Thread: Foods to be avoided in gout

Doctors often find themselves at a difficult situation answering the questions of their patients particularly regarding food to be taken or avoided in a particular disease. As we all know gout is not quite uncommon in day to day practice and doctors often come across questions like “ Doctor, what food should I avoid?” Some of the doctors are not very confiedent on answering this question. This post is aimed at providing an easy guide for the doctors answering such question.

Generally food containing high purines should be avoided.

Here is a list

Foods very high in purines include:

1. hearts
2. herring
3. mussels
4. yeast
5. smelt
6. sardines
7. sweetbreads

Foods moderately high in purines include:

1. anchovies
2. grouse
3. mutton
4. veal
5. bacon
6. liver
7. salmon
8. turkey
9. kidneys
10. partridge
11. trout
12. goose
13. haddock
14. pheasant
15. scallops

What Should You Eat in Gout?

Now here is the list of what one can take in gout.

Dietary restrictions suggest what people should not eat, but what should people eat? What foods will help control gout attacks? The American Medical Association recommends the following dietary guidelines for people with gout, advising them to eat a diet:

1. high in complex carbohydrates (fiber-rich whole grains, fruits, and vegetables)

2. low in protein (15% of calories and sources should be soy, lean meats, or poultry)

3. no more than 30% of calories in fat (with only 10% animal fats)

Recommended Foods To Eat

Fresh cherries, strawberries, blueberries, and other red-blue berries
Bananas
Celery
Tomatoes
Vegetables including kale, cabbage, parsley, green-leafy vegetables
Foods high in bromelain (pineapple)
Foods high in vitamin C (red cabbage, red bell peppers, tangerines, mandarins, oranges, potatoes)
Drink fruit juices and purified water (8 glasses of water per day)
Low-fat dairy products
Complex carbohydrates (breads, cereals, pasta, rice, as well as aforementioned vegetables and fruits)
Chocolate, cocoa
Coffee, tea
Carbonated beverages
Essential fatty acids (tuna and salmon, flaxseed, nuts, seeds)
Tofu, although a legume and made from soybeans, may be a better choice than meat