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. Gout generally attacks the big toe and then it 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 troublesome type of arthritis. Body system of a gout patient can't break down uric acid, which is a byproduct of certain foods. Gout is also associated with several other health conditions like kidney disease, uric acid kidney stones, diabetes, atherosclerosis and high blood pressure. Uric acid is the byproduct of the purine rich foods and as a result, a gout prevention diet should preferably be a low purine diet.
Ideal Gout Prevention Diet
Gout attacks are recurrent and painful and hence, a person must be careful while planning the diet to prevent gout. Gout prevention is possible with a good combination of gout cures and gout diet. As far as gout medication is concerned, the doctor may prescribe you low-dose NSAIDs, allopurinol or febuxostat, low-dose colchicine or probenecid. But 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 gout.
Foods to Avoid
While planning the dietary changes, a person must concentrate on avoiding the 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 food, yeast products, fried food, heavy desserts, cream, ice cream, simple sugars, white flour, oatmeal and most of the grains. Along with the aforementioned foods, here are the foods that you must strictly avoid.
- Meat: Bacon, sweetbreads, organ meats, meat extracts, veal, consomm, 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.
Having a low purine diet for gout is the key to prevent the gout attacks. 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. Always opt for foods that are high in complex carbohydrates. Along with it, the diet to prevent gout must contain low protein and low calorie diet. Here is the list of foods that you can include in your diet.
- Fruits: Redberries, blueberries, strawberries, fresh cherries, bananas tangerines, oranges, mandarins, etc.
- Vegetables: Tomatoes, celery, kale, parsley, cabbage, red cabbage, red bell peppers, potatoes and all green and leafy vegetables, etc.
- Carbohydrates: Cereals, pasta, wheat bread, rice, tofu.
- Fats: Tuna fish, peanuts, flaxseeds, etc.
- 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
- Garbanza beans
- Crayfish
- Sesame
- Chives
- Brussels sprouts
- Sesame
- Apricot
- Leek
- Cranberry beans
- Artichoke
- Peanuts
- Tench
- Oyster