The Gout Diet – What is It?
The Gout Diet limits your food intake with high purine levels. High purine foods tend to increase the uric acid levels in your body causing gout. Gout is a type of arthritis caused by high levels of uric acid in your body, thus causing crystals to form in your joints, resulting in inflammation and pain. Chances of getting gout increase when you are overweight or drink too much alcohol. The most common symptoms of gout are swelling, redness, tenderness, and sharp pain in your big toe. You can also get gout in your ankle, knees, or foot.
What do you eat on the Gout Diet?
While doing the Gout Diet you want to consume 10-12 eight-ounce glasses of water, or any non-alcoholic fluids daily. Drinking fluids helps dilute urinary uric acid. You want to consume protein in moderate amounts. Limit your intake of meat, fish, and poultry to 4-6 ounces daily. Try low-purine protein foods like tofu, eggs, and low fat dairy products. Eat leaner cuts of meant and choose foods that are prepared with low fat dairy products and less oil.
You can consume the following in limited amounts, asparagus, spinach, mushrooms, cauliflower and green peas. You also want to limit your consumption of pork, seafood, lentils, oatmeal, wheat bran and wheat germ. You want to eat a well balanced diet high in complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains). You can also eat dark berries mainly cherries, celery, flax or olive oil, and nuts. Low fat and low fat or non-fat milk is OK to consume.
What do you avoid on the Gout Diet?
You want to avoid alcohol, mainly beer while on the Gout Diet. Drinking alcohol can raise the uric acid levels and promote an episode of gout. You want to avoid the following foods: sweet breads, liver, anchovies, sardines, beef kidneys, herring, scallops, veal, bacon, mussels, smelt, haddock, salmon, and turkey. Brain, game meats, gravy and mackerel are also to be avoided.
What exercise do you do on the Gout Diet?
Exercise is a good idea for everyone, and especially if you want to avoid gout. Besides avoiding high purine foods while on the Gout Diet, maintaining a healthy weight is just as important. Being over weight can increase your risk of getting gout since obesity can increase your levels of uric acid.
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There are three main forms of exercise that will help give you relief from gout and also prevent it form coming back. They are strengthening exercises, range of motion, and also endurance exercises. Strengthening will help increase and maintaining the muscles that support the joint suffering from gout. Range of motion exercises will keep the joints moving and reduce stiffness. Endurance exercises will help control your weight, provide energy and will help strengthen your heart.
Who does best on the Gout Diet?
This diet is good for anyone battling gout or someone who wants to try to avoid getting gout.
- Fresh, Never-Frozen Meals: A new menu of 30+ dietitian-designed options every week.
- Cooked to Perfection: Prepared by gourmet chefs and delivered fresh to you.
- Zero Prep, No Mess: Just heat and enjoy in minutes.
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