Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; Just starting out on no starch diet.... advice pls

Hi I have had HLA b27 + be related psoriatic arthritis for 18 years, I have had intermittent gut symptoms and have nearly been referred to the joint arheumatology gastro clinic on a number of occasions but gut flares have always been short lived so have continued with the rheumatologist.


I have been reasonably well controlled on methotrexate and Humira. I have always had a few days a month or so when my symptoms are less well controlled, but recently had a slightly worse flare, of gut symptoms and sacroilitis and thinking these things were hla b27 related did a search for a diet relating to this and ended up here... I started following the diet the last 3 weeks,

Things seemed to be getting better, my gut symptoms went away and joint stiffness and pain improved, but I ate half a small tin of potatoes whilst camping and have been stiff and sore for the last couple of days. This reaction seems quite dramatic and worse than when I was eating starch all the time...I am now back to no starch, how long should it take to improve again??

Is this typical on the diet, that when starch is re-introduced the reaction is worse than when eating it regularly??

Also, although it's early days, I am curious to know, have other people been able to reduce medication on the diet?? Obviously under the supervision of the rheumatologist...

Also any pointers to recipes would be very helpful....

I am particularly struggling with snacks/food which can be prepared in a rush or suitable for camping, when it is difficult to store foods and I would previously relied on a slice of toast or small packet of biscuits....

Thanks

Camping is definitely a challenge! I'm planning a backcountry trip later this summer and so far my menu thinking is:

- eggs (they can last a few days without refrigeration and I have a hard plastic carton for camping)
- beef jerky
- cured sausages/pepperonis
- tinned salmon/tuna
- dehydrated ground beef crumbles to mix in with canned coconut milk, tomato sauce
- coconut balls made with shredded coconut, blanched almond flour, honey, vanilla and coconut oil
- dehydrated non-starchy fruit like blueberries, cherries, pineapple, mango

Probably not the healthiest of menus, especially the cured meats, but my pre-NSD camping diet wasn't very healthy either! I plan to make all but the cured sausage/pepperoni myself so it will be a bit time consuming to prepare. But I've had a lot of success with dehydrating jerky and other foods in my oven, so I think I can pull it off.

Btw, the coconut balls are still speculative for NSD. Shredded coconut didn't test starchy with iodine but I haven't eaten an actual coconut ball yet to see if I can tolerate them. I plan to make them soon and if they're a problem I will update.

WELCOME, Cobalt_Dove:

I think the seeming overreaction to starches is a matter of perception; we might react the same but going starch-free takes down a lot of inflammation we had become accustomed to.

It takes about four or five days to eliminate the flare under the best conditions.

Good GORP--almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamias, raisins, dried cherries or cranberries, even dark chocolate morsels can be mixed in for very filling snack. Hard boiled eggs travel well and there are special containers for these You are probably already aware of. Good desserts include halvah (sesame seed bars with honey are available), macaroons, meringue (they are a bit fragile). Jerky is, of course, the king of wilderness convenience foods. Cheese sticks can be good if You tolerate fresh cheeses.

There are great recipes on Andrea's "Forest and Fauna" site, but the primary book relating to NSD is Carol Sinclair's "The IBS Low-Starch Diet."

Although most drugs do not address the cause of AS like diet can, the combination with diet can make certain drugs much more effective--I exclude NSAIDs from this. But getting off NSAIDs is important for one of our primary goals--gut repair. Taking the right EFAs is good--also to eliminate a flare: 6-8 1000mg capsules of borage seed oil upon retiring. >8X 1 teaspoonful EVOliveOil daily and especially before meals. For breakthrough flare elimination, 4-6oz fresh wheatgrass juice on empty stomach.

Thanks for joining the group,
HEALTH,
John

Thanks For your advice John, I am not usually using nsaids but a on methotrexate and anti tnf....

You were right about the timing, 4 days down the line of following the diet properly and it's almost gone....I take fish oils which seem to help. I have been on methotrexate for so long I can't imagine life without it, but I was just curious if other people have managed to go drug free on the diet after some time??? I would love to reintroduce a little oats a some point but maybe that is wishful thinking....

Thanks again.....

Some good tips, thanks Kellybells. I do a lot of camping. Coconut balls sound great. Have you ever noticed a reaction to inulin in coconut? I like using blocks of creamed coconut and shredded, but I'm not sure how much inulin is in it. I'm trying to finding out what doesn't suit me. Not easy because I don't seem to have any obvious food reactions.

Increased intensity of flare-up could be perception. I also have perceived an increase in sensitivity: I used to be able to enjoy a bowl of hot and dry noodles each morning but can no longer tolerate it as it triggers sacrum and hip flares.

On the other hand, I do notice that my gut is giving me more problems and so my increased sensitivity might be due more gut weakness. And as a free human I am sure I have changed a dozen other causes in my life-style: shame on me

I haven't made the coconut balls yet so I don't know yet if I can tolerate them. I tested shredded coconut with iodine and it was fine but I wasn't aware of the inulin content, so we'll see.

Going to make them soon. If they're a problem I will update here. And if they're a success I will post the recipe. Fingers crossed!

Hi Georgina,

Good post, your story sound familiar for me. I´m start to try with butiric, for now just with cheese. What Brand is your butiric acid?

Many thanks

Hi annelore, it's Allergy Research Group, ButyrEn. But I can't buy in the UK! My functional medicine practitioner has to obtain it from the US.

Many Thanks Georgina. Luck for you