In the US, around 1% of the population has gout. This is an inflammatory arthritis that happens when you have high levels of uric acid in your blood.
Gout symptoms can be painful during attacks; your affected joint can feel hot and stiff, and you may get a mild fever. Naturally, you want to avoid gout attacks, and the good news is, you can. If you eat a conscious gout diet, not only can you prevent attacks, but you can also manage symptoms.
Read on to see what foods cause gout and how you should alter your diet so you feel better.
What Foods Cause Gout?
Let’s first tackle what not to eat with gout. However, to do so, you need to first understand what causes gout in the first place.
Essentially, anything that raises your uric acid levels will increase your chances of developing gout and having attacks. This means that if your kidneys are impaired, or you have other conditions that cause chronic inflammation, you’re more at risk of gout.
With that said, this means you need to avoid foods that raise your uric acid levels or cause inflammation. Here are some of the main ones you need to watch out for.
High-Purine Vegetables
Studies show that purines can cause gout. These are chemical compounds that make uric acid once you ingest and metabolize them.
Some examples of high-purine vegetables are spinach and asparagus.
Red Meat
On the other side of the spectrum, red meat also has high amounts of purine. This includes beef, pork, and lamb, as well as some organs like the kidney, liver, brain, and sweetbread (thymus or pancreas).
Considering that red meat can be a great source of other nutrients (such as protein and iron), you may not want to eliminate it from your diet completely. If this is the case, then try to keep your red meat intake to a minimum.
Game Meat
In addition to red meat, game meat is another type of food you have to limit. Meats to stay away from include veal, venison, and goose.
Although it’s not technically a game meat, add turkey to the list too. While it’s normally regarded as a healthy meat, sadly, it’s full of purines.
Seafood
Unfortunately, some types of seafood are high in purines as well. In particular, you’ll want to watch your intake of anchovies, sardines, codfish, haddock, herring, trout, and tuna, as well as shellfish, such as mussels and scallops.
The good news is, if you enjoy seafood, you can eat it in moderation with gout. There are many benefits of seafood that can outweigh its purine content.
Foods High in Sugar
Sugary foods aren’t beneficial for anyone, and those who have gout aren’t an exception. This includes foods and drinks made with high fructose corn syrup.
Sugar’s bad for gout patients because it’s half fructose. Fructose breaks down into uric acid, which we already know is bad for you.
Gout and heart disease come hand-in-hand, and sugar’s been known to increase your risk of heart disease too. So avoiding sugar will do wonders for your health.
Alcohol
Alcohol’s another thing that’s bad for everyone, especially when you drink in excess. But for gout, it can bring on repeated attacks when you drink beer and distilled liquors.
The one upside is that if you keep your wine consumption at a moderate level, it probably won’t increase your gout attacks. If you drink excessively, it’ll impair your kidneys’ ability to filter out uric acid, and it’ll accumulate in your body.
You should avoid alcohol altogether if you’re having an attack, and limit the beer and distilled liquors you drink in between attacks.
What to Eat With Gout
After reading the above, it might sound like all doom and gloom if you’ve got gout. However, not to worry, as there are foods and drinks you can have with this condition. In fact, they might even help manage or decrease symptoms!
Below are some you should consider eating more of or adding to your diet.
Cherries
Cherries are known for having strong anti-inflammatory properties. Plus, they might have uric acid-busting properties too!
Needless to say, it won’t hurt to have cherries after your meals for dessert instead of sugary cakes and cookies.
Skim Milk
If you don’t already, you should drink (skim) milk regularly. Some promising studies show that it can decrease uric acid in your body. Therefore, it can reduce your flare-ups too.
Vitamin C
Our bodies can’t make vitamin C on their own, so it’s important to get plenty of sun (wear sunscreen!) and eat foods rich in vitamin C. Add citrus fruits, berries, peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes to your diet to get this vitamin.
You can also ask your doctor if it’s a good idea to add a vitamin C supplement. They’ll take your current diet and medication plan into account.
Coffee
Coffee can do more for you than give you that much-needed burst of energy. Even though coffee is acidic, it’s a different type from uric acid and can actually break it down.
Water
Drinking plenty of water is excellent for practically everyone on this planet. But it’s a gout buster too!
Try to get around five to eight glasses of water in a day. This will help your kidneys eliminate extra uric acid through your urine. In addition, regular water intake will boost your kidney health.
Manage Your Gout Symptoms and Flare-Ups
Now you know what foods cause gout and what you should eat instead. Not only will following a good gout diet keep those painful symptoms at bay, but it’ll also improve your overall health.
If you haven’t been diagnosed with gout though, but you suspect you have it, make sure to speak to your doctor. Together, you can figure out your symptoms and they can come up with a customized treatment plan moving forward.
Check out the rest of our blog for more on health and fitness.