Gout is a painful form of arthritis that tends to affect the feet and hands, particularly the lower big toe joint. Hippocrates first wrote about gout more than 2,500 years ago.
Unlike other forms of arthritis, where the cartilage is degraded by inflammation or wear-and-tear, gout comes from the accumulation of uric acid crystals that feel like needles in your joints. Those uric acid crystals form because of the foods you choose to eat.
A diet that eliminates or minimizes a substance called purines can cut down on the severity and frequency of gout flares. Purines are found in your body and in all foods, but some contain more than others.
When you eat purines, your body converts them to uric acid, which is then excreted. However, if you eat too many purines, your body can’t handle the load of uric acid. The excess acid forms crystals that lodge in your joint tissues.
Kimberly Bolling, MD, a caring and expert clinician, has many years’ experience diagnosing and treating gout. At our office in Bowie, Maryland, she gives you immediate care to resolve pain, inflammation, and stiffness, plus makes lifestyle recommendations to help you stay flare-free.
Here, she has assembled a quick guide to help you know what to avoid when you sit down at the dinner table or grab a quick lunch.
Liver, sweetbread (i.e., thymus), and kidneys are normally considered extremely healthy foods, due to their high levels of vitamin B and other nutrients. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your taste), you must avoid organ meats and sweetbreads if you have gout, due to their high levels of purines.
That doesn't mean you need to avoid all red meat, however. Even though red meat is higher in purines than leafy greens, for instance, you can eat it in moderate amounts. Limit your daily intake to six ounces of either:
Don’t try to make up your daily protein with beans or peas: You must limit your intake of dried legumes to two servings per week. Healthy whole grains, though, are relatively low in purines and can help make up your protein deficit.
Also usually considered to be part of a healthy diet, most seafood is forbidden on a low-purine diet. You should even avoid some fish. Limit or eliminate:
Other types of fish, such as salmon, cod, and tilapia, are relatively low in purines. Use moderate portions of fish 2-3 times a week and you should be OK.
Sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are pro-inflammatory and high in purines. Even fruit juice is too high in sugar to be consumed regularly and safely.
Concentrate on healthy, sugar-free foods and beverages to manage gout flares. Drinking plenty of water and other low-purine liquids also helps your body eliminate excess uric acid. Both tea and coffee seem to help your body excrete excess uric acid, so feel free to drink them at healthy levels.
Dairy from cows, sheep, and goats is rich with nutrients and healthful fats. Plus it can provide protein that complements the incomplete amino acid profiles of grains, legumes, and nuts.
However, you should avoid full-fat milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products. Foods that are high in saturated fat, such as full-fat cheese or butter, may slow down or halt your body’s ability to excrete excess uric acid, which could worsen your gout.
Low-fat dairy, conversely, may be beneficial. Skim milk and other low-fat dairy products have been shown to reduce the frequency of gout flares.
Although alcohol isn’t, strictly speaking, a food, it’s something you should cross off your list if you want to reduce your gout flares. If you have champagne tastes but beer money, you may find this particularly distressing: Beer is the alcoholic beverage most likely to spike your uric-acid levels.
However, spirits are also high in purines. Although some studies suggest that moderate wine drinking doesn’t affect serum uric acid levels, others demonstrate that any amount of alcohol isn’t safe if you have gout. Since alcohol is now associated with higher cancer risk, too, let us know if you’d like to be referred to a cessation program.
You can learn to manage your gout, and we provide the support you need. If you’re in the middle of a flare and need relief, or simply want to learn more about how to make lifestyle changes to manage your disease, call us or request an appointment online for a gout consultation.
