Foods to Avoid for Gout

Foods to Avoid for Gout

There are various kinds of foods that include purines, this compound when broken down by the body leads to the creation of a chemical known as uric acid. The compound is a waste product that gets eliminated naturally from the body. However, when this chemical is not removed from the kidney due to several factors like diabetes, obesity, and metabolic issues, it leads to a condition called hyperuricemia. The disease causes pain along the joints and increases the acidity level of blood and urine.

Here’s the list of food that reduce uric acid levels, if eliminated from the diet:

  • Restrict your purine intake
    To manage a high level of uric acid in the body, avoiding purine-rich meats like red meat and vegetables proves helpful. Alternatively, you can include peanut butter, nuts, and other food that reduce uric acid levels in the body and help prevent aggravation of the disease.
  • Limit sugar and alcohol intake
    The intake of alcoholic beverages and sugary drinks is directly linked to an elevated level of uric acid, as these drinks cause possible weight gain, high blood sugar, and other metabolic issues. However, you can adopt wholesome food that reduce uric acid levels like fiber-rich smoothies as well as filtered water to filter out impurities from the body.
  • Cut down on refined carbohydrates
    Avoid eatables like white bread, candies, cakes, and other items that are high in refined carbohydrates. To manage the disease well, choosing foods made with whole grains like oats, brown rice and barley prove healthier and lower the risk of developing gout disease.
  • Limit caffeine intake
    Limiting your coffee consumption is imperative for bringing down your body’s uric levels. The consumption of large amounts of coffee increases the risk of kidney ailments, causing uric acid levels to rise.
  • Avoid seafood
    The high level of purine in seafood like salmon, codfish, scallops, herring, and more causes an increase in the level of uric acid that may lead to painful gout. To keep the uric level in control and prevent complications of the disease, avoiding these foods or eating in moderation proves effective in managing the problem.
  • Limit fatty foods
    Whether it is a high-fat dairy or fatty poultry, cutting down on saturated fats becomes important to control uric acid levels in the body. Additionally, saturated fats also cause a rise in cholesterol levels along the body and weight gain, leading to elevated uric acid levels.

Apart from consuming foods that reduce uric acid levels in the body, adopting healthy eating habits, keeping a check on body weight, and undertaking regular exercise can help in lowering the risk of the disease and preventing conditions like gout. Additionally, you can also include vitamin C in your daily diet to lower the level of uric acid in the body and prevent hyperuricemia. Moreover, staying away from fast food and high fructose foods also proves beneficial in controlling the uric acid level.