Gout Diets

                

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One of the most difficult parts of having to live with gout is learning what you can and can not eat. Gone are the days of eating steak, oysters, and sausages. No more creamed spinach or buttered cauliflower either. It simply is not enough that you have to bear up under the pain of this condition, ou have to change what you eat as well! Here is a beginner's list of gout diet do's and don't's.

Gout food do's

Feel free to eat as many fruits as you can, particularly cherries and cherry juice, as they have been observed to lower uric acid levels in the blood. Fruits, some vegetables, whole grains and complex carbohydrates make up 40 percent of gout diets. Thirty percent of the gout sufferer's diet should come from fat, with only a third of that coming from animal fat. The final 30 percent of the diet should come in the form of protein. Soy, fish, poultry, and other lean meats are most highly recommended. All in all, the person with gout should be limited to about 1,600 calories depending on body frame type, according to leading dietitians.

The hard part: Gout diet don'ts

This could arguably be the most unpleasant part of having gout. Red meat is off the menu for you. A steak, a juicy burger, or bacon is just not good for you. Likewise for shellfish, so no more of those baked oysters or mussels. Sausages, which are usually made of organ meat encased in intestine, are probably not a good idea. It is the same with kidney, liver, and other internal organs. Finally, beans, cauliflower, and spinach intake should all be reduced if not eliminated altogether.

Yes, it may sound like a lot but for people who know the agony of waking up in the middle of the night with their joints swollen to the size of softballs, it should be no big deal.

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Gout FAQs

                

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Over two million Americans are afflicted with the mind-numbing ache in the joints known as gout, and more continue to be added to their number every year. Here are the frequently asked questions and answers regarding gout.

Q: What is gout?

A: Simply put, gout is the formation of uric acid crystals in the joints caused by the body's inability to cleanse itself of uric acid. This retained acid then hardens in the joints, causing very severe pain and swelling. According to some patients, the pain is like having shards of glass embedded in the joint of your big toe.

Q: How do I get it?

A: You can get it several ways. The first factor has to do with diet. A high-protein diet promotes the build up of uric acid in the body. If the body is unable to rid itself of uric acid, then gout will set in. If your diet is rich in shellfish and organ meats, then you are more at risk of getting gout than a vegetarian. Even different cuts of meat within the same animal have different uric acid levels. Chicken legs are higher in uric acid than the chicken breast, for example. Also, beer drinkers are more prone to gout than wine drinkers.

Another potential risk indicator is your family medical history. You are more predisposed to it if either of your parents has gout, especially if your grandparents have it as well. Their genes could be weak against ridding the body of uric acid and they may have passed this weakness on to you.

Other potential risk indicators are weight, age, and gender. Gout attacks overweight people more often than people who are in good shape, and is more likely to occur in men in their forties or fifties than in women.

Q: How do I prevent it?

A: The best defense against gout is a healthy diet. Try to lay off the junk food, and limit your intake of shellfish, liver, and kidney. Eat a balanced diet of lean meat, vegetables, and fruits. Drinking plenty of water helps to rid your system of excessive buildup of uric acid.

It is also a good idea to know your family's medical history. Find out if your parents have gout so you can determine if you are more at risk or not.

In general, it is a good idea to get regular exercise, especially if you want to prevent gout. Some of the uric acid buildup is released in the process of sweating during strenuous activity.

Q: What do I do if I already have it?

A: Ben Franklin had it. Thomas Jefferson and Henry VIII also had it, but it did not prevent them from leading successful lives. It should not prevent you from doing the same either.

If you already have gout, then you should definitely follow the precautions discussed above and continue to have regular,consultations with your doctor. There are many remedies, both pharmaceutical and herbal, that are effective and safe for gout. One simple herbal remedy is boiling a teaspoon of chickweed in a cup of boiling water. Strain out the floating chickweed and take this tea four times a day to prevent the onset of gout attacks. Among pharmaceutical remedies, the generic drug anturane has done wonders for people suffering from this condition.

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Gout Nutrition

                

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Perhaps the most infuriatingly difficult part about having to suffer gout is the seemingly endless list of food you are not allowed to eat. Certain diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and of course, gout, require special diets that should be strictly followed. Gout is an acute form of arthritis that is caused by the crystallization of excess uric acid in the soft tissue of the joints. One can get uric acid from many different kinds of food. This article will guide gout sufferers on which foods are safe to eat and which ones that should be avoided.

Gout-friendly foods

Fruits are very good for people with gout. Be sure to eat plenty of fruits, especially cherries. Drink its juice as well. Cherry juice has been reported to decrease the levels of uric acid in the blood, but there are still no official findings of its therapeutic effect. Fruits high in vitamin C like orange, lemon, and grapefruit are highly recommended. Complex carbohydrates should come from brown rice and whole wheat bread. Protein-rich foods like fish and lean meat like chicken breast are allowed. Soy products are a great source of protein, too. Water is the best beverage for gout sufferers. High water intake is necessary to flush out any excess uric acid from the bloodstream. Drinking eight to twelve (or more) glasses of water is highly advisable.

Avoid these at all costs

Unfortunately, there are many foods that people with gout should avoid. Red meat, organ meat, and shellfish are off the menu so pass up on the steak, baked oysters, and sausages whose casing is actually intestine. Steer clear of spinach, cauliflower, legumes, and beans because they are all notorious for causing a rise in uric acid levels. Alcohol intake should be regulated, or if possible, eliminated completely. Intake of simple sugars, oil, and salt should also be controlled. Removing all these foods from one's diet may be difficult, but if it means being able to walk normally and free from gout pain, then it may be worth it.

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Forms of Gout

                

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Strictly speaking, gout is caused by hyperurecemia, an elevated level of uric acid in the bloodstream due to the body's inability to dispose of this acid. This causes the uric acid to crystallize in the joints, usually beginning with the joint of the big toe. However, there are many misconceptions about gout. Sometimes just when you think you have gout, you have something else instead.

Pseudo-gout: When Gout Isn't Gout

Gout and pseudo-gout both have the same symptoms of aching, swelling, inflammation, and loss of range of motion but the similarity stops there. While gout is caused by crystallization of uric acid in the joints, pseudo-gout is caused by the calcification of the joints. These two conditions appear very different when fluid is extracted from the joint and looked at under a microscope. Also, the source of the pain is different. While gout may be compared to trying to walk with shards of glass in your feet, the pain caused by pseudo-gout comes from the body's natural attempts to protect itself. By sending out special cells called neutrophils to destroy the affected area, the body also destroys some of the live tissue surrounding it, causing pain and swelling.

True gout: Not just in the toes

Gout, if allowed to go untreated, could begin to cause pain in other parts of the body. Contrary to most people's understanding of this affliction, gout is not limited solely to the joint of the big toe. It attacks any of the soft tissues in the body so all the joints are at risk. Scientists have attributed the onset of gout solely on the big toe to the fact that this is the part of the body that receives the least amount of blood flow, and consequently the least heat. Uric acid crystals have been observed to form faster in cold environments. Eventually, if gout continues to go ignored, crystallization of uric acid could spread to the vital organs, affecting basic tasks such as digestion and urination.

Be sure to see your doctor regularly and have medical checkups done annually, particularly if you are above the age of forty. Being prepared against the agony of gout is your best defense.

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Gout Misdiagnosed: Pseudo-Gout

                

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The joints swell. The pain comes. Movement is limited. Yes, you have gout. Or do you?

Studies have shown that there is more than one explanation for the mind-deadening agony in the joints, and it is not always due to the high uric acid levels in the blood. This article will give you a run through of what gout is, and what is not.

Gout vs. Pseudo-gout: When gout is not gout

Gout is caused by the crystallization of monosodium urate, or uric acid, in the joints and soft tissues of the body. Generally, this is caused by elevated uric acid levels in the bloodstream and by the body's incapacity to dispose of the excess of uric acid. This acid comes primarily from the food we eat.

In contrast, pseudo-gout, which has essentially the same symptoms (inflammation and pain in the joints), is also caused by the crystallization of chemicals in the soft tissues, but by a completely different chemical. The culprit- calcium pyrophosphate. Unlike in the case of true gout, the calcification of the joints does not cause any pain. What does cause the pain however is the body's natural attempt to destroy the calcium crystals in the joints. Called neutrophils, these microscopic soldiers do destroy the crystals, but in doing so they also destroy the live tissue around. This is the true source of pain for pseudo-gout sufferers. Also, because the crystals in the joints inhibit range of movement, muscles and tendons grow tender.

The difference can be seen clearly under a microscope. Fluid extracted from joints with uric acid crystallization looks very different from fluid with calcium pyrophosphate deposits. This makes the diagnosis easier.

Treatment of pseudo-gout: What to do

Since pseudo-gout is usually a byproduct of post-operative dehydration, patients are advised to drink plenty of fluids before and after surgery. If a patient already has pseudo-gout, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs (pronounced en-seds) such as the generic ibuprofen are used to ease pain and swelling. For intense pain, the doctor may opt to inject a powerful corticosteroid directly into the inflamed joint. This will bring immediate relief, though excessive use of this may result in a weakening of the nearby bone that could cause more problems later on.

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