Gout – Foods To Avoid

Gout is a form of arthritic disease in which uric acid crystela are deposited over the joints, causing inflammation and excruciating pain. Food items rich in purine and high in protein content have been known to increase the risk of gout.

Gout is induced by ingestion of foods that contain somewhere between 150 to 1,000 milligrams of purine in each three and a half ounce serving. These include animal products like:

– Dark fillet fishes like herring, anchovies, sardines, and mackerel

– Organ meat like brains, heart, liver, kidneys, sweetbread, sausages, consommé, kidney Meat extracts, mincemeat, mussels, red and dark meat

– Fish roes

Such food items should be strictly avoided.

Foods that may contribute to gout consist of a moderate level of purine, from 50 to 150 milligrams in three and a half ounces. Intake of such foods needs to be limited to one serving every day is essential for those having a propensity towards severe gout attacks. These foods include:

– Poultry and meat: grouse, mutton, veal, bacon, turkey, partridge, trout, goose, pheasant gravies

– Fish: salmon, shellfish, haddock

– Vegetables: Asparagus, dry beans, cauliflower, mushrooms, spinach, and legumes (lentils, dry peas, kidney beans, soy beans), celery, radishes

– Scallops

– Whole-grain cereals: oatmeal, wheat germ, bran, whole-grain breads

– Yeast

Studies have proved that diets known to be associated with gout are the same kinds of diet connected to cardiovascular disease.

It has been suggested that consumptions of coffee and tea may not pose a threat but alcohol can elevate uric acid levels and inflame an episode of gout.

Food groups that increase the acidity of the body needs to be avoided as well. These include carbohydrates and proteins. Acidic body pH will trigger precipitation of uric acid crystals to stimulate a gout attack. Aerated drinks and excessive intake of coffee can also lead to this acidic condition of the body. Foods and drinks that contain high amounts of chlorine, sulfur or phosphorus also tend to decrease the body pH and thus need to be avoided.

Foods that are high in minerals, like fruits, vegetables, and dairy products cab increase one’s body pH and help maintain a lower level of uric acid in the blood.