| The best way to avoid gout is to keep away | | | | - Seafood: anchovies, herring, salmon, crabs, |
| from the food that cause gout. To determine | | | | shrimps, scallops, mussels |
| which foods are detrimental, you should first | | | | |
| get to know the main factors that contribute | | | | - Vegetables: asparagus, cauliflower, |
| to the development of gout. Uric acids and | | | | spinach, mushrooms. |
| purines are precursors to gouty flare-ups, so | | | | |
| you should look for food or beverages that | | | | - Legumes: green peas, lentils, dried peas, |
| are low in purines, low in uric acids and | | | | beans, |
| sufficient in Alkalines. | | | | |
| | | | - Sauces / dressings: creamy sauces, gravies, |
| How does a gout occur? | | | | meat broths |
| | | | |
| Gout happens when an abnormally high level of | | | | - Beverages: coffee, alcohol (beer, wine, |
| uric acid accumulates in your joints. The | | | | etc.) |
| accumulation turns it into crystals that | | | | |
| somehow "jam" your connective tissues, making | | | | - Oatmeal, wheat bran and wheat germ, yeast |
| it hard for you to move your fingers or toes. | | | | |
| The crystals will grow overtime, usually in a | | | | - Sweetbreads |
| matter of hours and therefore causes | | | | |
| inflammation-you will see your skin | | | | These are some of the foods that can cause an |
| physically swelling and turning red as a | | | | increase in uric acid level in the body. One |
| result. If left untreated, the swollen area | | | | way to lower acidity is by eating alkaline |
| will burst as the crystals exude through the | | | | foods. |
| skin. | | | | |
| | | | What is alkali? |
| What is uric acid? | | | | |
| | | | Alkali is an acid-neutralizing compound. It |
| Uric acid is a product of purine. We all | | | | raises pH levels to more than 7. Acid has a |
| naturally have this in our bodies, but | | | | pH less than 7, so alkali can be used to |
| sometimes we could have abnormal levels | | | | dilute uric acid in the body. |
| either at birth or by eating certain types of | | | | |
| food that can cause gout. It can form into | | | | Found below is a list of alkaline foods that |
| crystals that cause pain and swelling. | | | | could help counteract high levels in your |
| | | | system: |
| What are purines? | | | | |
| | | | - Bananas |
| Purines are nucleic acids that occur as | | | | |
| nitrogenous compounds in certain foods. They | | | | - Watermelon |
| are excreted as this and are not considered | | | | |
| vital in our diet. Since purines are excreted | | | | - Orange juice |
| as uric acid high-purine sources are | | | | |
| obviously gout causes. It is estimated that | | | | - Potatoes |
| 50% of those who have high-purine diets have | | | | |
| a higher tendency of developing gout. Purines | | | | - Spinach |
| can be found in gout-causing, so listing food | | | | |
| sources would be essential. | | | | - Figs |
| | | | |
| Here is a general list of high-purine food | | | | - Dandelion Greens |
| that cause gout: | | | | |
| | | | - Chocolate |
| - Beef | | | | |
| | | | - Mineral water |
| - Pork | | | | |
| | | | Keep in mind that sources high in fat are |
| - Poultry: turkey, goose | | | | known to cause gout. Also avoid foods that |
| | | | are high in proteins, because they are often |
| - Meat organs: liver, heart, tongue | | | | high in purines that raise levels of uric |
| | | | acid in the body. |