Diet for Gout Control
Last Updated on by Sophie
Diet for Gout Control
High uric acid in the body will lead to gout and kidney stone, most of uric acid is made by the body.
The level of uric acid can go up because of a chemical available in all foods we eat called purines.
Purines level in each food varies between 10-15 milligrams per half a cup serving, however some food can provide higher dosage of purines in the range of 500-1000 milligrams and this is the reason you need to control your diet when you have gout.
Following gout diet you will be able to reduce your uric acid by 10 per cent in your blood and with medication you will be able to reduce uric acid further which will help you control gout.
1- water is needed to get rid of uric acid and 2-3 liters of fluid is needed daily. Consult your doctor to find out how much water you are allowed to take per day and if juice and soft drinks are allowed.
2- alcohol helps in uric acid build up in the body, limiting your intake of alcohol to just once a day is important for managing uric acid level in your body. Consult your doctor and find out how much alcohol you are allowed to take based on your blood test results.
3- you may take sugary drinks and fruits ( or juices) because of low purine content, however too much of soft drink and fruits including fruit juice will increase fructose level and this may lead to gout attack. Another issue with soft drinks is weight gain which you have to avoid,
4- Eat moderate portion of food high in protein. Always check the amount of purine contains in the food you are eating.
5- Watch your body weight, if you are overweight work on slimming down. Studies indicate that too much fat in the body may contribute to uric acid build up.
Do not go for rapid weight loss as this may cause gout attack, also don not fast to lose weight or going for high protein diet.
Food low in purine:
Bread, cereal, noodles, rice, corn bread, all fruits, most vegetables, eggs, all dairy products, soft drinks, chocolate, tea and coffee. The list is long and I have list only few here.
Food with moderate level purine (9-100 mg / 100g)
Oatmeal, wheat bran, wheat germ, wholemeal bread, brown rice, asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, mushroom, green peas, meat, fish, poultry, tofu, dried peas, dried lentils, dried beans. These foods should be eaten in moderation around 100g per serving.
Food high in purine (100-1000 mg / 100g)
These food has to be avoided by gout patient, these food are liver, kidney, heart, brain, sweetbreads,game meat, goose, anchovies, sardines, mackerel, herring, scallops and mussels. All food extract contain high purine, yeast if taken as supplement will push purine level high.
To prevent gout attack and the pain that comes with it, avoiding food rich in purine is important. Gout can be managed with diet control.