What Causes Gout?
As you probably know already, many cases of gout occur after eating certain foods or drinking alcohol. This is because these foods, and alcohol, contain certain compounds called purines which the body metabolizes into uric acid.
The resulting high levels of uric acid may not be excreted efficiently by the kidneys, or there may be such a sudden rise in uric acid that the body cannot adequately process it, resulting in the crystallization of monosodium urate in the synovial spaces of the joints. As you can imagine, this is excruciatingly painful — a fact which you will already know if you experience gout.
It follows that avoiding certain foods can help to limit the amount of uric acid in the blood stream, and therefore reduce the chance of a gout attack. Knowing which foods to avoid with gout can be a major step towards alleviating the pain.
Foods Which Do NOT Help Gout!
Traditionally, gout has been associated with meat, seafood and alcohol. You might wonder therefore if avoiding these foods with gout is all you need to do. In theory the answer to this question is “yes”, but the situation is complicated slightly by the interrelated action of protein, carbohydrate, and fats within the body.
You see, many people with gout also have excess fat around their abdomen and a slight resistance to the action of insulin in their bodies. Simply avoiding gout-producing foods may not have as much impact on gout as you expect.
Modern recommendations are not about knowing which foods to avoid with gout – that’s actually simple enough. These would include any food high in purines: organ meat, anchovy, some pulses, beers and stouts, herring, asparagus, and the richer meats, to name but a few. You can read more about this below.
Although in the past this has been the only approach to a simple gout diet, the sheer number of foods that include high levels of purines makes a gout diet difficult to follow. In any event, as I mentioned above, there are other aspects to be taken into account, because the overall balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and saturated and unsaturated fats needs to be optimal for both your general health and the control of gout.
Get the remedies and diet for gout referred to in the video below by clicking here
Therefore modern diet for gout recommendations focus on several factors: healthy weight management, the avoidance of high cholesterol levels, circumventing any degree of insulin resistance, and reducing blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease. How is this to be achieved?
To start with, it is certainly true that an appropriate diet for gout will avoid foods that are high in purines. It will also limit the amount of alcohol you consume.
As previously mentioned, it will also focus on healthy weight reduction at a sustainable rate. It’s important that you do not attempt to crash diet or lose weight rapidly when you have gout, because, paradoxically, the sudden reduction in purines in the bloodstream can promote an attack of gout as the crystals within the joint dissolve into the bloodstream and synovial fluid.
It’s also necessary to drink plenty of fluids to maintain a low concentration of uric acid in the blood serum. In this context, high-protein, low carbohydrate weight-loss diets are also to be avoided, since they too can promote the production of uric acid and an attack of gout.
As you may be realizing by now, the best way to lessen the problems you have with gout is a moderate, gentle approach to weight loss using a diet which does not include certain foods, while simultaneously encouraging gradual weight loss and the reduction of cholesterol levels.
Needing to lose weight would imply a reduction in caloric intake per day, perhaps to around 1600 calories, but with a proportionately greater amount of protein in the diet than you would normally consume, and a proportionate reduction in your carbohydrate intake.
The basic rules for a gout diet are as follows:
1 Consume limited quantities of meat, poultry and fish. Almost all animal protein is a high in purines, although naturally enough some are higher than others. Particular foods to avoid here include organ meats, herring, anchovies and mackerel. In addition, beef, pork and lamb, oily fish, and in particular shellfish, are all associated with an increased risk of a gout attack. Your daily intake of meat, poultry and fish needs to be limited to between 4 and 6 ounces a day.
2 When following a diet for gout, you should also ensure that your consumption of fat, and in particular saturated fat, is reduced. The easiest way to do this is to consume large quantities of plant-based proteins such as beans and legumes. Dairy products in themselves are not foods you need to avoid with gout, so long as you consume low-fat versions – this will assist with weight loss and ensure that your cholesterol level remains under control. (Some doctors think high fat versions of dairy products can promote an attack of gout, so to be safe, it is best to stick to the low fat versions.)
3 Alcohol: opinions vary on the degree to which alcohol causes gout. One clear fact is that beer and stout contain large quantities of purines, and could certainly precipitate a gout attack. During an attack you should therefore avoid all alcohol. Beyond that, 1 or 2 five ounce servings of alcohol per day in the form of a glass or two of wine is generally regarded as acceptable.
4 Carbohydrates: fructose is known to increase uric acid, and it is unfortunately a common sweetener in many modern processed foods. Such foods should be avoided, but foods to avoid with gout include any processed food which contains high levels of syrup or sugar sweetener. Naturally enough, this would include fruit juice and soft drinks. If you must take liquid in these forms, use pure fruit juice, possibly diluted 50-50 with water.
5 Complex carbohydrates are a much better option than simple sugars because the body digests them slowly and that will reduce appetite over a longer period; also, complex carbohydrates will assist in weight loss and overcome insulin resistance issues. In general, fruit and vegetables are to be preferred over refined foods such as white flour products, bread, cakes, cookies and sweets or candies.
How about bananas as a food NOT to avoid with gout?
6 As mentioned above, foods to avoid in a gout diet include high-fat meat and dairy products; it is much better to use low-fat or fat-free dairy products. Apart from dietary issues, these do seem to reduce the risk of gout. They certainly maintain a better cholesterol level and prevent weight gain.
7 Liquids: first, drink plenty of water – 8 to 16 glasses a day is probably about right. And some people believe that coffee reduces the risk of gout: you can experiment with that idea for yourself!
Hopefully, this simple list of foods to avoid will enable you to both maintain good health and reduce the risk of a painful attack.
Diets Suitable for Gout: Avoiding Certain Foods
Gout treatment is aimed at reducing the abnormally high levels of uric acid in the blood; this will eliminate the formation of uric acid crystals in the joints, which in turn causes the excruciating pain of gout.
Since the majority of uric acid comes from the internal metabolism of the body, anything you can do to reduce this will help eliminate gout pain. Since 25% of the body’s uric acid comes from the food you eat, knowing which foods to avoid with gout is very important – obviously it’s the ones which our body is taking in and manufacturing uric acid from. The substances which need to be avoided are called purines and occur mostly in proteins. Below are the main foods to avoid, with information on some common remedies and gout treatments that have proved effective.
1. Drink plenty of water. In fact, sipping water all day wouldn’t hurt! The minimum quantity is 1.2 liters a day.
2. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables. These contain high amounts of fiber and fiber helps to lower uric acid levels.
3. Baking soda. Adding half a teaspoon of baking soda to your drinking water can help too. This is because baking soda produces a more alkaline environment in the body, making it easier for the body to flush out uric acid.
4. Strawberries. Strawberries contain a chemical which has been shown to neutralize uric acid and can be great to eat as part of a diet for gout, because they are a natural gout remedy.
5. Folic acid. 10 – 80mg of folic acid each day has been shown to inhibit xanthine oxidase, which is the main enzyme required for the production of uric acid.
6. Apple cider vinegar. Mix a cup of this miracle liquid remedy with a tablespoon of cayenne pepper and a cup of water. Boil in a non-aluminum pot, pour into a jug and let stand to cool for 30 minutes. This can then be applied to the painful area and is effective as a natural pain-killer and remedy for gout. Some people also believe that cider vinegar is a great remedy when taken internally for arthritis.
7. Ice. Crush some ice in a bag and place this on the painful area for some quick relief. Do not apply for longer than a few minutes.
While these all may help the situation, nothing is better than prevention. Keep a food diary and figure out what foods you need to avoid – in other words, which are your trigger foods. For many people alcohol, especially beers and stouts, is the biggest culprit – but it can vary, so take notes and avoid the foods that produce an attack. As always, knowing which foods to avoid is the best form of treatment.
Foods Which You Should Avoid In A Gout Diet
When it comes to treating gout effectively there is little point in taking pain killers and other drugs – often with massive side-effects – that doctors push on us; it’s simpler, cheaper and easier to start your cure by trying dietary changes.
Any food that is high in compounds known as “purines” are going to cause problems since purines are metabolized by the body into uric acid, which then crystallizes in the joints and causes considerable pain.
Bacon: This tasty meat is a trifecta of disaster since it contains high levels of purines, nitrates and salt. The purines cause gout, and the nitrates and salts can have a dehydrating effect on the body and this is the last thing you want. Definitely one to avoid!
Hot dogs: These contain high levels of purines regardless of whether they are chicken, beef or turkey. Especially since they contain organ meats as these have some of the highest levels around. Another food to avoid with gout!
Game: Most wild game meats are definitely foods you should avoid with gout. Pheasant, squirrel, grouse and venison can be especially bad, causing flareups almost instantly.
Poultry: This is highly variable – some people are able to eat moderate amounts while others cannot eat it at all. Even so, turkey is generally a food to regard with caution.
Seafood: Shrimp and crab are notorious for high purine levels and must be avoided. The ironic thing is that salmon has really great levels of Omega 3 which is very beneficial for gout. So use Omega 3 supplements derived from plants instead. More information here.
Alcohol: Beer is the probably the main culprit for producing gout in men as it contains huge amounts of purines and let’s face it, men drink a lot of beer. Not so much a food to avoid, more a drink to steer clear of when you have gout!
Legumes: These don’t contain massive levels of purines but if they are eaten often or as a side for most meals, that will definitely be a problem. Check to see your tolerance for these foods. The finger of blame has been pointed at beans, peas, lentils, and spinach – all of which you may wish to avoid if you have gout.
Dairy: Most dairy contains high levels of fat and some purines. Ice cream, cheeses, milk and butter are to be avoided or you just need to get fat-free versions as much as possible.
A food diary is a must for anyone with gout. The first step on the road to recovery is to pinpoint your trigger foods and then avoid them religiously. You do not have to suffer with gout any longer. A simple plan of a food diary and elimination protocol is usually enough to treat most people. Then you will know which foods cause the condition to flare up in you. This is as an effective a remedy for gout as you could wish for.