Gout Prevention Diet

Gout is a type of arthritis, which is associated with excruciating pain in the joints. It is characterized by sudden bouts of redness, pain, and inflammation in the joints which generally attacks the big toe, and then spreads to other joints. It is caused by excessive saturation of uric acid in the blood and tissues. Uric acid gets crystallized in the joints, and leads to this type of arthritis.

Body of a gout patient can't break down uric acid, which is a byproduct of certain foods. This condition is also associated with several other health conditions like kidney disease, uric acid kidney stones, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and high blood pressure.

Gout attacks are recurrent and painful and hence, a person must be careful while planning the diet. As far as medication is concerned, the doctor may prescribe you low-dose NSAIDs, allopurinol or febuxostat, low-dose colchicine or probenecid.

Along with the medications, you must also be aware about the foods to avoid with gout. High purine foods and high protein foods have always been under suspicion for being the prime causes of the condition.

While planning dietary changes, a person must concentrate on avoiding foods that cause gout. While avoiding purine rich foods, a person must consume plenty of water (at least 6 to 8 glasses a day), avoid alcohol, coffee, spicy dishes, yeast products, fried food, heavy desserts, cream, ice cream, simple sugars, white flour, oatmeal, and most of the grains.

Here is a list of foods that you must strictly avoid.

• Meat: Bacon, sweetbreads, organ meats, meat extracts, veal, consommé, meat gravies and meat broths, turkey, goose, etc.
• Seafood: Shrimp, mussels, crabs, salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines, cod, herring and anchovies, etc.

• Vegetables: Asparagus, beans (black beans, green beans, chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, lima beans, pinto beans, soy beans, peas, white beans, etc.), cooked spinach, cauliflower, mushrooms, rhubarb (with excessive sugar), etc.

Since gout can further cause high blood pressure and heat diseases, you must consume a low fat diet in the first place. As a result, though milk and milk products are low purine, you must opt for low fat milk and milk products, when opting for a low purine or purine free diet. The diet to prevent gout must contain low protein and low calorie foods.

Here is the list of foods to include:

• Fruits: Red berries, blueberries, strawberries, fresh cherries, bananas tangerines, oranges, mandarins.
• Vegetables: Tomatoes, celery, kale, parsley, cabbage, red cabbage, red bell peppers, potatoes, and all green and leafy vegetables.

• Carbohydrates: Cereals, pasta, wheat bread, rice, tofu.
• Fats: Tuna fish, peanuts, flaxseeds

• Cooked rice
• Plain yogurt
• Cherry
• Cucumber
• Cottage cheese
• Wheat flour
• Chicory
• Pear
• Rhubarb
• Lettuce
• Onion
• Radishes

• Apple
• Fennel leaves
• Gooseberry
• Carrot
• Red currants
• Endive
• Raspberry
• Avocado
• Beet root
• Kiwi fruit
• Pineapple
• Aubergine
• Peach
• White cabbage
• Brazil nuts

• Plum
• Grape
• Cress
• Bamboo shoots
• Morel
• Quince
• Black elderberries
• Dried dates
• French beans
• Sweet almonds
• Savoy cabbage
• Hazel nuts
• Rye
• Sweet corn

• Green peppers
• Black pudding
• Crayfish
• Sesame
• Chives
• Brussels sprouts
• Sesame
• Apricot
• Leek
• Cranberry beans
• Artichoke
• Peanuts
• Tench
• Oyster

The mentioned foods must be constantly included in your gout treatment diet. However, you need to consult a health care provider prior to starting any diet. For instance, a patient of kidney disease, needs to consult the doctor about the fluid and water intake.

There are numerous remedies like using herbal medications, diuretics and regular medications. Along with proper diet and medications, if the patient is overweight, then he needs to maintain the weight with proper workouts to lose weight.

Disclaimer: This post is for informative purposes only and does not in any way attempt to replace the advice offered by an expert on the subject.