Foods That Cause Gout

Foods That Cause Gout

Knowing the foods that cause gout is very important. There is a strong relationship between gout and food, and changes in your diet can dramatically decrease gout symptoms. Before going over the foods that cause gout in more detail, lets first discuss some basic information about gout.

Gout is caused when uric acid crystallizes, and deposits in tissues and joints of the body. These crystals result in inflammation and can cause severe pain. The most common place for gout to occur is the big toe, but it can also happen in other places like the feet, ankles, wrists, fingers and elbows.

Foods that cause gout are high in purines. Purines are the chemicals in foods, which the body breaks down into uric acid. People with gout are unable to secrete enough uric acid, so it builds up in the body and eventually crystallizes.

The key to a successful gout diet is not only to limit foods high in purines, but also to eat healthy foods that will help limit gout attacks. Here is our gout and food lists:

Food you should avoid:

The American Medical Association recommends that you cut down on the following foods that cause gout.

Alcohol - especially beer and wine.

Offal/organ meats - this includes liver, kidney, heart and tongue, etc.

Yeast.

Certain fish and shell fish - herring, sardines, anchovies, mussels, shrimp and scallops are known foods that cause gout.

Gravies, rich and creamy sauces, consommé and meat extracts.

Mushrooms, cauliflower, asparagus, spinach, peas, beans, and lentils.

Sweetbreads.
Additional foods that are moderately high in purines and should be avoided on a gout diet include bacon, turkey, trout, goose, pheasant, veal, mutton, haddock and salmon.

Beneficial foods:

Numerous studies have shown that certain foods are beneficial for gout sufferers. Foods that are good for a gout diet include:

Fresh fruits such as cherries, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, pineapple and bananas.
Vegetables including green leafy vegetables, celery, tomatoes, cabbage and parsley.
Drinking lots of Water.
Drinks such as fruit juices, coffee, tea, and carbonated beverages.
Foods with lots of vitamin C. Examples include tangerines, red bell peppers, potatoes and red cabbage.
Low fat diary products like cheese, milk, butter, ice cream and tapioca.
Now that we have discussed gout and food, lets discuss some other preventative measures.

Prevention

Most people with gout know that they have to avoid the foods that cause gout. Just as important though, is to eat the beneficial foods mentioned above. Weight reduction and getting regular exercise is good for your body, and will help your gout. Additionally, high blood pressure is known to increase uric acid levels. You should check with your doctor to see if a blood pressure medication would be beneficial.

It is very important drink lots of water. Drinking 6-8 glasses a day of water can help flush the uric acid out of the blood stream. An essential part of any gout diet is to drink lots of water.

It is also important is to treat the symptoms as soon as possible. Immediate treatment will not allow the disease to progress, and the symptoms to worsen.

Now that we have gone over the relationship between gout and food, it is important to discuss treatment.

Treatment

There are many different medications that can be used to treat gout. Unfortunately, all of these medications have potential problems. Some are not safe to use long-term, while others have severe side effects. They are all very expensive, but the biggest problem is that most of them do not work very well.

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs are often prescribed for gout. They often have severe side effects that include gastrointestinal bleeding, ulcers, high blood pressure, skin rashes, etc. COX-2 inhibitor drugs can adversely affect the kidneys, increase bleeding, increase the chances of heart attacks, and cause hallucinations. Steroids are not safe to use long-term and can have even more severe side effects.

For these reasons, many people prefer to try natural treatments. Natural treatments have no side effects, are safe to use long-term, and for many people are the most effective treatment.

Recommended Natural Product

After an extensive search, we have found a really interesting natural product for treating gout. It is called Gouticil.

Gouticil is a breakthrough product that not only eliminates the excess uric acid, but it also works to eliminate the pain, stiffness, and swelling that results from gout.

Click on this link to read some testimonials, and to learn more about Gouticil.

If you have any additional questions about the foods that cause gout, or the relationship between gout and food, please contact us. If you have tried a gout diet and would like to share your experiences with our readers, please let us know.

More than foods that cause gout on our natural remedies for gout page

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