There are certain foods that should be avoided if an individual is suffering from gout. This article tells us about the various diet restrictions to be followed.
As we all know, gout is a painful form of arthritis. People suffer from it because there’s a rise in the uric acid levels in the blood. This rise leads to the formation of uric acid crystals which get deposited in the tendons, joints, and surrounding tissues. These crystals become more painful especially when they get deposited deep in the joint. The affected areas becomes sensitive, red, and also suffer from swelling. People generally feel this pain in the joints after regular intervals, and the best way to avoid it is to opt for a diet. A typical one contains foods which are low in purine content.
Now, it’s pretty clear that foods play an important part in the formation of gout, and many people try to understand this situation clearly by making lists of the foods to be eaten and avoided. Yes, these lists help, and do minimize the pain of gout attacks but they are not a final solution. It’s very hard for people to just stop eating foods which they have been eating from a long time.
The best way to approach the situation is to impose some gout diet restrictions on yourself. For instance, following a balanced diet and drinking lots of fluids. Also, obesity is a potential cause for this ailment, so make sure you start working out too. Avoiding purine-rich foods is also necessary as you don’t want a rise in the purine levels in your body. It’s necessary that you follow these restrictions very seriously if you want to get rid of this disorder.
Foods to Avoid in a Gout Diet
It’s important to know which are the foods to be avoided when you suffer from gout. Your body breaks down purines and forms uric acid. Normally, this uric acid exits from the body through urine, but when you suffer from gout, uric levels in the body rise as the body stops getting rid of acid. In such cases, it’s harmful to eat foods which are rich in purines.
Foods High in Purine
- Fish like roe, herring, mackerel, scallops, mussels, etc., have purine in high contents.
- Meats of goose, ducks, and partridge also have high level of purines.
- People should also refrain from eating brains, livers, hearts, and kidneys of animals.
- Also, avoid mincemeat, consommé, bouillon, gravy, and baker’s yeast.
Foods Low in Purine
- Red meat and poultry meat can be eaten but very rarely.
- Green vegetables like asparagus, mushrooms, spinach, cauliflower, and green peas have less levels of purine in them.
- People should also limit the consumption of grains, such as oats, oatmeal, wheat germ, bran, whole grain breads, and cereals.
- Don’t eat too much of eggs, nuts, peanut butter, dairy products, and sugar syrups.
- Furthermore, until your condition calms down, don’t touch alcohol or fried foods. Alcohol can prevent the elimination of uric acid and raise purine levels in blood.
All in all, gout is treatable with proper medical care. Taking prescribed medications from time to time also plays a big part in treating chronic gout conditions. People who are taking aspirins should stop it immediately as it slows down the elimination of uric acid and makes your condition even worse. The most important point that gout patients should remember is to control the consumption of high purine foods and give alcohol a rest till their condition is stable.
