A Simple Gout Diet Handout

I have been asked a lot of times by my patients to prepare a gout diet handout that they can refer to. Gout is just one over a hundred kind of arthritis that can affect the body. It is a result of having excessive uric acid in the blood. When I prepare for each patient’s diet handout, I keep in mind that the point is how I would neutralize his or her uric acid levels. The handout I prepare often focuses on these four tips: avoid alcohol, drink plenty of water, and eat fruits.

Avoid Alcohol

I say this again and again to my patients: alcohol can do you no good. Alcohol is known to have diuretic effects that can contribute to dehydration and precipitate acute gout attacks. Worse, alcohol can also affect uric acid metabolism and eventually cause hyperuricemia. So the gout diet handout I always prepare emphasizes the importance of avoiding alcohol.

Drink Plenty of Water

Another important thing I always include when I prepare a handout for gout-friendly foods is to drink plenty of water. Water and other fluids can help flush uric acid from the body. Thus, water is extremely good for gout patients to help flush uric acid. Water can even help prevent acute gout attacks because it prevents dehydration. Furthermore, it can help dilute uric acid in the blood and urine.

Eat Fruits

Fruits are very helpful in any diet because of the vitamins and over-all nutrition that they are able to provide. In gout diets, dark colored fruits like cherries are very much helpful. Cherries are even strongly associated with lower levels of uric acid. Other fruits that contain Vitamin C, such as strawberries and citrus oranges, would also help.

Those are the three important things that I always include in any handout for gouty arthritis that I prepare for my patients, which I hope would be easy enough for others to follow as well. Follow the mantra: avoid alcohol, drink plenty of water, and eat fruits.