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My first comment is to Otis - don't be afraid of eating. Eating certain foods may make your symptoms a bit worse, but they are not going to cause at massive flare that leaves you on able to use your body at all.   There are many stories about foods that are bad for RA and many of them are contradictory. Some people swear by a vegetarian diet, others by avoiding red meat and I'm sure there's at least 739 other diets out there for RA. I'm pretty sure there is no miracle diet, but my shiatsu therapist, who also had a background in Chinese medicine, once told me to avoid tomatoes, potatoes and fried foods because they increased "damp heat" in the body. Damp heat is the term used in Chinese medicine in connection to arthritis and it's one of the best descriptions I've ever heard. In my experience, she was right. If I ate fried foods for more than a couple of days in a row, my symptoms would increase, but subsided a bit if I stopped eating that kind of food.   If you suspect that certain foods make your symptoms worse, consider keeping a food diary for a few weeks where you list the various foods you eat each day and how you feel, as well. This may help you discover a pattern.