SCD Strawberry Syrup

The easiest SCD-friendly, 4-ingredient homemade strawberry syrup recipe. This no-sugar-added, flavor packed syrup is incredible on waffles, pancakes, almond flour crackers, drizzled on top of goat cheese… you name it!

A Healthy, No-Sugar-Added Syrup Recipe!

Making homemade syrup is so much easier than I used to think it was. In fact, I’m kicking myself for not trying to do it sooner!

All it takes is 4 simple ingredients and minimal effort- it’s hard to go wrong here. Yes, it takes awhile to boil down to the right consistency, but if you have 30 minutes to stir a pot occasionally, it’s 100% worth it to have fresh and healthy syrup on hand for the week!

Making your own strawberry syrup as opposed to getting a store-bought one extends beyond a fresher flavor. The ingredients and other artificial flavors in commercial strawberry syrups have me skeptical to say the least. A typical label for strawberry syrup looks like this:

I was turned off immediately at “high fructose corn syrup”. Byeeee.

IBD & Sugar

It’s ~almost~ common knowledge now that processed sugar causes general inflammation. A high dietary sugar intake has been studied to increase the expression of a gene that regulates an inflammatory molecule (ICAM-1) by our cells. These molecules cause our bodies to have an inflammatory response to protect us, thinking that its “under attack” when in reality… its not! This state of chronic inflammation can cause numerous other negative health conditions.

To get one thing straight: I’ve never been anti-sugar. Especially if the sugar is naturally occurring from fruits and vegetables! However, after being diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), I’ve had to become extremely conscious of how much sugar I’m eating. Since I already have a chronic disease that causes a strong inflammatory response, the LAST thing I was to do is support that response by eating processed sugar.

With that said, I’ve missed things like syrup, caramel-filled chocolate, and marshmallows SO MUCH. Slowly but surely, I’m determined to create a full repertoire of healthier, more natural alternatives to these! …Eating foods with a ton of processed sugar is simply just not worth the ulcerative colitis flare for me.

Since my IBD diagnosis, I’ve been following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet very closely after traditional medication didn’t work on its own for me. The SCD is very similar to the Paleo Diet- it focuses on natural, minimally processed ingredients. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is especially focused on eliminating inflammatory carbohydrates- the only SCD-Legal sweetener is honey!

• Link: “SCD Legal/Illegal List”

For this recipe, I used a Paleo-approved non-nutritive sweetener to make this syrup even lower in sugar. As my UC symptoms have been in remission, I’ve been able to add in a couple of SCD “Illegal” foods. But I’m very careful in the foods I choose to add in again, and all of them still fall within the “Paleo” realm.

• Link: “How I Started Adding Non-SCD Foods Back Into My Diet”

If you’re strictly following the SCD, feel free to replace this sweetener with an equal amount of honey!

How to Make Homemade Strawberry Syrup:

Step 1: Combine the strawberries and water together in a small stovetop pot. Cook over medium heat until the strawberries are tender enough to mash with a fork.

Step 2: Add the honey and monk fruit sweetener to the warm mashed strawberry mixture.

Step 3: Continue to cook (uncovered) over medium heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour the mixture over a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to remove the pump and seeds. Serve warm or cover and store in the refrigerator!

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