Gout Diet – Lower Purine Foods Will Lessen Your Gout Pain

When you think of gout you are probably thinking of a painful big toe and you are partially right. Gout is one of the worst forms of arthritis and occurs when uric acid crystallizes and settles into the smaller joints of your hands and feet, thus the painful big toe. The uric acid in your body comes from purines which are ingested through a variety of common and uncommon foods that are in most diets. If you are experiencing the symptoms of gout and are looking for a way to alleviate those symptoms without the use of pain killers or other methods, then it may be as simple as adopting a gout diet to help avoid the symptoms in the first place.

A gout diet is essentially a diet low in purines so your body doesn’t have to worry about processing the excessive amount of uric acid and therefore doesn’t cause gout to flare up. Foods that are rich in purines include sweetbreads, heart, liver, kidneys, anchovies, salmon, turkey, bacon and veal, among others. You need to first keep a two week food journal to see the foods you are eating and which of them are high in purines. Then you can assess which foods need to go and which can be portioned in a way that won’t bring on gout symptoms. Talk with a nutritionist about this for the best plan of action overall. When you avoid the high purine foods in your diet and instead focus on more whole grains, fruits and vegetables you are enabling your body to work better and fight off the inflammation associated with joint pain.

A gout diet can help you get control of your gout symptoms and bring a higher level of livelihood to your activities by taking away the pain and mobility issues you likely experience during a gout flare up. This is a great way to get your gout symptoms under control without the use of pain medication or other means. You can find the life you want without using pain management with something as simple as a diet makeover.