S1 E2 | Starch, Sugar, and the Flare That Follows

In this episode of Ankylosing Spondylitis: Living With It, Christopher M. Michaud shares his personal experience with food triggers, specifically starch and sugar.

For Christopher, rice, a food he genuinely loves and grew up with, has become one of the fastest and most intense flare triggers. Legumes like chickpeas and beans bring a different kind of reaction, slower, longer-lasting, and deeply uncomfortable. He describes what these reactions actually feel like in real life, beyond the clinical language.

The episode also explores practical experimentation, including the iodine starch test, how it works, and important safety precautions if you choose to try it. This is not medical advice, but lived experience, shared honestly.

Food and ankylosing spondylitis is not one-size-fits-all. What affects one person may not affect another. The goal is awareness, observation, and learning to listen to your own body.

Christopher also invites listeners to join the conversation. What foods trigger you? Have you experimented with low-starch approaches? Have you ever tried the iodine test?

Join the discussion on Spotify comments or inside the companion Facebook group.

Living with it means learning together.

Health and lifestyle