Dietary Recommendations for Gout: Manage Hyperuricemia with a Balanced Diet

Gout Food advice

Purine occurs naturally in our body, but it is also found in some food items. Uric acid is a waste product that forms when our body breaks down purines. People with gout either have a reduced ability to excrete uric acid or they produce too much of it. Due to high levels of uric acid in the blood, pain and inflammation occur in the joints. This is time when people come to pain clinic complaining of joint pain.  

A dietary modification in Gout means consuming low purine diet. So, production of uric acid decreases, which in turn helps to decrease uric acid levels in the blood. A gout diet isn't a curative treatment. Patients still need medication to manage pain and to lower the uric acid level. But dietary modification may lower the risk of recurring gout attacks and slow the progression of joint damage.

Some examples of purine-rich foods are:

• Organ meats, such as liver, kidneys, and heart

• Red meat, such as beef, pork, and lamb

• Seafood, such as trout, tuna, haddock, sardines, anchovies, scallops, and mussels

• Alcoholic beverages, especially beer

• Sugary drinks, such as soda and fruit juice

• Lentils, dried beans, soybeans, and peas

• Mushrooms, spinach, cauliflower, and asparagus

So, naturally question comes what should a patient eat? Should he or she completely avoid Protein? Answer is ‘no’. A good rule of thumb is to consume moderate portions of healthy foods to achieve a balanced diet. High protein diet is to be avoided.  A high protein diet means a high purine diet. Creating a deficiency in protein to avoid purine is also not desirable. In simple terms, a balanced diet should contain 50-60% of carbohydrates, 10-12% of protein, 25-35% of fat, adequate amounts of vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients that are essential for our health. It should provide enough calories to meet our energy needs, but not more than we can burn. Although, the number of calories we need depends on our age, sex, and activity level.

The following recommendations can be followed:

·   Proteins: Focus on lean meat and poultry, low-fat dairy, and lentils as sources of protein

·    Carbohydrates: Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which provide complex carbohydrates.

·     Fat: you should choose healthy fat over saturated fats, and trans fats.

·     Water: Stay well-hydrated by drinking water.

·     Vitamin C: There is some evidence that Vitamin C may lower uric acid levels.

·  Coffee: Some research suggests that drinking coffee in moderation, may be associated with a reduced risk of gout.

·      Cherries: Eating cherries may be associated with a reduced risk of gout attacks.

Apart from that, being overweight increases the risk of developing gout, and losing weight lowers the risk of gout.

For Indian Population:

·    You should opt for Potato, carrot, gourd, pumpkin, ladies’ finger, tomato, Whole fruit, seasonal fruit, citrus fruit, cherry, rice (unpolished or single polished), wheat flour, millets, corn, Peanut, walnut, almond, Low fat milk, low fat curd, paneer, Egg etc.

·   You can consume but not in a large quantity: Any dal, sprouts, besan, sattu , soybean, Fish, chicken, oats, Asparagus, Spinach, Cauliflour, Mashroom, Broccoli, Kachhi ghani oil, double filtered oil, ghee, homemade butter, Sugar, jaggery, honey etc.

·  You must stay away from alcohol (specially beer), Animal organ, seaweed, dry fish, canned fish, seafood, Refined flour, refined sugar, Refined oil, animal fat, milk fat, Packaged fruit juice etc.        

Summarily, it is the quality of food and the amount of food which is stressed upon in a dietary recommendation of gout or hyperuricemia (Gout Diet). Healthy lifestyle habits such as daily exercise are also equally important.  A gout diet may not be a replacement of medication, but it certainly decreases the number & severity of acute attacks of joint pain.