Gout is a form of arthritis that occurs when uric acid builds up in the body and causes inflammation. The most common symptoms of gout are sudden attacks of pain, swelling, redness, or warmth in the big toe.
It’s not uncommon for people to suffer from two or more types of arthritis at once. In fact, gout is often accompanied by other forms of arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Right here on Foodkeg, you are privy to a litany of relevant information on vegetables to avoid with gout, gout treatment, what are the 10 foods that trigger gout, and so much more. Take out time to visit our catalog for more information on similar topics.
Fruits That Are Good For Gout
Gout is a type of arthritis that involves sudden pain, swelling and inflammation of the joints.
Nearly half of gout cases affect the big toes, while other cases affect the fingers, wrists, knees and heels.
Gout symptoms or “attacks” occur when there is too much uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is a waste product made by the body when it digests certain foods.
When uric acid levels are high, crystals of it can accumulate in your joints. This process triggers swelling, inflammation and intense pain.
Gout attacks typically occur at night and last 3–10 days.
Most people who have the condition experience these symptoms because their bodies can’t remove the excess uric acid efficiently. This lets uric acid accumulate, crystallize and settle in the joints.
Others with gout make too much uric acid due to genetics or their diet.
Summary: Gout is a type of arthritis that involves sudden
pain, swelling and inflammation of the joints. It happens when there is too
much uric acid in the blood, causing it to deposit in the joints as crystals.
How Does Food Affect Gout?
If you have gout, certain foods may trigger an attack by raising your uric acid levels.
Trigger foods are commonly high in purines, a substance found naturally in foods. When you digest purines, your body makes uric acid as a waste product.
This is not a concern for healthy people, as they efficiently remove excess uric acid from the body.
However, people with gout can’t efficiently remove excess uric acid. Thus, a high-purine diet may let uric acid accumulate and cause a gout attack.
Fortunately, research shows that restricting high-purine foods and taking the appropriate medication can prevent gout attacks.
Foods that commonly trigger gout attacks include organ meats, red meats, seafood, alcohol and beer. They contain a moderate-to-high amount of purines.
However, there is one exception to this rule. Research shows that high-purine vegetables do not trigger gout attacks.
And interestingly, fructose and sugar-sweetened beverages can increase the risk of gout and gout attacks, even though they’re not purine-rich.
Instead, they may raise uric acid levels by accelerating several cellular processes.
For instance, a study including over 125,000 participants found that people who consumed the most fructose had a 62% higher risk of developing gout.
On the other hand, research shows that low-fat dairy products, soy products and vitamin C supplements may help prevent gout attacks by reducing blood uric acid levels.
Full-fat and high-fat dairy products don’t seem to affect uric acid levels.
Summary: Foods can either raise or lower your uric acid
levels, depending on their purine content. However, fructose can raise your
uric acid levels even though it is not purine-rich.
What Foods Should You Avoid?
If you’re susceptible to sudden gout attacks, avoid the main culprits — high-purine foods.
These are foods that contain more than 200 mg of purines per 3.5 ounces (100 grams).
You should also avoid high-fructose foods, as well as moderately-high-purine foods, which contain 150–200 mg of purines per 3.5 ounces. These may trigger a gout attack.
Here are a few major high-purine foods, moderately-high-purine foods and high-fructose foods to avoid:
- All organ
meats: These include liver, kidneys, sweetbreads and
brain - Game
meats: Examples include pheasant, veal and venison - Fish: Herring, trout, mackerel, tuna, sardines, anchovies, haddock and
more - Other
seafood: Scallops, crab, shrimp and roe - Sugary
beverages: Especially fruit juices and sugary sodas - Added
sugars: Honey, agave nectar and high-fructose corn syrup - Yeasts: Nutritional yeast, brewer’s yeast and other yeast supplements
Additionally, refined carbs like white bread, cakes and cookies should be avoided. Although they are not high in purines or fructose, they are low in nutrients and may raise your uric acid levels.
Summary: If you have gout, you should avoid foods like organ
meats, game meats, fish and seafood, sugary beverages, refined carbs, added
sugars and yeast.
What Foods Should You Eat?
Although a gout-friendly diet eliminates many foods, there are still plenty of low-purine foods you can enjoy.
Foods are considered low-purine when they have less than 100 mg of purines per 3.5 ounces (100 grams).
Here are some low-purine foods that are generally safe for people with gout:
- Fruits: All fruits are generally fine for gout. Cherries may even help
prevent attacks by lowering uric acid levels and reducing inflammation. - Vegetables: All vegetables are fine, including potatoes, peas, mushrooms,
eggplants and dark green leafy vegetables. - Legumes: All legumes are fine, including lentils, beans, soybeans and tofu.
- Nuts: All nuts and seeds.
- Whole
grains: These include oats, brown rice and barley. - Dairy
products: All dairy is safe, but low-fat dairy appears to
be especially beneficial. - Eggs
- Beverages: Coffee, tea and green tea.
- Herbs and
spices: All herbs and spices. - Plant-based
oils: Including canola, coconut, olive and flax oils.
Foods You Can Eat in Moderation
Aside from organ meats, game meats and certain fish, most meats can be consumed in moderation. You should limit yourself to 4–6 ounces (115–170 grams) of these a few times per week.
They contain a moderate amount of purines, which is considered to be 100–200 mg per 100 grams. Thus, eating too much of them may trigger a gout attack.
- Meats: These include chicken, beef, pork and lamb.
- Other fish: Fresh or
canned salmon generally contains lower levels of purines than most other
fish.
Summary: Foods you should eat with gout include all fruits and
vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, eggs and most beverages.
Limit your consumption of non-organ meats and fish like salmon to servings of
4–6 ounces (115–170 grams) a few times weekly.
A Gout-Friendly Menu for One Week
Eating a gout-friendly diet will help you relieve the pain and swelling, while preventing future attacks.
Here is a sample gout-friendly menu for one week.
Monday
- Breakfast:
Oats with Greek yogurt and 1/4 cup (about 31
grams) berries. - Lunch: Quinoa salad with boiled eggs and fresh veggies.
- Dinner: Whole wheat pasta with roasted chicken, spinach, bell peppers and
low-fat feta cheese.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: Smoothie with 1/2 cup (74 grams) blueberries, 1/2 cup (15 grams)
spinach, 1/4 cup (59 ml) Greek yogurt and 1/4 cup (59 ml) low-fat milk. - Lunch: Whole grain sandwich with eggs and salad.
- Dinner: Stir-fried chicken and vegetables with brown rice.
Wednesday
- Breakfast:
Overnight oats — 1/3 cup (27 grams) rolled oats,
1/4 cup (59 ml) Greek yogurt, 1/3 cup (79 ml) low-fat milk, 1 tbsp (14
grams) chia seeds, 1/4 cup (about 31 grams) berries and 1/4 tsp (1.2 ml)
vanilla extract. Let sit overnight. - Lunch: Chickpeas and fresh vegetables in a whole wheat wrap.
- Dinner: Herb-baked salmon with asparagus and cherry tomatoes.
Thursday
- Breakfast: Overnight chia seed pudding — 2 tbsp (28 grams) chia seeds, 1 cup
(240 ml) Greek yogurt and 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract with sliced
fruits of your choice. Let sit in a bowl or mason jar overnight. - Lunch: Leftover salmon with salad.
- Dinner: Quinoa, spinach, eggplant and feta salad.
Friday
- Breakfast: French toast with strawberries.
- Lunch: Whole grain sandwich with boiled eggs and salad.
- Dinner: Stir-fried tofu and vegetables with brown rice.
Saturday
- Breakfast: Mushroom and zucchini frittata.
- Lunch: Leftover stir-fried tofu and brown rice.
- Dinner: Homemade chicken burgers with a fresh salad.
Sunday
- Breakfast: Two-egg omelet with spinach and mushrooms.
- Lunch: Chickpeas and fresh vegetables in a whole wheat wrap.
- Dinner: Scrambled egg tacos — scrambled eggs with spinach and bell peppers
on whole wheat tortillas.
Summary: A gout-friendly diet has plenty of options for a
healthy and delicious menu. The chapter above provides a sample gout-friendly
menu for one week.
Other Lifestyle Changes You Can Make
Aside from your diet, there are several lifestyle changes that can help you lower your risk of gout and gout attacks.
Lose Weight
If you have gout, carrying excess weight can increase your risk of gout attacks.
That’s because excess weight can make you more resistant to insulin, leading to insulin resistance. In these cases, the body can’t use insulin properly to remove sugar from the blood. Insulin resistance also promotes high uric acid levels.
Research shows that losing weight can help reduce insulin resistance and lower uric acid levels.
That said, avoid crash dieting — that is, trying to lose weight very fast by eating very little. Research shows that rapid weight loss can increase the risk of gout attacks.
Exercise More
Regular exercise is another way to prevent gout attacks.
Not only can exercise help you maintain a healthy weight, but it can also keep uric acid levels low.
One study in 228 men found that those who ran more than 5 miles (8 km) daily had a 50% lower risk of gout. This was also partly due to carrying less weight.
Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated can help reduce the risk of gout attacks.
That’s because adequate water intake helps the body remove excess uric acid from the blood, flushing it out in the urine.
If you exercise a lot, then it’s even more important to stay hydrated, because you may lose a lot of water through sweat.
Limit Alcohol Intake
Alcohol is a common trigger for gout attacks.
That’s because the body may prioritize removing alcohol over removing uric acid, letting uric acid accumulate and form crystals.
One study including 724 people found that drinking wine, beer or liquor increased the risk of gout attacks. One to two beverages per day increased the risk by 36%, and two to four beverages per day increased it by 51%.
Try a Vitamin C Supplement
Research shows that vitamin C supplements may help prevent gout attacks by lowering uric acid levels.
It seems that vitamin C does this by helping the kidneys remove more uric acid in the urine.
However, one study found that vitamin C supplements had no effect on gout.
Research on vitamin C supplements for gout is new, so more studies are needed before strong conclusions can be made.
Summary: Losing weight, exercising, staying hydrated, limiting
alcohol and possibly taking vitamin C may also help prevent gout attacks.
The Bottom Line
Gout is a type of arthritis involving sudden pain, swelling and inflammation of the joints.
Fortunately, a gout-friendly diet can help relieve its symptoms.
Foods and drinks that often trigger gout attacks include organ meats, game meats, some types of fish, fruit juice, sugary sodas and alcohol.
On the other hand, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, soy products and low-fat dairy products may help prevent gout attacks by lowering uric acid levels.
A few other lifestyle changes that can help prevent gout attacks include maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, staying hydrated, drinking less alcohol and possibly taking vitamin C supplements.
Gout Treatment
Doctors usually diagnose gout based on your symptoms and the appearance of the affected joint. Tests to help diagnose gout may include:
- Joint fluid test. Your doctor may use a needle to draw fluid from your affected joint. Urate crystals may be visible when the fluid is examined under a microscope.
- Blood test. Your doctor may recommend a blood test to measure the levels of uric acid in your blood. Blood test results can be misleading, though. Some people have high uric acid levels, but never experience gout. And some people have signs and symptoms of gout, but don’t have unusual levels of uric acid in their blood.
- X-ray imaging. Joint X-rays can be helpful to rule out other causes of joint inflammation.
- Ultrasound. This test uses sound waves to detect urate crystals in joints or in tophi.
- Dual-energy computerized tomography (DECT). This test combines X-ray images taken from many different angles to visualize urate crystals in joints.
Treatment
Gout medications are available in two types and focus on two different problems. The first type helps reduce the inflammation and pain associated with gout attacks. The second type works to prevent gout complications by lowering the amount of uric acid in your blood.
Which type of medication is right for you depends on the frequency and severity of your symptoms, along with any other health problems you may have.
Medications to treat gout attacks
Drugs used to treat gout flares and prevent future attacks include:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs include over-the-counter options such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve), as well as more-powerful prescription NSAIDs such as indomethacin (Indocin, Tivorbex) or celecoxib (Celebrex). NSAIDs carry risks of stomach pain, bleeding and ulcers.
- Colchicine. Your doctor may recommend colchicine (Colcrys, Gloperba, Mitigare), an anti-inflammatory drug that effectively reduces gout pain. The drug’s effectiveness may be offset, however, by side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
- Corticosteroids. Corticosteroid medications, such as prednisone, may control gout inflammation and pain. Corticosteroids may be in pill form, or they can be injected into your joint. Side effects of corticosteroids may include mood changes, increased blood sugar levels and elevated blood pressure.
Medications to prevent gout complications
If you experience several gout attacks each year, or if your gout attacks are less frequent but particularly painful, your doctor may recommend medication to reduce your risk of gout-related complications. If you already have evidence of damage from gout on joint X-rays, or you have tophi, chronic kidney disease or kidney stones, medications to lower your body’s level of uric acid may be recommended.
- Medications that block uric acid production. Drugs such as allopurinol (Aloprim, Lopurin, Zyloprim) and febuxostat (Uloric) help limit the amount of uric acid your body makes. Side effects of allopurinol include fever, rash, hepatitis and kidney problems. Febuxostat side effects include rash, nausea and reduced liver function. Febuxostat also may increase the risk of heart-related death.
- Medications that improve uric acid removal. Drugs such as probenecid (Probalan) help improve your kidneys’ ability to remove uric acid from your body. Side effects include a rash, stomach pain and kidney stones.
Lifestyle and home remedies
Medications are often the most effective way to treat gout attacks and prevent recurrent symptom flares. However, lifestyle choices also are important, and you may want to:
- Choose healthier beverages. Limit alcoholic beverages and drinks sweetened with fruit sugar (fructose). Instead, drink plenty of nonalcoholic beverages, especially water.
- Avoid foods high in purines. Red meat and organ meats, such as liver, are especially high in purines. Purine-rich seafood includes anchovies, sardines, mussels, scallops, trout and tuna. Low-fat dairy products may be a better source of protein for people prone to gout.
- Exercise regularly and lose weight. Keeping your body at a healthy weight reduces your risk of gout. Choose low-impact activities such as walking, bicycling and swimming — which are easier on your joints.
Preparing for your appointment
Make an appointment with your doctor if you have symptoms that are common to gout. After an initial examination, your doctor may refer you to a specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis and other inflammatory joint conditions (rheumatologist).
Here’s some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Write down your symptoms, including when they started and how often they occur.
- Note important personal information, such as any recent changes or major stressors in your life.
- Make a list of your key medical information, including any other conditions for which you’re being treated and the names of any medications, vitamins or supplements you’re taking. Your doctor will also want to know if you have any family history of gout.
- Take a family member or friend along, if possible. Sometimes it can be difficult to remember all the information provided to you during an appointment. Someone who accompanies you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor. Creating your list of questions in advance can help you make the most of your time with your doctor.
Questions to ask the doctor at the initial appointment include:
- What are the possible causes of my symptoms or condition?
- What tests do you recommend?
- Are there any treatments or lifestyle changes that might help my symptoms now?
- Should I see a specialist?
Questions to ask if you’re referred to a rheumatologist include:
- What are the possible side effects of the drugs you’re prescribing?
- How soon after beginning treatment should my symptoms start to improve?
- Do I need to take medications long term?
- I have these other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
- Do you recommend any changes to my diet?
- Is it safe for me to drink alcohol?
- Are there any handouts or websites that you’d recommend for me to learn more about my condition?
If any additional questions occur to you during your medical appointments, don’t hesitate to ask.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may reserve time to go over any points you want to talk about in-depth. Your doctor may ask:
- What are your symptoms?
- When did you first experience these symptoms?
- Do your symptoms come and go? How often?
- Does anything in particular seem to trigger your symptoms, such as certain foods or physical or emotional stress?
- Are you being treated for any other medical conditions?
- What medications are you currently taking, including over-the-counter and prescription drugs as well as vitamins and supplements?
- Do any of your first-degree relatives — such as a parent or sibling — have a history of gout?
- What do you eat in a typical day?
- Do you drink alcohol? If so, how much and how often?