Diet for gout. Recommendations to prevent further development of the disease.

how to eat properly for gout

For gout (or gouty arthritis), doctors tend to focus on diet in particular. The importance of diet is undeniable, approaches and recommendations are changing, but diet is still considered part of the preventive treatment of gout flares to minimize their recurrence.

The defeat of the joints with gout is always a "bang", a sharp pain and a rapid increase in inflammation. In a short period of time, illness can make life miserable. A responsible attitude to diet can prolong the asymptomatic course of gout for years, that is, reduce the frequency of attacks, as well as the risk of further development of the disease.

Women suffer from gout 10 times less than men and often after menopause. There are many reasons for the appearance of this disease: genetic predisposition, impaired kidney function, obesity. Also, as a general rule, gout occurs in people after 40-50 years. But the availability of food, especially fast food, and a sedentary lifestyle contribute to the "rejuvenation" of the disease.

Basic nutrition rules for gout

To clearly understand the principles of nutrition, you need to remember the main cause of gout. The disease is characterized by elevated levels of uric acid (sodium urate) in the blood. Over time, it accumulates in the joints, and later in the muscle tissues, forming tophi (cavities filled with solid deposits), kidney stones appear. Uric acid enters the body with the help of purines: protein elements of our diet.

A little chemistry

The breakdown of purines is a common biochemical reaction that produces urates. They leave the body with urine, that is, they are excreted by the kidneys. Urate is a natural antioxidant, a substance that prevents premature cell breakdown.

what happens in the body with gout

What about gout? The urate level rises sharply and the substance begins to crystallize in the joints.

The surface of the articular head has a smooth cartilaginous structure. Sharp crystals, of course, damage it. The person begins to experience severe pain when moving the limbs. The inflammatory process begins.

Basic diet

From a brief chemical analysis, it is clear that purines are formed from the breakdown of their own protein compounds and enter the bloodstream. So, if possible, you should exclude protein products from the diet.

Reduce meat and fish as this food increases purines. There should be no beef, lamb, or pork on the diet table. Large amounts of salt must be discarded. If possible, it is best to eliminate salt and hot seasonings from the diet completely. This already has to do with the preservation of the kidneys, as with gout, the kidneys are under direct threat.

As with any diet, alcohol should be avoided for gout. Any alcohol (beer, especially for gout) is contraindicated for you, it delays the excretion of uric acid by the kidneys, which contributes to its accumulation in the blood. A "low purine" diet will help minimize or eliminate the appearance of gout.

Proper nutrition for gout: 50% successful treatment

By following certain dietary guidelines, you will slow down the progression of the disease. The gout will continue without complications.

To make it easier to imagine what the purine content of the products is, we offer examples:

  1. Bran bread - 24 mg;
  2. Legumes - 105 mg;
  3. Herring - 128 mg;
  4. Liver of animals with large horns - 300 mg;
  5. Fatty fish of the salmon family - 100 mg;
  6. Chicken meat - 110 mg;
  7. Rabbit meat - 65 mg;
  8. Cattle tongue and meat - 72-100 mg.

You can create such a table yourself by listing the products you like. They must contain a minimal amount of purines.

Special Dietary Guidelines

It is recommended to eliminate all fried foods from the diet and switch to boiled, stewed and baked foods with low salt content. Unfortunately, fish and meat broths will also have to be removed. When preparing these rich soups, a significant proportion of the purines are poured into the broth.

It is useful to organize fasting days, as with any other diet. In addition to getting rid of pain in your legs, you will lose those extra pounds. This is a nice perk for maintaining your figure (and not just for women). The essence of fasting days is to consume only vegetables and fruits. Divide the food into 5-6 parts and eat up to 1. 5 kg of vegetables and fruits. If you don't want such a fast day, just buy low-fat kefir. Drink it also throughout the day. We recommend that you adhere to this system at least once a week.

During a gout flare, it is best to "flush" the body every other day. Once the swelling goes away, you can go back to your normal eating schedule.

Important!You shouldn't starve of gout! As much as you want, don't skip a single day without eating.

Food for gout

You can get competent advice on diet from your doctor or dietitian. This article provides general information and nutritional guidelines for people with gout. However, each organism is unique, so it is worth choosing an individual food list and nutrition program. Keep a food diary.

List of foods that can be consumed or limited to consumption

Recommended foods for gout

The following is a list of foods that can be eaten and should be limited.

  • Lean dietary meat: rabbit, turkey, chicken;
  • 3-4 times a week - still alkaline mineral waters. For example, Narzan. Pay attention to the sodium content in such bottled water, it should be low;
  • Fruit drinks, dried fruit compotes, green tea;
  • Any cereal;
  • Eggs;
  • Lean fish: pollock, hake, pike. All river fish;
  • Dairy products: kefir, fermented baked milk, sour cream, milk, but with a reduced fat content - not more than 2. 5%;
  • Vegetable oil;
  • potatoes;
  • Rye or bran bread;
  • Low-fat, unsalted cheeses;
  • Stewed or raw vegetables.
  • Radish, eggplant, parsnip;
  • The fruit can be eaten fresh;
  • Berries;
  • Home baked goods;
  • Legumes, asparagus, rhubarb, spinach. These plants contain a high content of oxalic acid, which retains urates in the body;
  • Mushrooms
  • Walnuts

Shopping basket prohibited for gout in women and men

In the gout diet, the restrictions refer to protein foods, it is recommended to focus on carbohydrates in the diet. What about those who are overweight and the question of how to lose weight is constantly on the agenda? And also for diabetics? Rather, these people require a low-carbohydrate diet.

Low carbohydrate and low protein diets are two mutually exclusive diets. What type of diet to choose? In such cases, it is recommended to limit yourself precisely to carbohydrates and the first three items on the list of prohibited foods. Why? We will summarize in the next chapter.

We have listed some of the allowed products. The general list of prohibited foods is as follows:

what not to eat with gout
  • Alcoholic and carbonated beverages. All drinks that can be called "tonic", packaged juices;
  • Fish and meat broths
  • Seafood: shrimp, mussels, squid
  • By-products: liver, tongue, kidneys, hearts;
  • Confectionery such as: ice cream, baked goods, cottage cheese desserts;
  • Foods that contain large amounts of salt;
  • Canned meat and fish. In general, canned food is worth giving up;
  • Fatty dairy products: cream, sour cream, cheeses;
  • Salted fish, smoked sausages, cold cuts, ham and other semi-finished products. These products contain harmful additives and preservatives. For example, monosodium glutamate is usually added to enhance the flavor;

General Diet Principle

So why, given such clear rules, is there still a chance to not be strict with your products, especially for women? Why, if you need to choose between different diets, give preference to proteins? Although it is proteins, as we could see, they are the cause of uric acid in the blood.

Important!Uric acid levels are effectively maintained with medication.

As a reminder, the diet for gout is part of the preventive treatment. The second component is taking medications that reduce uric acid formation. Now, these drugs are so effective that, by increasing the dose, the doctor must monitor the achievement of the target values ​​for uric acid in the blood. The better you can follow a gout diet, the lower the dose of medicine. And drugs are taken for many years, since the disease is chronic.

Doctors generally recommend the following regarding nutrition:

  • Your BMI must be between 18, 5 and 25
  • if your BMI is over 25, lose weight! If you lose 5 to 7 kg, you will significantly reduce the subsequent development of gout
  • eat a Mediterranean diet

Also:

  • frequent and divided meals in small portions up to 6 times a day;
  • energy value is about 1500-1800 kcal per day;
  • minimum amount of table salt and foods that contain purines;
  • needs to drink about 2 liters of water a day (especially for those who already have kidney stones);
  • fasting is prohibited.

Products to combat gout

The following are considered home remedies for gout:

  • pineapple;
  • turmeric;
  • cherry juice;
  • lemon;
  • ginger;
  • bell pepper.

Try green tea with ginger. The drink has the desired "diuretic effect". Green tea has been shown to be an anticancer agent, which is good too. But, the truth is that this is a completely different story.

Summary

Listed foods that are classified as "forbidden", even in small doses, will aggravate gout. Remember that this disease cannot be cured, so you need to completely rethink your attitude towards food. Thus, you can live in peace without joint pain.

In open sources, women will find healthy and tasty recipes that are deliberately not published here so as not to overload themselves with information. Make eating the right diet and diet for gout your way of life. Be healthy!