Healthy Foods For Gout Patients
Gout is a form of arthritis that results in uric acid building up in the blood. The buildup of uric acid will eventually crystallize around the joints. This is what triggers the inflammation, swelling, and pain in the joints that are associated with gout. Uric acid is healthy for the body because it helps individuals consume foods that contain a chemical known as purine. However, when gout causes excess uric acid in the blood, the body cannot remove it like it normally would. This can be the result of genetics, though diet is also a common cause. Patients often experience a flare-up of gout after consuming the wrong kind of food.
Most patients will need prescription medicine for gout, often in the form of steroids and anti-inflammatories. These act as gout pain relief medications. Individuals dealing with gout may also require colchicine tablets for uric acid pain. Of course, some patients may opt for topical ointment for gout. The ointment will usually include corticosteroids. There are also several gout dietary supplements out there that doctors may discuss with their patients. However, patients need to pay attention to their diet to achieve relief from gout as well.
Cherries
Patients who want to try natural remedies for gout will often consider cherry supplements. This is exactly why eating some cherries regularly may be able to boost the health of individuals affected by gout. Some studies claim that cherries are a good type of food for reducing the amount of uric acid in the blood. Reducing uric acid helps lessen the severity of gout flare-ups. If patients are lucky, they may even be able to prevent these flare-ups from occurring sometimes as well. Other evidence suggests the cherries may increase the effectiveness of allopurinol, a common medication used to treat gout. However, more research must be done to prove the extent of this claim.
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Crackers And Cheese
Everyone needs to consume calcium if they want their bones to grow strong. This is even more important for gout patients because strong bones are supposed to help reduce joint pain. In addition to this, complex carbohydrates seem to be fairly good at getting rid of excess uric acid. These are the main reasons why individuals with gout should be consuming cheese and crackers. However, they cannot simply reach for any type of cheese and crackers that are on the grocery store shelves. They need to get whole grain crackers so that they are eating complex carbohydrates rather than simple carbohydrates. Additionally, full-fat dairy products can trigger a flare-up of gout. Thus, most individuals with gout may only eat low-fat cheese when they want cheese and crackers.
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Variety Of Nuts
Red meat is a known trigger for flare-ups of gout because it contains a high amount of purine. Unfortunately, however, red meat is a major source of protein for many individuals. Protein is a crucial part of an individual’s diet and it cannot be left out. This is why gout patients need to regularly eat a variety of nuts. Nuts such as almonds and walnuts contain a decent amount of protein. What they do not contain, however, is purine. Other nuts that individuals with gout should consume include peanut, cashews, pecans, and macadamia nuts. These nuts ensure that they are getting protein as well as a range of other vital nutrients. Moderation is of the utmost importance, which is why overloading on one type of nut may not be healthy.
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Cottage Cheese
Very few individuals enjoy consuming cottage cheese. This usually is not a problem, since healthy individuals are often able to get the health benefits of cottage cheese from other sources. Unfortunately, however, gout patients do not have this luxury. They need to include cottage cheese in their diet because they need to get sufficient amounts of protein and calcium. They cannot consume lots of red meat due to the purine, and many sources of calcium are high in fat.
Cottage cheese contains less fat per serving than most dairy products. Individuals may even be able to control their fat content from cottage cheese further by choosing containers marked as low-fat or fat-free. However, only eating cottage cheese is not a complete snack or breakfast. Individuals with gout should thus add some whole grain toast or at least some fruit to their cottage cheese. This way they may get more nutrients and reduce the severity of their gout flare-ups.
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Plain Yogurt
Recent research has suggested that yogurt may help reduce the severity of gout. Individuals who do not already have gout may be able to prevent it from developing, though more evidence is needed for this. However, it is not as simple as picking out any yogurt to consume. This is because of the fat that many types of yogurt contain, as well as the sugar. Thus, gout patients may pay attention to the labels on their yogurt. They need to eat yogurt that says 0 percent or 1 percent on the container, not one that says 2 percent.
In addition to this, they should consider only consuming plain yogurt, as this does not contain high amounts of refined sugars, which can increase gout flare-ups. Of course, plain yogurt is quite bitter. Many individuals cannot tolerate plain yogurt. Gout patients, though, need to put effort into this. Adding fruit can help reduce the bitterness of the yogurt and add some vitamin C, which may help reduce gout attacks.
