Gout attacks are sudden and so severe that it wakes up gout patients in the middle of the night or leaves them the whole night sleepless. Gout attacks are unpredictable unless one watches what he or she is eating. A form of arthritis, gout occurs when excess uric acid deposits razor-sharp crystals around the bone joints. These crystals cause intense pain in the bones.
Gout attacks, once experienced, the patient is susceptible to another attack for life, unless he or she makes a change in diet. Below is a list of foods that gout patients should totally avoid.
Baked foods
Baked foods containing high purine content increase the uric acid in the bloodstream, which can potentially increase the chances of a gout attack. All baked foods such as bread, biscuits, pastries, and pies are to be avoided.
Processed foods
Processed foods that contain high fructose corn syrup increase the levels of purine, which in turn increases the levels of uric acid in the body, thus triggering gout pain. All kinds of processed foods such as chips, breakfast cereals, crisps, ready-to-eat meals, frozen food, processed cheese, canned vegetables, etc., are to be avoided.
Organ Meats
Organ meats such as liver, lungs, kidneys, sweetbreads, and brain have high purine. These foods trigger gout attacks for sure. Doctors recommend that these meats be completely avoided for a gout-free lifestyle.
Red Meat
Red meats contain a lot of purine, which increase the uric acid levels in the blood, thus increasing the chances of a gout attack. Red meats to exclude are beef, pork, lamb, venison, bacon, and veal. While it may seem attractive to eat these meats, they can potentially trigger gout attacks.
Turkey and goose
Turkey and goose are high purine bird meats, unlike chicken and duck. They trigger gout attacks as these meats produce uric acid in the body due to their high purine content.
Seafood
Anchovies, codfish, haddock, herring, mussels, trout, tuna sardines, shellfish, and scallops are high in purine. As a result, they increase the uric acid levels in the blood and trigger gout attacks. It is wise to avoid these fish and seafoods for a gout free lifestyle. However, there is other seafood that do not have high purine, which can be safer to consume.
Sugary soda
Sweetened soda, such as soft drinks and fruit drinks with artificial sweeteners contain high fructose content as they lead to gout attacks. Avoiding these drinks completely helps in staying away from gout attacks. Research suggests that patients who drank about at least one serving of such drinks a month also had a chance of gout attacks.
Alcohol
Alcohol, especially beer, increases uric acid production in the kidneys, thus increasing the chances of crystal deposits in the joints. However, other alcohols, have a considerable possibility of triggering gout attacks, as they increase the level of uric acid in the blood. Thus, avoiding alcohol might seem a safer option.
