Well the longest remission I had was about 10 years. I was on no meds but since it was when I was a kid from 8.5 until about 18 years old my diet consisted of soda ( not diet) candy, icecream, pizza, McDonald’s and lots of fried food especially my favorite as a kid Spam. Fast forward to the last time I was on remission and decided to stop my meds in 11/2019 I was actually on an anti inflammatory diet and less than 2 months later I started the flare from hell. So in my personal experience, diet doesn’t have much to do with remission.

Probiotics and a range of live food in moderation to try and restore the gut should be a regular practice. Unfortunately if you are taking medication it is very likely most of the food bacteria will be destroyed by your prescription drugs. Even knowing this I continue to maintain good gut practice. There are certain bacteria which are suggested to include.. some basic probiotics don’t include this range. It well worth buying a better quality probiotic. ( hoping they just aren’t destroyed by your prescription)
Bacteria are destroyed by overgrowth of yeasts in the gut, and there is strong evidence yeast overgrowth plays a part in many diseases such as motor neurone etc.
It’s good practice to keep yeast products in your diet to a minimum don’t eat yeast extract spreads ever!! ie Marmite. So keep a keen eye on your sugar and yeast intake, keep to a minimum.

If your not sure about yeast products ... I’m talking bread , beer etc..
Sugar quit if poss as if feeds the yeasts.

I had a lot of people try to tell me it had to do with my gut. I completely disagree. My last major flare happened after I lost 65 pounds, was eating the most heathy foods, and I was very active. I agree that people are trying to sell books, information, and supplements to us so they can make money. We will try anything to get rid of the pain. The whole probiotic movement is just that, a movement that is a theory. Just like gluten free. I believe we need to eat good foods to remain healthy. This is not only for those with RA, but anyone who wants to feel good. I think people can make their own decisions if they want to try it. It's up to them, but they should do medical research before doing it. Not just by google or from someone selling a book.

Thanks all for respectfully sharing your experience-based insights.

I know there's tons of functional medicine folks focusing on treating leaky guts. Now western medicine is also starting to move in that direction. (See below for a sampling of peer-reviewed research publications in medical journals from the last few years. Please note this is in no shape or form a complete list). I keep an open mind to both. There may also be different causes/triggers for the onset of RA, which would explain why some folks do NOT experience an improvement of symptoms with dietary changes.

My mom in her early 20's was able to put her RA into remission for 16 yrs, solely eating yogurt for 3 months (tough diet to follow and it certainly lacks essential nutrients but effective way to flood the gut with good bacteria and stamp out the bad). She was bedridden with RA before that, especially when she was pregnant with me. I know there are certain trigger foods that really exacerbate my RA too (ANYTHING corn-related, rice, breads, fried foods, refined sugar desserts/beverages).

One thing we can probably all agree on: There's a lot we have yet to learn about this disease.

"Overall, it is now known that RA patients display a distinct gut microbiota composition at the moment of diagnosis in comparison to healthy individuals. Moreover, the microbiota composition of RA patients suffers further changes as the disease progresses. On the other hand, diet, especially the MD (i.e. Mediterranean Diet) pattern, seems to influence the physiopathology of RA, potentially lowering disease activity, and improving the outcome"
(Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC63...)

"Observations in mouse models and RA patients suggest that the gut may be an important contributor to onset or severity of disease. The next step will be to find a way to modulate disease by generating symbiosis in the gut microbial composition by using diet, prebiotics or probiotics."
(Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC42...)

"Gut microbiota has been shown to play role in rheumatoid arthritis although the mechanism of this association remains obscure. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for a better treatment efficacy and personalized patient management. Plasticity of microbiome may allow a specific or systematic manipulation of a certain intestinal microbiota associated with host diseases, speculating that, in the future, this manipulation could change therapeutic strategies in subjects with rheumatoid arthritis."
(Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC56...)

"Dysbiosis is a key factor in RA and diet can influence the gut microbiome and perhaps RA disease activity be manipulated through diet and alteration of gut bacteria."
(Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC58...)

Well there was evidence recently that showed the gut microbome having an impact on one developing autoimmune diseases. It actually does make sense.