anyone on a strict "no starch" diet?

[MrsNaeNay]

ok i have ankylosing spondylitis and i heard from somewhere that completely eliminating ALL starch from your diet will  drastically reduce inflammation and therefore reduce pain. i havent seen a doctor or had medication for a year and a half because i dont have any insurance so i live in constant severe pain. so i'm willing to try anything. but i need a better list of what foods i can and cannot eat, maybe even a friend that i can ask when i'm not sure about something. i know most veggies are starch free but i want to be sure so i dont make any mistakes. if i try this i want to be sure i'm doing it right to see if it really works for me. so any suggestions on great foods i can eat? what kinds of meat are ok? i love veggies, but which ones can i cook and which ones need to be eaten raw? so many factors i need help and online research hasnt helped much. thanks in advance

[smittygirl]

I have AS too and will just add my 2 cents in, I stopped eating sugar and that has helped tremendously even though I am on Enbrel which has helped but not eliminated all of my pain and stiffness.  As soon as I took sugar out of my diet I noticed a dramatic difference.  Sugar causes inflammation and that is not good for all of us that suffer from any of these diseases!!   Give it a try.  Along with Tx's web site info, log into the AS Society's web site as well, it is another great source of info.  Best of luck to you and welcome to the forum.  Perhaps if you find something that works for you, you can share it  with us on the forum.

Sue

[txsilver]

Bless your heart.  I pray that something will be done soon so that we do not have to suffer in pain and go untreated because of insurance!   I can completely relate to being willing to try anything.  You wouldn't believe the concoctions, pills, sprays, treatments I tried for relief before I got a real dx.  
First a disclaimer, I have not tried this but have exchanged posts with several who swear by it.  Check out http://www.kickas.org/asfood.shtml for a list of foods that are suppose to be avoided, have little effect or help with AS.  
Please let me know if this helps you at all.