Changing eating habits in case of gout is practically a task of first necessity, because this disease is associated with metabolic disorders. What foods can you eat if you have gout, which foods should you not eat, and which should you limit? What should be the diet for gout? Can the menu include steaks or chicken breast? Read and you will find out everything!
Proper nutrition for gout is half the success! How to prevent exacerbations just by following a diet? Details in our article.
Gout is a disease caused by metabolic disorders. It occurs when crystals of urate, 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. Very often, deposits accumulate in the joints of the legs, especially at the big toe bone. A special diet for gout and high uric acid can alleviate 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 do have gout - symptoms. In this case, a diet will be beneficial, but only a doctor can prescribe medications.
- Joint pain – knees, elbows, wrists and fingers may be affected.
- The big toe joint may be one of the first to be affected.
- The joints not only hurt, they become hot, and the skin in the affected area turns 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 already present in it. But purines are found not only in the human body; there are quite a lot of them in certain foods: for example, meat and seafood. In addition, some types of food provoke the formation of uric acid, which means the raw materials for urate crystals are alcoholic drinks, especially beer, as well as drinks with fructose - fruit sugar. So, the reason why gout can be triggered is foods. The diet involves reducing your diet; you will have 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 chances of "getting" gout increase. If the disease has already been diagnosed and you know for sure that you have gout, the treatment is diet: eating right is simply necessary, otherwise an attack will not be avoided.
Previously, it was believed that mainly men were at risk, and a special diet was developed as a diet for gout in men. But recently, more and more women are getting sick, so it is important for both sexes to follow a diet. A diet for gout in women, as well as in men, significantly reduces the likelihood of exacerbations.
At the same time, the purpose of the 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 have extra pounds. The fact is that with obesity and even just extra pounds (of course, extra in the medical sense of the word, 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 the kilograms and this effect.
So, the smart solution if you have gout is diet. Prohibited products will have to be excluded. Important: you absolutely should not "rush into 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 exacerbations.
Gout in women
A diet that excludes fast food and alcohol from the diet will have a positive impact on health in one way or another. However, a diet for gout on the legs implies a much larger list of prohibited foods - the diet, alas, will become noticeably poorer. On the other hand, changing your diet will significantly affect the course of the disease for the better. So if gout is diagnosed, the treatment is diet. For women and men, a pleasant side effect is possible - a diet without processed foods can have an overall positive effect on health. It is also worth noting that symptoms of gout are less common in women. The fact is that the female body contains 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 women, 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 suffer from gout, according to various estimates, 7 or even 19 times more often. In addition, women rarely become ill before menopause, but men can begin to suffer from this disease as early as 40 years of age.
It makes no difference which joints are affected by the disease. The diet for gout in men’s legs and arms, as well as in women, is no different; it’s important to stick to it. In general, changing eating habits is the main recommendation of doctors for this disease.
List of foods 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 extra purines, then it will not make excess acid from them, so why give it material for construction. There are many purines in foods such as:
- Red meat.Lamb, veal, pork, and beef are not the best choice for gout patients. You can eat all this, but you should limit the portions.
- Meat by-products.The liver, kidneys, brain, any "internal" meat can cause an exacerbation. Yes, all this can be very tasty, but when a gout attack is on the other side of the scale - no thanks.
- Game.Of course, it appears on the table infrequently (well, unless you or your partner are avid hunters), but if you are suddenly offered to try something exotic in the form of venison or baked pheasant, refuse.
- Fish and seafood:purines just float in them. Cod, herring, trout, mackerel, sardines, tuna, plus crabs, shrimp, scallops and many other seafood can greatly worsen the condition of a person with gout. True, some doctors believe that the benefits of seafood can outweigh the harm, but only if they are consumed little by little.
What else is better to avoid? The following foods have also been proven to raise uric acid levels in the body:
- Sweet drinks:lemonade and industrially produced sweet juices.
- Alcohol:beer and wheat-based spirits such as vodka and whiskey. A little bit is possible, but if we are talking about a diet for gout during an exacerbation, it is not possible at all at this time.
- Extra sugar:honey, agave syrup, other high fructose foods.
- Yeast additives.
- Semi-finished products(at times they contain something completely incomprehensible).
In addition, it will be great if you can give up white bread, cakes and cookies. By themselves, they are not too dangerous, but they do not contain many nutrients, and this also provokes the body to produce uric acid.
Of course, one 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 can you 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 need to eat only sunlight. Here are some foods allowed for gout.
- Vegetables.You can eat absolutely anything, including those that contain a lot of purines (for example, spinach) - they are not absorbed so well from 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 especially useful as a nutritional component for gout.
- Legumes.And again, any kind, even lentils, even soybeans, even green beans.
- Whole grains.Oats, brown rice, barley - just as an example.
- Nuts.
- Dairy products.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 oils:coconut, olive, flaxseed.
- Any spices.
Very useful for gout or a tendency to drink as much as possible. Another recommendation is to consume foods rich in vitamin C. Of course, this should not be orange juice from the store, but an orange itself or tea with lemon are 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 short lists of products for you to check.
Can
- Vegetables
- Fruits and berries
- Legumes
- Whole grains
- Nuts
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Lean meat
- Coffee, tea, green tea
- Vegetable oils
- Any spices
Carefully
- Red meat
- Seafood
- Fish
- White bread, pastries
Rarely or never
- By-products
- Game
- Juices, lemonade
- Honey and other high fructose foods
- Semi-finished products
- Alcohol
- Yeast Supplements
Of course, nutrition for gout during an exacerbation implies that foods from the "With caution" column move below to the "Rarely or never" column. If your joints hurt, it is better not to overload them with additional deposits, even the most insignificant ones.
Nutrition for gout: menu
So, everything is clear with permitted and prohibited products, but how to combine what is possible so that it is tasty and not repeated very often? We have prepared for you a sample menu for the week and tried to diversify it as much as possible so that you have plenty to choose from. Of course, you can make any additions to it from the list of permitted products (and a little at a time - from those with caution).
Monday
- Breakfast: green tea, "lazy oatmeal" with kefir or yogurt with berries. Just pour kefir or yogurt over the oatmeal with berries and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. You'll see, it's very tasty!
- Lunch: quinoa salad with boiled eggs and fresh vegetables, miso soup.
- Dinner: Whole grain pasta with chicken and vegetables.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: coffee, cottage cheese, peach or several slices of melon, bran flakes.
- Lunch: Brown rice with roasted turkey.
- Dinner: omelet with mushrooms and spinach.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: vegetable salad, a handful of nuts.
- Lunch: lentil soup with chicken broth.
- 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 tomatoes and bell peppers.
- Lunch: potato casserole with minced beef (replace with chicken during an exacerbation period).
- Dinner: fruit salad.
Saturday
- Breakfast: milk, potato pancakes with low-fat sour cream.
- Lunch: grilled vegetables with chicken kebab.
- Dinner: berry smoothie, a couple of sandwiches with cheese and herbs (it’s better to take whole grain bread).
Sunday
- Breakfast: tea, whole grain milk porridge with berries.
- Lunch: lasagna (again, better to use whole grain sheets 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 it up).
You can use any vegetables, fruits and berries as a snack. Let us remind you that cherries and citrus fruits are especially 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 come up with many combinations of them. Of course, in the summer it is much easier to follow a diet due to the fact that vegetables are cheaper and their variety is much greater. However, you can always pay attention to seasonal vegetables: say, in September the watermelon season continues, in December the stores are full of tangerines, then they are replaced by pomelo. . . The same cherries can be frozen in the summer and in the winter you can make compotes or pies from them (the latter are better not made with yeast)dough and infrequently), and lemons are available all year round without any restrictions.
The right diet for gout: results and reviews
If you follow proper nutrition for gout, the patient can count on a longer remission and a milder course of the disease. The diet will relieve gout and its symptoms - the pain will decrease, the inflammation will subside. Numerous reviews also speak about this. It is important to note that almost all the people who told stories of their struggle with gout on the Internet regretted not seeing a doctor at the first symptoms. So even if you have not been diagnosed with gout, but something in this material seemed 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 right and thus control the level of uric acid. And even if you eat a steak once a month and wash it down with dark beer, it’s unlikely to trigger an attack if you generally follow your diet.