Gout foods to avoid

Gout is caused by elevated uric acid levels, otherwise known

as hyperuricaemia.

When the levels of urate in the body reach the point where they can no longer be dissolved...

… the salts crystallize in the form of needle-shaped crystals of monosodium urate monohydrate.

One of the main causes of high uric acid levels in the body is diet.

Specifically the amount of a type of chemical called purines.

A purine is a molecule of the same type as essential components of the body such as RNA and DNA.

When excess purines are ingested and not used then they are degraded to uric acid.

Once the uric acid concentration gets too high the uric acid crystallizes into urate salts

These are deposited into the human body tissues, where

they cannot be degraded.

Ingesting high-purine food is a chief cause of excess uric acid.

Purines can be found in many foods...

Offal – liver, kidney, sweetbreads

Seafood – herring, mussels, sardines, anchovies, scallops

Game – grouse, pheasant, partridge, and turkey

Yeast & Yeast extracts – breads, beer vegemite, marmite

Fatty meats – Mutton, veal, bacon

Legumes – beans, lentils, peas

As well as reducing the intake of foods high in purines, there are foods believed to be beneficial.

Eating lots of these can help keep gout at bay.

Some of these are...

Cherries Lemon Juice

Apple Cider Vinegar

Green leafy vegetablesFruits high in vitamin C

Nuts and seeds

Certain herbs -Devils claw, garlic, hawthorn, parsley

It is vitally important to treat your gout, rather than just

letting it get worse.

Over time the symptoms of gout get much worse.

Gout can cause permanent damamge and even deformity.

Gout should not be taken lightly, it is a serious problem.