Gout is a type of arthritis and known to be the most painful of its kind. Medical professionals closely associate it with rheumatoid arthritis, because it actually attacks the body’s joints. The disease is caused by a uric acid build up in the bloodstream. Because of this, it is absolutely vital that people know what they can and cannot eat. In fact, there is a very strict gout diet. When you eat the wrong things, uric acid production goes up, leading to flareups of gout.
What’s Allowed And Not Allowed in a Gout Diet:
Generally speaking, it is possible to control and even prevent gout by eating the right things and leading an overall healthy lifestyle. This should be part of everybody’s daily routine, in fact. A gout attack happens when uric acid builds up to very high levels in the body. Basically, if you eat foods that have high purine content, you will also build up your levels of uric acid.
In most cases, the body breaks purine down and turns it into uric acid. The kidneys then excrete the uric acid as urine. However, if there is too much uric acid for the kidneys to deal with, hard crystals will be formed instead. These are usually deposited around the joints and inside the joints. This leads to a gout attack because the sharp crystals irritate the joints. The gout diet helps people to understand which foods are high in purine, so that they can choose to avoid them.
When you consume foods with high levels of purine, and particularly if they are also high in proteins, they massively increase your risk of having a gout flare up. Hence, it is important to eat a low purine diet instead, as this not only lowers the amount of uric acid that is controlled in the body, but it also helps people to control weight. The majority of people who have gout are also overweight or obese. They are at particular risk because the joints in people who are too heavy are overburdened, thereby increasing inflammation and pain.
By eating a proper diet, you can prevent gout from happening. If you do suffer from flareups, however, good medication can also be beneficial in terms of reducing pain and the likelihood of more attacks. But choosing to follow a gout diet is the better approach.
Foods to Avoid When Following the Gout Diet:
There are lots of foods that have high purine levels and you must avoid them. According to the Agricultural Research Services Western Human Nutrition Research, you should also avoid high levels of protein. Hence, try not to eat red meat, cauliflower, fish, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, oatmeal, and beans. Luckily, there are some very nice foods that are allowed in a gout diet, including cakes, white bread, pasta, flour, eggs, cornflakes, milk, cheese, tomatoes, green vegetables, butter, lettuce, fruits, and nuts.
By following a gout diet, you are being proactive in terms of preventing further attacks. You may also be prescribed medication to better help you manage your condition. The most important thing, however, is to generally live a healthy, active lifestyle.
