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, what foods should you not eat, and which foods should you limit? What should be the diet for gout? Can the menu include steaks or chicken breast? Read and you will discover 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 produces too much of this acid or the kidneys cannot eliminate it. The result when uric acid builds up in the body is gout. The diet helps reduce acid production and restore health.
If you don't treat it and change your diet, it can 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. Most often, deposits accumulate in the joints of the legs, especially in the bone of the big toe. A special diet for gout and high uric acid can relieve these unpleasant symptoms.
Gout: symptoms and treatment
Diet is very important for gout, but it is important to make sure you have this disease. We are against self-medication and insist that in case of health problems consult a doctor. But some signs may indicate that 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 to be affected.
- The joints not only hurt, but they become hot and the skin in the affected area turns red.
- Body temperature may increase.
Why is it important to follow a gout diet?
It's 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 found in large quantities in certain foods: for example, in meat and seafood. In addition, some types of foods provoke the formation of uric acid, so the raw materials for urate crystals are alcoholic beverages, especially beer, as well as drinks with fructose, the fruit sugar. So the reason gout can be triggered is food. The diet involves reducing your diet, you will have to eliminate some foods from the menu.
If you are in a risk group (for example, you have kidney disease or are hypertensive), with an incorrect diet, the chances of "catching" 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 the risk was mainly in men, and a special diet was developed as a gout diet in men. But lately, more and more women are getting sick, so it is important for both sexes to follow a diet. A diet for gout in both women and men significantly reduces the likelihood of exacerbations.
At the same time, the goal 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 have extra kilos. The fact is that with obesity and even with extra pounds (of course, with excess 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 a 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 must 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 best to get rid of the excess gradually. Eat well and avoid potentially dangerous foods and you won't be afraid of flare-ups.
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 in the legs involves a much longer list of prohibited foods; The diet, unfortunately, will become noticeably poorer. On the other hand, changing your diet will significantly improve the course of the disease. 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's also worth noting that gout symptoms 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 than 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 likely. In addition, women rarely get sick before menopause, but men can start to suffer from this disease as early as 40 years old.
It does not matter which joints are affected by the disease. The diet for gout in legs and arms in both men and women is no different, it is important to follow it. In general, changing eating habits is the main recommendation of doctors when faced with this disease.
List of foods not allowed for gout
First, you should eliminate purine-rich foods from your diet. After all, if your body does not receive additional purines, then it will not produce excess acid from them, so why give it building material? There are many purines in foods such as:
- Red meat.Lamb, beef, pork and veal are not the best choice for gout patients. You can eat all of this, but you must limit the portions.
- Meat by-products.The liver, kidneys, brain and any "internal" meat can provoke 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 rarely appears on the table (well, unless you or your partner are avid hunters), but if you are suddenly offered to try something exotic in the form of baked venison or pheasant, refuse.
- Fish and shellfish:The purines just float in them. Cod, herring, trout, mackerel, sardines, tuna, as well as crabs, shrimp, scallops and many other seafood can greatly worsen the condition of a person with gout. It is true that some doctors believe that the benefits of seafood can outweigh the harms, but only if they are consumed little by little.
What else is best to avoid? The following foods have also been shown to increase uric acid levels in the body:
- Sweet drinks:industrially produced lemonade and sweet juices.
- Alcohol:beer and wheat-based spirits such as vodka and whiskey. A little is possible, but if we talk about a diet for gout during an exacerbation, then it is not possible at the moment.
- Extra sugar:honey, agave syrup and other foods rich in fructose.
- Yeast additives.
- Semi-finished products(sometimes they contain something completely incomprehensible).
Also, it would be great if you could give up white bread, cakes and cookies. On their own, they are not too dangerous, but they do not contain many nutrients, which also causes the body to produce uric acid.
Of course, a steak or a sandwich with liver pate will not provoke an attack, the main thing is to follow a general 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. Below 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 as well into vegetables.
- Fruits and berries.Almost everything is also possible, and some are even necessary: Cherries have been shown to reduce the concentration of uric acid and are therefore 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, for example.
- Walnuts.
- Dairy products.In general, all of them are more or less safe, but it is better to eat and drink those that have a reduced percentage of fat.
- Eggs.
- Lean meat(chicken Turkey).
- Coffee, tea, green tea.Studies show that coffee slightly reduces the risk of gout attacks, but drinking too much can have other health effects, so it's best not to overdo it.
- Vegetable oils:coconut, olive, linseed.
- Any spice.
Very useful for gout or the 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 the orange itself or tea with lemon are quite suitable.
Gout diet: food table.
So what can and can't you eat if you have gout? Based on what has been written above, we have compiled short lists of products for you to check out.
Can
- Vegetables
- fruits and berries
- legumes
- whole grains
- Walnuts
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Lean meat
- Coffee, tea, green tea.
- Vegetable oils
- any spice
Carefully
- Red meat
- Seafood
- Fish
- white bread, pastries
rarely or never
- Byproducts
- Game
- Juices, lemonade
- Honey and other foods rich in fructose
- Semi-finished products
- Alcohol
- Yeast Supplements
Of course, nutrition for gout during an exacerbation involves moving foods from the "With Caution" column 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, with permitted and prohibited products, everything is clear, but how to combine what is possible so that it is tasty and not repeated very often? We have prepared a sample menu for you for the week and we have tried to diversify it as much as possible so that you have plenty to choose from. Of course, you can add any supplement from the list of allowed products (and little by little, from those with caution).
Monday
- Breakfast: green tea, "lazy oatmeal" with kefir or yogurt with berries. Simply pour kefir or yogurt over the berry oats and leave in the refrigerator overnight. You'll see, it's very delicious!
- Lunch: quinoa salad with hard-boiled eggs and fresh vegetables, miso soup.
- Dinner: Whole wheat pasta with chicken and vegetables.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: coffee, cottage cheese, peach or a few slices of melon, bran flakes.
- Lunch: Brown rice with roast turkey.
- Dinner: mushroom and spinach omelette.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: vegetable salad, a handful of nuts.
- Lunch: lentil soup with chicken broth.
- Dinner: hamburger (whole wheat bread, turkey cutlet, cheese, vegetables).
Thursday
- Breakfast: tea, yogurt with red fruits and bran flakes.
- Lunch: chickpea pilaf with chicken, vegetable salad.
- Dinner: lean fish fillet, seasoned with green beans.
Friday
- Breakfast: coffee, scrambled eggs with tomato and bell pepper.
- Lunch: potato casserole with minced meat (replace with chicken during the exacerbation period).
- Dinner: fruit salad.
Saturday
- Breakfast: milk, potato pancakes with skimmed sour cream.
- Lunch: roasted vegetables with chicken kebab.
- Dinner: red fruit smoothie, a couple of sandwiches with cheese and herbs (it is better to bring whole wheat bread).
Sunday
- Breakfast: tea, whole milk porridge with red berries.
- Lunch: lasagna (again, better to use whole wheat sheets as a base and chopped chicken).
- Dinner: julienne with chicken and mushrooms, homemade mulled wine based on red fruit compote (just add your favorite spices, apples and citrus fruits and heat it up).
You can use 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 gout diet, table 6, is quite easy to follow, the list of products is quite extensive and you can propose many combinations of them. Of course, in summer it is much easier to follow a diet because 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 filled with tangerines, then grapefruits replace them. . . The same cherries can be frozen in summer, and in winter you can make compotes or pies from them (the latter are better not to make with yeast, dough and infrequently), and lemons are available all year round without restrictions .
The right diet for gout: results and reviews.
By following 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: pain will decrease and inflammation will decrease. Numerous reviews also talk about this. It is important to note that almost all of 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 haven't been diagnosed with gout, but something in this material seems familiar, go to the clinic, just to be sure.
In general, diet 6, gout, recipes with many restrictions - all this is not a death sentence. The frequency of exacerbations can be significantly reduced by eating well and thus controlling the level of uric acid. And even if you eat a steak once a month and wash it down with dark beer, you're unlikely to trigger an attack if you follow your diet regularly.