Gout is a disease that is almost the same as joint inflammation. It causes joint pain, swelling and inflammation. Gout disease is caused by foods that are rich in purine and it affects an estimated 8.3 million Americans. Gout can occur suddenly and can even cause you to become immobile if it occurs in your ankle. However, we are still lucky because there are drugs to control gout, there are foods that are recommended and foods to avoid and make lifestyle changes.
This short article explains what uric acid is and what foods to avoid and foods that are good to eat.
What is Gout?
Gout is a joint pain disease caused by inflammation in the joints, this can occur suddenly, and sometimes cause swelling.
Gout attacks the big toe, this is almost half of the cases of gout. The rest attacks the wrists, knees, toes and attacks the heels of the feet. Gout occurs when too much uric acid is in the blood. Uric acid is a waste that is produced when you digest certain foods.
So, there are foods that must be avoided and there are foods that must be consumed so that uric acid is stable. When uric acid is excessive, uric acid crystals build up in the joints. As a result, this causes swelling, inflammation, and causes extreme pain.
Gout can last for 3 days to 10 days, and usually it attacks at night.
Gout can occur because the body cannot get rid of uric acid waste efficiently, causing uric acid buildup in the joints. Others experience gout due to genetic factors and the food they eat. Foods that can cause uric acid are foods that are rich in purines, and we will explain in more detail about foods that should be avoided.
How the Food Affects Uric Acid
Certain foods for gout sufferers can cause uric acid recurrence, especially purine-rich foods. When purine-rich foods are digested by the body, the body makes a waste product in the form of uric acid.
For healthy people, this is not a problem because their body can eliminate uric acid efficiently. So, any food that is eaten does not cause uric acid to accumulate.
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For gout sufferers, they cannot efficiently remove uric acid content in the blood which causes swelling, inflammation and excruciating pain.
The solution is to stay away from high-purine foods and take medication appropriately. This can keep you from gout.
While foods that can cause gout are red meat, seafood, beer, and alcohol. These are purine rich foods. So avoid these foods so that you avoid gout.
But it’s different with vegetables. Vegetables that are high in purines don’t cause gout as healthline.com tells you. This is an exception to foods high in purines.
Besides being rich, there are also drinks that are not rich in purines but can trigger gout. This drink is a fructose rich drink and sweetened with sugar. It can trigger gout too.
A study involving 125,000 participants, showed that people who consumed a lot of fructose had a 62% higher risk of gout. However, on the other hand, low-fat products such as milk and vitamin C supplements can prevent and reduce uric acid in the blood. Based on reliable sources, states that high-fat dairy products do not affect uric acid.
What Foods Should You Avoid?
For those of you who suffer from gout suddenly, the right step to avoid it is to avoid gout trigger foods or foods high in purines.
Foods are said to be high in purines if 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of food contain more than 200 mg of purines. In addition to avoiding high-purine foods, gout sufferers should also avoid foods or drinks high in fructose and moderate purine foods (which contain 150–200 mg of purines per 3.5 ounces). These are foods that can trigger gout.
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Listed below are some of the bad foods for gout, high-purine foods, high-fructose foods and moderate-purine foods.
- All parts of the animal: Including the liver, brain, kidneys, and sweetbreads.
- Meats game: Includes veal, pheasant, and venison
- Other seafood: Scallops, shrimp, crab, and roe
- Fish: Sardines, Herring, mackerel, trout, tuna, anchovies, haddock and more
- Sugary beverages: Sugar-rich fruit juices and sweet sodas
- Yeasts: brewer’s yeast, Nutritional yeast and other yeast supplements
- Added sugars: Honey, agave nectar and high-fructose corn syrup
Other foods that should be avoided including refined carbs like cakes, white bread, cookies should be avoided. These are not foods high in purines or fructose, but they should be avoided as they are low in nutrients and can cause your uric acid buildup.
What Foods Should You Eat?
In addition to foods that must be avoided for gout, there are also foods that must be consumed so that uric acid is controlled. These foods are types of foods that are classified as low-purine foods.
A food is considered low in purines if 100 grams or 3.5 ounces only contains less than 100 mg of purines.
Here are some low-purine foods that are safe for gout sufferers. Pay attention to what foods for gout sufferers are so you know the right diet for you.
- Fruits: All kinds of fruit are good for uric acid, even cherry fruits are great for lowering uric acid levels and lowering the crush.
- Legumes: All types of legumes are great for eating, including lentils, beans, soybeans and tofu.
- Vegetables: All types of vegetables are good for gout, including potatoes, mushrooms, eggplants and dark green leafy vegetables.
- Whole grains: Includes oats, brown rice and barley.
- Nuts: All kinds of nuts are great for gout and all kinds of grains.
- Dairy products: All dairy products are good to eat, but low-fat ones are best.
- Eggs
- Vegetable oils: Including coconut, canola, olive and flax oils.
- Beverages: Coffee, tea and green tea.
- Herbs and spices: All herbs and spices.
Foods You Can Eat in Moderation
Apart from low-purine foods, there are foods that you can eat in moderation. These include offal, game meats and certain fish, most meat can be consumed in moderation. You should limit meat to 4-6 ounces and just a few times a week.
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These are foods that contain purines but in moderate amounts. 100 grams (3.5 ounces) only contains 100–200 mg of purines. If you eat too much, it can trigger gout.
- Meats: Such as chicken, beef, and lamb.
- Other fish: Some types of fish that can be eaten in moderation are fresh salmon, canned salmon, they are lower in purine compared to other fish.
That’s the best diet for gout. Now you know what uric acid is, how food affects it, what foods to avoid for gout, foods to eat and foods that can be consumed in moderation. May be useful!