Diet for gout: eliminate unnecessary things, add necessary things

Changing eating habits when suffering from gout is actually the most necessary thing, because this disease is associated with metabolic disorders. What foods can you eat with gout, what foods should you not eat, and what foods should you limit? What diet should people with gout eat? Can the menu include steak or chicken breast? Read and you will find out everything!

Proper nutrition for gout is half the success! How to prevent exacerbation just by following the diet? Details in our article.

Gout is a disease caused by metabolic disorders. It occurs when urate crystals, the salt of uric acid, accumulate in the joints. These crystals begin to form when uric acid levels in the blood are high, which happens when the body produces too much of this acid or the kidneys cannot remove it. The result when uric acid accumulates in the body is gout. Diet helps reduce acid production and restore health.

Without treatment and without changing your diet, the disease can get worse. Crystals that look like sharp needles begin to form in the joints and surrounding tissues. These needles cause pain, inflammation, swelling - generally symptoms of gout. Very often, deposits accumulate in the joints of the feet, especially in the bones of the big toe. A special diet for gout and high uric acid can alleviate these unpleasant symptoms.

Gout: symptoms and treatment

Diet is important for gout, but it's important to make sure you have the condition. We oppose self-medication and emphasize that in case of health problems, you must consult a doctor. But some signs may indicate you have gout symptoms. In this case, a diet will be beneficial but only a doctor can prescribe medication.

• Joint pain – knees, elbows, wrists and fingers may be affected.
• The big toe joint may be one of the first joints affected.
• The joints not only hurt, but also heat up, the skin in the affected area turns red.
• Body temperature may increase.

Why is it important to follow a gout diet?

It's very simple: the body produces uric acid from purines, chemical compounds that are already present in it. But purines are not only found in the human body, they are quite abundant in some foods: meat and seafood, for example. In addition, some foods stimulate the formation of uric acid, that is, the raw materials for the formation of urate crystals are alcoholic beverages, especially beer, as well as drinks containing fructose - fruit sugar. Therefore, the cause of gout may be food. The diet involves reducing your portion sizes, you will have to eliminate some foods from the menu.

If you belong to a risk group (for example, you have kidney disease or have hypertension) - with the wrong diet, the likelihood of "catching" gout increases. If the disease has been diagnosed and you know for sure that you have gout, the treatment is diet: eating properly is essential, otherwise the attack cannot be avoided.

Previously, it was believed that mainly men were at risk and a special diet was developed as a gout diet in men. But recently, more and more women are suffering from the disease, so it is very important for both sexes to follow the diet. A gout diet in women as well as in men significantly reduces the likelihood of exacerbations.

At the same time, the purpose of restriction is not only to reduce purine consumption and the intensity of uric acid production. The gout diet in women will also help you lose weight if you are overweight. The fact is that with obesity and even just gaining extra pounds (of course, in the medical sense of the word, appearance has absolutely nothing to do with it), the concentration of uric acid in the body increases andProper nutrition will help you get rid of both the kilos and this effect.

So the smart solution if you have gout is to diet. Prohibited products will have to be excluded. Important: you absolutely should not "rush into everything seriously" and lose weight with exhausting diets, this will only harm you, on the contrary, acidity will increase. It is better to gradually remove the excess. Eat sensibly and avoid potentially dangerous foods, you will not be afraid of getting more seriously ill.

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, the diet for gout in the legs involves a much larger list of prohibited foods - alas, the diet will become significantly poorer. On the other hand, changing your diet will significantly affect the progression of the disease for the better. Therefore, if gout is diagnosed, the treatment is diet. For women and men, there can be a pleasant side effect - a diet free of processed foods can have an overall positive impact on health. It is worth noting that symptoms of gout 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

Can it be said that if gout is diagnosed in women, the symptoms, diet and treatment will be different than in men? Generally no: the only difference is that men are more likely to get gout, according to various estimates, 7 or even 19 times more often. In addition, women rarely get the disease before menopause, but men can start getting it as early as age 40.

There is no difference in which joints are affected by this disease. The diet for gout in the legs and arms is no different in men as in women; it is important to adhere to it. In general, changing eating habits is the main recommendation of doctors for this disease.

List of prohibited foods for gout

First of all, you need to eliminate foods high in purines from your diet. After all, if your body doesn't take in extra purines, it won't make excess acids from them, so why provide building materials. Foods high in purines include:

• Red meat.Lamb, veal, pork and beef are not the best choices for gout patients. You can eat all of these, but you should limit portions.
• Meat by-products.Liver, kidneys, brain, any "organ" meat can cause aggravation. Yes, all of this can be delicious, but when a gout attack is on the other side of the scale - no thanks.
• Game.Of course, it does not appear often on the table (unless you or your partner are hunting enthusiasts), but if you are suddenly offered to try something exotic in the form of venison or pheasantgrilled, please refuse.
• Fish and seafood:purines float in them. Cod, herring, salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, along with crab, shrimp, scallops and many other types of seafood can worsen the condition of gout sufferers. 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 shown to increase uric acid levels in the body:

• Soft drink:Lemonade and sweet fruit juices are produced industrially.
• Wine:beer and wheat-based spirits such as vodka and whiskey. A little it is possible, but if we are talking about a diet for gout during an exacerbation, it is absolutely impossible at this time.
• Add sugar:honey, agave syrup, other high-fructose foods.
• Yeast additives.
• Semi-finished product(sometimes they contain something completely confusing).

Also, it would be great if you could give up white bread, cakes and cookies. They themselves are not too dangerous, but they do not contain many nutrients and this also stimulates 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 follow a diet for gout and high uric acid.

What can you eat if you have gout: allowed foods

We agree that the list of things to exclude from your diet is quite impressive, but this does not mean that you need to eat only sunlight. Here are some foods that are allowed for gout.

• Vegetable.You can eat absolutely anything, including things that are high in purines (e. g. spinach) - they are not absorbed well from vegetables.
• Fruits and berries.Almost everything is possible, and some are even necessary - it has been proven that cherries reduce uric acid levels, and are therefore especially useful as a nutritional ingredient forgout.
• Pea's tree.And again, any kind, even lentils, even soybeans, even chickpeas.
• Grains.Oats, brown rice, barley - just an example.
• Nuts.
• Milk product.In general, they are more or less safe, but it is better to eat those with a reduced percentage of fat.
• Egg.
• Lean(chicken, turkey).
• Coffee, tea, green tea.There are studies showing that coffee slightly reduces the risk of gout flare-ups, but drinking too much can cause other health effects, so it's best not to overdo it.
• Vegetable oil:coconut, olive, flaxseed.
• Any seasoning.

Very useful for gout or tend to drink as much as possible. Another recommendation is to consume foods rich in vitamin C. Of course, this is not orange juice bought from the store, but an orange itself or tea with lemon is quite suitable.

Diet for gout: food table

So what can people with gout eat and what can't they eat? Based on what we wrote above, we have compiled a short list of products for you to check out.

Maybe

• Vegetable
• Fruits and berries
• pea's tree
• Grains
• Nuts
• Dairy products
• Egg
• Lean
• Coffee, tea, green tea
• Vegetable oil
• Any seasoning

Careful

• Red meat
• Seafood
• Fish
• White bread, cakes

rarely or never

• Byproduct
• Game
• Juice, lemonade
• Honey and other high-fructose foods
• Semi-finished product
• Wine
• Add yeast

Of course, nutrition for gout during an exacerbation implies that foods from the "Caution" column move down to the "Rarely or never" column. If your joints hurt, it is better not to overload them with additional residues, 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 delicious and not repeated 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 many options. Of course, you can make any additions to it from the list of allowed products (and little by little - from prudent ones).

Monday

• Breakfast: green tea, "lazy oatmeal" with kefir or yogurt with berries. Just pour kefir or yogurt over oatmeal with berries and leave in the refrigerator overnight. You'll see, it's delicious!
• Lunch: quinoa salad with boiled eggs and fresh vegetables, miso soup.
• Dinner: Whole grain pasta with chicken and vegetables.

Tuesday

• Breakfast: coffee, cheese, peaches or a few melon slices, bran flakes.
• Lunch: Brown rice with grilled turkey.
• Dinner: omelet with mushrooms and spinach.

Wednesday

• Breakfast: vegetable salad, some nuts.
• Lunch: lentil soup with chicken broth.
• Dinner: burger (whole-grain bread, turkey cutlet, cheese, vegetables).

Thursday

• Breakfast: tea, yogurt with berries and bran.
• Lunch: green bean pilaf with chicken, vegetable salad.
• Dinner: lean fish steak, garnished with green beans.

Friday

• Breakfast: coffee, scrambled eggs with tomatoes and bell peppers.
• Lunch: potato stew with minced beef (replace with chicken during severe illness).
• Dinner: fruit salad.

Saturday

• Breakfast: milk, potato pancakes with low-fat sour cream.
• Lunch: grilled vegetables with chicken kebab.
• Dinner: berry smoothie, a few sandwiches with cheese and herbs (better use whole-wheat bread).

Sunday

• Breakfast: tea, whole milk porridge with berries.
• Lunch: lasagna (again, it's better to use whole grain groats as a base and minced chicken).
• Dinner: julienned chicken and mushrooms, homemade mulled wine made with berry compote (just add your favorite spices, apples and citrus fruits and warm 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 that it is important to drink more filtered 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 ways to combine them. Of course, in summer it is much easier to diet because vegetables are cheaper and much more diverse. However, you can always pay attention to seasonal vegetables: for example, in September the watermelon season continues, in December the stores are full of tangerines, then they are replaced by grapefruits. . . The same cherries can be frozen in the summer and in the winter. winter, you can make dough or pies from them (the latter is better not to make with yeast) and not often), and lemons are available all year round without any restrictions.

The right diet for gout: results and reviews

If you adhere to proper nutrition for gout, the patient can count on a longer period of remission and a milder course of the disease. The diet will relieve gout and its symptoms - pain will decrease, inflammation will subside. 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 symptoms. So even if you haven't been diagnosed with gout, but there's something familiar in this document, go to the clinic - just to be safe.

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 thereby control uric acid levels. And even if you eat steak once a month and drink dark beer, it's unlikely to cause pain if you generally stick to your diet.