Gout Diet: Eliminate the Unnecessary, Add the Necessary

Changing your eating habits in gout is actually a priority because the disease is associated with metabolic disorders. What foods can you eat with gout, what foods should you not eat, and what foods should you limit? What should be the diet for gout? Can the menu include steak or chicken breast? Read and you will find out all!Proper nutrition for gout is half the battle! How can you prevent exacerbations through diet alone? See our article for details.Gout is a disease caused by a metabolic disorder. This condition occurs when urate (a type of urate) crystals accumulate in the joints. These crystals begin to form when there are high levels of uric acid in the blood, which occurs when the body produces too much uric acid or the kidneys are unable to eliminate it. When uric acid builds up in the body, the result is gout. Diet helps reduce acid production and restore health.If you don't treat it and don't change your diet, the condition may get worse. Crystals that look like sharp needles begin to form in the joints and surrounding tissue. These shots can cause pain, inflammation, and swelling — often symptoms of gout. Many times, deposits accumulate in the joints of the legs, especially the big toe bone. Special diets for gout and high uric acid can relieve these unpleasant symptoms.

Gout: Symptoms and Treatment

Diet is very important when it comes to gout, but it's important to make sure you have the disease. We discourage self-medication and insist that you consult your doctor if you have a health problem. But there are some signs that may indicate you do have gout symptoms. In this case, diet can help, but only a doctor can prescribe medication.

• Joint pain – knees, elbows, wrists and fingers may be affected.
• The big toe joint may be one of the first joints to be affected.
• Not only do the joints hurt, they also become hot and the skin in the affected area becomes red.
• Body temperature may increase.

Why is it important to follow a gout diet?

It's simple: The body uses purines (compounds already in the body) to produce uric acid. But purines are not only found in the human body, they are also found in large amounts in certain foods: meat and seafood, for example. Additionally, certain types of food can cause the formation of uric acid, which means that urate crystals are produced from alcoholic beverages, especially beer, and beverages that contain fructose (fructose). Therefore, the cause of gout is food. Diet involves cutting back; you have to remove some foods from your menu.If you're in a high-risk group (for example, have kidney disease or high blood pressure) and don't eat properly, your chances of "getting" gout increase. If the disease has been diagnosed and you are sure that you have gout, then the treatment is diet: a correct diet is necessary, otherwise attacks will not be avoided.Previously, it was thought that mainly men were at risk, so a special diet was developed as a gout diet for men. But recently, more and more women are getting sick, so dieting is very important for both men and women. A gout diet for women and men can significantly reduce the likelihood of gout getting worse.At the same time, the purpose of restriction is not only to reduce the consumption of purine and the intensity of uric acid production. If you are overweight, a gout-specific diet for women can also help you lose weight. The fact is that obesity, or even just weight gain (of course, weight gain in the medical sense, has nothing to do with appearance), increases the concentration of uric acid in the body, and proper nutrition helps to achieve good health. Get rid of kilograms and this effect.So if you have gout, a smart solution is diet. Prohibited products must be excluded. The important thing is: Don't "rush" and rely on exhausting diets to lose weight. This will only harm you and increase your stomach acid levels. It’s best to get rid of excess stuff gradually. Eat right and avoid potentially dangerous foods, and you won't have to worry about your condition getting worse.

gout in women

A diet that excludes fast food and alcohol from your diet will have a positive impact on your health in some way. However, a diet for gout in the legs means an expanded list of forbidden foods - alas, the diet becomes significantly worse. On the other hand, changing your diet will significantly improve the course of the disease. Therefore, if gout is diagnosed, the treatment is diet. For women and men, there may be pleasant side effects - a diet free of processed foods can have an overall positive impact on health. It's also worth noting that gout symptoms are less common in women. The fact is that women have less uric acid in their blood, and estrogen also protects women from gout.

Differences in the course of gout in men and women

Is it safe to say that if a woman is diagnosed with gout, her symptoms, diet, and treatment will be different than that of a man? Generally speaking, no: the only difference is that men are more likely to develop gout, with men being 7 to 19 times more likely to develop gout, according to various estimates. In addition, women rarely develop the disease before menopause, but men may begin to suffer from it as early as age 40.It makes no difference which joints are affected by the disease. A gout diet for men's legs and arms is no different than for women; it's important to stick to it. Overall, changing dietary habits is the main recommendation from doctors for this disease.

List of foods not to eat with gout

First, you need to eliminate purine-rich foods from your diet. After all, if your body isn't receiving extra purines, it's not producing excess acid from them, so why give it building materials? Foods contain many types of purines, such as:

• red meat.Lamb, veal, pork, and beef are not the best choices for gout sufferers. These are all okay to eat, but limit portion sizes.
• Meat by-products.Liver, kidneys, brain, any "internal" meat can cause the condition to worsen. Yes, all of these are delicious, but when gout strikes - no thanks.
• game.Sure, it rarely makes it to the dinner table (well, unless you or your partner are avid hunters), but if you're suddenly invited to try some exotic venison or roasted pheasant, say no.
• Fish and seafood:The purine just floats in there. Cod, herring, trout, mackerel, sardines, tuna, along with crab, shrimp, scallops and many other seafood can greatly worsen the condition of gout sufferers. True, some doctors believe that the benefits of seafood outweigh the disadvantages, but only if consumed in small doses.

What else is best avoided? The following foods have also been shown to increase uric acid levels in the body:

• Sweet drinks:Lemonade and industrially produced sweet juices.
• Alcohol:Beer and wheat-based spirits such as vodka and whiskey. It is somewhat possible, but if we are talking about diet during a gout attack, it is simply not possible at this point.
• Extra sugar:Honey, agave syrup, other high-fructose foods.
• Yeast additives.
• Semi-finished products(Sometimes they contain something completely incomprehensible).

Also, it would be great if you could give up white bread, cakes, and cookies. They're not too dangerous on their own, but they don't contain many nutrients, which can also stimulate the body's production of uric acid. Of course, a steak or a sandwich with liver pate will not cause an attack; the main thing is to generally follow a gouty and high-uric acid diet.

What to Eat with Gout: Allowed Foods

We agree, the list of foods to exclude from your diet is pretty impressive, but that doesn't mean you only have to eat sunshine. Here are some foods that can treat gout.

• vegetable.You can eat absolutely anything, including those that contain a lot of purines (like spinach) - they don't absorb well from vegetables.
• Fruits and berries.Almost anything is possible, and some are even necessary - cherries have been shown to reduce uric acid concentrations, making them particularly useful as a nutrient for gout.
• Legumes.Again, any kind, even lentils, even soybeans, even lima beans.
• Whole grains.Oats, brown rice, barley – just to name a few.
• nut.
• Dairy products.Generally speaking, they are more or less safe, but it is best to eat and drink the ones with lower fat content.
• Egg.
• Lean meat(chicken, turkey).
• Coffee, tea, green tea.There are studies showing that coffee can slightly reduce the risk of gout attacks, but drinking too much may have other health effects, so it's best not to drink too much.
• Vegetable oil:Coconut, olives, flax seeds.
• Any spice.

Very useful for gout or the tendency to drink as much as possible. Another tip is to eat foods rich in vitamin C. Of course, this should not be orange juice from the store, but oranges themselves or tea with lemon are quite suitable.

Gout Diet: Food Chart

So, what can gout patients eat and what cannot they eat? Based on what is written above, we have compiled a short list of products for you to check.

able

• vegetable
• fruits and berries
• beans
• whole grains
• nut
• dairy
• Egg
• Lean meat
• Coffee, tea, green tea
• vegetable oil
• any spices

careful

• red meat
• seafood
• fish
• White bread, pastries

rarely or never

• by-product
• game
• Juice, lemonade
• Honey and other high-fructose foods
• Semi-finished products
• Alcohol
• Yeast supplements

Of course, nutrition during a gout attack means foods in the "caution" column move to the "rarely or never" column. If your joints are injured, it's best not to overload them with additional deposits, even the smallest ones.

Nutrition for gout: menu

So, everything is clear about the products that are allowed and prohibited, but how to combine what is possible so that it is both delicious and not repeated too often? We have prepared a sample menu for you this week and tried to make it as diverse as possible so that you have plenty of choice. Of course, you can add anything to it from the list of allowed products (and add it a little at a time - err on the side of caution).

on Monday

• Breakfast: Green tea, "lazy oatmeal" with kefir or yogurt with berries. Simply pour kefir or yogurt over your berry oatmeal and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. You will find that it is very delicious!
• Lunch: Quinoa salad with hard-boiled eggs and fresh vegetables, miso soup.
• Dinner: Whole wheat pasta with chicken and vegetables.

Tuesday

• Breakfast: coffee, cheese, peaches or a few slices of melon, bran slices.
• Lunch: Brown rice with roast turkey.
• Dinner: Omelette with mushrooms and spinach.

Wednesday

• Breakfast: green salad, a handful of nuts.
• Lunch: Lentil and chicken soup.
• Dinner: Burger (whole wheat bread, turkey steak, cheese, vegetables).

Thursday

• Breakfast: tea, yogurt, berries and bran flakes.
• Lunch: Chickpea pilaf with chicken and vegetable salad.
• Dinner: Lean fish steak with green beans.

Friday

• Breakfast: coffee, scrambled eggs with tomatoes and green peppers.
• Lunch: Potato casserole with ground beef (substitute chicken during attacks).
• Dinner: fruit salad.

Saturday

• Breakfast: Milk, hash browns, and low-fat sour cream.
• Lunch: Grilled vegetables and chicken skewers.
• Dinner: Berry smoothie, a couple of sandwiches with cheese and herbs (preferably on whole wheat bread).

Sunday

• Breakfast: tea, whole wheat milk porridge and berries.
• Lunch: Lasagna (again, it’s best to use whole grain flakes as the base and minced chicken).
• Dinner: shredded chicken and mushrooms, homemade mulled wine based on berry preserves (just add your favorite spices, apples and citrus fruits and heat).

You can use any vegetables, fruits and berries as snacks. Let us remind you that cherries and citrus fruits are particularly useful, and it is also important to drink plenty of plain water. Dehydration can make gout worse.In general, the gout diet (Table 6) is easy to follow, the list of products is quite extensive and you can come up with many combinations. Of course, in the summer, it's easier to follow the diet since vegetables are cheaper and there's more variety. However, you can always keep an eye on seasonal vegetables: for example, September is watermelon season, in December the stores are full of oranges, and then they are replaced by grapefruits. . . The same cherries can be frozen in the summer, as well as in the summer. In winter, you can use them to make preserves or pies (the latter are better not made from yeast dough and are used infrequently), and lemons are available all year round without any restrictions.

The Right Diet for Gout: Results and Reviews

If you follow proper gout nutrition, patients can expect longer remissions and a milder course. Diet can relieve gout and its symptoms—the pain will lessen and the inflammation will subside. Many comments also talk about this. It’s worth noting that almost everyone who tells a story about their battle with gout on the Internet regrets not seeing a doctor at the first symptoms. So, even if you haven't been diagnosed with gout yet and some of this material seems familiar, go to the clinic - just to be safe.In general, there are many restrictions on diet 6, gout, and diet, none of which is a death sentence. If you eat right and keep your uric acid levels under control, you can significantly reduce the frequency of exacerbations. Even if you eat steak once a month and drink it down with dark beer, it's unlikely to trigger an attack if you generally follow your diet.