Whole30 is where for just 30 days you give up sugar, grains, dairy and legumes. At the end you add back one food group at a time. It helps quickly identify foods that are problematic. The entire program is free online. I bought their book "It starts with Food", which helped me understand what reactions some people may have to certain food groups. But it's not necessary to purchase anything. It takes a lot of planning, and you really need a 45 day window with no weddings or vacations to focus on the plan. But it was worth it for me!!

I decided to have gastric sleeve surgery last year and cut out carbs and sugar 4 months before the surgery. Not only did I finally start losing weight but noticed my pain and stiffness had decreased. After the surgery I had to stop taking my anti inflammatory meds but I continued the no carb/ sugar diet.
When I went to my rheumatologist, we noted a decrease in inflammation. Nothing had worked for 10 years; not steroids, biologics, etc.
I was shocked to Find that the change in my diet made such a drastic and positive change in my AS.
If I would’ve known this years ago I would’ve changed my diet.

I belong to a lot of groups on Facebook..I'm collecting information...I have an extreme inflammation process going on in my hips...It is destroying the bone in my hip joints...I did have a biopsy done for Celiac disease per colonoscopy ...it was negative...Gluten free is not medically necessary for me but found out that it helps with the pain..Also there is an idea out there that gluten free and organic helps ppl because.....Ppl are having a reaction to pesticides used on our crops....Roundup has been singled out as the biggest problem...I myself look back on my health...I have a lot of allergies, but was doing well until about 1985...This is when we started buying Roundup to use on our garden and to keep the weeds down in the yard....Autoimmune diseases are alarmingly on the rise...The regular medical practitioner in the USA is not trained to deal with these issues...Besides having severe degenerative disc disease, I was diagnosed with Hashimotos Thyroiditis...This means my body is attacking my thyroid...people with this feel really horrible....The only treatment for this is to clean up your diet..Wow and this is trial and error...I hope this gives you a heads up about the dangers of pesticides...Hugs

azcoolmom have you tried monk fruit sugar? Taste like regular sugar. It's all I use. I get it at my Martin's.

I did Whole30 which really helped me identify foods that cause me issues. I personally found ALL grains cause me problems, except white rice. Legumes appear problematic, as well, and I found dairy caused symptoms resembling seasonal allergies. I was able to stop 4 meds, when I changed my eating habits. I still eat what I want for special occasions or vacations. But now I can do so with the knowledge of how it will affect my body.