Minestrone For Hubs Gout Recovery
09/03/2016by Shannon Lim-de Rooy |
There is nothing nicer at the end of a long day than a bowl of homemade vegetable soup.
Norbert has been ailing by gout attack these past 3 weeks, which has only started to disappear into the 4th week. During his days working at the university bar, he must have over-drank his lifetime quota of beer . Gout is a kind of arthritis, with sudden attack of swelling, burning pain of the joint. His affected toe was hot, swollen and so tender that even the weight of the bedsheet is intolerable. Gout occurs when urate crystals accumulate in your joint, causing the inflammation and intense pain of a gout attack.
Avocado with chili on wholegrain rye crispbread for his lunch almost everyday
To reduce the uric acid in the body, he has to limit intake of foods high in purines, such as meat, legumes, beans and seafood.. The food low in purines are vegetables, egg and fruits. Basically be an occasional meat eater, or in his own words eating grass. I followed along with his grass diet for these 3 weeks, as it was rather similar to my fruit and veggie cleanse 2 years ago, except rice and wholegrain wheat is acceptable . Even though I eat mostly vegetables now, my body does better with meat protein in the cold weather. But together with my own food intolerances, I was fast running out of dinner ideas that are suitable for us both.
Vegetable Fritata. Yup we have tons of eggs and fruits
What’s Not Allowed On A Gout Diet
“No foods need to be avoided altogether, but there are certain foods that should only be consumed in limited portions,” Cleary says. “Limiting organ meats and certain types of seafood-anchovies, tuna, sardines, haddock and more-may help to decrease gout attacks. Other types of seafood, including salmon, shrimp and lobster, are lower in purines and should be fine in moderate amounts. Red meat and poultry should be limited to no more than 6 ounces per day.”
The cardiovascular benefits from eating heart-healthy fish like salmon and tuna might outweigh the rise in uric acid they cause.
Cleary recommends replacing the protein you would be getting from meat “with nuts and nut butters, eggs, low-fat dairy, beans and soy-based products.” It is safe to eat up to two daily servings of low-fat dairy.
The AAFP suggests restricting fruit juices and soft drinks with high-fructose corn syrup. Fructose can increase uric acid production. Refined carbohydrates should also be limited.
Finally, pay attention to the booze. “Alcohol can also increase uric acid production, so alcohol consumption should be limited as much as possible,” Cleary says. According to a 2016 review in The American Journal of Medicine, wine is OK in moderation, but liquor and beer should be avoided as much as possible.
Foods to Limit
Managing A Gout Flare
Gout flares are unexpected and painful heres how to get a handle on them.
Few things in life are more painful than a gout flare, so if youre awakened in the wee hours by a joint that is tender, swollen, red and radiating heat, youll want to act fast. Heres what you can do when a gout flare starts to ease the pain of and reduce the risk of others.
Read Also: How To Lower Uric Acid For Gout
First Foods That Can Help
- There are actually several types of foods that may help protect against gout attacks. These include low-fat dairy foods, complex carbohydrates, coffee, and fruits, especially citrus fruits. You should also be sure to get 12 to 16 cups of fluid daily.
- You don’t necessarily have to drink only wateryou can choose non-sweetened juice, tea, and coffee too.
- Any kind of fluid that keeps that blood flowing and urine flowing is a good choice, says Lona Sandon, PhD, RDN, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Next up: The foods to avoid. Read on for a list of potentially problematic eats.
Scallops are okay for an occasional indulgence, but you should cut back on themand all types of meat and seafoodduring a flare-up, says Sandon. These animal foods are rich in purines, which your body breaks down into uric acid.
You have a little more freedom in your food choices when your gout is at bay, but its still a good idea to keep meat and seafood intake to a minimum4 to 6 ounces daily at most.
All meat is not created equal when it comes to purine content: White meat is generally better than red.
But it is okay to eat some types of red meat once in a while. Youre a bit better off if your occasional indulgence is beef or pork rather than lamb, says Dr. Zashin.
And lamb chops are a better choice than leg meat.
Organ meats, such as liver, kidneys, and sweetbreads, are a major no-no.
What Role Do Purines Play
An estimated 70% of uric acid in the blood is made inside the body. This means that even by following a strict low-purine diet, it will only be possible to lower uric acid levels by 30% at the most. But not all foods are the same: Our bodies absorb purines differently from different foods, so it might not make sense to avoid all foods that contain purines especially if you already eat a balanced diet. There are no high-quality studies on the effectiveness of strict low-purine diets. Besides, they can be quite difficult to stick to.
Read Also: Gout Like Symptoms In Knee
What To Eat To Ease Gout Pain
Low-purine foods are highly recommended. They include fruits, nuts, and eggs. There are also other foods that improve the condition of gout. I highly recommend the following three foods, which just may be gouts toughest natural health opponents:
1. Cherries
Could a common dessert topping also help lower gout attacks? Various studies link cherry consumption and the reduced occurrence of gouty arthritis. In a study published in Arthritis Rheumatism, Boston University researchers had 633 people with the inflammatory condition take cherries and cherry extract for a two-day period. Prior to the study, participants provided information about their gout attacks, including the onset date of the condition, symptoms, anti-gout medications, and other potential risk factors. The researchers found that cherries lowered the risk of gout attacks by 35%.
2. Parsley
There are flavonol constituents in parsley that can lower uric acid levels, including kaempferol and quercetin. Hyperuricemia is a condition with extremely high levels of uric acid. People with the condition are considered to be at greater risk for gout, and it also may lead to cardiovascular diseases and cancer. In a two-week study, researchers found that the quercetin and kaempferol in parsley reduced uric acid levels in rats with hyperuricemia. Parsley is a great addition to salads, smoothies, and juices.
3. Ashwagandha
- Cinnamon
- Curcumin
- Noni fruit juice
A Good Diet For Gout Should Not Include Soft Drinks Or Fruit Juice
Added sugar is a big problem in the modern diet.
Generally speaking, the sugar that is added to our food and drink products are 50% glucose and 50% fructose.
While glucose molecules are metabolised in the cell, fructose is metabolised in the liver. Further explanation is out of the scope of this article, but they behave very differently in the body.
Fructose intake, and not glucose intake, is strongly linked with gout.
Soft drinks and fruit juices tend to have the greatest amount of added sugar, and therefore the greatest amount of added fructose.
In fact, gout occurrence in the US has risen in line with fructose consumption since 1970 .
In a large study of over 46,000 men, researches found that two or more sugar-sweetened soft drinks a day was associated with an 85% increased risk of gout .
The largest consumers of sugar-sweetened soft drinks actually had a risk of gout comparable to the risk seen with three to five servings of alcohol.
Unfortunately the researchers did not account for family history of gout, which may or may not have changed their findings somewhat.
The strange thing out of all this, however, is that soft drinks dont typically contain purines.
Fructose is thought to be the culprit linking added sugars with gout. It appears to share the same mechanism as alcohol: fructose accelerates the breakdown of purine-containing nucleotides like ATP. This in turn drives up uric acid levels 90120-5/abstract” rel=”nofollow”> 13, 14, 15).
Don’t Miss: What To Eat To Reduce Gout Pain
What If Changing Your Diet Isnt Enough
Some people manage to get their uric acid levels under control by changing their diet. But many people will need to take medication. Most of the uric acid in your body is made inside your body, so changing your diet only has a limited effect. Treatment with medication is considered if the gout attacks are frequent or if you have complications like kidney stones or tophi.
What Foods Get Rid Of Gout
Foods that may help keep gout under control are:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Low-fat dairy products, such as yogurt and skimmed milk
- Nuts including nut butters such as almond butter and peanut butter
- Whole grains
- Potatoes, rice, whole-grain bread and whole grain pasta
- Eggs
- Oils such as olive oil
- Flax and other seeds
- Plenty of water and other non-sugary and non-alcoholic drinks
You May Like: The End Of Gout Reviews
Drinks You Should Avoid On Gout
Its so easy to forget that what we drink is an important part of our diet. Drinks can contribute important hydration and nutrients. However, its easy for calories and additional additives like fructose to slip by and all too quickly add up.
Alcohol
Excessive alcohol use should be avoided, well in everyone. However, people with gout should be even more careful with how much they alcohol they consume.
The American College of Rheumatology recommends no more than 2 drinks daily for men and no more than 1 drink daily for women with the disease. Its also recommended to completely eliminate alcohol during active flares .
Beer and hard alcohol seem to much bigger culprits than wine at aggravating the disease .
Diet Tip: If you are affected by gout and still want to enjoy an adult beverage, a controlled amount of wine is the best choice for minimizing negative health effects.
Sugary Drinks
Almost any non-diet drink contains a significant amount of added sugar, often in the form of fructose. Not only does added fructose contribute to uric acid build up, it also contributes negatively to making the other chronic diseases worse. Added sugar is one of the biggest enemies of the obesity epidemic, and comorbid conditions that go along with it.
This includes any soda thats not diet along with most fruit juices and energy drinks.
Can Dietary Supplements Help
People with gout are sometimes advised to take vitamin C supplements because they are believed to lower uric acid levels. But there has only been one good-quality study on the effectiveness of vitamin C in gout. That study found that vitamin C had a weak effect on uric acid levels, but the researchers didnt look into whether that also lowered the risk of gout attacks.
You May Like: Does Ginger Help With Gout
Gout Diet: Foods To Eat With Gout
Healthy Eating When Considering Gout
Is there such a thing as a gout diet? Not really. But there are certain foods you should eatand others you should avoid such as those high in purinesto help prevent both gout in general and gout attacks.
If youre at risk for gout or youre concerned about getting it, its a good idea to watch what you eat. And if youve already been diagnosed with gout and youre looking for ways to help prevent gout attacks, you should pay attention to your diet, too. This article covers what foods to eatand not eatto help prevent gout and gout attacks.
Before starting a new diet, you should talk to your doctor. He or she might talk about how a poor diet may make you more at risk for gout or a gout attack if you have high levels of uric acid to begin with. Your doctor can also suggest ways to improve your diet.
Foods to Eat to Help Prevent Gout and Gout AttacksIts thought that some foods can help lower uric acid levels, thus reducing your risk of gout or a gout attack.
Below are some of the most well-studied foods that may help prevent gout. They may also help prevent gout attacks.
Dairy: Eating low-fat dairy products, such as low-fat yogurt, can significantly decrease your risk of getting gout. One 2004 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that incorporating more dairy in your diet is linked to a reduced risk of gout.3
Foods high in purines include:
Tired Of Regular Gout Flare
If so Ive got some goods news
The cause of gout is simply too much uric acid build up in your joints. Before you rush to the doctor, you can take steps to fight back against too much uric acid – the safe and natural way!
Nutritionist Evan Burns, reveals how in his FREE report, with a dozen ways to fight excess uric acid — without prescriptions or steroids!
You May Like: Vitamins To Avoid With Gout
Can I Drink Alcohol
Drinking alcohol can increase your risk of a gout attack as it can raise the level of uric acid in your blood. While it is possible to control gout attacks without completely cutting out alcohol, try to reduce the amount of alcohol you drink and avoid binge drinking . Talk to your doctor or read the Australian government guidelines on recommended alcohol intake.
Q Is Salmon Omega 3 Good For Uric Acid
Yes, omega 3 fatty acids are vital fatty acids that must be consumed in food or supplementation. Essential fat like omega 3 from fish like salmon reduces inflammation and swelling.
When shopping for fish, choose smaller types as they contain less mercury and purines. Try salmon sardines and mackerel. To reduce inflammation, eat a serving of 2 to 3 times a week. One serving is equivalent to 4 ounces.
If you prefer omega 3 supplements, you can take up to 2.6 grams twice a day. Check on the ingredients list to ensure it contains 30 percent eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid .
If you take inflammatory drugs, you should talk to your doctor first before taking salmon oil supplements.
Also Check: What Is Used To Treat Gout
How Does Diet Impact Gout
Though diet isnt the only factor that leads to gout, it can play a role. To know why, its important to understand what causes gout in the body .
Gout occurs when an excess of uric acid in the body crystallizes in the joints, most commonly in the big toes, fingers, wrists and knees. These sharp crystals cause sudden swelling and are the source of the pain associated with a gout attack.
Uric acid is produced naturally when the body breaks down purines. Most purine is produced inside the body, though purines are also contained in some foods. Normally, uric acid doesnt cause problems because the body is able to secrete it easily through urine. However, some people produce too much uric acid or are unable to secrete enough of it. In these cases, the result is gout.
Though the body produces uric acid naturally, making gout largely unavoidable, consumption of foods rich in purines can exacerbate the problem. In fact, one study found that high purine intake was associated with five times greater risk of recurrent gout attacks .
In addition to foods rich in purine, those with gout should also avoid foods with lots of added sugars and refined carbs. Though more research needs to be done, reducing glycemic index seems to correlate with lower uric acid levels .
What Should I Consider If I Take Medication
There are certain medications that can raise the levels of uric acid, thereby increasing the risk of gout. These include diuretics , acetylsalicylic acid and some medications that are taken after an organ transplant. Levodopa and some cancer medications can also increase the risk of gout.
If you take any of these medications, it’s best to discuss with your doctor whether it would be possible to switch to a different medication.
Don’t Miss: Is Onion Bad For Gout
How Does The Alkaline Diet Help Gout
So what does the alkaline diet have to do with gout? It raises the pH of urine, which increases the elimination of uric acid from your body 2.
So what does the alkaline diet have to do with gout?
- It raises the pH of urine, which increases the elimination of uric acid from your body 2.
- Less sodium and more potassium in the alkaline diet tends to prevent high amounts of uric acid 1.
- It contains substantially less purines, the compounds found in high amounts in animal products that form uric acid.
- It eliminates animal products, which decreases uric acid excretion in urine 3.
- It benefits kidney function the kidneys are responsible for processing uric acid 4.
Exclusive Bonus! Download the FREE report 12 Top Ways to Fight Gout & Ease The Pain by .
How To Get Rid Of Gout With Your Diet
Gout has literally been referred to The Disease of Kings because it has been associated with indulging excessively in food and alcohol, which was historically thought to be a privilege of royalty.
Acute flares of pain usually require anti-inflammatories and other medications in addition to diet.
Learning how to decrease flairs or prevent gout all together requires focusing on food.
Also Check: Natural Remedies For Gout In Foot
Which Other Lifestyle Factors Can Affect Gout
While there are no controlled studies or evidence on the effect of lifestyle changes on the incidence of gout, expert opinion is that positive changes in lifestyle can be beneficial to the management of gout. Being overweight is not recommended for gout suffers and the available evidence indicates that losing weight may helpful. Dietary modifications to achieve a healthy body weight are recommended, however the use of crash, high-protein and low-carbohydrate diets should be avoided. Slow and steady weight loss is ideal and support from a dietitian should be sought to help develop a sustainable and balanced weight loss plan. Rapid weight loss is not recommended as it can increase the amount of uric acid in the body leading to an increased chance of a gout attack.
Regular exercise such as swimming or walking is also recommended as it may help reduce the frequency of gout attacks. In addition, it may have a beneficial effect on associated co-morbidities such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and insulin resistance.