Photo: Fotolia
- Important tips
- Purines promote gout attacks
- Lower uric acid by changing your diet
Important tips
Since the wrong foods can lead to an increased uric acid level and thus trigger seizures, proper nutrition plays an important role in gout . With the help of a diet change, the symptoms can even be alleviated.
Purines promote gout attacks
Patients should ensure that their uric acid levels in the blood are as long as possible permanently below six milligrams per deciliter. Otherwise, the uric acid can easily crystallize and settle in the joints. The consequences are not only complaints such as pain and swelling, but also recurring gout attacks.
Even late effects such as chronic arthritis or kidney stones are possible. Therefore, to reduce their uric acid level and to prevent gout attacks, sufferers should generally pay attention to their diet . Avoid purine-rich foods such as peas, raw ham and white beans, because the added purine in the body additional uric acid is formed.
Lower uric acid by changing your diet
The right diet for gout is determined together with the attending physician. Thus, the patient must keep even more stringent diet in an acute gout attack than normal. Basically, however, sufferers should not consume more than 500 milligrams of uric acid per day and 3000 milligrams per week. It is best to eat very little meat, legumes and certain types of fish such as herring, sardines or anchovies. Also, avoid yeast and try to avoid any entrails because they contain a lot of purine.
You can not do much wrong with fruits and vegetables, but you should also exercise some caution here: While lettuce and potatoes are part of the right diet for gout, you should restrain yourself with spinach and Brussels sprouts, because these are also rather pure purine. On the other hand, eggs, milk and dairy products are particularly suitable because the protein contained promotes uric acid excretion via the kidney. However, if a change in diet alone does not produce any success, additional medication must be used in therapy.
More tips on diet for gout
If there is no objection from a medical point of view, patients should drink two to three liters of fluid a day. Allowed are tap or mineral water as well as tea and coffee. Sweetened sodas or soft drinks are rather inappropriate. Alcoholic drinks should be avoided, as they contribute to the increase in uric acid levels in the blood and thus worsen the symptoms. Beer in particular is not recommended, as it is also rich in purine. In addition, as part of an adequate diet for gout sufferers should avoid extreme cases such as fasting, thirsty phases or luscious meals, as this can also lead to gout attacks.
