Health advice for Gout

Control your weight but avoid crash diets and rapid weight loss which can give rise to acute flare-ups.

• Avoid purine-rich foods (Foods that are high in purines break down in the body to uric acid). Purines are found in many animal products with the exception of low fat dairy goods and eggs. Organ meats (liver, heart, and kidneys), herring and mackerel are particularly rich sources. Broths and gravies are also to be avoided. (Beans and peas contain a moderate amount of purine and should be limited to 1-2 servings per day).
• Limit alcohol and caffeine. Alcohol contains purines and also interferes with the body’s excretion of uric acid. Beer is particularly bad as it is rich in purines.
• Drink 2 to 3 liters of fluid each day to flush excess uric acid from your system. Water, herbal teas, vegetable juice, milk, unsweetened fruit juices and soup all contribute to your daily fluid intake.
• Add hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds to your diet; these foods contain health promoting omega 3 fatty acids, to reduce joint inflammation.
• Apples and bananas are considered very helpful for gout, have 1 apple after a meal and 2 bananas daily.
• Lemon juice prevents gout attacks by stimulating the formation of calcium carbonate in the body.