For gout (or gouty arthritis), doctors tend to focus on diet in particular. The importance of diet is undeniable, approaches and recommendations change, but diet is still considered part of the preventive treatment for gout exacerbations to minimize their recurrence.
The defeat of the joints with gout is always an "explosion", sharp pain and a rapid increase in inflammation. In a short time, illness can make life miserable. A responsible attitude to a diet can prolong the asymptomatic course of gout for years, that is, 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 occurrence of this disease: genetic predisposition, impaired renal function, obesity. In addition, as a rule, gout occurs in people after 40-50 years. But the availability of food, especially fast food, and a sedentary lifestyle contribute to the "rejuvenation" of the disease.
Basic rules of nutrition for gout
To fully understand the principles of nutrition, you need to remember the main 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 muscle tissue, forming tophi (cavities filled with solid deposits), kidney stones appear. Uric acid enters the body with the help of purines: protein elements in our diet.
A little chemistry
The breakdown of purine is a common biochemical reaction that produces urates. They leave the body with urine, that is, they are excreted by the kidneys. Urates are a natural antioxidant, a substance that prevents the premature breakdown of cell tissue.
What's going on with gout? The urate level rises sharply and the substance begins to crystallize in the joints.
The surface of the articular head has a smooth cartilaginous structure. The sharp crystals, of course, damage it. The person begins to feel severe pain when moving their limbs. The inflammatory process begins.
Diet base
From a brief chemical analysis, it is clear that purines are formed from the breakdown of their own protein compounds and enter the bloodstream. So, if possible, you should exclude protein products from the 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 must be thrown away. If possible, it is best to completely remove salt and hot seasonings from the diet. This already has to do with the preservation of the kidneys, as with gout, the kidneys are directly threatened.
As with any diet, alcohol should be avoided for gout. Any alcohol (beer - especially for gout) is contraindicated for you, it delays the excretion of uric acid by the kidneys, which contributes to its accumulation in the blood. A "low purine" diet will help minimize or eliminate the onset of gout.
Good nutrition for gout - 50% treatment success
Following certain dietary guidelines will slow the progression of the disease. The gout will go off without incident.
To facilitate the imagination of the purine content of products, we offer examples:
- Bran bread - 24 mg;
- Legumes - 105 mg;
- Herring - 128 mg;
- Liver of large horned animals - 300 mg;
- Fatty fish of the salmon family - 100 mg;
- Chicken meat - 110 mg;
- Rabbit meat - 65 mg;
- Bovine tongue and meat - 72-100 mg.
You can make such a table yourself listing the products you like. They must contain a minimum amount of purines.
Special dietary guidelines
It is recommended to remove all fried foods from the diet and switch to low salt boiled, baked and baked foods. Unfortunately, fish and meat broths will also need to be removed. When preparing these rich soups, a significant proportion of the purines goes into the broth.
It is useful to organize fasting days, as with any other diet. In addition to getting rid of the pain in your legs, you will lose those extra pounds. It's a nice bonus for keeping your figure (and not just for women). The essence of fasting days is to eat only vegetables and fruits. Divide the meal into 5-6 parts and eat up to 1. 5 kg of vegetables and fruits. If there is no desire for such a fasting day, then just buy low-fat kefir. Drink it throughout the day as well. We recommend that you stick to this system at least once a week.
During an exacerbation of gout, it is better to "unload" the body every other day. Once the inflammation is gone, you can go back to your normal eating schedule.
Important!Don't starve for gout! As much as you want, don't skip a day without eating.
Foods for gout
You can get competent advice on diet from your doctor or dietitian. This article provides general information and nutritional recommendations for people with gout. However, every organism is unique, so it's worth choosing an individual food list and nutritional program. Keep a food journal.
List of foods that can be consumed or restricted to use
A list of foods that can be eaten and that should be limited is presented in a list below.
- Dietary lean meat: rabbit, turkey, chicken;
- 3-4 times a week - still alkaline mineral water. For example, Narzan. Pay attention to the sodium content of this bottled water, it must be low;
- Fruit drinks, dried fruit compotes, green tea;
- All grains; Eggs
- ;
- Lean fish: pollock, hake, pike. All river fish;
- Dairy products: kefir, fermented baked milk, sour cream, milk, but reduced in fat - not more than 2. 5%;
- Vegetable oil;
- Potatoes;
- Rye or bran bread;
- Low fat unsalted cheeses;
- Simmered or raw vegetables.
- Radish, eggplant, parsnip;
- The fruits can be eaten fresh;
- Berries;
- Homemade baked goods;
- Legumes, asparagus, rhubarb, spinach. These plants contain a high content of oxalic acid, which retains urates in the body;
- Mushrooms
- Walnuts
Shopping cart banned for gout in women and men
In the gout diet restrictions are on protein foods, it is recommended to focus on carbohydrates in the diet. What about overweight people and the question of how to lose weight is constantly on the agenda? And also for diabetics? Conversely, these people need a low-carb diet.
Low Carbohydrate and Low Protein are two mutually exclusive diets. What type of diet to choose? In such cases, it is recommended to limit yourself precisely to carbohydrates and the first three items on the list of prohibited foods. Why? We will summarize in the next chapter.
We have listed some of the permitted products. The general list of prohibited products is as follows:
- Alcoholic and carbonated drinks. All drinks that can be described as "tonic", packaged juices;
- Fish and meat broths
- Seafood: shrimps, mussels, squid
- By-products: liver, tongue, kidneys, heart;
- Confectionery such as: ice cream, pastries, cottage cheese desserts;
- Foods containing large amounts of 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. These products contain harmful additives and preservatives. For example, monosodium glutamate is usually added to improve flavor;
Principle of general food
So why, given such clear rules, is there still the option of not being strict on their products, especially for women? Why, if you have to choose between different diets, go for protein? Although it is proteins, as we have discovered, are the cause of the appearance of uric acid in the blood.
Important!Uric acid levels are effectively maintained with medication.
As a reminder, the gout diet is part of a preventive treatment. The second element is taking drugs that reduce the formation of uric acid. Now these drugs are so effective that by increasing the dosage, the doctor must monitor the achievement of target values of uric acid in the blood. The better you can stick to a gout diet, the lower the dose of medicine. And the drugs are taken for many years, because the disease is chronic.
Doctors generally recommend the following when it comes to nutrition:
- Your BMI should be between 18, 5 and 25
- if your BMI is over 25, lose weight! If you lose 5-7 kg weight, it will significantly reduce the development of gout
- eat a Mediterranean diet
Also:
- frequent meals and divided into small portions up to 6 times a day;
- energy value of about 1500 to 1800 kcal per day;
- minimum amount of table salt and foods containing purines;
- you should drink about 2 liters of water per day (especially for those who already have kidney stones); Fasting
- is prohibited.
Anti-drip products
The following drugs are considered folk remedies for gout:
- pineapple;
- turmeric;
- cherry juice;
- lemon;
- ginger;
- capsicum.
Try ginger green tea. The drink has the desired “diuretic effect”. Green tea has been shown to be an anticancer agent which is also good. But, the truth is, it's a whole different story.
Summary
Listed products that are classified as "prohibited", even in small doses, will make gout worse. Remember that this disease cannot be cured, so you need to completely rethink your attitude to food. So you can live peacefully without joint pain.
In open sources, women will find healthy and tasty recipes that are deliberately not posted here so as not to overload with information. Make good nutrition and a gout diet your way of life. To be in a good health!