So sugar alone, witout additional purines, can raise your UA. That is consistent with the theory that hyperuricemia is caused by uncontrolled glucose production (as uric acid is a by-product of that same glucose production).
​Todays weather and temperature: Very cold night (below minus 11 degrees centigrade), around zero degrees centigrade during daytime.
Breakfast: Toast and coffee at a nearby cafe, and some of the quiches I made yesterday. I need to work more on the recipe, but mixing in a couple of spoonfuls of mustard with the eggs was a huge hit.
Lunch: Dal curry with tomato and onion, nan bread, salad and lassi (Indian yoghurt drink).
Snack: Crackers, fried sweet potatoes and apples, and purine-free beer
Dinner: Minestrone soup and quiche. Still half left. Maybe I should make a smaller one next time.
Todays supplements and dosage: Forgot those today, as we went out for breakfast.
Todays UA reading: 7.3 mg/dL, which is quite an astounding change from yesterday. Like having a high-purine meal. But the only thing I changed was eating sugar.... So sugar is definitely able to raise your uric acid.
Todays step count: 7647 steps
How much did I drink today?: Coffee 0.75 liter, lassi (at the indian lunch) 0.25 liter, water 1.5 liter. Adds up to 3.5 liters, just below one US gallon.
This weeks weight: 121.2 kg (so I gained weight from eating sugar too!)
​Waist circumference: 122 cm
How many times did I go to the toilet today? #1 8 times, #2 3 times.
My urine pH this morning (for why this matters, read more here): 7
Was my urine strange in any way? No
How many minutes did I use the Sixpad Foot Fit Plus? None, no desktime today.
​

Heavy snowfall today and likely to continue all weekend. Perfect for watching movies. Wonder what potato chips does to your uric acid concentration?
​Todays weather and temperature: Snowing and just above 0 all day, -10 deg c at night.
Breakfast: Cereal, coffee, and a green smoothie.
Lunch: Yesterdays sweet potato and apple fry with onion; two "gammo" tofuburgers.
Snack: No snack.
Dinner: Corn soup and nachos with guacamole. If you put a spoon of hot sauce in the corn soup, it becomrs great for grownups (we bought it for the kids).
Todays supplements and dosage: Aojiru in a green smoothie, 6 fish oil capsules.
Todays UA reading: 8.3 mg/dL, I was so surprised at this after the near perfect purine free day yesterday that I went on the scale and found I had lost one kilo! I will not count it yet but losing one kilo in 5 days, that is two 100-gram packs if butter per day. Plus purines. Let us see if it stays that way. It is too fast in that case.
Todays step count: 14229 steps.
How much did I drink today?: Water 2 liter, tea 1.5 liter, coffee 1 liter. Total 4.5 liter, approx 1 1/10 US gallons.
This weeks weight: 121.8 kg
​Waist circumference: 120 cm
How many times did I go to the toilet today? #1 9
times, #2 2 times.
My urine pH this morning (for why this matters, read more here): 7
Was my urine strange in any way? Not to me.
How many minutes did I use the Sixpad Foot Fit Plus? 10 minutes
​

So maybe the fish oil does matter. My UA jumped, although not dangerously. Well, the capsules are gelatine after all. I will only eat foods which lower UA today (konjac actually does that - the glucomannan fibers absorb uric acid released in the lower intestine, lowering your UA). Your body is not a conveyor belt which absorbs things in one end and releases the waste in another, there is a lot of exchange between the different parts of the body, anything you put in it, and the environment.
​Todays weather and temperature: Sunny and around zero deg C, colder at night (down to -10 according to the weather forecast).
Breakfast: "Oden" hotpot (eggs, daikon, konjac), ans a small bowl of rice. And an aojiru smoothie.
Lunch: Oden with two "gammo" tofuburgers and the reminder of my couscous-vegetable stew.
Snack: Parmesan cheese piece
Dinner: Soup and crackers.
Todays supplements and dosage: 6 fish oil capsules, and an aojiru smoothie.
Todays UA reading: 7.7 mg/dL, big rise from yesterday without any change except fish oil. Hmmm. Now I will try to keep it down by eating konjac and vegetables only today. If it goes down it is unlikely that the fish oil does have any effect.
Todays step count: 9039 steps
How much did I drink today?: Water 1.5 liter, coffee 1 liter, tea 1.5 liter. Approximately 1 1/10 US gallon.
This weeks weight: 121.8 kg
​Waist circumference: 121 cm
How many times did I go to the toilet today? #1 11 times, #2 1 times.
My urine pH this morning (for why this matters, read more here): 7
Was my urine strange in any way? No
How many minutes did I use the Sixpad Foot Fit Plus? None, I was not sitting much in front of my computer.
​

Brisk morning walk today. Snow makes the footing unsteady, giving an even better workout.
​Todays weather and temperature: Sunny and just above zero. Nights are really cold now.
Breakfast: Vegetable stew with konjac and couscous, and some of the mochi (rice cakes) left over by the kids.
Lunch: Japanese soba noodles with salad.
Snack: No snack
Dinner: Vegetable couscous stew. And "gorgonzola rice". I will refine the recipe a bit and publish it.
Todays supplements and dosage: Aojiru in a smoothie with... something. It was good though. And six fish oil capsules for the first time in rwo weeks.
Todays UA reading: 6.8 mg/dL.
Todays step count: 12013 steps
How much did I drink today?: Water 1.5 liter, coffee (with milk) 1 liter, tea 1.5 liter. Total 4 liters, 1 1/7 US gallon.
This weeks weight: 121.8 kg
​Waist circumference: 120 cm
How many times did I go to the toilet today? #1 8 times,, #2 2 times.
My urine pH this morning (for why this matters, read more here): 7
Was my urine strange in any way? No
How many minutes did I use the Sixpad Foot Fit Plus? 20 minutes, lots of desktime today.
​

I am lucky I can work from home, going back to work equals starting my computer. And trying to keep my kids quiet, their school starts only tomorrow.
I think the calorie-reduced diet is paying off, I do not have any way of measuring my blood sugar right now but I have the blood taste you get in your mouth after a really long run. That should mean I am not producing glucose (because I am not giving my body anything to produce glucose from), but in ketosis. Let us see if it gets reflected in my UA tomorrow.
​Todays weather and temperature: Sunny and just below zero centigrade, with snowfall and colder in the evening.
Breakfast: Egg and cheese bagel sandwich. Just a dollop of mayonnaise and a little mustard. So yummy!
Lunch: "Oden" stew without any of the fish cakes, but plenty of konjac, eggs, and daikon.
Snack: "Gammo" tofuburger with gorgonzola cheese. I do not think I will make that again.
Dinner:: Vegetable and couscous with konjac and cheese.
Todays supplements and dosage: No supplements today. Got to explain the usefulness of consistency to my wife. I miss the smoothies.
Todays UA reading: 6.6 mg/dL, good enough but I was hoping for even lower.
Todays step count: 6807 steps, no walk today.
How much did I drink today?: Coffee 1 liter, water 2 liter, tea 1.5 liter. Total 4.5 liter, about 1 2/7 US gallons.
This weeks weight: 123.8 kg
​Waist circumference: 120 cm
How many times did I go to the toilet today? #1 8 times, #2 2 times
My urine pH this morning (for why this matters, read more here): 8
Was my urine strange in any way? Not that I could notice.
How many minutes did I use the Sixpad Foot Fit Plus? 10 minutes, plenty of desk time today.
​

Went skiing with the kids. Well, they did most of the skiing.
​Todays weather and temperature: Around zero centigrade, colder at night. Snow falling all day.
Breakfast: Omelet with vegetables and some beans.
Lunch: Vegetable stir-fry leftovers, bread. And a third of the kids "nikkuman", a steamed bun with meat filling.
Snack: I was do hungry when I got home that I finished the miso-marinated onion and turnips I had made earlier. Onion was so-so, but niso marinated turnips... Match made in heaven! I will try to figure out the recipe and publish later.
Dinner: Vegetable soup, although my wife had made completely delicious hamburgers. I know because I tasted a piece.
Todays supplements and dosage: No supplement today.
Todays UA reading: 5.5 mg/dL.
Todays step count: 8905 steps
How much did I drink today?: Water 3 liter, coffee 1 liter. Total 4 liters, about 1 1/7 US gallon.
This weeks weight: 123.8 kg. Well, purines is not the only thing there was more of in the newbyears diet.
​Waist circumference: 120 cm
How many times did I go to the toilet today? #1 8 times, #2 2 times.
My urine pH this morning (for why this matters, read more here): 7
Was my urine strange in any way? Not that I could notice. But it itced when it was going out, like I had a urinary tract infection. Last time I had that was when I was a student, and then the doctor tested for gonorrhea and clamydia before he believed me. Not likely to happen this time, but I hope it goes away by itself.
How many minutes did I use the Sixpad Foot Fit Plus? None, no desk time today.
​

Last day of the high-purine foods, as the guests will be leaving today. Then back to my normal diet.
​Todays weather and temperature: Sunny and around 2 minus centigrade.
Breakfast: Asparagus, sausages, and bread with cream cheese from Finland. Valio brand, salmon and basil taste.The lemon and vanilla were more suited for dessert. Could substitute for ice cream, less sugar too.
Lunch: Sushi - last real sushi lunch in a while. Now, it is time to go vegetarian for a while.
Snack: Banana and swedish "skorpor" crackers.
Dinner: 2 bowls of vegetable soup and a gyoza dumpling.
Todays supplements and dosage: No supplement today. As we still have guests.
Todays UA reading: 5.6 mg/dL. Even after all that meat and wine.
I realized that there may be one more explanation: My kidney function has improved. That sounds strange, as there are not really any changes in anything, and I would have noticed if I had passed a kidney stone. So I think we can disregard that one.
Todays step count:
How much did I drink today?: Coffee 0.5 liter, water 2.5 liter, tea 1 liter. About 4 liters, 1 3/8 of a US gallon.
This weeks weight: 121 kg (I need to weigh myself tomorrow morning).
​Waist circumference: Still officially 121 cm.
How many times did I go to the toilet today? #1 7 times, #2 2 times.
My urine pH this morning (for why this matters, read more here): I did not measure today, the guest toilet was occupied.
Was my urine strange in any way? Not that I could notice.
How many minutes did I use the Sixpad Foot Fit Plus? None, no desk time today.
​

Still low UA readings. Need to figure out why. Although I am pretty happy not to be at risk for a gout attack.
​Todays weather and temperature: Sunny and around 0 degrees centigrade.
Breakfast: Osoni soup and mochi rice cakes.
Lunch: Udon noodles in yesterdays hotpot soup.
Snack: I ate all the leftover new years dishes.
Dinner: "sukiyaki", thin slices of meat dipped in egg, boiled in a sweetish sauce.
Todays supplements and dosage: No supplement today, still at the traditional new years dishes.
Todays UA reading: 6.7 mg/dL.
​This is considerably higher than yesterday, but still confusingly low after all the shabu-shabu I had yesterday. So I tried to troubleshoot:
- Can it be that the test trips for the UASure are damaged?
​-- This is not likely, the storage temperature recommended is above 4 deg C. And even if it is cold outside, our bedroom is not that cold.
- Can the UASure device be damaged?
-- Also not likely, but to be sure I ran a calibration, using the calibration strip. Smiley faces on both the R1 and R2 ends. So no problem with the UASure operation.
- Can the UASure device and the test strip be too cold during measurement?
-- While we do not heat up all rooms during winter, and I frequently have noticed that measurements are lower when the test strips are cold, I try to heat them up to normal room temperature by holding them under the airstream from the heater (which is about 30 deg C) until the UASure test strip (still in the package) is no longer cold to the touch. The UASure device also does not indicate "t low". any more.
So it is unlikely that the low UA reading is created by a malfunction of the UASure device and the test strip. That means identifying if something has changed in my physiology or life style. .
- Have I done something that could change the UA reading drastically?
-- I am still overweight, and I excercise too little during vacation. That is sort of a reverse explanation.
​-- I have not taken my fish oil supplements for two weeks (for various reasons). If that is the explanation, the values should return when I start taking them again. That would be interesting.
-- I am not taking aojiru supplements now. If not taking aojiru supplements can lower the UA, then the millions of people who suffer from gout should simply stop taking them. And of course most gout sufferers do not take aojiru, so they can not stop. That can not be the explanation.
-- Aojiru has a delayed effect - you have to take it for two weeks, and the effect persists. Not sure that may be right, but if I refrain from taking it the values should return to normal.
-- I have finally depleted all stored uric acid, so UA reading is now reflecting recently produced uric acid only. That is actually not a bad hypothesis. If I eat a purine-rich meal, my UA should go up. Which actually happened yesterday. But I am not sure how I could test beyond that. Perhaps if I continue the purine-free diet for a while I should see continued low UA values. I will continue to test this from next week.
So the way to check this is first to take fish oil, and see if it has any effect. Then re-introduce the aojiru, and see if it has any effect. And continue the low-purine diet. I will start the day after tomorrow.
Todays step count: 8064 steps
How much did I drink today?: Coffee 1 liter, water 2 liter, beer 0.3 liter, wine 0.5 liter. Total 3.8 liter, more or less a US gallon.
This weeks weight: 121 kg
​Waist circumference: 121 kg
How many times did I go to the toilet today? #1 3 times, #2 1 times.
My urine pH this morning (for why this matters, read more here): I did not measure today.
Was my urine strange in any way? Not that I could see.
How many minutes did I use the Sixpad Foot Fit Plus? None, no desk time today.
​

My new years resolution: No gout attack for me, and helping other people not to have any gout attacks too. I had some joint pain in my fingers early morning, must be because of the Japanese sake yesterday.
​Todays weather and temperature: About zero degrees centigrade, continued snowfall.
Breakfast: Traditional Japanese new years dishes, lots of fish - and vegetables.
Lunch: Spare ribs and vegetables.
Snack: Potato chips. Because it is January 1 only once a year.
Dinner: Meat hot pot with "shabu-shabu" meat, thin slices quickly boiled to keep the taste.
Todays supplements and dosage: No supplement today, it is New Years Day.
Todays UA reading: 4.9 mg/dL. I have to check this tomorrow.
Todays step count: 4829 steps
How much did I drink today?: Water 1.5 liter, coffee 0.5 liter, wine and "nihonshu" 2 liter, no-al beer 1 liter. Total 6 liters, approx 1 2/3 US gallon.
This weeks weight: 121 kg
​Waist circumference: 121 cm
How many times did I go to the toilet today? #1 6 times, #2 2 times.
My urine pH this morning (for why this matters, read more here): 6
Was my urine strange in any way? Not that I could notice.
How many minutes did I use the Sixpad Foot Fit Plus? None, no desk time today.
​

Since my UA is low today too (that beef must literally have melted away), I will check what happens when you eat a lot of sweets. Since you do mot know how much sugar there is in a dish (other than from the label), I will simply add three sponefuls of sugar to every dish at every meal. That should trigger my liver to produce lots of uric scid when it attempts to break down the sugar, and my uric acid should go through the roof. Let me see if the theory works tomorrow.
​Todays weather and temperature: Just above 0 deg c. Some snow or rain may be coming.
Breakfast: Muffin with apple-banana pudding. And a few hours later, potato omelet (without sugar, it would not have been very tasty).
Lunch: I only had time to wolf down a potato gratin and no sugar, because the water heater broke so I had to call the landlord.
Snack: Two "onsen tamago" (eggs boiled in the hot spring water). So since I did not gave time to eat sugar at lunch, I had two bottles of Coca-Cola. 250 kcal each. 100 g of konjac has 4 kcal, so that corresponds to 12500 gram, 12.5 kg of konjac (or konyakky). Some difference.
Dinner: Since our bath is broken, we went to a nearby public bath, which is actually fed by a warm spring. They also have an excellent restaurant. I had "oobansai", a selection of vegetable winter dishes from the region. And then I helped the kids finish their desserts.
Todays supplements and dosage: Aojiru in a glass with 3 teaspoonfuls of sugar and lemon juice.
Todays UA reading: 6.7 mg/dL.
Todays step count: 6424 steps.
How much did I drink today?: Water 10 glasses of 0.2 liter, coffee 1 liter, total 3 liters. Approx 6/8 of a US gallons.
This weeks weight: 121 kg, which also happens to be my waist circumference in centimeters. Wonder which I can decrease the fastest?
How many times did I go to the toilet today? #1 6 times, #2 2 times.
My urine pH this morning (for why this matters, read more here): 7
Was my urine strange in any way? No.
How many minutes did I use the Sixpad Foot Fit Plus? None, no desk time today.
​