Aside from complex carbs (starch, lactose), eating foods that you're "allergic" to also promotes gut inflammation, which makes the arthritis worse. I put that in quotes because I'm really referring to food intolerances, which are a different type of allergy than the kind most people think of -- instead of an immediate hives-and-trouble-breathing acute reaction, it's a more subtle reaction that keeps your gut inflammed[1]. There may not even be obvious digestive symptoms. If you have any strong food intolerances, avoiding those foods can have a big improvement in your health. It's good to know even about mild food intolerances -- I'm mildly allergic to egg whites, which means I don't notice anything when eating a small amount (e.g. baked into a low-starch almond cookie) but eating multiple boiled eggs a day for days in a row made me feel *bad*.


A quick way to tell whether the food you're eating currently contributes to your pain/stiffness is to do a brief fast. For me, one whole day of water-fast was enough to tell the difference. The next morning was an unusually good one. Some people have blood sugar issues and can't handle even one day of fasting, in which case it often takes a month or two of diet experiments to be able to tell for sure.

[1] http://ibstreatmentcenter.com/ibs/food-allergies-a-cause-of-ibs/more-about-food-allergies (explanation of IgE vs IgG and IgA reactions)

Especially since I worry so much about my spine fusing & how that will effect my quality of life.