband and me of the shumai from our favorite sushi restaurant. I served them over thai rice noodles with a side of sautéed kale. I’d never cooked with fish sauce before and I was a little unsure as it was cooking because it smelled very strong (my fat, lazy cat woke right up from his nap and began roaming the house sniffing the air trying to locate the source!), but it was so delicious I got a high-five from my husband, and I’ve already bought ingredients to make them again. Definitely adding this recipe to our regular rotation! Thanks!
Aww, yay! I’m so glad you guys liked them! I totally know what you mean about the fish sauce too! That’s so funny that your cat went around the house trying to find what the smell was. The first time I bought it I gave it a big ol’ whiff not realizing it was so strong – I’m sure my face was hilarious
It is my understanding that coconut aminos and tamari (GF soy sauce) are illegal for SCD. Check the legal/illegal food list on breakingtheviciouscycle.info.
Hi Natasha!
I looked it up again after reading your comment and I can’t really find a definitive answer on coconut aminos. I could just be me missing it, but I don’t actually see coconut aminos listed at all on the Breaking the Vicious cycle list. I did see coconut aminos listed on SCD Lifestyle for recommended products (they have a really interesting podcast too if you’ve never heard it) here http://scdlifestyle.com/recommended-products/ and I know that Danielle from Against All Grain uses it (here’s a link to a facebook thread where she asks other people about their thoughts on using it: https://www.facebook.com/AgainstAllGrain/posts/591938984220542 ).
I’ll make a note at the top of my post though warning people that there’s a bit of uncertainty about coconut aminos. I’d hate to be responsible for anyone eating the wrong thing when they are trying to heal their body. If you find any more definitive info on it, could you please send it to me? Thank you!
Your Thaï balls look soooo yummy ! If you like to taste the world and try cuisines from all around the planet, you should try Kitchen Trotter https://www.facebook.com/kitchentrotter.co.uk With a different country featured each month in the Kitchen Trotter kit, you will have the opportunity to discover and try your hand at cuisines from all around the world 🙂
Thanks, Ann! I’ll check it out!
Thanks Sarah for sharing about SCD. I’ve never heard of it before. It’s rough hearing about Mike’s illness and food struggles. He’s lucky that you’re so involved and making delicious food like these thai meatballs! They look incredible!
Thanks, Gabriel! Hopefully we’ll start to get to a turning point with the food sometime soon – it’s a good thing I love cooking lol
These look so fresh and delicious! I am definitely loving all of the fresh veggies! The fact that these are turkey meat balls rather than beef makes these all that much healthier! Pinned! Thanks for sharing, Sarah! 😀
Thai meatballs with chili sauce? Oh my! You have won my heart! Already pinned and can’t wait to try these!
Gotta love the chili sauce! Thanks, J!
Wait, so these look amazing and are relatively healthy? The sauce looks totally to-die-for!
Thanks, Leisel!