Prone To Gout? Avoid These Foods

Content

• Dietary Causes Of Gout And Gouty Arthritis
• Gout Resources
• Ask To Have Your Uric Acid Levels Tested
• Take A Pass On These Gout
• Mind & Body

Too much uric acid can lead to problems, including kidney stones and gout. People currently experiencing gout should avoid alcohol and those who have experienced gout in the past should limit their intake to around 1 or 2 units a day. It is recommended that individuals with gout increase their intake of whole grains, fruit, and vegetables, as well as eat less refined carbohydrates like cakes and white bread. If you’re making dietary changes to prevent gout or manage the frequency of flare-ups, keep an eye on your protein intake. Carrying excess weight dramatically increases your risk of developing gout and the frequency of gout attacks. Cashews are a great source of plant-based protein and healthy fat, and they are very low in purine levels—even compared to other nuts.

Research suggests that reducing the number of calories and losing weight — even without a purine-restricted diet — lower uric acid levels and reduce the number of gout attacks. To avoid a gout flare up, know which foods you should limit or not eat at all. The list of foods to avoid or eat in moderation include beef, pork, and poultry, alcohol , and most soft drinks. Other triggers can include stress from illness, injury, or surgery, certain medications, and dehydration—which makes it harder for your kidneys to get rid of excess uric acid. If you have any of these other problems, be double careful what you eat so you can avoid an attack. A mainstay of dietary management of gout is watching what you eat to help reduce uric acid levels.

Dietary Causes Of Gout And Gouty Arthritis

Keeping serving sizes of meat to 3 ounces and having meat only once a day, if at all, can help reduce the amount of purines that you get. You can also substitute plant-based proteins for meat and poultry. Veggie burgers, vegetarian hot dogs, chili with tofu and beans, and peanut butter sandwiches are all lower-purine choices. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

What is the fastest way to get rid of gout?

What Is the Fastest Way to Get Rid of Gout? 1. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): These can quickly relieve the pain and swelling of an acute gout episode.
2. Corticosteroids: These drugs can be taken by mouth or injected into an inflamed joint to quickly relieve the pain and swelling of an acute attack.

Further, many gout sufferers are at greater risk of developing heart disease, and regular exercise is essential for heart health. Extra body fat lowers the efficiency of your kidneys, which inhibits the excretion of uric acid from the bloodstream, leading to gout and gout attacks. People who are chronically overweight are at risk of developing gout up to a decade earlier than their peers—especially if that excess weight is in your belly. For those suffering from high levels of uric acid in their body, choosing the right types of fruits can help in maintaining level of uric acid. It is always suggested not to include any citrus fruits in the diet when suffering from increased levels of uric acid in the body.

Gout Resources

In saying that, it would be beneficial to include high-quality (purine-free) Omega-3 fish oil supplements in your diet. They have powerful anti-inflammatory properties that may help with gout symptoms. Therefore if you have a history of gout, it is best to dramatically reduce your meat intake, and seafood as well to a lesser extent.

Ask To Have Your Uric Acid Levels Tested

Following a gout diet can help you limit your body's uric acid production and increase its elimination. It's not likely to lower the uric acid concentration in your blood enough to treat your gout without medication, but it may help decrease the number of attacks and limit their severity. You should aim to eat at least five fruits and vegetables every day. Even fruits that are high in fructose can be enjoyed in moderation without provoking gout flares.

Is walking good for gout?

Is it OK to walk with gout? It is safe for people to walk with gout. In fact, doing joint friendly activities such as walking can help improve gout-related pain. Gout is a form of arthritis that usually affects the big toe joint, but it can also affect the lesser toes, ankles, and knees.

Beer is high in a type of purine that is easy for your body to absorb, and hard liquor has been shown to elevate gout risk too. Some studies find wine drinking raises your risk, but others have found that moderate wine drinking does not. Unlike fruit with its natural sugar, artificial sugars are widely recognized as gout flare dangers. Consuming too many sugary sodas has been found to provoke attacks, but no association has been found with artificially sweetened sodas. Other foods loaded with high-fructose corn syrup can also bring on gout pain.

The modern Western diet is often high in processed foods and refined carbohydrates. In addition, processed foods and refined carbohydrates have been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and weight gain. Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis that affects one joint or multiple joints at a time. It occurs when there is too much uric acid in the blood, causing a buildup of uric acid crystals in joints, fluids, and tissues throughout the body—often causing severe swelling, redness, and pain.

To prevent uric acid stones, cut down on high-purine foods such as red meat, organ meats, beer/alcoholic beverages, meat-based gravies, sardines, anchovies and shellfish. Follow a healthy diet plan that has mostly vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. Limit sugar-sweetened foods and drinks, especially those that have high fructose corn syrup. Limit alcohol because it can increase uric acid levels in the blood and avoid short term diets for the same reason. Decreasing animal-based protein and eating more fruits and vegetables will help decrease urine acidity and this may help reduce the chance for uric acid stone formation.

Mind & Body

However, if you continually have gout attacks – despite cutting out alcohol and sugar-sweetened drinks – then I’m not convinced a large amount of fruits are safe for you. In a large study of over 46,000 men, researches found that two or more sugar-sweetened soft drinks a day was associated with an 85% increased risk of gout . Previous studies have not differentiated between intake of conventional meat and offal, so recommendations have to be the same. Given the strong link between meat intake and gout – which is based on purine content alone – offal should definitely be avoided too.