Avoid These Foods If You Have Gout

There’s absolutely nothing fun about gout. Just ask the 9.2 million Americans who suffer from it. Though gout is sometimes thought of as a disease of long ago — King Henry VIII lived with it — the condition is alive and well today.

Our knowledgeable and caring podiatry team at Premier Foot & Ankle can help get your gout under control with education, advanced treatment, and advice about prevention and avoiding flare-ups. 

We’re dedicated to your foot health and offer a wide range of care to support your feet — two of the hardest working parts of your body!

What is gout?

Gout is a type of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid crystals in your body. Your body produces uric acid as it breaks down purines, chemicals contained in some foods and drinks. That’s our first indication that diet impacts gout.

It’s your kidney’s job to filter uric acid from your blood, and you eliminate it when you urinate. Sometimes, however, your body makes a surplus of uric acid, or your kidneys may not be able to remove it from your blood as quickly as needed.

Gout develops when these uric acid crystal clumps settle in your joints, but the most common location to experience gout discomfort is in your big toe joint. Gout can wreak havoc with its debilitating symptoms:

• Sudden, severe blasts of pain
• Throbbing
• Aching
• Joint may be red and warm to the touch
• Swelling
• Stiffness
• Extreme sensitivity (even the slight brush of a bedsheet can be excruciating)

You’re at higher risk for gout if you have a parent or grandparent who’s affected, if you’re a fan of certain rich foods and drink alcohol regularly, and if you take diuretics or immunosuppressant drugs. Although a cure for gout doesn’t exist, there are things you can do to lower your risk of flare-ups. 

The importance of diet in gout management

Since purines, chemicals in some of the foods you eat and beverages you drink, are the culprits when it comes to gout, it’s critical to get your diet under control to lower your likelihood for painful, sometimes lengthy, and definitely life-altering, gout flare-ups. 

The key is distancing yourself from high-purine food and drink, but what does that look like? When you have gout, you want to steer clear of:

• Red meats, like lamb, beef, and pork, including bacon
• Deli meats
• Turkey
• Game meats, like goose, venison, and veal
• Rich gravies and sauces made with meat
• Yeast and yeast extract, a flavoring used in many products, like soups and frozen meals
• Organ meats, like liver
• Some seafood, including mussels, scallops, tuna, trout, and haddock
• Baked goods and other sweets
• Oats
• High-sugar drinks, like soda and many juices
• Alcoholic beverages
• Foods that contain high-fructose corn syrup, like store-bought cookies and candy

This list might leave you scratching your head and wondering what’s left to eat, but don’t worry, you still have plenty of delicious choices!

What you want to steer yourself toward are plant-based meals, lean chicken or tofu, fruits and veggies, and water as your main hydration source. To make your water more interesting, buy bubbly water or throw some lemon slices into your glass. Some research has also indicated that cherries are a good anti-gout food and may lower uric acid levels.

We encourage you to take as much control as possible to avoid gout attacks, and our Premier Foot & Ankle team is here to counsel, treat, and support you.

Contact one of our five convenient Texas locations to schedule an appointment. Call us today or book online anytime.