Gout Diet Guidelines Revealed - By: Barisa Wyse

If you do not know what causes gout, don't feel bad as most people pay very little attention to this widespread condition until their first gout attack. This may also be the first time they considered a gout diet as well. Gout is the term given to describe a condition whereby tiny uric acid crystals grow within your joints when you have very high levels of uric acid in the blood. Generally this happens when the kidneys are unable to get rid of uric acid quickly enough to prevent a build up, or the body is overdosing the kidneys by producing too much uric acid.

Unfortunately we cannot totally avoid the production of uric acid, as it is one of the natural process happening in the digestive system when chemical compounds known as "purines" are broken down and uric acid is created as a by-product.

Foods we eat also contain differing level of purines, and this is where a gout diet can make a huge difference. The key is to only consume foods with low purine levels in our gout diet and try to avoid foods which have high levels of purine. This helps decrease the purine concentration in the body and this in turn helps to reduce the amount of uric acid being produced. Keeping the level of uric acid in the blood low will avoid the formation of the uric acid crystals in our joints which causes the very painful gout attacks.

Effective Gout Diet Guidelines

According to the American Medical Association gout diet guidelines, it is very important to ensure that your diet consists of the following:
- high amounts of complex carbohydrates such as high fiber grains, vegetables and fruits
- low amounts of protein with only 15% of calories coming from poultry, lean meats and soy
- less than 30% calories from fats (with animal fats being 10% or less)

So how does the above translate into an effective gout diet? Following the gout diet guidelines posted above, the types of foods that should be considered for the main part of your gout diet would include the following:
- fresh berries such as blueberries, cherries, strawberries and other members of the red-blue berry category
- exotic fruits such as bananas, pineapple, grapes
- celery
- tomatoes
- leafy green vegetables such as cabbage, parsley and kale
- Vit C rich foods included oranges, potatoes, tangerines, mandarins, red cabbage and red peppers
-complex carbohydrates including breads, pasta, rice, cereals, nuts
- water (8 glasses per day) and fruit juices
- only low-fat dairy products including cheese, milk, yogurt (no soya)
- coffee, tea, cocoa, pop
- fatty acids from fish such as tuna and salmon as well as nuts and flax seed
- Tofu rather than meat products

It should be stressed that some foods that have moderate levels of purine may also be considered as well to help balance your gout diet. This list would include foods such as:
- other vegetables including asparagus, peas, cauliflower, spinach, lima and kidney beans
- whole grain cereals and breads
- meats such as duck, chicken, turkey and ham

All protein foods contain purines, however it is important to remember that your body does need proteins to stay healthy. So your gout diet needs to include some protein foods.

The above list of recommended gout diet foods is certainly not complete and you may find other foods listed in many of the gout home remedies that you find online or in bookstores. Still, these should give you a good start to your gout diet proactive planning.

About the Author

I've been there and know what you are going through. This was what prompted me to create a website that focuses on nothing but the topic of Gout. Here you will find answers to your most pressing questions such as symptoms of gout along with links to other gout resources such as books, links to gout related websites and products, plus recent breaking news about gout treatment.

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