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Gout Diet
Gout is a form of arthritis usually occurring in the cooler extremities of the body, like feet or toes. It results from excessive uric acid in the bloodstream which leaves needle-like crystal deposits in the joints causing redness, swelling and extreme pain.
Normally the uric acid dissolves in the blood stream but there is a problem if:
- there is an increase in uric acid production.
- the kidneys are not functioning sufficiently to eliminate uric acid.
- there is an increased consumption of foods containing purines. Purine is a chemical found in certain foods that forms uric acid when broken down in the body.
Gout Diet and Nutrition
As Gout seems to be more prevalent in overweight people it is important to maintain a healthy body weight. Also extra fluid can help flush uric acid crystals out, but alcohol should be avoided. As well as prescribed medications it can be helpful to follow a low purine diet, avoiding foods that are high in purine and eating low purine foods moderately.
High Purine Foods – Avoid
Foods to Avoid
Beer, anchovies, organ meat (brains, kidney, liver, sweetbreads), game meats, gravies, yeast, meat extracts, sardines, herring, mackerel, scallops.
Medium Purine Foods – Eat in Moderation
Fresh and saltwater fish, shellfish, eel, meat, poultry, meat soups and broth, asparagus , mushrooms, cauliflower, spinach, legumes, oatmeal, bran, wheat germ, whole-grain breads and cereals, eggs.
Low Purine Foods – No Restriction
Breads and cereals (low-fiber, white flour, or refined grain types), nuts, peanut butter. Vegetables not high in purines, soups – cream style or vegetable without meat extract, coffee, tea, fruit juices, soft drinks, gelatin, sugar, low fat cheeses.
Gout Diet – Foods That May Help
Some people have found cherry juice or strawberries helpful. Some chemicals contained in dark berries may help reduce the inflammation and lower the uric acid.
Oily fish like salmon, or fatty acids in flax seed or olive oil or nuts may reduce inflammation too.
It has been suggested that using tofu (from soybeans) instead of meat could also be helpful.
Some have found relief with OPC3 antioxidant supplement.
A balanced diet for gout sufferers includes foods that are high in complex carbohydrates, low in protein and low in fat.
This info/feedbacks are very helpful.Is there any way I can get just a list of foods=it’s for my 73 yr old brother-in-law.Thanks so very much for everything.
Hi everyone, my boyfriend just got diagnosed with Gout last week. I need some help with finding out what I can cook and what I shouldn’t. Should he stay away from meat all together?
I would appreciate any help on the subject.
Thanks,
Anne-Marie
Hey everyone! I’m a 25 year old female and I have been diagnosed with gout since I was 19 or 20. It’s been real hard. I also have psoratic arthritis. The 2 together do not make up a very pleasant situation. I also received a list of foods I should stay away from when I was diagnosed with gout. However, I never ate any of the foods that were on the list to begin with. It was very frustrating. After a long process and switching doctors a billion times it felt like, I feel that colchicine and meloxicam help wonders! I haven’t had a flare up in almost a year! I will admit, My feet and toes still hurt a little almost every day, but it sure brightens my day when I can actaully wear socks or even walk without crutches.
good luck to everyone!
Nicole=)
I used to get gout attacks every six months. I quit drinking beer and switched to vodka and rum. I also drink lots of water if I have more than one drink on the weekend. I still eat meat, but have cut back a little. It has been almost a year since my last attack. Drinking beer is the worst thing you can do if you suffer from gout.
my boyfriend has a gout,i want to cure him.how can i cure him of this disease.
I’m an African-american male from New Orleans. My bouts with gout stopped when I stopped drinking (17 years in A. A.) As far as diet goes, I eat just about everything under the sun. I love my boiled shrimp, crayfish, red beans and rice. Just bury me with my foot in the air! (lol)
I had my hip replaced 10 years ago and my doctor said the I may have a gout attack (shock to the body and limited mobility). I certinlly did! The V. A. hospital didn’t have a menue for patients that have history of gout. What else should anyone expect from the government? Give a lung cancer patient a carton of cigarettes. Gout paient…roast beef in thick brown gravy, spinach, white bread with butter and milk and ice cream for dessert for meals (lunch AND supper). Everything to kick off an increase of uric acid.
I as told that I’ve gout this afternoon. Kidney test is required to see if it has been damaged. So depressing. I’m only 38 and was told that gout usually hit men.
I just learn I have Gout. This is so painful I could not walk. My Mother said get a two cans of Sweet Dark Cherries in Heavey Syrup and eat a half a can a day for two days. I did this and after the first half a can the next day I could walk on my foot. It still hurt but not as bad. Thanks to the power of the Dark Cherries. Try this it really works.
I have high Uric acid .Using Allopurinol (Zyloric 200 mg)Now better
I’m a gout patient and i’m 58yrs old my both ankle gets swallowed and its so painful,,i’m on a stict diet also my doctor has said my kidniy is getting bad,please advice what should i eat?
you know what’s funny about this gout thing…i’m on a high protein diet (atkins diet) and reading this website tells me I can’t eat protein or high protein food…what the heck am I supposed to eat now…
It was nice going through your site on gout management,your classification of foods with high,moderate and low purines has been helpful but alas some sites on the internet classify nearly all foods as a cause of gout causing panic,should we starve to death
Hey everyone I just found out I have gout I’m really scared any tips please
i always thought tofu or any soya bean product for that matter are high in uric acid content. so are nuts and legumes. now i am confused.
what is the relation between uric acid and calcium that develop into kidney stones? isn’t uric acid one big source of gall bladder/kidney stones too?
thanks for any clarification
I forgot to mention one thing, in my family, as far as I know, I’m the only one who has this problem. I’ve asked people about this, since I had a pretty good diet before, not too much meat, and plenty of veggies and fruit. The only thing that I could relate as a probable cause for the appearance of gout, could be the fact that after having drank alcohol, I used to drink milk, which helped the hangover to diminish the next day, and the next day I would drink milk to help the hangover. It seems that this bad mix can cause some kind of reaction that leads afterwards to gout. Does anyone relate to this?
Hi, I just wanted to share some comments, as far as food, I’ve come to realize that canned food are a high source for gout,specially sardines. For those who are in doubt if they might have gout, the high levels are only detected during an attack! I was actually thinking about a “possible cure”, which I think could be the taking of the “Cambridge diet”, which is a diet at which you go for some weeks without eating solid food, and will get all the nutrients necessary via shakes. What can anyone tell me about this? I also suffered from gallbladder stones, but I have not had episodes for a long time, what I have to thank a herbal remedy from Peru, which is called “chanca piedra”. As I have understood, while being on a diet, the stones could form again. I’m thinking that the ingestion of omega3, being oil, could help promote the extraction of bile from the liver, does anyone know if this could help ?
I’m a 24 year old female from SA. I’m currently experiencing my second gout attack. I had the first one when i was in Gr12. I eat healthy and are not overweight. It’s very painfull. Otis Whitmeyer you are and asshole saying the things you said. Hope you get it!
your diet is good it help me getrid of my gout
my father has gout.i want to cure him.how can i cure him of this disease.
Otis Whitmeyer this is to you. For being a retard and just plasting a judgment on youg people! I am 30 had my first attack. I thought I broke my ankle it was so bad. I eat veggies everyday and very rare eat meat. I drink a beer maybe 2 a month. SO to you and your stupidity dont judge people just because you are old! My mom and my grand dad both have it. Bad! Thanks.
@Otis Whitmeyer: You are a complete idiot…I’m 33yrs old now but had my first gout attack in college when I was 20-21. I was an NCAA Division I athlete and a First Team All-American for 3 years. My weight had to be controlled thoroughly due to the nature of my sport and I had a strict diet created and monitored by a Dietitian. My first few gout attacks were thought to be injuries suffered during practice. It wasn’t before the team doctor ordered blood work and found high levels of uric acid that I was diagnosed with acute gout. In my case, it was primarily hereditary. So before you start running your mouth and accusing people of over-indulging or over-drinking, why don’t you get some facts.
hello Im 34 and on my second diagnosed gout attack although i have had 3 or 4 before i was diagnosed. I have not made any diet or lifestyle changes but will start. the attacks are always in my left ankle and last 10-14 days. reading all the comments it makes me wonder if anything will truely prevent gout. so many people taking so many medications and remedys and most still suffer with attacks. looks like we might just have to live with it!!
i am an 81 year old retired medical doctor, board certified.i have had gout for over 40 years, controlled on a regime of two tblespoons apple cider vinegar & two tblespoons honey in a glass of water twice a day. Decrease it to once a day after your gout attack has subsided. Stay away from red meat & shell fish. Eat black cherries & drink black cherry juice. Eat chicken with out the skin. Read Goutcure.com & follow that diet. apple cider vinegar is good for many conditions. Read about it on the Internet. Good Luck. You don’t have to live with gout. Control it. Dr Moore.
I have had gout for many years and thought that I could control it through diet. Problem is that you end up not even living, no beer, no meat, no tomatoes. No days I take purinol every day and watch some of my diet. The big key is to balance your diet. Stay away from south beach diet.
Hi I’m 30 years old. just had my first attack one week before Christmas for Year 2009. It attacked my Right Toe. Severely Needle like crystal cut for 4 nights.
What I don’t get is that I only consume red meat once every 2 months and yes I drink(beers) occasionally. I often do exercise with at least 4 times a week. and YET i still got Gout Attack.
For now I have totally changed my diet as strictly no red meat. Lot of Greens and anything relate to cherries or berries.
Does this means that i have to take this new diet for the rest of my life? No more Red Meat No more BEER!!!?!!
I just had my second gout attack. The first was in my right big toe and this recent one was in my left. Each time I was given Cholchicine. And for those who have never used this, the side effects are extreme, but it worked. Each flare up lasted about a week. After each flare up, my doctor told me what I could eat and drink and what to avoid. Listen to your doctor. I am now following his recommendations to the letter. This pain is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Even though I work out and run three times a week, and not to mention 28 years in the military, it goes to show no matter how old you are or the shape you are in, if you get it, learn from it.
Hello all, I had gout on my big toe five years ago, and my Chinese herbalist told me to dilute one big table spoon of rice or fruit vinegar into a tall glass of water and drink it once a day ( in the morning with empty stomach )or twice a day if your case is severe ( The vinegar has to be a natural vinegar !). I followed that advise for three months and I have not experienced any flair up afterward. I am just relating my personal experience to you all hoping that might help you cure this painful experience. I am not a doctor and I am not claiming that this method will work for everyone. Hope this could help someone without having to take any medication with side effects.
I am 66 years old and diabetic. 3 years ago I woke up paralyzed. Turned out it was Polymyalgia Rheumatica, or PMR for short. It was supposed to last 6 to 18 months. It has been 3 years. It affects all of your muscles. I have been on 20 mgs of prednisone for most of the 3 years – and yes, you gain weight. The pain got really bad about 8 months ago. I decided that maybe I needed some “new eyes” to look at me. I did and she did. Said that the PMR is being aggravated by gout. I got one Toradol shot ( this is a non narcotic pain shot ) to take the edge off – I take vicodin regularly – and now colchicine. 3 days later I feel like a new person. Get another opinion. If you find a new diet – please let me know. God bless you all.
Hi Gout sufferers!
I had an attack 30 or so years ago in a big toe and got meds for it; Cocholine. I’m now 67 and I now know that my diet was really off-key so after 4 attacks in both feet withing 6 months (alternating feet) I modified my diet quite a lot dropping red meats except one small hamburger every 10 days, shellfish, some veggies that contribute to it and drank very little wine. The podiatrist put me on 200MG of Allopurinol daily. I was fine for 4 months and one evening I had spagetti with 3 small meat balls and 1/2 glass of wine. That night I got the gout in the big toe/foot again (not badly) but home-treated it for a week with ice packs, Aleeve, cherry juice and kept off the foot and elevated it all the time when possible and it’s gone (for now). Still was tough trying to walk. We are pretty sure the wine kicked it off along with the stress of my mom going into a nursing home and handling all her affairs now. I FEEL EVERYONE’S PAIN! Bless you all.
i have a gout last one year , i went to the doctor he dignoised the gout, now im am taking tablets as ETRIC-90 MG for pain and zyloric for decomposition of uric acid now i feel little relief.
Thanks to doctor.