Out with Gout: A Low Protein, Low Purines Gout Diet Can Help

A gout diet is, just like it sounds, a diet for people suffering from or looking to decrease their risk of developing gout. Gout is an incredibly painful form of arthritis. Gout is characterized by sudden, severe bouts of pain in the joints and connective tissues, causing redness and swelling.

What causes gout? Too much uric acid in your blood. This is where gout diets come in. Because uric acid is a waste product-formed when your body breaks down purines-a diet low in purines can help reduce your risk of developing gout. Or, if you already suffer from gout, can help prevent the painful flare-ups or the worsening of your condition. There are medicines your doctor can prescribe, but experts agree that following a diet for gout is as important, if not more important, than prescriptions. Losing weight can significantly reduce your chances for developing gout, and can also help improve your condition if you do have it.

People following gout diets should avoid certain foods altogether. You need to stay away from anything high in purines or high in protein, or both. Luckily for you, if you're on a gout diet, a lot of the no-no foods are downright gross or politically incorrect.

Here are a few examples of foods to avoid-whether you're trying to avoid gout or lose weight:

Hearts
Sardines
Liver
Kidneys
Veal
Anchovies

In all seriousness, though, there are some other food groups you need to avoid when you're on a gout diet. Stay away from alcohol and foods high in protein. As you can see from the list above, there are a number of restrictions on what types of meat you should be eating, particularly seafood. There are also some vegetables to watch out for, although they are only moderately high in purines:

Asparagus
Cauliflower
Peas
Spinach

But let's not focus solely on what you can't have. The good news is that there are lots of tasty foods you can have. Unlike the folks on the Atkins diet, you're encouraged to eat complex carbohydrates-pastas, breads, and cereals are all good for people on gout diets. You have a lot of beverage options. You can drink low-fat milk, coffee, tea, fruit juices, and even soda. Of course, you should be drinking lots of water, too. Best of all, you're encouraged to eat chocolate!

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