The no starch diet is extremely hard! I was extremely disappointed to find out, then, that many who seem to have had the most success on the diet in controlling pain and inflammation had also cut dairy. While researching the theory behind why this diet supposedly works, however, it began to make sense. Reluctantly, I decided on Monday to also remove the lactose from my intake. That's right, no milk, cheese, or yogurt (all good sources of the high protein levels I'm shooting for).
The good news is this. Whether it is related to the slightly warmer weather we've been having, or the diet, I have not had as much pain the last few days and have not had the numbness in my feet that I was getting on a daily basis as a result of the inflammation.
The theory behind why the diet works for AS patients actually does make sense. Autoimmune disorder symptoms are caused when the immune system responds to a perceived attack by attacking a part or parts of the body. There is a doctor in England that has done studies on the level of a certain bacterial (Klebsiella) antibody that is present in higher quantity in the systems of AS patients. His theory is that this immuno-response is the problem that is causing the immune systems of AS patients to go awry, and that if you lower the level of Klebsiella in the gut (everyone has this in their tracts, AS patients just have high levels) of those patients, their immune systems will calm down resulting in a reduction in symptoms of AS. The reason for the diet is because the bacteria are lactose fermenting, so their main food sources are lactose and starch. If a person eats less of those, theoretically the level of Klebsiella will decrease due to a lack of food. Makes perfect sense to me.
At this point, this means that I could be stuck on a low starch diet and may possibly be lactose-free for good. I'm certainly sticking to it for now. Looking around for some good recipes so that I don't get bored eating the same things all the time (I found the blog of an AS patient who is a registered dietician that contains some good no-starch recipes). Thank God that He created an abundance of different fruits and vegetables! I'm glad that someone invented lactose-free products somewhere along the way. Almond milk is pretty good stuff! Peanut flour pancakes anyone?
On thing to keep in mind: If you see products that say "non-dairy" on the front of the package, never assume that they are actually non-dairy. Make sure to read the ingredients label to look for "casein" and "whey" (both of which are derived from milk). Unfortunately, so many companies are either blatantly deceptive or at least unfriendly to those of us who have to read labels, for a variety of reasons. p.s. You and I cannot eat the same things at all!!! Almond milk? Peanut flour? Have at it and enjoy it, but wow...that would kill me! :) Like you said, I also thank God for fruits and vegetables! (safe food- yay!)
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