Forbidden gout foods
You may have heard that now that you have gout, you have to avoid certain foods. But you may not have understood which - and why.
It all has to do with the level of uric acid in yout blood, and how your body reacts to it. Some people react differently to some foods, and what triggers an attack may at least be a little psychological, but certainly a great deal genetic.
It all has to do with the level of uric acid in yout blood, and how your body reacts to it. Some people react differently to some foods, and what triggers an attack may at least be a little psychological, but certainly a great deal genetic.
THE CRYSTAL PAIN
The reason you get gout is that uric acid crystallizes in your joints and then, when there are enough crystals, your body triggers an inflammation to get rid of them. As I wrote on another page, the inflammation is what causes the pain, and when you get a gout attack in your foot, it puts pressure on the nerves which is why it hurts so much.
GOUT TRIGGER FOODS
Your body produces purines when old cells are recycled, and those purines are turned to uric acid and flushed the natural way. But if you have too much uric acid, above the concentration at which uric acid forms crystals, then you get a gout attack.
Since purines are involved in the energy production in your body, your digestive system will happily take them up and move from the intestine into the blood. In other words, eating foods rich in purines will raise your uric acid level.
Meat is most famous but any animal tissue is much richer in purines than vegetables.
Since purines are involved in the energy production in your body, your digestive system will happily take them up and move from the intestine into the blood. In other words, eating foods rich in purines will raise your uric acid level.
Meat is most famous but any animal tissue is much richer in purines than vegetables.
TRIGGER FOODS
Every gout sufferer will tell you that their attacks and flare-ups are triggered by certain foods. Some get an attack after eating tomatoes. Others have flareups after a meal full of asparagus. Others are set off by red meat. My first attack was triggered by an abalone dinner.
The truth is that there is no such thing as a trigger food. Attacks happen when you pass the threshold in uric acid concentration. When there is enough uric acid built up in your big toe (or wherever the attack happens), you get an attack.
The truth is that there is no such thing as a trigger food. Attacks happen when you pass the threshold in uric acid concentration. When there is enough uric acid built up in your big toe (or wherever the attack happens), you get an attack.
NO MORE MEAT EVER?
Now that you know you have gout, you have to avoid animal products. That means anything made from animals, as well as seafood and fish. The only exception is cheese and milk. Anything fermented, in particular if it contains both purines and alcohol, like beer, is forbidden.
NO MORE SWEETS EVER?
Sweet things are also bad for you. The sugar they contain becomes glucose in the liver, and the glucose can cause problems in your cells unless it is quickly digested used up or stored away. But this also causes problems for gout sufferers, since one of the products from the digestive process is uric acid. So the more sweets, the the more uric acid.
FORBIDDEN DRINKS
Your menu choices are limited when you have gout, but your choice in drinks become even more limited. Soft drinks and any kind of drink which contains fructose, especially high fructose corn syrup turn, turn directly into uric acid in your liver. Alcohol is basically the same, with more by-products. Alcohol also induces more pressures on your digestive system.
PURINE-RICH VEGETABLES
While vegetables are the safest foods you can eat if you have gout, there are a few which you should not each more than once or twice a week, and then in moderation.
They are:
• Fermented vegetables (like sauerkraut and Japanese natto)
• Beans in general
• Some mushrooms, like Shiitake mushrooms (but not all kinds)
They are:
• Fermented vegetables (like sauerkraut and Japanese natto)
• Beans in general
• Some mushrooms, like Shiitake mushrooms (but not all kinds)
WHY YOU SHOULD AVOID SALT
Another food to avoid is common table salt. There are two reasons: The salt makes your body retain water just when you need to expel it to wash out the extra uric acid from your body. And the uric acid crystals are actually not uric acid, they are one of the salts of uric acid - monosodium urate. That is right, the same sodium as in sodium chloride, common table salt.