Gout is a disorder of the metabolism of purines in the kidneys that results in the kidneys being unable to filter uric acid in the blood, causing a high concentration of uric acid in the blood plasma, causing the deposition of urate crystals or uric acid crystals. Although the cause of the disease is unknown, gout is related to the diet. Therefore, it is necessary to determine what gout patients should quickly recover from in order to develop a reasonable diet to support treatment of this disease.
Table of Contents
What diet people with gout should eat?
What diet should gout be a common question of many people. Because the disease is related to a diet high in purines such as egg yolks, liver, kidneys, shrimp, crabs, mushrooms … Therefore, the patient must build a strict diet, identify foods to avoid to avoid. does not aggravate pain or swelling caused by arthritis.
Good food for people with gout
Diet of gout patients has a very important role, can help lower blood uric acid levels by limiting the introduction of purines into the body. Foods that support treatment that patients should eat include:
1. Food with the function of eliminating uric acid
People with gout should increase the use of foods and herbs that enhance uric acid excretion from the blood such as:
- Cherry
Cherries or cherries are good fruits in helping to improve the unpleasant symptoms caused by gout. Cherry is rich in antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory properties that work to reduce the amount of uric acid in the blood, thereby helping to relieve the pain of gout. According to a study published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, patients who took cherries for 2 consecutive days had a 35% lower risk of relapse than those who did not.
In addition, other studies have also found that using cherries or cherry extract can reduce the risk of gout. If using cherries gradually increase up to three servings a day can reduce the risk of gout flare-ups for patients.
- Strawberry
Strawberries are also one of the good berries for people with gout. This fruit is rich in nutrients and especially rich in antioxidants, rich in vitamin C, which has anti-inflammatory effects, strengthens the immune system, helps reduce inflammation in the joints. According to a study in the US, eating 16 or more strawberries a day or more for the week can help reduce inflammation in the body by about 14%. Moreover, eating strawberries also helps regulate blood pressure, reduce harmful cholesterol, prevent inflammation, fight high blood pressure, prevent cancer …
- Broccoli
According to Oriental medicine, mustard greens do not contain purines, an alkaline vegetable that helps detoxify the body. Mustard greens also have a diuretic effect, helping to eliminate uric acid in the bloodstream through the urine, which can help support the treatment of gout. In addition, mustard greens contain vitamins A, B, C, K, albumin, nicotic acid, carotene … which have very good effects on the health of patients. You can add mustard greens to your daily diet or use green cabbage to cook drinking water, use 2-3 liters per day.
2. Foods rich in vitamin C
According to a study by Boston Medical University, with each 500mg increase in vitamin C, patients can reduce the risk of gout 17%. Vitamin C helps fight gout by reducing the concentration of uric acid in the blood. However, if 500mg is required per day, small doses of vitamin C will not be able to reduce uric acid levels to a significant extent.
When using vitamin C to improve gout, if you want to use with a dosage of more than 1,000mg, you should consult your doctor because high doses can cause urinary stones, kidney stones … Should use rich foods. vitamins instead of using vitamin C pills. These foods can be mentioned as oranges, lemons, guava, papaya, broccoli, pineapple, spinach, spinach …
3. Low-purine vegetables
Gout patients can comfortably eat vegetables because the amount of purine in them is very small, only about 20-25mg of purine. The low-purine vegetables good for gout can be mentioned as:
- Celery
Vegetables need belong to the group of alkaline vegetables, vegetables need sweet and cool water, which has the use of hydration and heat. Meanwhile, dried vegetables have a sweet bitter taste, cool properties, and have the use of maple, low benefits, and heat. Both of these essential vegetables are good for people with acute gout. This vegetable is rich in vitamins and minerals that can aid in uric acid excretion, support to improve bone and joint health, and limit the damage caused by gout.
- Cabbage
Cabbage contains almost no purines, is very rich in vitamin C and especially cabbage vegetables contain vitamin U. Vitamin U is the salt of Methionine Sunfonium, found in the leaves of fresh cabbage. Using cabbage can help soothe the swelling, pain, and redness in the joints. Not only that, cabbage is rich in fiber, potassium, calcium to help neutralize excess uric acid, supplement nutrients for bones and joints, improve the immune system. You can use boiled cabbage, cook soup to eat or drink 1 glass of cabbage juice per day.
- Zucchini
Zucchini is also one of the alkaline vegetables, the pH in squash is high, so it can assist in dissolving and excreting uric acid in the body through the urine. Because uric acid is easily soluble in water, the pH in urine affects uric acid solubility. If the pH is high, the ability to excrete uric acid is better.
In addition, in zucchini also contains potassium which has a diuretic effect, increasing the ability of the kidneys to eliminate, increasing the body’s excretion ability to help the amount of uric acid in the body be better eliminated through the urinary tract. Zucchini is sweet, cool, contains less purine, if the patient uses it regularly will help improve symptoms of the disease. In addition, zucchini also helps to clear heat, detoxify, beautify the skin, support diabetes, arteriosclerosis, nephritis, high blood pressure …
- Cucumber
According to Oriental medicine, cucumber or cucumber has the effect of heat, detoxification, cure edema, swelling, uric acid excretion from the body through the urinary tract. According to modern medical research, cucumbers contain less purines, up to 95% water, so it can help the body to excrete uric acid out of the body without affecting the kidneys.
Some other food
Some low-purine vegetables are good for people with gout that patients can add to the diet such as:
- Cauliflower: Cool, has a heat effect
- Types of eggplant (especially eggplant): Reducing uric acid accumulation, lowering blood cholesterol, lowering blood sugar
- Broccoli: Laxative effect, belongs to the group of alkaline vegetables, can help neutralize uric acid
- Pumpkin: Sweetness, warmth, helps prevent hypertension, cure blood fat disorder ..
- Potatoes: Alkaline, rich in potassium salts, work to eliminate toxins in the body through the urinary tract
- Radish: Sweetness, coolness, the use of weather, eliminating the evil, except for rheumatism, plenty of water, alkaline
4. Omega-3 rich foods
Foods high in omega-3 are very healthy, are unsaturated fatty acids that are essential for the body. Has anti-inflammatory effect, improves nerve function, protects the vessel wall, helps reduce spasticity, swelling and pain in joints, improves sleep. Each week, you should eat 3-4 meals containing omega-3 rich foods to support the treatment of arthritis in the joints to help reduce bone and joint diseases.
The foods in this group are:
- Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, anchovies …
- Vegetables such as spinach, spinach, kale …
- Certain oils such as cod liver oil, walnut oil, flaxseed oil, soybean oil, canola oil …
5. Low-fat milk
Low-fat milk is also one of the foods that gout sufferers should eat. Drinking low-fat milk every day can help promote new cell regeneration, support the recovery of damaged tissues in joints, and help reduce uric acid in the blood.
Low-fat milk is rich in calcium, helps to supplement a large amount of calcium for the body, increases bone density, helps improve bone and joint health. In addition, the protein in milk is also converted into energy to help provide the necessary energy for the body. You can drink 1-2 glasses of low-fat milk or completely skimmed milk to provide energy for your body, avoid weight gain, and not burden your bones and joints.
6. Black Garlic
Garlic is good for gout treatment, but black garlic is still better than white garlic. Black garlic has anti-inflammatory active ingredients, contains flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides … which support the inhibition of uric in the blood, cool down and excrete toxins. Black garlic is also rich in vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamins B2, B6, zinc, iron and antioxidants, which not only help treat gout but also have a good effect in helping to prevent diabetes, heart disease, blood. high pressure …
When using black garlic to treat gout, you can use 1-3 black garlic bulbs per day. Do not use too much to avoid heat, constipation, causing excess nutrients. If there is no black garlic, you can use 2-3 raw garlic cloves or add garlic to your meals to support gout treatment.
7. Starch and carbohydrate rich foods
This is a very good food group for people with gout because providing energy to the body contains less purines. In particular, these foods have the function of reducing and assisting in dissolving uric acid in urine. You can comfortably eat foods such as pho, vermicelli, noodles, bread, rice, cereals, potatoes …
8. White Meats
When gout, patients can eat white meats to provide nutrients for the body. However, you should choose low-purine meats to avoid adverse effects on health. Specifically:
- River fish meat: Rich in protein, low in purines, very good for the health of patients, such as salmon, grass carp, fruit fish, red snapper
- Chicken breast: Chicken is low in purines, containing selenium, which helps in preventing the precipitation of uric acid. However, you should only use chicken breast and should use a maximum of 110 – 170g per day. If you have already used chicken, do not use any other meat in the meal.
- Pork: Contains less purine than red meat, but can only eat 30-50g per day, only eat 2-3 times / week.
9. Whole grains
Whole grains help lower cholesterol and uric acid in the blood. In addition, grains also help increase the body’s resistance, such as oats, black sesame, millet, brown rice, barley, nuts, butter …
10. Types of fruits
With the question of what diet gout patients should eat, the answer is that the patient should enhance fruits such as:
- Grape
Grapes, especially black and red grapes, contain less purines and are rich in vitamins A, B, C, and K and antioxidants. Has anti-inflammatory effect, prevents the accumulation of uric acid in the blood, is considered a safe anti-inflammatory remedy for patients. You can drink 1 glass of grape juice a day or eat grapes with fruits such as bananas, grapefruit, pineapples, strawberries to reduce symptoms caused by gout.
- Watermelon
Watermelon, cool, does not contain purines, has the effect of heat, detoxification, diuretic, supporting partial uric acid excretion from the bloodstream through the urinary tract. In addition, watermelon is rich in potassium, vitamin C, phosphorus and water which are capable of accelerating the recovery process in joints, reducing pain swelling and improving gout discomfort.
- Apple
Apples are alkaline, rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber, which aid in the elimination of uric acid and prevent gout symptoms and pain. You can use 1-2 apples a day to treat gout.
- Pear
Pears are also one of the alkaline fruits that neutralize excess uric acid in the blood. Pears are also rich in vitamins B, C, K, manganese, and folate to help improve resistance and improve bone and joint health.
What should people with gout abstain from?
Besides determining what gout should eat, patients also need to determine which foods to avoid. If you don’t want to get worse, limit your intake of the following foods:
1. Red meats
Red meat is a type of meat that has a bright red color when raw, and after processing it does not turn white. Red meat contains a lot of saturated fat, contains many purines, is not good for people with gout. Using red meat a lot will cause the risk of cardiovascular disease, increase the amount of cholesterol in the body, cause colon cancer, affect the digestive system and be the culprit of obesity. Red meats that sick people should avoid include beef, goat, venison …
2. Animal organs
Visceral foods are one of the culprits that make gout much worse. Offal organs contain a lot of saturated fat and cholesterol, and if eaten a lot, they will increase blood fat, are harmful to the heart, can cause diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. These foods are heart, liver, kidney, brain …
3. Meat contains many purines
The increase in purines will make blood uric acid levels worse. These foods are:
- Duck meat: For every 100g of duck meat contains 138mg of purines, you should limit eating this meat because it contains high levels of purines than safe.
- Turkey, goose meat: Contains high levels of purine, should replace with chicken, when eating, need to remove the skin and eat in the breast.
- Sardines meat: Sardines also contain many purines, for every 100g of sardines there are 110 – 345mg purines.
4. Certain vegetables
Some of the following vegetables are very unhealthy for gout patients, such as:
- Spinach
Water spinach is a familiar vegetable, often appearing in Vietnamese meals. This vegetable is very nutritious, rich in calcium, phosphorus and especially high in fiber. However, water spinach is not good for people with gout because it easily causes severe osteoarthritis pain, making the damage caused by arthritis takes longer to heal.
- Vegetable spinach
Spinach is also one of the foods that gout sufferers should avoid. It has a heat and diuretic effect, but it is not good for the patient. Because in this vegetable contains oxalic acid and contains many purines. Therefore, if using spinach in meals will increase the concentration of uric acid in the blood, making symptoms of gout pain and swelling worse.
- Bamboo shoots
Gout patients absolutely do not eat bamboo shoots because this food belongs to the group of fast growth, increasing the ability of uric acid synthesis in the body, making the concentration of uric acid in the blood increase rapidly. Using bamboo shoots will make joint pain worse.
- Sprouts
Like bamboo shoots, bean sprouts and sprouts are not good for gout. These vegetables are high in purines, when tolerated by the body, they will convert to uric acid, making gout pain flare-ups and difficult to control.
- Peas
Can increase protein metabolism, uric acid levels in the blood increase, not good for people with gout.
5. Foods containing a lot of fat
Eating a lot of fat, especially saturated fats, will cause weight gain and increase pressure on the bones and joints. According to scientific studies, in overweight people with gout, consuming high-fat foods increases uric acid. Experts also confirmed, there is a strong correlation between body weight and the risk of gout. Therefore, a gout person’s diet should be no more than 10% of calories from fat per day.
High-fat unhealthy foods that people should avoid include:
- Animal fat meat
- Fast foods, greasy foods like fried chicken, chips
- Fried dishes
In addition, instead of frying and frying dishes, it is best to increase your intake of steamed and boiled dishes to limit fat consumption.
6. Protein rich foods
People with gout should also stay away from protein-rich foods. For normal people, protein is not harmful to health, however, for people with gout this is completely the opposite. Due to the patient’s inability to eliminate the uric acid content in the body. If you absorb too much protein, it will accumulate uric acid in your blood, making gout worse.
These protein-rich foods include:
- Some types of sea fish such as herring, cod, sardines … These fish contain from 50 to 150 people of purine, if used only in small amounts to avoid affecting the body.
- Types of seafood such as shrimp, crab, shellfish such as clam, mussel, and shellfish … As recommended, patients can only eat less than 110g of seafood a day, not more than 2 times a week.
7. Foods high in sugar
Stay away from sweets, especially foods high in simple sugars because they stimulate the body to produce salt crystals that are deposited in joints, making arthritis worse. According to studies, men who consume a lot of soft drinks, sweets will have a higher risk of gout than usual.
In addition, sweets also increase the inflammatory response at the joints, high blood sugar affects blood circulation, causing damage to slow recovery. Not only that, but consuming foods high in sugar makes the body’s ability to absorb calcium decline, weakening bones and joints and prone to complications when gout. If the treatment of gout is corticoid, it will decrease the effect of the drug.
8. Do not drink alcohol
When you have gout, you should definitely not drink alcohol because when it enters the body, it needs to be metabolized in the liver tissues. Alcohol will increase the concentration of uric acid in the blood, causing these acids to penetrate the tissue forming salt crystals, affecting the condition. Meanwhile, although beer contains less purines, the substances in beer will be converted into purines when ingested in the body. Therefore, when gout, it is best not to drink alcohol.
9. Some other foods
In addition to the above food groups, patients should also:
- Do not drink coffee or tea
- Don’t use acidic foods (vegetables) to avoid increasing blood acidity
- Do not use rib broth, meat broth, canned fish, canned meat …
- Do not use products containing chocolate, cocoa …
- Do not eat mushrooms, limit eating poultry eggs
- Do not eat undercooked, raw foods such as sashimi, salad or blood broth
Some notes when building a diet for gout patients
In addition to knowing what gout patients should eat, when building a diet, patients also need to note the following issues:
- Need to balance nutrients in the body, provide energy-generating components in the ratio of: Starch 70%; 15 – 20% beneficial fats; Protein <10%.
- The total amount of protein in the diet should only be lower than 150g, as follows: 100g meat = 100g fish = 70g of peanuts = 180g of tofu = 100g shrimp.
- Drink plenty of water, preferably 2 – 2.5 liters of water per day, which can be replaced with mineral water, vegetable water
- There should be a variety of foods to provide nutrients for the body
- Measures can be taken such as foot bath with guise leaves, betel leaves, warm water diluted with salt before going to bed to help you sleep well and limit pain in the middle of the night.
- Increase your intake of foods rich in vitamin C, if you want to take high doses of vitamin C, consult your doctor
- If you are overweight, you should lose weight because being overweight will prevent your body from getting rid of sugar and uric acid from the blood.
- Practice regular sports, build a nutritional regimen, a scientific lifestyle to improve resistance, do not over-weight weight to avoid adverse effects.
Above is some information to help you answer the question of what kind of diet should gout sufferers should eat to aid recovery and avoid worsening of symptoms. Gout is a disease related to the diet, so patients need to build a strict diet, limit eating a lot of protein and fat and foods containing many purines to not increase uric acid levels in blood.
