could it have been the sugar in the metamucil?
Seems unlikely. Most people are OK with sugar on the NSD whether it's fruit sugar or refined white sugar. Some have a problem with it but it's not typical for everyone. If you're looking for more fibre to get things going try baking with coconut flour as it has even more fibre than wheat bran and is starch free.
do you think i should give up fruit? or do you think maybe i just havent been on the diet long enough to see the full benefits.
No I wouldn't give up fruit yet. I think 5 weeks is definately not enough time on the diet to expect no more flares. Took 9 months for my hubby to be able to give up NSAIDS and he would still have occasional flares after that (usually caused by accidental starch by that stage). If you are not seeing noticeable improvements in your symptoms (notice I said improvements not completely pain free) by 3 months then I would consider reducing sugar. Typical pattern is gradual improvement over a period of months with the odd set back here and there.
i know there are people who can't eat fruit or can't eat avocados or cauliflower. can a food test negative for starch and still be a problem? can i trust that if it tests negative then it should be ok. or is the test whether or not you feel pain 5 to 6 hours later or the next day.
Here in NZ cooked cauliflower is usually starchy so Jon avoids it. Occassionally I can find one that isn't starchy but they are few and far between. I read somewhere something about the longer they are kept in the ground the starchier they get but I don't know if thats true. When Jon eats the ones that test positive for starch he flares, when he eats the ones that don't test positive he's fine. So in our house we trust the iodine test over what anybody else reckons that they can eat.
Good Luck
