In gout (or gouty arthritis), doctors tend to focus in particular on diet. The importance of diet is undeniable, approaches and recommendations are changing, but diet is still considered as part of the preventive treatment of exacerbations of gout to minimize their recurrence.
Gout joint damage is always an "explosion", sharp pain and a rapid increase in inflammation. For a short period of time, the disease can make life worse. A responsible attitude to diet can prolong the asymptomatic course of gout for years, ie reduce the frequency of attacks, as well as the risk of further development of the disease.
Women suffer from gout 10 times less often than men and often after menopause. There are many reasons for the appearance of this disease: genetic predisposition, impaired renal function, obesity. Also, as a rule, gout occurs in people after 40-50 years. But the presence of food, especially fast food, and a sedentary lifestyle contribute to the "rejuvenation" of the disease.
Basic rules for eating for gout
To clearly understand the principles of nutrition, you need to remember the root cause of gout. The disease is characterized by high levels of uric acid (sodium urate) in the blood. Over time, it accumulates in the joints, and later in the muscle tissues, forming tofus (cavities filled with hard deposits), kidney stones appear. Uric acid enters the body with the help of purines: protein elements in our food.
A little chemistry
Purine breakdown is a common biochemical reaction that produces urate. They leave the body in the urine, that is, they are excreted by the kidneys. Urate is a natural antioxidant, a substance that prevents premature breakdown of cell tissue.
What happens to gout? Urate levels rise sharply and the substance begins to crystallize in the joints.
The surface of the joint head has a smooth cartilaginous structure. The sharp crystals, of course, damage it. The person begins to experience severe pain when moving the limbs. The inflammatory process begins.
Dietary basis
From a brief chemical analysis, it is clear that purines are formed by the breakdown of their own protein compounds and enter the bloodstream. So, if possible, you should exclude protein products from your diet.
Cut down on meat and fish as this food increases purines. There should be no beef, lamb or pork on the diet table. Large amounts of salt should be discarded. If possible, it is best to completely eliminate salt and hot spices from the diet. This is already linked to kidney preservation, as the kidneys are under direct threat in gout.
As with any diet, alcohol should be avoided in gout. Any alcohol (beer - especially in gout) is contraindicated for you, it slows down the excretion of uric acid through the kidneys, which contributes to its accumulation in the blood. A low-purine diet will help minimize or eliminate gout.
Proper nutrition for gout - 50% successful treatment
Following certain dietary guidelines will slow the progression of the disease. Gout will go smoothly.
To facilitate the presentation of purine content in products, we offer examples:
- Bread with bran - 24 mg; Legumes - 105 mg;
- Herring - 128 mg;
- Liver of cattle - 300 mg;
- Oily fish of the salmon family - 100 mg;
- Chicken meat - 110 mg;
- Rabbit meat - 65 mg;
- Tongue and beef - 72-100 mg.
You can create such a table yourself by listing the products you like. They must contain a minimum amount of purines.
Special dietary instructions
It is recommended to eliminate all fried foods from the diet and switch to cooked, stewed, baked foods with low salt content. Unfortunately, fish and meat broths will also need to be removed. When you make these rich soups, a significant portion of the purines enter the broth.
It is useful to organize hungry days, as with any other diet. In addition to getting rid of the pain in your legs, you will also lose extra pounds. This is a nice bonus for maintaining the figure (and not only for women). The essence of fasting days is to eat only vegetables and fruits. Divide the dish into 5-6 parts and eat up to 1, 5 kg of vegetables and fruits. If there is no desire for such a hungry day, then just buy low-fat yogurt. Drink it throughout the day. We advise you to adhere to this system at least once a week.
During an exacerbation of gout, it is better to "unload" the body during the day. Once the inflammation subsides, you can return to your normal eating schedule.
Important!You should not starve for gout! As much as you like it, don't miss a single day without eating.
Foods for gout
You can get competent diet advice from your doctor or nutritionist. This article provides general information and dietary guidelines for people with gout. However, each organism is unique, so it is worth choosing an individual list of foods and diet. Keep a food diary.
List of foods that can be consumed or restricted to consumption
A list of foods that can be consumed and should be limited is presented in one list below.
- Lean dietary meat: rabbit, turkey, chicken;
- 3-4 times a week - still alkaline mineral waters. For example, Narzan. Note the sodium content in such bottled water, it should be low;
- Fruit drinks, dried fruit compotes, green tea;
- All cereals;
- Eggs;
- Lean fish: pollock, hake, pike. All river fish;
- Dairy products: kefir, fermented baked milk, sour cream, milk, but with a reduced fat content - not more than 2, 5%;
- vegetable oil;
- Potatoes; rye or bran bread;
- Low-fat and unsalted cheeses;
- Stewed or raw vegetables.
- Radishes, eggplant, parsnips;
- Fruits can be eaten fresh;
- Fruit;
- Homemade baked goods;
- Legumes, asparagus, rhubarb, spinach. These plants contain a high content of oxalic acid, which retains urate in the body;
- Mushrooms
- Nuts
Prohibited food basket for gout for women and men
In the diet for gout restrictions apply to protein foods, it is advisable to focus on carbohydrates in the diet. How about those who are overweight and the question of how to lose weight is constantly on the agenda? And also for those with diabetes? Conversely, these people need a low carb diet.
Low carb and low protein are two mutually exclusive diets. Which diet to choose? In such cases, it is recommended to limit yourself to carbohydrates and the first three items on the list of forbidden foods. Why? We will summarize in the next chapter.
We've listed some of the allowed products. The general list of forbidden foods is as follows:
- Alcoholic and carbonated drinks. All drinks, which can be called "tonic", packaged juices;
- Fish and meat broths
- Seafood: shrimp, mussels, squid
- By-products: liver, tongue, kidneys, hearts;
- Confectionery such as: ice cream, bakery products, cottage cheese desserts;
- Foods high in salt;
- Canned meat and fish. In general, it is worth giving up canned foods;
- Fatty dairy products: cream, sour cream, cheese;
- Salted fish, smoked sausages, sausages, ham and other semi-finished products. Such products contain harmful additives and preservatives. For example, monosodium glutamate is usually added to improve taste;
General dietary principle
So why, with such clear rules, is it still possible not to be strict about their products, especially for women? Why, if you have to choose between different diets, give preference to protein? Although proteins, as we have learned, are the cause of uric acid in the blood.
Important!Uric acid levels are effectively maintained with medication.
As a reminder, a diet for gout is part of preventative treatment. Its second component is taking drugs that reduce the formation of uric acid. Now these drugs are so effective that by increasing the dose, the doctor must monitor the achievement of the target values of uric acid in the blood. The better you can stick to a gout diet, the lower the dose of medication. And drugs are taken for many years, because the disease is chronic.
Doctors usually recommend the following regarding nutrition:
- Your BMI must be between 18, 5, and 25
- if your BMI is over 25, lose weight! If you lose 5-7 kg, it will significantly reduce the further development of gout
- eat a Mediterranean diet
Also:
- frequent and partial meals in small portions up to 6 times a day;
- energy value about 1500-1800 kcal per day;
- minimum amount of table salt and food containing purines;
- should drink about 2 liters of water a day (especially for those who already have kidney stones);
- fasting is prohibited.
Gout Control Products
The following are considered folk remedies for gout:
- pineapple;
- turmeric;
- cherry juice;
- lemon;
- ginger;
- capsicum.
Try green tea with ginger. The drink has the desired "diuretic effect". Green tea has been shown to be an anti-cancer agent, which is also good. But the truth is that this is a completely different story.
Summary
The listed foods, which are classified as "forbidden", even in small doses, will exacerbate gout. Remember that this disease cannot be cured, so you need to completely rethink your attitude towards food. In this way you can live in peace without joint pain.
In open sources, women will find healthy and delicious recipes that are deliberately not published here, so as not to overload with information. Make proper nutrition and diet for gout your lifestyle. Be healthy!