All About The Gout Diet

Gout was once considered the disease of royalty. That is because the disease was connected with wealthy men to ate and drank too much. Some of the most prominent sufferers of gout were King Henry VIII, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

Today, gout is not considered just a disease linked to royalty or wealth. Basically, it is a disease that is influenced by a Western diet of more fat, sugar, and processed foods.

All nutrients in these foods are pretty much wiped out through the refining process. People with too much saturated fat, purines, and not enough fiber in their diet are more likely to suffer from gout.

For gout sufferers, there is a specific gout diet that should be followed. There are a few basic rules for people who have gout — diet and hydration are essential to prevent attacks. It is also a good idea to avoid alcohol.

There are some foods that you should avoid on the gout diet. The most important thing to remember is what foods are high in purines. Purines cause your body to produce high levels of uric acid.

Purines are naturally made in the body, but you shouldn’t increase the levels with foods that you consume. As you reduce the amount of purine in your diet, the better off you will be and more likely you won’t suffer from regular attacks.

Foods that are known to be high in purines are fish, shellfish, meat, and other protein-rich foods. Foods like sweetbreads, anchovies, sardines, organ meats, red meat, and turkey.

Other foods that you should stay clear from include herring, cod, trout, haddock, mussels, scallops, crab, lobster, oysters, shrimp, game meats, bacon, liver and other organ meats, beef, ham, and pork.

There are even some foods that have moderate levels of purines that you can eat, but not regularly. These include poultry of all kinds, asparagus, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, mushrooms, and spinach.

In the gout diet, it is recommended that you eliminate basically all animal products from your diet. You can probably reintroduce these foods back into your diet as some point in time because they have nutrients that you need.

It is also a good idea to reduce the amount of refined sugars that you eat. Sugar, especially sucrose and fructose raise the uric acid levels in your body.

Brewer’s yeast can do the same thing. Even though changing the way you eat may be hard, just think about the last attack you hard. As you help yourself diet-wise, you will notice that you won’t suffer from attacks, or even have to rely on medications.

You are probably wondering with all these limitations, what can I eat? On a gout diet, one of the most important foods to eat is cherries. It doesn’t really matter what kind, if they are bottled or fresh, sweet or sour, etc.

If you eat between 10 cherries and a 1/2 pound a day you will less likely have gout attacks. There have been other studies as well that have shown that other berries can be helpful in a gout diet.

Other foods that are known to be helpful for gout sufferers are vegetable and fruit juices with the exception of non-citrus. Celery and carrot are great vegetables for gout. Tomato is another food that is good for you.

It helps alkalize your blood. Other vegetables include kale, cabbage, parsley, and green leafy vegetables. Other fruit besides berries include bananas and anything not citrus.

Gout is a disease that can be controlled and manipulated through the gout diet. If you follow these guidelines, you will most likely be free of attacks and feel some relief.

Gout Foods - What To Eat When You Have Gout