Hey there viewers!
Do you have Gout?
It can be painful!
Gout is a type of Arthritis that causes pain, irritation and inflammation.
One way to control these painful flare ups is with your diet.
Your diet can have a major effect on your health, and in today’s video we’re gonna
give you some great foods to eat when you have Gout.
Can I eat red meat?
Should I avoid all alcohol?
Are cherries the answer?
We’re gonna talk about all this and more!
So keep watching until the end.
What is Gout First of all if you think your health is in
jeopardy in any way you should get checked out by your doctor.
Especially if you think you may have Gout.
Gout is a painful form of Arthritis that affects over 8 million people across the US.
It causes different parts of the body, around the joints, to swell up with the onset of
sudden pain.
The most common places gout will affect the body are the big toes, but it can also happen
along the wrists, fingers, knees, and heels.
Gout pain is basically caused by too much uric acid in the bloodstream.
Uric acid is produced by the body when breaking down certain foods that have high amounts
of purine in them.
If the body can’t get rid of this excess purine it will cause crystals to form and
build up around the joints, which can be very painful.
The pain can last anywhere from 12 hours to 10 days.
Gout is usually caused by certain foods like sugary drinks, sweets, refined carbohydrates
like pasta and bread and also foods which are high in purines.
Gout is treated by medications that lower uric acid, but you can help out this condition
by paying attention to what you eat, and changing up your lifestyle, just a bit.
Let’s get to some of the foods you CAN have if you’ve got gout.
Before we get into the good stuff, don’t forget to hit that subscribe button and click
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#1 Drink Lots of Water Yeah, we know this one isn’t a food but
it’s really important for you to stay hydrated especially if you’re having a gout flare
up.
It’s recommended that you drink about 8 glasses (or so) of water daily, but if you’re
experiencing a painful attack from Gout you can increase that to 16 glasses.
This will help flush the excess uric acid from your system, and keeps you hydrated.
#2 Cherries Fruit in general is pretty safe for those
with gout.
You want to reduce the levels of uric acid in the blood so eating foods that are low
in purines will generally be safe.
Foods like fruit!
Cherries are anti-inflammatory and may even prevent gout attacks by lowering the uric
acid levels in the blood.
Cherry juice that has little to no added sugar may also lower the risk of gout attacks.
The wonderful deep colour comes from the anthocyanins, which are full of powerful antioxidants and
anti-inflammatory properties which will do the body good.
One study kept track of over 600 people who were suffering from Gout.
When they ate cherries over a period of two days it lowered their risk of an attack by
35%.
#3 Coffee Coffee lovers rejoice!
Turns out that coffee is ok to drink if you have gout.
A few different studies showed in both men and women that drinking at least one cup of
coffee a day can significantly lower the levels of uric acid in the blood, and reduced the
overall risk of gout.
However once you’ve had a few attacks of gout, coffee might not be as effective.
Also keep in mind drinking coffee may have an effect on other medical conditions so make
sure to speak to your doctor about the amount of coffee that’s right for you.
While we’re on the topic of hot beverages, tea, and green tea are also said to be safe
for those with Gout.
#4 Milk Dairy products like milk and yogurt have been
shown to help lower the levels of uric acid in the blood.
Some studies suggest that low fat milk and other low fat dairy products are your best
bet as the proteins found in milk can also reduce uric acid levels.
Frozen yogurt is also on the okay list, yum!
#5 Vegetables A good rule of thumb is that all vegetables
are healthy, anytime.
You should be incorporating lots of vegetables into your daily diet.
Afterall, there’s so many to choose from and so many different ways to prepare them,
what’s not to love?
When it comes to gout, vegetables can give you the protein you may be missing since you
should be limiting your intake of certain meats.
Vegetables won’t raise the levels of uric acid in the blood which is your #1 concern
when looking to avoid any painful flare ups.
All vegetables are safe including those high in purine levels like asparagus and spinach,
since they won’t increase the risk of gout or gout attacks.
Speaking of foods that are good for you why don’t you check out our video called “17
Superfoods You Should Make Part Of Your Daily Diet”
Now back to our list of foods that are you can and cannot eat when suffering from gout.
#6 Citrus You want to eat citrus fruits for their high
concentration of vitamin C. Vitamin C can actually help lower uric acid levels in the
blood and can prevent gout attacks from happening.
Vitamin C helps the kidneys by removing the uric acid in the urine.
There is sugar in citrus fruits so you want to keep that in mind when eating any fruit,
so opt for citrus like oranges, pineapple, grapefruit and strawberries.
Here are some foods you should be avoiding if you have Gout.
#1 Alcohol We hate to be the bearers of bad news but
beer and liquor have been known to bring on more attacks of gout and also increase the
risk of developing gout in the first place.
Beer has a high purine content which will up the level of uric acid in the blood.
Something you’re trying to avoid...remember?
Even non alcoholic beer can raise these levels, so steer clear.
You want to cut off the booze completely when experiencing an attack and inbetween you want
to avoid beer the most.
If you're prone to gout attacks or getting gout you should probably just avoid beer all
together.
The good news is that wine doesn’t seem to affect the onset of gout or increase the
risk of an attack, but you should probably keep your consumption to a moderate level
just to be safe.
#2 Soda Water is looking better and better isn’t
it?
Yup, soda is not your friend if you’ve been battling gout.
It’s high in sugar or high fructose corn syrup which is not good for you at all and
is found in most sodas.
People who drink sugary drinks like soda and fruit juices are more likely to have gout.
#3 Meat Don’t worry you don’t have to become a
vegetarian overnight.
In fact, you don’t have to be 100% plant based at all.
You can still have SOME meat.
The ones you want to avoid are organ meats like liver, tongue and sweetbreads which are
all really high in purines that can trigger a gout attack.
You also want to limit your servings of beef, lamb, pork and chicken.
You can have those but it should only be on a special occasion.
White meats like chicken tend to be lower in purines than red meats so stick to those
whenever possible.
#4 Seafood Again, you don’t have to cut out all of
your favourite fish dishes.
Some are really high in purines though, and you should keep away from fish like trout,
salmon and tuna.
Some would argue that these types of fish are heart healthy but to avoid a gout attack
you may want to keep these out of your diet.
You should also limit your intake of lobster, oysters, shrimp, scallops and mussels.
Moderate portions of fish can be part of a healthy gout diet.
Other Health Changes You Can Make
Diet isn’t the only way to get rid of gout, or prevent gout attacks from happening.
Small changes in your lifestyle can help too, here’s a few things you can do to help lower
your risk of gout or gout attacks.
Maintain a Healthy Weight There’s many reasons to maintain a healthy
weight, but if you are overweight, making an effort to shed some pounds will help you
avoid negative health complications like gout.
Excess weight can cause the body to become insulin resistant, which can increase the
risk of diabetes and other health issues.
Losing weight can also lower the levels of uric acid if you do struggle with gout.
Regular Exercise You knew this one was coming, diet and exercise
are the missing pieces to any healthy lifestyle.
Regular exercise can help you lose weight in a healthy way, and can decrease the levels
of uric acid in your system.
A double win!
Do you suffer from gout?
Do you eat any of the foods on this list already?
Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you.