You'll get the "no scientific evidence" argument constantly. Trust your gut. Literally!
I've also read John Pagano's book, and while I don't swear by it, I have been off nightshades for more than a year. I had noticed significant skin improvement almost immediately. Can't decide if it was physical benefit or the placebo effect, but if there's a change...
As for the joints, well. I don't know about all of you, but a change in diet makes the skin better (not perfect, just better) in about two weeks. The joints are slower to respond, about four to six weeks, so it does help to keep a food diary and notice what you were eating weeks or months ago.
I also went paleo. It's hard, and expensive, but surprisingly I feel better. Do not mistake it for the Atkins diet. Just think like a caveman: if you could spear it or pick it off a plant, then eat it. So I'm back on red meat, the expensive, grass-fed kind, free range and organic, but not all the time -- just once or twice a week. It's still easier to get cow than deer or elk or ostrich, but I was given some wild boar (the person hunted, but couldn't eat everything) and wow! That was tasty. People turned up their nose at it (it's too gamey, one said), but you use the techniques of our ancestors, whether they were living in teepees or log cabins or what have you. Pound it with a meat hammer. Marinade it. Grind it up. Slow roast it for an entire day.
I miss sugar. I miss things made with grains and sugar. I will do an occasional grain, with or without gluten: whole grain bread, quinoa, wild rice. You're human, so you probably can't go cold turkey on something, so if once a week you want a cookie (especially a good cookie, fresh baked in your favorite flavor, and not a box of shelf-stable grocery whatevers made with hydrogenated anything), then enjoy a cookie. Really. You should. Deprivation is no healthier than binging.
Just be in tune with your body, when you're eating, a couple of hours afterward, and the next day. I find I have no issues with dairy, but I don't eat it every day. I also have the genetics (northern/eastern European) to digest it easily. A lot of people are not blessed with such enzymes, and it's NOT unusual to have a low tolerance for dairy when you're autoimmune.
I literally cannot stomach soy -- I had a reaction not unlike someone who is allergic to bee stings, which scared me and a lot of other people. And I got stabbed with an Epi-pen. So no tofu or even soy sauce for me -- although I still eat sashimi. (Just not all the time, you know -- the mercury thing.)
Staying away from GMO foods is hard, but doable. Yes, most corn IS genetically modified, and I was sad to discover it's a grain, and not a veggie. Shop at places like farmers markets and Whole Foods (sigh, I know -- it's expensive) and be not afraid to experiment. Let everybody know what you're trying to do, and you'll be surprised: I've had family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and the guy at the laundromat give me the abundance of their gardens, even stuff like the aforementioned boar and fresh eggs. One lady was using her goat and sheep milk to make yogurt and cheese, and giving it to me to try (I live in a very urban area, too) because she wanted me to taste-test it and pass her any feedback I had on health benefits.
The internet is full of good information and misinformation. You can find a positive or negative for everything you're interested in: Kale is so good! But not raw, or bad things will happen! -- and you'll feel overwhelmed. And if you're already exhausted from having autoimmune arthritis in the first place -- I know I am, and I really don't feel like cooking right now -- don't torture or punish yourself. Yes, you can get pizza made with alfredo or pesto instead of tomato sauce, so fine, get one delivered (they might even have gluten-free crust, darlin').
Take it one meal at a time. It is better that you have a peanut butter sandwich because you're too tired and not up to it instead of not eating at all! Mmkay?