Those suffering from gout know that “flare ups” are painful but, fortunately, they can be prevented by avoiding certain foods that contain high levels of purine, and choosing low-purine options instead, which can decrease attacks of gout. When uric acid builds up in the bloodstream, it crystallizes and collects in the joints, causing pain, inflammation and redness, usually in the big toe.
Although the correlation between gout and diet may not seem obvious, many foods can be directly responsible for causing gout “flare ups.”
Foods to Avoid for Gout Patients
Severely limit your intake of these culprit foods that cause gout: liver, brain, kidney, sweetbread, mushrooms, oats, anchovies, mackerel, mincemeat, scallops, muscles, and herring. Another gout trigger food that has been recently identified is the modest tomato. The reason for this is that tomatoes are acidic fruits (i.e. they have a low pH).
The pH value varies depending on what variety of tomato it is and how it has been processed. Cherry tomatoes are the most acidic with a pH of 4.0, Beefsteak 4.6, Roma and Vita Gold 5.1, and Super Marzano are the most alkaline at 5.2.
Also, do not drink alcohol and especially beer, which contains a high level of purine. In addition, alcohol can interfere with the process of eliminating uric acid from your body.
Diet for Gout: Basic Pointers
Watch your intake of soft drinks. The diet ones are fine, but the sugar sweetened soft drinks and fruit juices are not. To make the best of your diet for gout, watch your intake of high-purine foods. Keep the fat content in your diet low, especially saturated fat and cholesterol. Eat plenty of fiber and reduce sugar from your diet for gout.
Friendly Foods for a Gout Diet
Gout shouldn’t keep you from enjoying your food. Stick to low-purine foods to have a tasty meal without triggering an attack or making flare ups worse. Pureed root vegetables make for gout-friendly comfort food that warms you up on cold winter days.
Carrots, sweet potatoes, and spices are a few of the foods with the lowest amounts of purine. Use low-fat mayo mixed with apples, grapes, dried cranberries, celery, and walnuts for this chunky salad that renews a classic and curbs mid-afternoon hunger.
Although meat is generally a no-no food for gout patients, you can’t always avoid it. But you can choose chicken or duck, which have less purine than red meat, pork, and turkey. Pasta also makes a great, low-purine way to get full without the meat.
See also:
Best Gout Diets
Gout Diet Recipes
The Raw Food Detox Diet