People with gout need to reduce their uric acid and keep it at healthy levels because high uric acid in the blood causes gout. Here you'll discover a special diet for gout patients to help you do this, so that you can prevent gout in the future.
First though, let's have a quick look at why you may need a gout diet plan...
The presence of higher-than-normal uric acid in the body gives the conditions for crystals of urate to form in the joints and surrounding tissue causing the painful symptoms of gout.
Uric acid is produced in the body when chemical compounds called 'purines' break down during the body's metabolizing process. But, as well as existing in your body's cells, purines also exist in the cells of animals and plants, so that they are present in most of our food.
Some food groups are higher in purines than others and some individual foods within those groups have higher purines than others within that group.
A common reason for gout patients having high uric acid levels, is that their bodies are producing too much uric acid for their kidneys to cope with, so that insufficient uric acid is being flushed out of their system. And one of the reasons behind this is often their diet, which is high in purine-rich foods.
Luckily, because we know which foods have the highest purine levels and which have relatively low purine levels, we are able to identify which foods need to be avoided and those which can be safely eaten with gout...
THIS IS NO DIET FOR GOUT PATIENTS
Foods to be avoided, or markedly reduced, are foods like:-
- organs (liver, kidneys, brains, heart, sweetbreads)
- game and game birds (venison, rabbit, partridge, pheasant, woodpidgeon, goose, duck, turkey, etc.)
- mincemeat
- meat extracts
- certain fish (mackerel, herring, sardines, anchovies, roe)
- shellfish (scallops, prawns, shrimp, mussels, etc.)
- a few vegetables (cauliflower, spinach, asparagus and mushrooms)
- dried legumes
- broth, consomme, gravies, etc.
- yeast / yeast extracts
- alcohol (especially beer)
A SENSIBLE DIET FOR GOUT PATIENTS
Foods that form a good diet for gout sufferers are:-
- whey protein powder (in moderation - one serving per day)
- fresh fruit (especially cherries, strawberries, blueberries, grapes)
- vegetables (especially green-leafy vegetables but excluding those above)
- low-fat dairy produce
- complex carbs. (rice, pasta, cereals, vegetables, fruit, but avoid white flower produce)
- high vitamin c foods (e.g. fruit, potatoes, red cabbage, red bell peppers, etc.)
- essential fatty acids (flaxseed, flaxseed oil, seeds like sunflower seeds, nuts, olives, olive oil, salmon, tuna, etc.)
- plenty of water
And because low-purine diets can be deficient in certain vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, it makes sense to make up for this through specific supplementation, for example vitamins B (complex) and E.
[Note: Never make any significant changes to your diet without first consulting with your doctor / physician.]
