Diet for gout: eat everything that helps preserve joint health
A diet for gout is not a set of specific recipes: what you can eat and what you absolutely cannot eat. This is rather a nutritional principle in which the main goal is to preserve the health and mobility of joints. Since gout is essentially an extremely painful form of arthritis, it is logical that nutrition for gout also includes some elements of the diet for arthritis. The pain of gout is caused by the accumulation of uric acid in the joints, which often causes inflammation. This means that in order to avoid terrible pain, you need to exclude from your diet (especially if you already have gout) foods that contain purines - compounds that, when broken down, form uric acid. The champions in purine content are red meat and alcohol.
If you have gout, fish dishes will add variety to your diet.
Gout has been known since ancient times. Cases of the disease were described back in Ancient Egypt. What is this disease?
The essence of the disease
During the course of the disease, uric acid salt crystals are deposited in various tissues of the body. The kidneys cannot cope with their task and cannot remove this acid. It's all because of purines. After their breakdown, uric acid is formed. Some foods are high in purines. Therefore, in this case, a person must follow a special diet that excludes foods with purines.
This disease affects the joints of the legs, arms, elbows, and knees. When the disease weakens, gout does not bother a person. But if the diet is disrupted, pain, swelling and inflammation in the joints may appear.
Proper nutrition
The most purines are found in:
- in meat products;
- in some seafood;
- in offal;
- in legumes;
- in alcohol.
Patients must maintain proper diet at all times. Consumption of meat and alcohol should be kept to a minimum. If there is a lack of protein, it must be replenished with other foods so that the patient does not develop a feeling of weakness.
Vitamins are always needed
When treating gout, the human body must receive all the necessary vitamins. With this disease, the body's metabolism is disrupted, and taking vitamins improves human metabolism. Preparations with vitamin C and P are very important. Ascorbic acid helps remove uric acid salts from the body.
If a person takes the right amount of vitamin C every day, it helps him prevent the development of joint diseases.
Folic acid in the treatment of gout improves metabolism in the body. Vitamin E will help dissolve fats, remove toxins and poisons, and improve skin condition.
Depending on a person’s body weight and state of health, the doctor prescribes a vitamin complex.
Fish oil is our assistant
In the presence of such a disease, a person, adhering to a diet, refuses many of his favorite foods. In case of this disease, it is forbidden to consume fatty meats, fish, and too rich broths. It would be better to completely abandon crab sticks. Crab sticks are an unnatural product; they cannot benefit the body. Therefore, they are not recommended for healthy people to eat.
Since a person, following a diet, refuses various fatty foods, he simply needs fish oil.
Its beneficial properties:
- contains Omega acids, which are considered beneficial for the human body;
- supplies a person with vitamins A and D;
- when used, the walls of blood vessels become stronger;
- with its help, rickets is prevented;
- improves overall well-being.
How to properly take fish oil for a patient should be decided by his attending physician.
What's the best way to cook fish?
With such an illness, frying fish is not allowed. Fish with a low fat content is ideal. And only once or twice a week. It is necessary to cook fish in small quantities. It is not recommended to combine a fish dish with potatoes and pasta. Cereals are also not recommended to be consumed with fish. The combination of fish and vegetables will be the most optimal. For example, with tomatoes, cabbage, onions.
Diet soup
Preparing this dish is not difficult. As a result, it should please you with interesting taste sensations. According to the recipe, the fish soup must be prepared from several varieties of fish. But it is better for the patient to take only one type of fish for this dish. Pike, perch or salmon are good choices.
The fish is filled with water and brought to a boil. First, the broth is drained, it comes out greasy the first time. Then wash the fish again, add water again and cook over low heat until tender. As soon as the fish is cooked, it is pulled out, cooled and cleaned.
Then the prepared fish can be added to the soup when the vegetables are almost cooked. Or leave it on the table and then add it to your plate just before dinner. Add onions and carrots to the broth. Vegetables should be cooked until tender. For added piquancy, you can add fresh tomato to the broth before the end of cooking.
It is necessary to add salt and pepper to taste. For gout, the use of dill, parsley and garlic is considered necessary for the body. It is advisable to add greens to the dish.
The soup should sit for half an hour. Then it is poured into plates. The dish is ready.
Cooking fish in the oven
All dishes cooked in the oven are much healthier than those fried in a frying pan. But the oven-baked fish dish is especially attractive for its taste. Any low-fat type of fish is suitable for baking. For example, pollock. Place the cleaned fish into a pre-prepared sleeve. There is no need to add spices to this fish. 7 minutes before readiness, cut the sleeve. This is necessary so that the fish has a beautiful crust. Almost before the end of cooking, you can add peppers, zucchini, garlic and tomatoes.
Before serving, sprinkle the dish with lemon juice and decorate with herbs if desired.
Restrictions on vegetables
The benefits of pepper and corn for gout remain unclear. After eating pepper, you need to monitor the body's reaction to this vegetable. Corn should be eaten with great caution and in small portions.
And if we are talking about celery, then it helps to remove excess uric acid from the body.
Black radish can relieve swelling from the affected joint, but it is not recommended to take it internally. Compresses are prepared from a mixture of black radish, honey and garlic and applied to sore joints. gout treatment
It will be much more effective if you use real honey.
Grate the radish and squeeze out its juice well. Add honey, garlic. Apply as a compress. Author: K.M.N., Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences M.A. Bobyr
“Highlight” of nutrition for gout: pineapples and tofu
It is recommended to include traditional oriental dishes in the diet for gout - tofu, soybeans, soy milk, soy sauce and leafy vegetables. Mainly because soy has a unique property - it promotes the rapid removal of uric acid from tissues and joints. Even during acute attacks of gout, consuming soy products can relieve pain as well as medications. By the way, precisely because soy products (and primarily tofu) are the basis of Japanese cuisine, residents of the Land of the Rising Sun do not know what gout and arthritis are.
In addition to soy products, the daily diet for gout should include fruits, in particular fresh pineapples. The substance bromelain, which is found in pineapples, helps slow down inflammatory processes in gout. But keep in mind: the most bromelain is found in the top of the pineapple and in its stalk. In addition, bromelain quickly “evaporates” in the presence of oxygen, so pineapple should be eaten immediately, as soon as you have time to cut it.
Proper nutrition for gout
What foods are ideal for patients with gout?
Experts say no special diet is required. Great-grandfather had gout; clearly - a lot of beer! Great-aunt Anna also suffered from this disease; she loved sour kidneys all her life. And six months ago, a colleague was diagnosed with gout - problems in the family, overeating and a lot of whiskey.
It has long been known that the development of gout is associated with overeating and excessive alcohol consumption. Therefore, patients should always remember important rules: avoid foods high in purine, give up alcohol!
Purines that enter the body from food, when metabolized, increase the level of uric acid in the blood, and alcohol suppresses the process of excretion of uric acid through the kidneys. If there is too much uric acid in the blood, crystals form, which settle in the joints and cause painful gout attacks. This process can be prevented by following a strict diet. However, there have been some changes to traditional recommendations.
No special diet required
“We don't look at the low-purine diet as narrowly as we used to,” says Professor Martin Smolich. Pharmacist, specialist in clinical pharmacy, teacher of the specialty "Clinical Nutrition" at the Rhine University Mathias. His professional advice: eat a balanced diet and avoid excesses. While people suffering from gout should eat as little purine-rich foods as possible, such as meat, organ meats, or seafood, eating small amounts is fine. Smolich: “There is good news for gout patients: our nutritional recommendations are not a special diet, but something that can be recommended to anyone as a healthy and nutritious diet.”
All-clear for vegetables: rather a positive impact
First of all, purines contained in products of plant origin are subject to reassessment. Researchers from the USA have proven that these components of a balanced diet do not have a negative effect on uric acid levels. “So there's no reason not to eat legumes, asparagus, spinach and other vegetables,” says Smolich. Due to their high protein content and other elements, they have a rather positive effect on uric acid levels.
The expert also lifts the strict ban on alcohol. "If you drink a glass of wine occasionally, it won't cause significant harm to your body," he says. On the contrary, it is still strictly forbidden to consume wine and vodka products and beer, even non-alcoholic: the former due to the high alcohol content, the latter due to the high purine content.
Avoid fructose in drinks and sweets
Another “gout stimulant” is attracting more and more attention from nutritionists: fructose. Studies have shown that simple sugars have the same adverse effects as alcohol in people with already elevated uric acid levels. Therefore, should patients with gout avoid eating fruits and fruit juices? “No,” says Martin Smolich. “On the contrary: You should eat fruit for its benefits, but not more than two servings per day.” Soft drinks and multivitamin juices sweetened with fructose syrup are critical. Fructose is also often found in compressed muesli, fruit yoghurts, ice cream and other sweets.
The most important thing for gout: get rid of excess weight
“However, the negative impact on uric acid levels in this case is only one side of the coin,” explains Professor Anja Bosi-Westphal from the Institute of Dietetics at the University of Hohenheim. The ecotrophology specialist and physician also believes that it is important that sugary drinks contribute to weight gain: “In my opinion, being overweight is a real problem and contributes to the fact that the number of people suffering from gout is steadily increasing.” Overweight people often have elevated uric acid levels. “And this, according to recent evidence, may, in turn, be the cause of other diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, renal dysfunction and even dementia.”
Therefore, the professor advises paying attention to nutrition even when uric acid parameters are at the upper limit of normal, and recommends eating not only vegetables, but also low-fat dairy products. Studies have shown that just a quarter liter of skim milk or natural yogurt per day helps remove uric acid from the body. “It will also help you lose weight,” adds Bosi-Westphal. Losing weight is a top priority for overweight people who are at risk of developing gout.
Coffee is no longer banned
While dairy products have been shown to have beneficial effects on uric acid levels, it has recently been noted that coffee and vitamin C may also have protective effects on the body. “The positive effects of coffee have not yet been properly researched, but existing research results clearly show that there is no longer a need to prohibit its consumption in patients with gout,” comments Martin Smolich.
The protective qualities of vitamin C have been proven through extensive research. “But because high doses are needed,” he adds, “the physician must consider any contraindications the patient may have.” In addition, individual needs should always be taken into account. “At the end of the day, we are treating people,” says Martin Smolich, “not trying to provide good laboratory parameters.”
Nutrition for gout and high uric acid levels
Consume the following foods only in small quantities or avoid them:
- Foods high in purine: organ meats, meat, sausage, poultry (especially with skin), crustaceans, sardines in oil, and certain types of fish such as anchovies or herring
- Beer and wine and vodka products can be consumed in small quantities (one glass per day)
- Beverages, compressed muesli, yoghurts and other foods sweetened with fructose or fructose syrup
When eating and drinking, give preference to:
- Milk and dairy products with reduced fat content
- Fruits, vegetables (including those high in purine such as legumes and spinach), nuts, grains and cereals
- Coffee, including decaffeinated
- Mineral water, unsweetened herbal and fruit teas (at least two liters per day)
In one of the hospitals that are part of the United Clinics of Dusseldorf, there is a specialized Dietetics Clinic, where they will develop a special menu for you, taking into account the characteristics of your body and lifestyle. Please contact our Russian-speaking staff by phone or email for advice.
Fresh vegetables are the best side dish in a gout diet
Whether you like it or not, the best side dishes in a gout diet are vegetables: cabbage, lettuce, celery and carrots. They must be consumed daily and as much as you can eat. These products are low in purines, but rich in fiber - a rare and extremely successful combination for gout patients. Ideally, these vegetables should make up half of your diet - this way they will reduce high uric acid levels and at the same time help you lose weight. But almost always gout and an elusive waist are the most faithful companions.
