Gout Diet Restrictions

As we all know, gout is a painful form of arthritis. People suffer from gout because there's a rise in the uric acid levels in the blood of the body. This rise in uric acid levels leads to the formation of uric acid crystals which get deposited in tendons, joints and surrounding tissues. These crystals of uric acid become more painful specially when they get deposited deep in the joint. The affected areas becomes sensitive, red and also suffers from swelling. People generally feel this pain in the joints after regular intervals and the best way to avoid these pains is to opt for a gout diet. A typical gout diet contains foods which are low on 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 eat and foods to avoid for gout. 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 stopping 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 gout, so make sure you start working out too. Avoiding purine rich foods is also very 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 Gout Diet

It's very 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 exists from the body through urine but when you suffer from gout uric levels in the body rises as 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 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, consomme, bouillon, gravy and baker's yeast.

Foods Low in Purine
Red meats 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. 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.

Gout is treatable and 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 Aspirin should stop it immediately as Aspirin 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 your condition is stable.

Gout Diet Recipes

Gout is a very painful disease, it is actually one of the most painful forms of arthritis. Earlier, it was believed that gout pain increases with the consumption of specific foodstuffs like seafood, meat and alcohol. Due to this belief, a person suffering from gout would be refrained from eating many foods. However now when the cause and nature of gout is known, the restrictions have lessened. Gout is a condition wherein high levels of uric acid forms crystals that get accumulated around a joint. In a gout diet, efforts are made to control the production of uric acid. A compound called purine breaks down to produce uric acid. Purine is present in the body naturally, however it is also present in certain foods like herring, mushrooms, anchovies, asparagus and organ meats. So a gout diet menu should include low purine foods. Besides that, it should also contain complex carbohydrates, plenty of fluids and plant-based proteins. The vegetables that you can safely include in your diet are; spinach, cauliflower, peas and beans. Fruits like cherries, berries, bananas, strawberries, pineapple, oranges, etc. can be eaten. Any low-fat dairy product can be eaten, but obviously in small amounts. The following are some gout diet recipes for you, which are completely healthy and safe for you.

Low Purine Diet Recipes

Cherry Smoothie

Ingredients

• Yogurt cherry, cup
• Banana,
• Pitted cherries, 1 cup
• Milk (soy, 2% or low fat), cup

Process

Take all the ingredients in a bowl, put them in a blender and blend until smooth, for about 1 - 2 minutes, on high speed. If the smoothie seems to thicken, you can add a couple of ice cubes to it. But do not add too many, as the smoothie can lose its taste if it becomes too watery. To make your cherry smoothie more attractive, add a drop of red food coloring.

Taco Salad:

Ingredients

• Tomatoes with green chillies, 1 can
• Chicken breast - boil, then shred with fork, 4
• Olive Oil, 2 tbs
• Cumin chili powder
• Low fat sour cream or guacamole (optional)
• Large yellow onion - diced, 1
• Iceberg lettuce, (head), 1
• Black olives, 1 can
• Shredded low fat cheddar cheese

Process

This is one of the easiest gout diet recipes. To make taco salad, pour 2 tbs olive oil on a large skillet, and saute of the onions in it, on high heat. When the onions turn golden, add shredded chicken, chili powder, tomatoes and cumin powder. Lower the heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, shred lettuce in small bowls, and add it to the chicken mixture, cover with lots of cheese, low fat sour cream, olives and remaining onions. Add homemade salsa to it. You can make salsa by combining cilantro, onion garlic salt and one can add peeled tomatoes.

Gazpacho

Ingredients

• Plum tomatoes, 4
• Red onion, 1
• White wine vinegar, cup
• Hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled, 1
• Red bell peppers, cored and seeded, 2
• Freshly ground black pepper, 1 tsp
• Garlic cloves, minced, 3
• Tomato juice, 23 ounces (3 cups)
• Kosher salt, tbs
• Good olive oil, cup

Process

To make gazpacho, cut the tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Now blend each ingredient, separately, until it is coarsely chopped, use a food processor which has been fitted with a steel blade. Do not form a paste. Take a large bowl and combine all the chopped ingredients along with tomato juice, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well and chill until serving. Remember, the longer gazpacho chills, the more the flavor will develop.

All these recipes are made using low purine foods. You can make changes in any of the above gout diet recipes, however make sure that the ingredient you are adding, is beneficial for gout.