Gluten-Free Diet to Cure Arthritis?

I’ve heard a lot about how diets can affect autoimmune disorders. Friends and family have told me stories ranging from uncles who went raw vegan to cure their colon cancer, co-workers who fight Lupus with plant-based diets, to cousins who cut out sugar to reduce acne. 

Naturally, I became curious if my rheumatoid arthritis could similarly be managed through a better diet, so I searched the internet for diets catering to rheumatoid arthritis. I found websites promoting cutting out red meats, going Paleo, removing dairy, eating raw, going gluten-free… some of these diet plans are contradictory (hello Paleo vs no red meat?) and it seemed to me that every single diet plan was advocated for. However, I did see that most of the diets advertised claimed to have “anti-inflammatory” benefits, which is important in reducing swelling from arthritis. 

While studies have proven to be inconclusive regarding curing arthritis with diets, I decided to try one out of curiosity. I chose a diet that was best suited to my pre-existing needs: low gluten (couldn’t go completely gluten-free because soy! sauce!) and dairy-free. 

There’s not a direct connection between JRA and gluten, but gluten-free diets help those with Celiac disease, where inflammation is similarly found in joints (but is caused by gluten). Some sources say that having a “leaky gut” may cause rheumatoid arthritis inflammation, or when your digestive system is unable to efficiently breakdown gluten/dairy, and leaks the molecules out. Since I’ve always had a weak stomach and would feel nasty after drinking milk (not to the point where I think I’m lactose intolerant though), I thought I would try cutting out dairy and gluten. 

I’ve been on this diet for around 3 months now. The most difficult thing for me was giving up bread. I easily replaced dairy with almond milk and coconut yogurt, but gluten-free bread was expensive, hard to find, and nasty-tasting. I probably ate more than my fair share of rice cakes, specifically these ones from Lundberg:

I’ve found them to be more substantial than the more mainstream Quaker rice cakes (which is honestly like eating air). The best combo that goes with this is Peanut Butter + Bananas. I promise. It’s so delicious I forget that I’m not eating bread.

As for results, I’m not quite sure if my new diet has helped my arthritis. I’ve been on injectable medication (methotrexate) the entire time, so my arthritis could have been either controlled by my medication or new diet! Perhaps in the future I can try again while I am not actively taking medication…. But I’ll keep you guys posted, and if anyone has experienced any success in trying diets to help with conditions, leave a comment down below!