Foods that cause gout

In order to really understand why your get gout and how foods and gout are so tied together, you will need to understand how gout comes about in your body....

Excessive uric acid in the body causes gout. Uric acid is a by-product of breaking down protein when you eat. Purines cause the levels of uric acid to increase in the body. Now we produce uric acid naturally but there are some foods that will raise it as well. These purines don't breakdown and get absorbed correctly in the body so they depend on enzymes to break them down. The enzymes will dissolve them and then pass them through urine.

But what happens when there are too many purines to break down?

This is where the problem comes into play. When there is too much uric acid and not enough enzymes, the acid doesn't or can't pass through the urine. Instead, they wind up in our blood and eventually in our skin.

For more information on diet and gout and how to prevent and treat this problem, please check out my site, Your Diet & Gout The acids accumulate and crystallize into needle sharp crystal deposits in the tissue of our skin. They like to proliferate around joints, most notably in the feet. The end result is tissue that is hot and painful to touch and inflamed.

People with gout usually are bedridden (or on their way to being bedridden) for days or in some extreme cases, weeks. I have a brother-in-law who actually has to use a bedpan during flair ups. It is really that painful.

So, the solution to treating and/or preventing gout is to limit foods that cause excessive uric acid....

And now you know....

Gout ain't the rich man's disease anymore. In fact, thanks largely to McDonald's and our fast food mindset, gout is a mainstay among Americans. But really...who gets gout anyway? Is food and diet the main cause of gout? It is my belief that it is BUT it isn't the only reason...let's explore...

Men are 10 times more likely to get gout than women. Gout affects men between 30 and 60 and also can affect the elderly. It all boils down to two things....how well your body can eliminate toxins and the foods you eat.

If your diet consists of foods high in saturated fats, then you are at risk of getting gout.

If you drink alcohol (more than a couple drinks), then you at risk. If you have had gout before, alcohol likely will cause it reoccur.

If your diet consists of refined or processed food, then you are at risk.

If you have diabetes or are resistant to insulin, then the chances of you getting gout increase.

If you are obese, then gout could become an issue to you (among other things)

Some medications that increase uric acid levels will put you at risk. Aspirin, Niacin or diuretics all raise uric acid.

High Blood Pressure and Kidney disease can both cause gout. Kidney disease won't process the toxins as well.

Lead Toxicity- Once again, it all boils down to how your body can process and eliminate toxins. If you have a toxic body, your chances of getting gout increases.

Stress(in some cases) and dehydration.

If you will notice, most of these cases boils down to two things...

1. Your diet


2. Your body's ability to process and eliminate toxins

Certain foods will cause gout. And then there are foods to help prevent gout. We are going to go over a checklist of foods to avoid to prevent gout and foods to eat if you are suffering from gout.

Foods to Avoid

• Alcohol-Alcohol is probably the #1 reason most people suffer from gout and have reoccurring problems with it. My brother-in-law has a flair up everytime he has a few beers. Alcohol will raise uric levels very quickly.


• Refined flours, grains, and pastas- You should limit your intake of these things anyways for a healthy diet. Sugar can cause insulin resistance which is one of the gout suspects. People with diabetes or who have an insulin resistance will be more likely to get gout than those who are healthy


• Foods high in purines- There is a lot of doctors who suggest that those with gout should avoid foods that are high in purines. These foods include beans poultry, red meat, shellfish, coldwater fish, asparagus, lentils, ect. There is a problem with this though. Eliminating these very healthy foods could do more harm than good...especially if you are insulin resistant.


• High Fat foods- Take a look at the Atkin's diet (high protein-low carbohydrate) and you will figure that you could lose weight by eating as much meat as you want. The problem with this is that excessive protein also causes excessive purines in the body, which in turn causes gout.

Foods you can eat and should eat when you want to treat or prevent gout

If you will notice, the list above pretty much covers what most of us will eat in a typical day. Let's face it...it is the American diet. But now that you have gout, what can you do to help minimize its effects?

• Cold Water Fish will help prevent gout-Not only will fish such as sardines (with the bones), salmon, cod and halibut prevent gout but they will also help reduce inflammation when you are suffering from it as well.


• All types of Berries will help neutralize Uric Acid- Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and cherries will help neutralize excessive uric acid in the body. Drinking Cherry Juice will go a long way to helping to treat and prevent gout. Drink one glass a day.


• Eat foods high in fiber I am not talking about taking a fiber pill....eat it. Fiber not only encourages proper digestion, it also helps eliminate uric acid. Eat whole grain foods and vegetables (raw if you can stomach it). You can also eat nuts that haven't been stripped of their fiber (once again, raw).


• Good fats such as flaxseed oil -Once again, Americans got it all wrong. Not all fat is bad. Consider flaxseed oil...it reduces inflammation naturally. Sprinkle flax in your salads or cereal in the morning.