5 Tips For Preventing A Gout Flare

Content

• Ingredients To Avoid If Youre Living Dairy
• What You Can And Should Eat
• Holiday Foods To Avoid With Gout
• Foods To Eat

Dehydration leads to increases in uric acid levels and hinders your kidneys’ ability to flush it out. Studies have demonstrated the connection between lower hydration and higher uric acid levels, so make sure you’re drinking water consistently, throughout the day. In addition to establishing a list of foods to avoid with gout, there are some simple lifestyle changes that might also create dramatic improvements. Additionally, sudden spikes of caffeine, especially in people who do not regularly drink coffee, has actually been identified as a potential trigger for a gout attack.

, people who were overweight had an 85% greater risk of having hyperuricemia versus healthy-weight people. Obese people were up to 3.5 times more likely than normal-weight individuals to have too much uric acid. The researchers also found that 44% of hyperuricemia cases were attributable to excess weight alone.

Ingredients To Avoid If Youre Living Dairy

Like any other special diet, keeping purine intake in check takes a little practice and getting used to. Read labels to check for ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, shellfish, and anchovies. Low-fat dairy foods such as yogurt appear to be protective for those with gout.

Also "lean meat, like chicken and turkey, is okay. Leafy greens and vegetable protein like soy are also a good source," says Singh. "Moderation is the key and avoiding the [high-purine] foods is the most important thing." An outlier to the rule is purine-rich vegetables like spinach, cauliflower, or mushrooms. Fruits, especially cherries, are recommended as alternatives to other sugary snacks.

What You Can And Should Eat

It gets complicated, though, because the diuretics taken to lower high blood pressure increase uric acid levels, so the treatment as well as the disease is associated with gout. Some studies have shown that drinking skim or low-fat milk and eating foods made with them, such as cheese or yogurt, help reduce the risk of gout. Avoid or severely limit high-purine foods, such as organ meats, herring, anchovies and mackerel. Red meat that has been cured or processed, and seafood are associated with increased risk of gout. Because all meat, poultry and fish contain purines, limit your intake. Though some vegetables such as mushrooms, seaweed, tofu, and spinach are high in purines, researchers seem to think these foods don’t actually increase uric acid levels.

Many patients say gout flare ups feel like hot needles stabbing them. Most cannot even tolerate the weight or touch of a bedsheet on the affected area. The diet is not a treatment for gout, but may help you control the number and severity of attacks. Obesity also is a risk factor for gout, so losing weight can help you lower your risk of attacks. Now the easier-said-than-done advice is to lose weight, and also to cut back on alcohol, especially beer.

For another, alcohol causes the body to produce more purines and therefore more uric acid. Finally, alcoholic beverages can be high in calories and cause weight gain, which can cause flare ups. It is best to avoid alcohol or limit yourself to 1 or 2 drinks a day. Foods that you eat, and don't eat, can impact your gout by increasing or decreasing your blood uric acid levels. Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis that affects one joint or multiple joints at a time.

Candy, sports drinks, some breakfast cereal, and some pasta sauces all contribute to dietary sugar from unhealthy carbs. Some of that can be filled in with nuts, low-fat dairy, and the right veggies, but it can be difficult to be sure that you’re getting enough protein—especially at first. Similarly, chicken is one of the lowest-purine options for meat. It does contain some purine, though, so consume in moderation. Black beans have been used as a treatment for gout in Taiwan for decades, but there is no research to back up this treatment. Black beans have the same antioxidant chemical that many berries have, but further research is needed.

Foods To Eat

The key is choosing dairy products that are low in fat or fat-free — and fortunately, almost every kind of cheese, yogurt, milk, and ice cream comes in tasty low-fat versions. It may be touted as "what's for dinner," but beef is a high-purine food and should be avoided — as well as pork and lamb. “You don’t see as many problems with poultry as you do with red meat,” she says. Tofu is another choice when considering foods and gout relief.

Gout pain can be reduced by soaking the affecting foot in cold water or applying an ice pack. People diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea face a higher risk of developing gout, the most common type of arthritis, according to new research. Eating a healthy and balanced diet that includes plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, as well as low-fat or fat-free dairy products, poultry, and oils. Primary care providers , such as internists, who specialize in the diagnosis and medical treatment of adults. Non-drinkers have been shown to have lower uric acid levels than those who drink beer or spirits.