Gout diet is a diet which is really easy to follow. But first, let’s make sure we all know what gout is… Gout is a form of arthritis that affects men in particular and causes attacks of joint pain. Gout is caused by an abnormally high level of uric acid in the blood. This is called hyperuricemia.
Uric acid is a waste product that the metabolism normally produces in reasonable quantities. When there is a surplus, uric acid is deposited “drop by drop” in the body in the form of crystals, particularly in the joints. These deposits then trigger inflammatory reactions that cause pain. Uric acid is the end product of purine degradation.[1]
While 60% of purines come from dead cells, 35% come from food. There is a strong link between insulin resistance, purine-rich foods, hyperuricemia and gout attacks.[2]
Gout Diet Goals
The special diet for gout is not a miracle solution and does not dispense with treatment, but it can improve daily life by controlling gout attacks. The gout friendly diet is low in purines and aims to reduce the level of uric acid to alleviate the attacks of joint pain.[3]
- Lower uric acid levels;
- Prevent gout attacks;
- Achieve and maintain a healthy weight;
- Improve insulin sensitivity.
Special Gout Diet
The special gout diet aims to reduce the level of uric acid to alleviate attacks of joint pain. The main points of the special gout diet are:
- Reduce the consumption of foods rich in purines in favor of foods low in purines;
- Fill up on vitamin C;
- Avoid saturated fats;
- Limit alcohol consumption.
Indeed, to lower your uric acid levels in the event of gout, it is easy to choose foods low in purines and to include them in your diet. In fact, by adding a good supply of vitamin C, Omega-3 and protective foods, you are much more likely to keep gout attacks at bay and thus have a better quality of life.[4]
Natural products and home remedies will also help you: Curcumin and Boswellia.
Low Purine Foods
As part of the special gout diet, and in order to reduce uric acid levels, we should make sure to favour foods low in purines during meals. This will help prevent attacks and reduce the symptoms of gout. Foods low in purines to be favoured as part of the special gout diet are:
- Drinks: tea, coffee, water;
- Cheese;
- Fruit;
- Almonds;
- Low-fat dairy products;
- Green vegetables;
- Eggs;
- Bread and cereals (except wholemeal);
- Vegetable soups;
- Eating protective foods.
There are certain foods that are best for gout. Some studies have shown that low-fat dairy products can help reduce the risk of gout.[5]
It is also recommended that protein, carbohydrate and fat intake is spread throughout the day by eating 3 balanced meals and snacks if necessary.
Protective Foods for Gout
- Low-fat dairy products;
- Fruits;
- Vegetables;
- Nuts;
- Pulses;
- Wholegrain cereals;
- Vitamin C;
- Omega-3 rich foods.
Some studies suggest that vitamin C intake is related to uric acid levels.[6] Vitamin C may play a protective role, but further studies are needed to confirm this. It is therefore recommended that people increase their intake of vitamin C-rich fruit and vegetables.
Purine-Rich Foods
To combat gout, it is important to avoid or greatly reduce consumption of foods rich in purines, which increase uric acid levels. Similarly, certain foods are harmful to liver health and can worsen insulin resistance and gout attacks.[7]
Those foods are:
- Anchovies;
- Offal;
- Shrimp;
- Liver;
- Game;
- Red meat;
- Mackerel;
- Herring;
- Sardines;
- Wine spritzers.
Conclusion
Although it may seem difficult at first to follow a diet of eating less meat and fat, once you get used to your new diet, your energy levels will increase and you will definitely feel better.
When you are disciplined and stick to this diet, there are no flare-ups or attacks; your joints will be stronger because there is less inflammation.
Consider discipline as the most important aspect of your diet. It’s easier said than done, but you have to try! It’s either that, dear gout patient, or an increased risk of death. It’s up to you!
Learn more about Gout Treatments: Gout Treatments.
Epsom salt has been used to treat infections. It is a popular home remedy so it is not surprising that it is part of our gout home remedies list. Epsom salt has the unique ability to reduce swelling in the affected area and relax the whole body. Green leafy vegetables are a great choice for gout home remedies due to their high health benefits. These vegetables are a good source of Quercitin and also contain important healing agents like flavonoids, vitamins, and minerals. Vitamin C, long revered for its health benefits, has been an integral part of many gout home remedies. Vitamin C prevents the body from producing uric acids crystals in joints and tendons. Vitamin C is easy to find as it is naturally found in many fruits and vegetables. For their ability to prevent aging and treat common ailments, cherries have been gaining popularity in gout home remedies literature. Cherry juice is rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants. They are a key component of most gout home remedies. Potassium can help prevent gout by liquefying uric acids so that it is more easily passed out of the body. This helps to lower blood levels and reduce the risk of uric crystals accumulating in the joints and tendons. This makes potassium a desirable ingredient in your gout home remedies list of ingredients. Lime juice has the unique ability to dissolve uric acid crystals in your body, preventing them from building up to dangerous levels and causing gout symptoms. Lime juice is an essential component of most home remedies for gout. It's also very affordable and easy-to-get. Devil's claw is an herb that is native to Africa. It is well-known in holistic circles for its many health benefits, which include gout. Devil's Claw is rich in chemicals that help to reduce inflammation, swelling, pain, and other symptoms of gout. Water, the "wonder substance", seems to be beneficial for all aspects of good health, including gout. This makes water a key component of almost all home remedies for gout. It helps to eliminate excess uric acid from the body before it can cause serious health problems. Water also acts naturally as an antidote to many other health problems by eliminating body wastes. Turmeric, for instance, is widely used being an anti-inflammatory. Due to the mild flavor, it could be easily put into most meals, helping to help reduce gout symptoms without the threat of unwanted effects or drug interactions. Herbs, and much more, there are many actions you can take to ease gout symptoms with no need for medication.What can I eat when I have gout?
Pulses (beans, soybeans, chickpeas, peas, …) can also be eaten, but with moderation, because they have an intermediate purine content.What vegetables should I not eat if I have gout?
They are all vegetables that should be avoid if you have gout because they are foods which are rich in substances that are broken down into uric acid by the body.
Rather, there are vegetables that help to lower uric acid, such as: artichokes (they are one of the star foods to lower uric acid, it is even beneficial to drink the broth from cooking them as an infusion), onions, pumpkins, celery (both the vegetable itself and the broth resulting from cooking), carrots.
So, the diet for gout is mainly based on reducing the intake of foods rich in purines and should include foods that have anti-inflammatory properties to reduce pain and relieve inflammation in the joints, and diuretics to eliminate excess uric acid through urine.
For this reason, it is important to see a nutritionist to perform a personalized evaluation and develop a nutritional plan tailored to the needs of the person.What fruits should I not eat if I have gout?
Can I eat cheese with gout?
What are the 10 foods that trigger gout?
For being rich in purines, these foods can trigger a crisis, so it is best to avoid them. You can learn which foods affect you the most. Reactions to different foods can vary from person to person. Remember that diet is only one part of gout treatment. It is also important to take medicines or home remedies to treat gout.What foods help clear up gout?
Read more: What foods help clear up gout?What can I not eat and drink when I have gout?
What foods to avoid if you got gout?
Finally, fasting is totally inadvisable for people suffering from gout: fasting strongly aggravates hyperuricemia because it favors the release of uric acid in the blood and thus increases the occurrence of gout attacks.Why do people use epsom salt for combating gout?
Why to include green leafy vegetables to your gout diet?
Can vitamin c stop gout symptoms?
Why do gout sufferes eat cherries?
What mineral can prevent gout?
What to drink to combat gout pain?
Why to try devil's claw as a gout treatment?
Why to keep your body hydrated if you have gout symptoms?
What foods should you add to your gout diet?
Sources
Gout Treatment and Gout Diet. Gout Recipes, Gout Symptoms, Purines, Causes, Remedies, Diet, Treatments, Diagnosis, Foods to Avoid and Foods That Might
Imb Publishing. 2013Gout and coping with gout. Gout recipes, gout symptoms, purines, causes, remedies, diet, treatments, diagnosis, foods to avoid and foods that might help all included. Millions of people are suffering from gout. This is another very informative book by Robert Rymore. He continues with his interest in writing medical educational guides. This guide is intended to be a tool, one that will give you information and hopefully some pain relief. Readers will surely find much contribution by this...
Goodbye to Gout: A New Gout Diet
Lulu Press, Inc. 2014How different would your life be if you no longer suffered from gout? Well you can say goodbye to gout for good with this new gout diet. Goodbye To Gout is a comprehensive, easy to read book that reveals the truth about what really causes gout. Does something we eat cause gout? Well, when it comes to gout you really are what you eat and surprisingly the culprits are not the purine rich foods that have for years been given a bad press. Goodbye To Gout explains not only which foods cause gout...
Nutrition and Rheumatic Disease
Springer Science & Business Media. 2008In this book, experts provide a comprehensive review of current knowledge regarding nutrition and dietary management for the complex set of rheumatic conditions. Within the disease-specific chapters, the authors present a historical perspective, a discussion of the major clinical features, current management and treatment, a review of the literature related to nutritional status and diet, and dietary recommendations, based on current scientific evidence. The field of rheumatic diseases...
Gout Diet the Purine Myth
Lulu Press, Inc. 2014Forget about purines. Purine rich food does not cause gout and a low purine diet will not cure it. Some of you will have heard about the dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup, but you will be surprised to learn that there are other things that most of us eat and drink every day of our lives that can cause gout. The information in this book is based on scientific evidence, not the myths that have shrouded gout for so long. For years we have been told that uric acid serves no biological purpose....
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- Bonlani I., Ernsto J., Mathews P., Colloca D (2002) – Current Pharmacological Treatments of Chronic Gout, BioMed Research International, [online] 16(2). doi:11.14262/bmri.200243751.
- Tiflander S. (2008) – Pathological basis of hyperuricemia and gout, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, [online] 74(5), pp.416–442. doi:11.1014/ijms.2008.04.025.
2 Comments
Amelia
This article came in handy. I was diagnosed with Gout a few weeks ago but of course doctors never explain everything well. Thanks to this article I learned a lot about what I can eat and what I should avoid. I found this article very interesting because this way I can take care of myself even more and try not to worsen this problem. It is clearly an article worth reading!
Ramon
I wanted to know more facts about gout because my mother was diagnosed gout. This article helped me understand the condition.