Changing eating habits in the case of gout can be said to be the first task of necessity, because this disease is associated with metabolic disorders. What foods can you eat if you have gout, which foods can't you eat, and which should you limit? What is the proper diet for gout? Can the menu include steak or chicken breast? Read and you will know everything!
Proper nutrition for gout is half the battle! How to avoid aggravation just by following a diet? Details in our article.
Gout is a disease caused by metabolic disorders. It occurs when urate crystals, a salt of uric acid, accumulate in the joints. These crystals begin to form when there are high levels of uric acid in the blood, which in turn occurs when the body either produces too much of this acid or the kidneys are unable to eliminate it. The result when uric acid accumulates in the body is gout. Diet helps reduce acid production and restore health.
If you do not treat and do not change your diet, it may get worse. Crystals that look like sharp needles begin to form in the joints and surrounding tissues. These needles cause pain, inflammation, swelling - in general, symptoms of gout. Often, deposits accumulate in the joints of the feet, especially on the bones of the big toe. A special diet for gout and high uric acid can reduce these unpleasant symptoms.
Gout: symptoms and treatment
Diet is very important for gout, but it is important to make sure that you have this disease. We are against self-medication and insist that in case of health problems you consult a doctor. But some signs may indicate that you have symptoms of gout. In this case, the diet will be beneficial, but only a doctor can prescribe medicine.
- Joint pain – knees, elbows, wrists and fingers may be affected.
- The big toe joint may be one of the first to be affected.
- The joint not only hurts, it becomes hot, and the skin in the affected area becomes red.
- Body temperature may rise.
Why is it important to follow a diet for gout?
It's simple: the body produces uric acid from purines, chemical compounds that are naturally present in it. But purines are not only found in the human body; found in abundance in certain foods: for example, meat and seafood. In addition, some types of food trigger the formation of uric acid, which means that the raw material for urate crystals is alcoholic drinks, especially beer, as well as drinks with fructose - fruit sugar. So, the reason why gout can be triggered is food. Dieting involves reducing your diet; you need to remove some foods from the menu.
If you are in a risk group (for example, you have kidney disease or you are hypertensive) - with the wrong diet, the chance of "getting" gout increases. If the disease has been diagnosed and you know for sure that you have gout, the treatment is diet: eating right is just necessary, otherwise attacks will not be avoided.
Previously, it was believed that most men were at risk, and a special diet was developed as a diet for gout in men. But recently, more and more women are falling ill, so it is important for both sexes to follow a diet. Diet for gout in women, as well as in men, significantly reduces the likelihood of exacerbation.
At the same time, the purpose of restrictions is not only to reduce the consumption of purines and the intensity of uric acid production. A diet for gout in women will also help you lose weight if you are overweight. The fact is that with obesity and even just extra pounds (of course, extra in the medical sense, appearance has absolutely nothing to do with it), the concentration of uric acid in the body increases, and proper nutrition helps to get rid of both kilograms and this effect.
So, the smart solution if you have gout is diet. Prohibited products should be excluded. Important: you really can not "rush to do all seriousness" and lose weight with the help of exhausting diets, this will only harm you, the acid level, on the contrary, will increase. It is better to get rid of excess gradually. Eat right and avoid potentially dangerous foods, and you won't be afraid of aggravation.
Gout in women
A diet that excludes fast food and alcohol from the diet will have a positive effect on health in one way or another. However, the diet for gout on the feet implies a larger list of forbidden foods - the diet, unfortunately, will be poorer. On the other hand, changing your diet significantly will affect the course of the disease for the better. So if gout is diagnosed, the treatment is diet. For women and men, pleasant side effects are possible - a diet without processed foods can have an overall positive effect on health. It should also be noted that gout symptoms are less common in women. The fact is that women's bodies contain less uric acid in the blood, and estrogen also protects women from gout.
Differences in the course of gout in men and women
Is it safe to say that if gout is diagnosed in a woman, the symptoms, diet and treatment will be different from the male version? In general, no: the only difference is that men are more likely to develop gout, according to various estimates, 7 or 19 times more often. In addition, women rarely get sick before menopause, but men can start suffering from this disease as early as the age of 40.
It does not matter which joint is affected by this disease. The diet for gout on the legs and arms of men, as well as women, is no different; important to comply with it. In general, changing eating habits is the main recommendation of doctors for this disease.
List of foods that are not allowed for gout
First of all, you need to remove foods high in purines from your diet. After all, if your body does not receive additional purines, then it will not make excess acid from it, so why give it material for construction. There are many purines in foods such as:
Red meat. Lamb, beef, pork, and beef are not the best choices for gout patients. You can eat all of these, but you should limit the portions.Meat by-products. Liver, kidney, brain, any "internal" meat can cause aggravation. Yes, all this can be very tasty, but when a gout attack is on the other side of the scale - no thanks.Games. Of course, it rarely appears on the table (well, unless you or your partner is an avid hunter), but if you are suddenly offered to try something exotic in the form of venison or roast chicken, refuse.Fish and seafood: purines just float in it. Cod, herring, trout, mackerel, sardines, tuna, as well as crab, shrimp, clams and many other seafood can worsen the condition of a person with gout. True, some doctors believe that the benefits of seafood can outweigh the harm, but only if it is eaten in moderation.
What else is better to avoid? The following foods have also been shown to increase uric acid levels in the body:
Sweet drinks: lemons and industrially produced sweet juices.Alcohol: beer and wheat-based spirits such as vodka and whiskey. A little is possible, but if we are talking about a diet for gout during an exacerbation, it is not possible at all at this time.Added sugar: honey, agave syrup, other high fructose foods.Yeast additives. Semi-finished product (sometimes it contains something that cannot be fully understood).
In addition, it would be great if you could give up white bread, cakes and cookies. By themselves, they are not too dangerous, but they do not contain many nutrients, and this also triggers the body to produce uric acid.
Of course, a steak or a sandwich with liver pate will not cause an attack; the main thing is to generally follow a diet for gout and high uric acid.
What you can eat if you have gout: allowed foods
We agree, the list of what to exclude from your diet is quite impressive, but this does not mean that you should eat only sunlight. Here are some foods that are allowed for gout.
Vegetables. You can eat anything, including those that contain a lot of purines (for example, spinach) - they are not absorbed as well as vegetables.Fruits and berries. Almost everything is also possible, and some are even necessary - it has been proven that cherries reduce the concentration of uric acid, and therefore are very useful as a nutritional component for gout.Beans. And again, any kind, even lentils, even soybeans, even green beans.Whole grains. Oats, brown rice, barley - just for example.Nuts. Dairy product. In general, they are all more or less safe, but it is better to eat and drink those with a reduced percentage of fat.Eggs. Lean meat (chicken, turkey).Coffee, tea, green tea. There are studies that show coffee slightly reduces the risk of gout flare-ups, but drinking too much may have other health effects, so it's best not to overdo it.Vegetable oil: coconut, olive, flax seed.Any spices.
Very useful for gout or a tendency to drink as much as possible. Another suggestion is to take foods rich in vitamin C. Of course, this is not orange juice from the store, but the orange itself or tea with lemon is quite suitable.
Diet for gout: food table
So, what can and cannot be eaten if you have gout? Based on what was written above, we have compiled a short list of products for you to check out.
can
- Vegetables
- Fruits and berries
- Beans
- Whole grains
- Nuts
- dairy
- Eggs
- Lean meat
- Coffee, tea, green tea
- Vegetable oil
- Any spices
Be careful
- Red meat
- Seafood
- fish
- White bread, pastries
Rarely or never
- By-products
- Games
- Lime juice
- Honey and other high fructose foods
- Semi-finished product
- Alcohol
- Yeast Supplements
Of course, nutrition for gout during an exacerbation implies that food from the column "With caution" moves below to the column "Rarely or never". If your joints hurt, it is better not to burden them with additional deposits, even the most insignificant ones.
Nutrition for gout: menu
So, everything is clear with allowed and prohibited products, but how to combine what is possible so that it is tasty and does not repeat very often? We have prepared for you a sample menu for this week and tried to diversify it as much as possible so that you have a lot of options. Of course, you can make any additions to it from the list of allowed products (and little by little - from those who are careful).
Monday
- Breakfast: green tea, "lazy oatmeal" with kefir or yogurt with berries. Simply pour kefir or yogurt over oats with berries and leave in the fridge overnight. You will see, it is very tasty!
- Lunch: quinoa salad with boiled egg and fresh vegetables, miso soup.
- Dinner: Whole grain pasta with chicken and vegetables.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: coffee, cottage cheese, peaches or a few slices of watermelon, bran flakes.
- Lunch: Brown rice with roast turkey.
- Dinner: omelette with mushrooms and spinach.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: vegetable salad, a handful of nuts.
- Lunch: lentil soup with chicken soup.
- Dinner: burger (whole grain bun, turkey cutlet, cheese, vegetables).
Thursday
- Breakfast: tea, yogurt with berries and bran flakes.
- Lunch: chickpea pilaf with chicken, vegetable salad.
- Dinner: steak from lean fish, garnished with green beans.
Friday
- Breakfast: coffee, scrambled eggs with tomato and bell pepper.
- Lunch: potato casserole with minced beef (replace with chicken during the aggravation period).
- Dinner: fruit salad.
Saturday
- Breakfast: milk, potato pancakes with low-fat sour cream.
- Lunch: grilled vegetables with chicken kebab.
- Dinner: berry smoothie, some sandwiches with cheese and herbs (it is better to take whole grain bread).
Sunday
- Breakfast: tea, whole grain milk porridge with berries.
- Lunch: lasagna (again, it's better to use whole grain flakes as a base and minced chicken).
- Dinner: julienne with chicken and mushrooms, homemade mulled wine based on berry compote (just add your favorite spices, apples and citrus fruits and heat).
You can use any vegetables, fruits and berries as a snack. Let us remind you that cherries and citrus fruits are very useful, and it is also important to drink more plain water. Dehydration makes gout worse.
In general, the diet for gout, table 6, is quite easy to follow, the list of products is quite extensive, and you can create many combinations from them. Of course, in the summer it is easier to follow a diet due to the fact that vegetables are cheaper and the variety is much greater. However, you can always pay attention to seasonal vegetables: say, in September the watermelon season continues, in December the shops are full of tangerines, then they are replaced by pomelo. . . The same cherries can be frozen in summer and in winter you can make a compote or pie from them (the latter is better not made with yeast) dough and rare), and lemons are available all year round without any restrictions.
The right diet for gout: results and reviews
If you follow the right diet for gout, patients can count on longer remissions and a milder course of the disease. Diet will relieve gout and its symptoms - pain will decrease, inflammation will decrease. Many reviews also talk about this. It is important to note that almost everyone who tells the story of their struggle with gout on the Internet regrets not seeing a doctor at the first symptom. So, even if you have not been diagnosed with gout, but something in this material seems familiar, go to the clinic - just to be on the safe side.
In general, diet 6, gout, recipes with many restrictions, all this is not a death sentence. The frequency of exacerbations can be significantly reduced if you eat properly and thus control uric acid levels. And even if you eat steak once a month and wash it down with dark beer, it's unlikely to trigger an attack if you generally follow your diet.