As said before; when it comes to useful – for everyday use – results, research has shown very little progress (as far as I can make out). Several studies seem to have been conducted. All seem to contradict each other. Or so it would seem.

During a prolonged hospital visit at age 15, I tested positive for genetic marker HLA B27. As I was doing fine after a relatively short time, nothing was really done with this information. I took (maybe ate is the better word for it in fact) anti-inflammatory drugs for almost ten years. A constant, almost subliminal stiffness, with episodes of neck and hip pain (from light to ‘not so light’) … I could live with that. For ten long years. Then I decided to stop taking the meds.

Result: no difference at all. 

Don’t get me wrong. I am no doctor and I can only assume that many shake their head at this and shout: “Why, you fool. Why. Not the smartest decision you’ve ever made.”

Truth is, I woke up one day, looked at the pills and thought “and those you have to take for the next 60+ years”. And THAT, I really didn’t want to do. I started exercising again. Yoga is my early morning feast (more of that in later posts). I walk home from work almost every day (a nice 6-8km route through town). An early gym session 3 times a week (trial basis).

Then, in March this year, I came across an article about AS and the benefits of eating starch-free. Looking further into it, I decided to have a go at it. And for me it works. I cannot really describe the feeling that you have when you wake up in the morning and you can move your neck freely and without pain. It is bliss.

But the beginnings were tough. Relying on your instincts (is there starch in it or not) will give you a 50/50 chance of getting it wrong. And apart from the really obvious ones, you will get it wrong more often than you will get it right.

I don’t want to preach starch-free. I definitely don’t encourage anyone to stop taking their medications (I consulted a doctor prior to that decision) at a spur of the moment.

What I do encourage is trying. Give yourself 3 months of trying. After that, you should feel an improvement. The Wiki, which will be started next week, should give you a basic idea on what you can eat. The recipes should provide ideas on what to do with those ingredients. And then … experiment.