Food and Gout: Know What To Avoid

                

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Food and gout can be a dangerous combination. If you suffer from this condition, eating the wrong thing can lead to a painful attack that can last for hours, days, or even weeks.

Gout is a type of arthritis that can strike without warning. And what you eat and drink can make you more prone to gout attacks. So by avoiding, or cutting down on, certain foods and beverages, you can help cut down on your chances of suffering from this painful condition more than you have to.

Gout sufferers should avoid or limit foods that contain purine.

Gout is caused by swelling of the joints. When purines (substances produced naturally by your body, and also found in certain foods) break down, a waste product called uric acid is formed. When your body produces too much, or isn't able to get rid of enough, uric acid, this by-product can build up, causing crystals to form in your joints. The result is gout, and all the pain and inflammation that go with it.

Most foods contain purine. But eating foods high in purine can elevate the amount of uric acid in your system, and lead to a gout attack. Some foods to look out for are:

* Organ meats, like kidney and liver.

* Seafood, like mussels, sardines, anchovies, mackerel, and herring

* Foods rich in protein, like pork roast, poultry, and roast beef.

* Vegetables like asparagus, cauliflower, lentils, mushrooms, and spinach.

* Whole grain breads and cereals, and oatmeal.

You should eat no more than 5 to 6 ounces of lean meat, fish, or poultry a day. If you're suffering from frequent gout attacks, consider cutting down even more on proteins. Also, limiting yourself to one serving a day of other purine rich foods will also help. If you eat oatmeal for breakfast, you might want to pass on having spinach for dinner.

Gout sufferers should avoid or limit alcohol.

Gout sufferers should really try to avoid alcohol. Alcohol not only contains a lot of purine, it also boosts the amount of uric acid produced by your body.

To avoid gout attacks, limit yourself to one drink per day, especially if you're drinking beer, which contains more purine than wine and spirits. If you're having a gout attack, it's best to avoid alcohol all together.

Gout sufferers should drink lots of water.

Drinking lots of water every day has many health benefits, especially for those with gout. Water can help flush uric acid from your system. Drinking plenty of water will also prevent dehydration, which can trigger a gout attack.

Everyone, especially those with gout, should drink at least five or six tall glasses of water every day.

Keep these tips in mind, and you can prevent painful gout attacks before they have the chance to strike.

For more health tips, visit The Tip Trove.

Simple Home Remedies for Gout Sufferers

                

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Most people have heard of gout, but I suspect many don't know what it really is. Simply put, gout is a disease caused by excessive levels of uric acid in the blood-stream (hyperuricemia). Not everyone who has high levels of this acid their blood develops gout disease, but it does seem most do. Specifically, gout occurs when uric-acid crystals form around body joints like knees, fingers, elbows and especially big toes - in fact, for the vast majority of gout sufferers, the first sign of the disease is big toe pain! After salt-like crystals form, inflammation, tenderness, and even a reddish rash may occur around affected joints.

The disease has been noted and documented since the time of Hippocrates. Traditionally, it's been associated with exuberant living - eating and drinking well. And there is some indirect evidence to support this. For example, a long-term study noted that heavy consumers of meat and sea food were much more likely to develop gout. Additionally, significant alcohol consumption, especially in the form of beer, is also known to increase the risk of gout development.

Below are simple home remedies that may help to relieve pain and other symptoms linked to this sometimes debilitating disease. It's unlikely they will all work for or apply to you, so it may be worth experimenting with different remedies to find the ones that personally help alleviate your symptoms.

* An old study supported by a recent one and significant amount of anecdotal stories suggest drinking cherry juice may help alleviate pain caused by uric-acid crystal formation.

* Soaking the affected joint or joints in warm water, or having a warm bath, may also help.

* Drinking plenty of water may help eliminate uric acid from the body.

* Cutting back on alcohol and meat (especially red) consumption should reduce the level of digestive purines from which uric acid is formed.

* If you're overweight, slowly losing weight may also help.

* A recent study suggested taking vitamin C supplements may reduce the risk of gout attacks, so this is worth considering too.

These are just some simple remedies that may help curb gout attacks. Visit my website: www.gout-diet-tips.com for many more ideas.

Brad Watson is a freelance author, programmer and website-master. He loves researching and writing about simple ways to alleviate symptoms of many common disorders and diseases. To learn more about gout visit: www.gout-diet-tips.com