First Time and Food

My first time blogging.  I never thought I'd be doing this, but reading various other blogs has led me to attempt it.  I'm not making any promises as to how often I will post, or even if I'll continue, but I decided to give it a shot. 

Since my diagnosis, which from what I've read came fairly quickly compared to most with AS (thank God for a phenomenal PCP who said within 5 minutes of seeing me that he felt that's what I had), on 12/30/10, I've been doing a lot of reading.  I haven't begun any sort of treatment at this point other than a stringent NSAID regimen and tons of exercise.  There is so much information out there that it's hard to know what to believe.  Many attribute their flare-ups to foods they eat, while others say they've never been able to pinpoint any foods they have to avoid.  Weather certainly seems to play a factor with the cold, low pressure days being the most painful (for those with arthritis, here is a link to Arthritis Today's website that has a pain index predictor based on current weather http://www.arthritistoday.org/misc/weather/at-weather.php).  With it being so cold and windy this winter, needless to say, pain has been an issue.  Trying to figure out how to help (or at the very least not worsen) the pain until I start on a drug has been a frustrating process so far, especially with all of the seemingly contradictory information out there.

Let me start by saying this, IF diet DOES play a role, seeing as I am already a very healthy eater (mostly whole grains, low fat proteins, loads of fruits and veggies), there would have to be a 'trigger' food, food group, or part of certain foods, that causes a flare up in me.  I'm not sure if food is or is not related (and neither is my rheumatologist), but many seem to think that AS symptoms can be worsened by starchy foods.  Some think that, like Celiac Disease, gluten is the problem.  No significant medical research has been done to confirm or deny any of these findings, but if other AS'ers have had luck with diet change, it's at least worth a shot.

So what does this mean for me?  Starting tomorrow, no starches for a week.  This is gonna be hard.  No potatoes, no beans, no rice, no flour.  I've just eliminated 50% of the average American's caloric intake.  Since I'm trying to not lose any more weight, this means eating way more lean protein and healthy fats (olive oil, nuts) to make up for the caloric loss of all those carbs.  If this seems to work (I'll admit that I'm highly skeptical), I will add in some gluten-free carbs to see if I can have them without causing flares.  If this works I'll add in more whole grains that contain gluten.  Hopefully by doing this, I can find a trigger.  If I don't find a trigger, I can go back to normal having given up a week or two of my carbohydrate intake, no harm, no foul.  At least I can say I tried.  I really hope I don't end up having to follow a strict diet as they are a pain in the butt to stay on, but, then again, AS is also a pain in the butt (literally) and back, so it's 6 of one, half dozen of the other.  I think I'd rather have to be gluten-free or whatever than continue in pain.