Diet against gout

Diet for gout is almost the first necessity, as this disease is associated with metabolic disorders. What foods can you eat when you have gout, which ones shouldn't and which ones should be limited?

Gout is a disease caused by metabolic disorders. It occurs when urate crystals - uric acid salts - build up in the joints. These crystals start to form when the level of uric acid in the blood is high - and this in turn happens when the body either makes too much of this acid or the kidneys cannot handle it. In such cases, crystal-like crystals begin to form in the joints and surrounding tissue. These needles cause pain, inflammation, swelling - generally gout symptoms. Very often, debris accumulates in the joints of the legs, especially in the big toe bone.

Why is it important to go on a diet for gout? It's very simple: the body makes uric acid from purines, chemical compounds that are already present in it. Purines are not only found in the human body, there are many of them in certain products: for example meat and seafood. In addition, some types of food provoke the formation of uric acid, which means that the raw materials for urate crystals are alcoholic beverages, especially beer, as well as beverages with fructose - fruit sugar. If you are at risk (for example, have kidney disease or have high blood pressure), improper diet increases the chances of developing gout. If the disease has already been diagnosed, it is simply necessary to eat right, otherwise the attack cannot be avoided.

It used to be believed that mainly men were at risk, but recently more and more women are becoming ill. Therefore, it is important to follow the diet for both sexes. A gout diet for both women and men greatly reduces the likelihood of exacerbations. At the same time, there is no difference in which joints are affected by the disease: it is important to adhere to a diet of gout on the legs and arms, and in general, changing eating habits is the main recommendation of doctors for this disease.

At the same time, the purpose of the restrictions is not only to reduce the consumption of purines and the intensity of uric acid production, but also to reduce weight if the patient has extra pounds. The fact is that with obesity and even just extra pounds (of course, appearance in the medical sense of the word has nothing to do with it), the concentration of uric acid in the body increases, and proper nutrition will help get rid of both kilograms and this effect. Important: You should definitely not "rush to all the bad" and lose weight with strenuous diets, it will only harm you, the acidity will increase on the contrary. It is better to get rid of the excess gradually. Eat right and eliminate potentially dangerous foods and you will not be afraid of exacerbations.

Dos and don'ts for gout: food list

First of all, it is necessary to remove foods that are high in purine from the diet. If your body doesn't end up getting excess purines, it won't produce excess acid from it. So why should you give him materials to build? There are many purines in products such as:

• Red meat. Lamb, veal, pork, and beef are nowhere near the best choices for patients with gout. You can eat all of these, but portions should be limited.
• Meat by-products. The liver, kidneys, brain and "internal" meat can aggravate it. Yes, all of these can be delicious, but if a gout attack is on the other side of the scale - thank you, no.
• game. Of course, she doesn't appear on the table often (well, if you or your partner are not avid hunters), but if suddenly you are offered to try exotic species in the form of venison or baked pheasant, refuse.
• Fish and seafood: the purines just swim in it. Cod, herring, trout, mackerel, sardine, tuna, as well as crabs, prawns, scallops, and many other seafood can make a person with gout significantly worse. While some doctors believe the benefits of seafood can outweigh the harm, but only if consumed a little.

What is better not to do? The following foods have also been shown to increase uric acid levels in the body:

• Sweet drinks: lemonade and industrial sweet juices.
• Alcohol: Beer and wheat brandies such as vodka and whiskey. A little is possible, but if we are talking about dieting for gout during an exacerbation - at this point it is impossible at all.
• Excess sugar: honey, agave syrup, other foods with high fructose content.
• yeast additives.
• Semi-finished products (they sometimes contain something incomprehensible).

Plus, it's great when you can do without white bread, cakes, and cookies. In and of themselves they are not too dangerous, but they are low in nutrients and this also stimulates the body to produce uric acid.

Of course, a steak or a sandwich with liver pate won't cause a seizure. The main thing is to follow a diet for gout and high uric acid in general.

What to eat for gout: Allowable foods

We agree that the list of things to avoid in diet is pretty impressive, but that doesn't mean all you have to do is eat sunlight. Here are some foods you can eat for gout.

• vegetables. You can eat absolutely anything, even those that have a lot of purines in them (for example, spinach) - vegetables don't absorb them as well.
• fruits and berries. Almost anything is possible, and some are even needed - cherries have been shown to reduce levels of uric acid, which means it is especially useful as a food ingredient for gout.
• legumes. And everyone again, even lentils, even soybeans, even green beans.
• Whole grain products. Oats, brown rice, barley are just examples.
• nuts.
• dairy products. In general, they are all more or less safe, but it is better to eat and drink those that have reduced fat levels.
• eggs.
• Lean meat (chicken, turkey).
• coffee, tea, green tea. There are studies showing that coffee doesn't significantly reduce the risk of gout attacks, but too much coffee can have other health consequences. It is therefore best not to overdo it.
• vegetable oils: coconut, olive oil, flaxseed.
• Any spice.

Very useful for gout or a tendency to drink as much as possible. Another recommendation is to eat foods rich in vitamin C. Obviously, this shouldn't be store orange juice, but an orange or a lemon tea itself is fine.

Diet against gout: food table

So what can and cannot be eaten for gout? On this basis, we have put together short product lists that you

can check

Yes

• Vegetables
• fruits and berries
• Legumes
• Whole grain products
• nuts
• Dairy products
• eggs
• Lean meat
• Coffee, tea, green tea
• vegetable oils
• All spices

Warning

• Red meat
• Seafood
• fish
• White bread, pastries

Rarely or never

• By-products
• game
• juices, lemonade
• Honey and other foods with a high content
• Fructose
• Semi-finished products
• Alcohol
• Yeast additives

Of course, eating out because of gout attacks means that foods are being moved from the "With caution" column to the "Rarely or never" column. If the joints hurt, it is better not to overload them with additional deposits, even the most insignificant.

Food for gout: menu

So everything is clear with permitted and forbidden products, but how can you combine the possible in such a way that it is tasty and is not repeated very often? We have prepared a sample menu for you for a week and tried to diversify it as much as possible so that you have a wide choice. Of course, you can make additions from the list of allowed products (and a little from those that are used with caution).

Monday

Breakfast: green tea, "rotten oatmeal" on kefir or yoghurt with berries. Simply pour kefir or yogurt with berries on top of the oatmeal and leave in the refrigerator overnight. You will see, it is delicious!

Lunch: quinoa salad with boiled eggs and fresh vegetables, miso soup.

Dinner: whole wheat pasta with chicken and vegetables.

Tuesday

Breakfast: coffee, cottage cheese, peach or a few slices of melon, bran flakes.

Lunch: brown rice with baked turkey.

Dinner: scrambled eggs with mushrooms and spinach.

Wednesday

Breakfast: vegetable salad, a handful of nuts.

Lunch: lentil soup with chicken broth.

Dinner: burger (wholegrain rolls, turkey schnitzel, cheese, vegetables).

Thursday

Breakfast: tea, yogurt with berries and bran muesli.

Lunch: Chickpea pilaf with chicken, vegetable salad.

Dinner: lean fish steak garnished with green beans.

Friday

Breakfast: coffee, scrambled eggs with tomatoes and peppers.

Lunch: potato casserole with ground beef (replace with chicken during the deterioration).

Dinner: fruit salad.

Saturday

Breakfast: milk, pancakes with low-fat sour cream.

Lunch: grilled vegetables with chicken skewers.

Dinner: berry smoothie, a couple of sandwiches with cheese and herbs (it's better to have whole grain bread).

Sunday

Breakfast: tea, whole grain milk porridge with berries.

Lunch: lasagna (again, it's better to use whole grain sheets as the base and chopped chicken)

Dinner: Julienne with chicken and mushrooms, homemade mulled wine on berry compote (just add your favorite spices, apples and citrus fruits and warm it up).

You can use vegetables, fruits and berries as a snack. Remember that cherries and citrus fruits are especially useful, and drinking plenty of plain water is also important. Dehydration makes gout worse.

In general, dieting with gout is pretty simple, the list of foods is quite extensive, and you can think of many combinations of them. Of course, it is much easier to follow the diet in the summer, because vegetables are cheaper and the variety is much greater. However, you can always pay attention to seasonal vegetables: for example, the watermelon season continues in September, in December the shops are full of tangerines, then they are replaced by grapefruit. . . The same cherries can be frozen in summer, and in winter they can be used to make compotes or cakes from them (the latter are better not with yeast dough and rare), and lemons are available all year round without restrictions.

Gout is not a death sentence, the frequency of flare-ups can be reduced significantly if you eat well and control your uric acid levels. And even if you eat a steak once a month and drink it with dark beer, it is unlikely to cause an attack if you follow the diet in general.