OK speaking as someone who has gone from ultra-starch-sensitive to being in remission & starch tolerant, here are my personal observations & recommendations. I'm assuming here that you are more likely, given your situation, to choose the low starch route:

* eat cultured foods - such as natto, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha etc. In fact natto & kimchi are what seemed to bring me into remission as best as I can tell. Edit: Ted used to be a frequent visitor here and I believe he attributed his remission to homemade sauerkraut - not so different to kimchi methinks.

[ and if going the low starch route: .. ]

* avoid deep fried starches - these are the worst. I would go so far as to also recommend restricting processed mixtures of starch and fat. For instance certain kinds of bread have a lot of oil mixed in and I avoid those.

* prefer less refined starches - the more processed a starch is the more likely it is to encourage poor and unhealthy gut flora. Unrefined foods have the starches locked away more in fibres that encourage friendlier flora. So then, if you are going to eat starch then prefer whole foods like sweet potato, corn cobs, oats.. in place of highly processed & manufactured foods.

* avoid cheese - for some weird reason this was able to bring back my starch sensitivity, but only for a day or two. Maybe the friendly flora in my gut that is keeping my AS at bay didn't like the yeast or the fat. I just don't know why, but it happened more than once. Would be interested to hear if any other people using a low starch approach have a similar reaction.


>> I already follow a Paleo diet with some cheat meals.

If your AS starts to get away on you I recommend a 3 day fruit fast to push the reset button and turn off the inflammation. Then you can introduce any suspect foods one at a time. On the 3 day fruit fast I consume: non starchy fruits, water, juice, tea. By the 3rd day I am inevitably free from AS inflammation.


>> i will have that little starch bomb once a day....will that derail my efforts completely?

Honestly that depends on your system. If you are super sensitive like I used to be (not that long ago) then yes even such a small amount would cause a reaction. Fortunately it seems clear that you are nowhere near that sensitive.

>> I do a lot of protein shakes which I am guessing will test starchy.

Very likely. I'm perhaps even more concerned about the powdered milk they add.. I never drink these anymore as they trigger my iritis.

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"Some men, in truth, live that they may eat, as the irrational creatures, 'whose life is their belly, and nothing else.' But the Instructor enjoins us to eat that we may live." -- Clement of Alexandria (about 200 AD)