Foods You Must Avoid If You Have Gout

There are many foods to avoid with gout but it’s a matter of moderation, not really about totally abstaining from them if you suspect you have gout.

A diet of purine rich foods is usually the main culprit that causes gout attacks. Meat and poultry products are definitely high in purine because they are protein-rich foods.

Here’s a short list of foods to avoid with gout problems.

Bacon

Bacon has high levels of purines and sodium nitrates. Protein-rich bacon and with sodium nitrate as preservative can cause your uric acid to shoot up because of its dehydrating effect.

The preservative, sodium nitrate, is also carcinogenic and can damage the liver and pancreas.

Hotdogs

Hotdogs should be avoided. The meat used in hotdogs like turkey, chicken and beef may be moderately high in purines but manufacturers also include organ parts, such as the liver, in hotdogs and that is where high purine comes in.

Wild game meat

Wild game meat like venison, pheasant, squirrel, and grouse should also be avoid because they are purine rich. Eating them aggravates an attack that can last longer than a patient can bear.

Poultry

Eating chicken and turkey can be a healthy alternative than red meat but poultry products can increase uric acid in the blood and contribute to gout attack. If you are on a chicken diet, make sure that you eat in moderation and only take the lean meat part of the chicken.

Seafood

Seafood and fish are not advisable for people with gout. Salmon, for example, has high levels of uric acid that is twice as the chicken. Even if salmon has Omega 3 that’s good for gout, it’s better to get Omega 3 from other sources except from seafood and fish.

Legumes

Legumes like peas and lentils can be bad if you have gout. The purines in peas, especially black peas, can be compared to that of the chicken.

Alcohol and other beverages

According to some medical researchers, beer can increase the risk for the disease. A daily serving of beer can likely result to 49% risk of an attack. Other studies show that sugar-sweetened soda, fruit juices with fructose can also increase uric acid levels. Alcohol and other beverages always be must be taken in moderation too.

There are other beverages and foods to avoid if you have gout. These include artificial sweeteners, carbonated soft drinks and fizzy drinks, cigarettes, flour (white wheat), goat, lamb, pastries and cakes made from white flour, sugar, brown sugar, chocolate, coffee, custard with white sugar, jams, jellies, tablet salt, refined and iodized salt, black tea, white breads and wheat breads, white rice, and vinegar. These are severely acidic foods and may trigger an excruciating attack.

Therefore, it is wise to say that all it takes to control gout and be pain-free is  eating habits, weight management and nutrition.

If you have a habit of eating a lot of fatty foods, high-protein and high sodium, the risk for gout is increased. Obesity can also worsen your condition because it gives more pressure to the affected area.

Lastly, the kind of food taken in by the body must be considered to reduce incidence of gout attack.