List of Gout Diet Foods to Eat and Gout Foods to Avoid

A correct diet for gout is needed to help prevent gout from seriously damaging your health. Here you’ll find a list of gout diet foods to eat and foods to avoid.

WHY YOU NEED A GOOD GOUT DIET

Your agonising symptoms of gout are caused by uric acid crystals that have formed in your joint(s), which can form when you have high uric acid in your blood. This usually occurs when your kidneys either can’t excrete excess uric acid from your body effectively enough, or, your body is manufacturing too much acid for your kidneys to be expected to handle.

Uric acid is produced as a result of the natural breakdown of chemical compounds in your cells called ‘purines,’ but, they also exist in our foods at varying concentrations or levels. Some have high / very high levels, others have moderate, and others relatively low purine levels.

The trick is to identify those foods that have high / very high purine levels and avoid those. And supplement with those foods that have relatively low levels. And to help you do this I’ve listed the foods you can eat with gout, and, the foods to avoid for gout…

GOUT DIET FOODS TO EAT LIST

These are some of the low-purine foods that go to make a good gout diet:-

Complex carbs (cereals, rice, pasta, vegetables, fruits, etc. – not white flour products)
Low fat dairy produce (low fat cheese, milk, yoghurt, etc. – but not soya)
High vitamin C foods (fruit, potatoes, red bell peppers, red cabbage, etc.)
Essential fatty acids (nuts, seeds, flax-seeds, tuna, etc.)
Vegetables (celery, cabbage, parsley, kale, other green-leaf vegetables, – but not cauliflower, asparagus, spinach, mushrooms)
Fruit (especially cherries, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, other blue / red berries)

LIST OF GOUT DIET FOODS TO AVOID

These are some of the foods, that are high / very high in purines, and should be avoided:-

Red meat (burgers, mincemeat, game, etc.)
Offal (liver, heart, kidneys, etc.)
Poultry (duck, goose, etc.)
Some fish (herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, etc.)
Shellfish (mussels, shrimp, scallops, etc.)
Gravy (broth, consomme, etc.)
Yeast (baker’s and brewer’s)
Dried legumes (peas, beans, lentils, etc.)

OTHER ISSUES AFFECTING YOUR GOUT

A good gout diet is an essential starting point in helping to get rid of the symptoms of your current gout attack, and, to prevent frequently recurring gout attacks, which can lead to permanent joint damage, kidney problems and hypertension, etc. Plus, once having had gout you’re chances of more attacks are markedly increased.

But there are several other important issues to consider to give you the best possible chance of preventing recurring gout. These are things like your lifestyle, your weight, stress, medications being taken, family history, underlying medical conditions, and so on. You need to investigate these and sort them out.