For gout (or gouty arthritis), doctors tend to focus specifically on diet. The importance of diet is undeniable, approaches and recommendations are changing, but diet is still considered as part of the preventive treatment of gout exacerbations to minimize its recurrence.
The defeat of the joints with gout is always an "explosion", sharp pain and a rapid increase in inflammation. In a short period of time, illness can make life miserable. A responsible attitude to 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 kidney function, obesity. Also, 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 have a clear understanding of the principles of nutrition, it is necessary to remember the root 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 subsequently in the muscle tissues, forming tophus (cavities filled with solid deposits), kidney stones appear. Uric acid enters the body with the help of purines - protein elements in our food.
A little chemistry
The degradation of purines 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 premature breakdown of cellular tissue.
What happens with gout? The level of urate rises sharply and the substance begins to crystallize in the joints.
The surface of the joint head has a smooth cartilage structure. Sharp crystals obviously damage it. The person begins to experience severe pain when moving their limbs. The inflammatory process begins.
Dietary basis
From a brief chemical analysis, it is clear that purines are formed by the breakdown of their own protein compounds and enter the blood. So, if possible, it is necessary to exclude protein products from the diet.
Cut back on meat and fish as this food increases purines. There should be no beef, lamb or pork on the diet table. Eliminate large amounts of salt. If possible, it is best to eliminate salt and hot seasonings from the diet altogether. 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.
Proper nutrition for gout: 50% effective treatment
By following some dietary guidelines, you will slow down the progression of the disease. The gout will be quiet.
To make it easier to imagine what the purine content in products is, we offer examples:
- Bran bread - 24 mg;
- Legumes - 105 mg;
- Herring - 128 mg;
- Liver of large animals with horns - 300 mg;
- Fatty fish from the salmon family - 100 mg;
- Chicken meat - 110 mg;
- Rabbit meat - 65 mg;
- Beef tongue and meat - 72-100 mg.
You can create such a table yourself by listing the products you love. They should contain a minimal amount of purines.
Special Dietary Guidelines
It is advisable to eliminate all fried foods from the diet and switch to boiled, stewed and baked foods with low salt content. Unfortunately, the meat and fish broths will also have to be removed. When making these rich soups, a significant portion of the purines go into the broth.
It is useful to organize fasting days, as with any other diet. In addition to getting rid of leg pain, you will lose those extra pounds. This is a nice bonus for maintaining your figure (and not just for women). The essence of fasting days is to consume only fruits and vegetables. Divide the meal into 5-6 parts and eat up to 1. 5kg of fruits and vegetables. If there is no desire for such a fast day, buy only low-fat kefir. Also drink all day. We recommend that you stick to this system at least once a week.
During an exacerbation of gout, it is best to "unload" the body every other day. Once the inflammation has subsided, you can return to your normal eating schedule.
Important!You don't have to starve from gout! As much as you want, don't skip a single day without eating.
Foods for gout
You can get competent diet advice from your doctor or dietician. This article provides general information and nutritional guidelines for people with gout. However, each organism is unique, so it is worth choosing an individual food list and nutrition program. Keep a food diary.
List of foods that can be consumed or limited to use
A list of foods that can be eaten and should be restricted is presented in a list below.
- Lean diet meat: rabbit, turkey, chicken;
- 3-4 times a week - still alkaline mineral waters. For example, Narzan. Pay attention to the sodium content in such bottled water, it should be low;
- Fruit drinks, dried fruit compotes, green tea;
- Any cereals;
- Eggs;
- Lean fish: cod, hake, pike. All river fish;
- Dairy products: kefir, fermented cooked milk, sour cream, milk, but with a reduced fat content - no more than 2. 5%;
- Vegetable oil;
- Potatoes;
- Rye or bran bread;
- Low-fat and unsalted cheeses;
- Stewed or raw vegetables.
- Radish, eggplant, parsnip;
- Fruit 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
- Nuts
Prohibited shopping basket for gout in women and men
In the gout diet, the restrictions refer to protein foods, it is recommended to focus on carbohydrates in the diet. What about those who are overweight and the question of how to lose weight is constantly on the agenda? And also for those with diabetes? Conversely, these people require a low carbohydrate diet.
A low carbohydrate diet and a low protein diet are two diets that are mutually exclusive. Which diet to choose? In these cases, it is advisable to limit yourself to carbohydrates and the first three items on the list of prohibited foods. Because? 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 called "tonic", packaged juices;
- Fish and meat broths
- Seafood: prawns, mussels, squid
- By-products: liver, tongue, kidneys, hearts;
- Sweets such as: ice cream, baked goods, desserts with ricotta;
- Foods that contain large amounts of salt;
- Canned meat and fish. In general, canned foods are worth giving up;
- Fatty dairy products: cream, sour cream, cheese;
- Salted fish, smoked sausages, sausages, ham and other semi-finished products. Such products contain harmful additives and preservatives. For example, monosodium glutamate is usually added to enhance the flavor;
Principle of the general diet
So why, given such clear rules, is there still a possibility of not being strict about their products, especially for women? Why, if you have to choose between different diets, give preference to proteins? Although it is proteins, as we have discovered, they are the cause of the appearance of uric acid in the blood.
Important!Uric acid levels are effectively maintained with drugs.
As a reminder, the gout diet is part of the preventive treatment. Its second component is the intake of drugs that reduce the formation of uric acid. Now these drugs are so effective that, by increasing the dosage, the doctor has to monitor the achievement of the target values of uric acid in the blood. The better you can stick to a gout diet, the lower the dosage of the drug. And the drugs are taken for many years, as the disease is chronic.
Doctors usually recommend the following regarding nutrition:
- Your BMI should be between 18, 5 and 25
- if your BMI is over 25, you lose weight! If you lose 5-7kg weight, it will greatly reduce the further development of gout
- follow a Mediterranean diet
Also:
- frequent and divided meals in small portions up to 6 times a day;
- the energy value is about 1500-1800 kcal per day;
- minimum amount of table salt and food containing purines;
- needs to drink about 2 liters of water a day (especially for those who already have kidney stones);
- fasting is prohibited.
Products to combat gout
The following are considered folk remedies for gout:
- pineapple;
- turmeric;
- cherry juice;
- lemon;
- ginger;
- capsicum.
Try green tea with ginger. The drink has the desired "diuretic effect". Green tea has been shown to be an anti-cancer agent, which is also good. But the truth is, this is a completely different story.
Summary
The products listed that are classified as "prohibited", even in small doses, will aggravate gout. Remember that this disease cannot be cured, so you need to completely rethink your attitude towards food. Hence, you can live peacefully without joint pain.
In open sources, women will find healthy and tasty recipes that are deliberately not published here so as not to overload with information. Make eating right and gout diet your lifestyleBe healthy!