Diet plays an important role in treatment of any diseases and maintaining overall health. It helps to control obesity and maintain healthy body weight. Balanced diet is an important factor in the treatment for gout. Basically, gout is caused by deposition of uric acid crystals in the synovial fluid and synovial lining. In other way, it can be said that elevated levels of uric acid in blood are responsible for the development of this disease. Hence, treatments for gout focus on relieving symptoms and lowering blood uric acid levels. Various treatment options for gout include medications, exercises, natural remedies and dietary supplements.
There is specially recommended gout diet which suggests what to eat and what to avoid. It may play a significant role in managing the symptoms of gout and decreasing the uric acid levels. As medications for gout can give rise to some side-effects, many medical practitioners prefer the natural remedies and dietary supplements.
Your gout diet should be rich in complex carbohydrates such as fresh vegetables, fruits and fiber rich whole grains. Add more quantities of fresh fruits like bananas, tomatoes, celery, foods rich in bromelain such as pineapple, cocoa, chocolate, vegetables such as parsley, cabbage, kale and green-leafy vegetables, coffee, tea and essential fatty acids in your regular diet. Besides this, intake of cherries, blueberries, strawberries and other red-blue berries is found to be advantageous as it may signifiantly decrease the level of blood uric acids. In addition to that, intake of red bell peppers, red cabbage, mandarins, potatoes, tangerines and oranges is beneficial as they are the rich source of vitamin C. Vitamin C may help to decrease the uric acid levels and can help to treat or prevent gout. Have plenty of purified water and fruit juices to enhance the kidney function.
In addition to what to eat, it is also important what to avoid. You are suggested to exclude certain dietary factors from your gout diet. Foods rich in purines such as mussels, yeast, smelt, sardines and sweetbreads should be avoided. Most uric acid is generated from the metabolism of naturally occurring purine in the body. However, excessive intake of foods high in purines can cause increased levels of uric acid in the body. You should also avoid consumption of excess proteins and fats.
Consumption of appropriate gout diet is also helpful to maintain the healthy body weight and prevent obesity which may be associated with higher levels of uric acid in the blood.
