Diet plays an important role in gout. The cause of gout is the so-called hyperuricemia, the excessive occurrence of uric acid and its degradation products in the body. The supply of uric acid can be well controlled through diet, which nowadays, in combination with drug treatment, can often effectively prevent the long-term effects of gout. The most important group of substances that should be taken into account in the diet are purines, which are converted to uric acid in the body. In addition to a balanced diet, the body should always ensure a sufficient intake of fluids, avoidance of alcohol and normalization of weight.
What should be avoided?
With a diet that is correct for gout disease, care should be taken to avoid foods with a high content of purines, as the body forms uric acid from them. This includes above all meat products, such as offal, and shellfish. Therefore also oil sardines and sprats for example should have a high purine content.
In addition, care should be taken to avoid drinks that contain a lot of sugar and/or alcohol. Yoghurts or other foods that are highly sweetened should also be avoided.
- Boiled fish
- Chicken Breast
- Beef
- Ham
- Pork schnitzel should be avoided.
When can I eat something?
To prevent an excessive accumulation of uric acid in the blood and body, a general change in diet should be made. This should ideally be permanent and not just symptom-oriented. Uric acid is produced from purines, whereby the content of uric acid formed in the body does not behave in the same way as the content of purines contained in food, but differs in each case.
A balanced diet with sufficient fruit and vegetables is also important. Therefore, the intake of at least three servings daily is recommended.
- A maximum daily intake of 500mg uric acid can be set as a guideline.
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