Know All About Gout Management At Home

Know about Gout

Gout is a condition when Urate crystals (a result of high level of uric acid in blood) accumulate in joints, causing mild to severe pain in our body. Your body produces uric acid when it breaks down purines due to high consumption of organic foods, alcoholic beverages, foods rich in Fructose, on a daily basis. The big toe is the most common target along with other common parts like feet, ankles, knees, and hands as well. Here urate crystals deposited in joints or surrounding tissues cause pain, inflammation and swelling. Best possible treatment for gout should be to take a diet of lower Purina content. Changing the diet to such foods that have lower purines can help relieve one of hyperuricemia (elevated levels of uric acid in the blood).

Diet for Gout

Since diet is an important factor, exclusion of foods with extremely high in prunes may be helpful. All meats, fish, poultry, beef, beer, liver, sugary drinks etc. contain moderate to high amounts of purine. Those who are mostly vegan also should avoid pulses and lentils. Some vegetables contain low to moderate amounts of purine.

Vegetables for Gout – A low-purine diet is restricted to 100 to 150 milligrams of uric acid each day. Most vegetables are considered low-purine foods but vegetables that have the highest amount of purines include maximum beans, sprouts, broccoli, leeks, mushrooms, peas. Further, vegetables with moderate levels of Purines include bamboo shoots, cabbage, cauliflower, corn, green or string beans, green peppers, kale, kohlrabi, spinach etc. So the safest choices are chicory, eggplant, lettuce, onions, radishes, tomatoes, carrots etc.

Water also matters !! It is very helpful to drink at least 10 to 12 glasses of water or fluid each day as water helps to dilute urinary uric acid and avoid rapid weight loss.

Fluids intake – Intake of fluids should be encouraged to assist with the excretion of uric and to minimize the possibility of renal calculi formation. Fluid intake> = 3lt / day is desirable for all gouty patients who chronically pass uric or have calcium oxalate renal calculi. Because orate is high in carbohydrates and low in fat with only 25- 30% of calorie, therefore protein intake should be mild to moderate, from person to person.

Weight matters !! – Generally overweight condition increases the risk of Hyperuricemia, patients should be encouraged to lose weight @ 2 kgs per month minimum. Finally, avoidance of alcohol should be recommended.

Home Care for Gout

  1. Protein – Limit daily proteins from lean meat, fish and poultry to 113 to 170 grams. Add protein to your diet with low-fat or fat-free dairy products, plain yogurt or skim milk that is now commonly available in the market.
  2. High-purine vegetables – A healthy diet based on lots of fruits and vegetables without high-purine vegetables, such as asparagus, spinach, peas, cauliflower or mushrooms.
  3. Selected seafood – Avoid almost all sea foods, which are higher in purines like mussels, scallops, trout, haddock, mackerel and tuna, anchovies, herring, sardines.
  4. Vitamin C – Vitamin C may help lower uric acid levels. Talk to your doctor about whether a 500-milligram vitamin C supplement fits into your diet and medication plan.
  5. Coffee – Some research suggests that moderate coffee consumption may be associated with a reduced risk of gout.
  6. Cherries – There are some studies that eating cherries is associated with a reduced risk of gout attacks.
  7. Last but not the least Weight loss – Obesity or overweight increases the risk of developing gout, and losing weight lowers the risk of gout.

 

Finally remember prevention is better than cure  & I wish  you all speedy cure from Gout!!