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I've been having gout attacks since I was 17 and am now turning 29 this year.
Weight loss has worked, but due to circumstances I lost track/faith and now have to find others ways to bring it down again.
With that out of the way, I've seen that the list of gout causing foods is practically endless and am now under the impression I must starve myself in order to contain it once more.
I'm aware of prescriptions being available, but since I'm no longer employed by a company with insurance, that's no longer an option.
Are there any okay foods and over-the-counter remedies that could lessen my gout attacks along with bringing my weight down again?
Gout runs in my family. My mother has it, I do (female) as does my brother. My brother has it the worst, just had another attack last week, he could hardly handle his work day.
For me, I had to do food elimination, first shellfish...nope...then wine...nope...finally red meat...yes...if I eat it less than 3 times a week I am fine. My mother, seems shellfish it is the
culpert. My brother? I have no clue.
I do know that if I eat marachino (sp) cherries once a day I never have an episode.
Gout runs in my family. My mother has it, I do (female) as does my brother. My brother has it the worst, just had another attack last week, he could hardly handle his work day.
For me, I had to do food elimination, first shellfish...nope...then wine...nope...finally red meat...yes...if I eat it less than 3 times a week I am fine. My mother, seems shellfish it is the
culpert. My brother? I have no clue.
I do know that if I eat marachino (sp) cherries once a day I never have an episode.
Not quite sure if all meats cause it, or just red meat.
But if I have to cut out all meat altogether, I'm not quite sure how I'll handle it.
Cherries on the other hand, I've heard things about them actually working to varying degrees.
Its the uric acid in the red meat. I have relatives who just got over gout. Their primary food source is red meat. I also think not drinking enough water prevents the kidneys from flushing out these compounds.
I've been having gout attacks since I was 17 and am now turning 29 this year.
Weight loss has worked, but due to circumstances I lost track/faith and now have to find others ways to bring it down again.
With that out of the way, I've seen that the list of gout causing foods is practically endless and am now under the impression I must starve myself in order to contain it once more.
I'm aware of prescriptions being available, but since I'm no longer employed by a company with insurance, that's no longer an option.
Are there any okay foods and over-the-counter remedies that could lessen my gout attacks along with bringing my weight down again?
Cherries are a good gout prevention from what I undrstand. I really don't know much about how diet affects gout otherwise. Maybe do a bit of research and see what you can find. The Mayo Clinic has a good website for medical research.
The prescriptions are an option you just have to apply to the manufacturer of the medication for the Patient Assistance Program, you also need the paperwork signed and filled out by your Physician. I was on the program about 10 years ago through Novartis and it is a very good program. I'm sure each manufacturer has their own guidelines though.
Foods don't cause gout. So the answer is...all of them don't cause gout.
Certain foods can trigger a gout episode, in someone who suffers from hyperuricemia. And even then, food consumption only accounts for around 10-15% of all gout attacks.
Alcohol consumption is a far more prolific culprit. If you drink any alcohol at all, eliminate it all entirely for a couple of months and see if that doesn't solve the problem.
Also, obesity contributes to gout (but again, doesn't cause it - there is only one cause of gout, and that is hyperurucemia). So if you are obese (not merely a few pounds overweight) you should get your weight down to something manageable and that will reduce the chance of an attack.
Foods don't cause gout. So the answer is...all of them don't cause gout.
Certain foods can trigger a gout episode, in someone who suffers from hyperuricemia. And even then, food consumption only accounts for around 10-15% of all gout attacks.
Alcohol consumption is a far more prolific culprit. If you drink any alcohol at all, eliminate it all entirely for a couple of months and see if that doesn't solve the problem.
Also, obesity contributes to gout (but again, doesn't cause it - there is only one cause of gout, and that is hyperurucemia). So if you are obese (not merely a few pounds overweight) you should get your weight down to something manageable and that will reduce the chance of an attack.
Medical News Today.
When the human body breaks down chemicals called purines it produces uric acid. Purines can be found naturally in your body, as well as in food, such as organ meats, anchovies, asparagus, mushrooms and herring.
Most of the time uric acid dissolves and goes into the urine via the kidneys. However, if the body is producing too much uric acid, or if the kidneys are not excreting enough uric acid, it builds up. The accumulation results in sharp urate crystals which look like needles. They accumulate in the joints or surrounding tissue and cause pain, inflammation and swelling.
GOUT.CoM
So this site is saying also to limit high Purine foods, and be a healthy weight. They have a list of High Purine foods which includes but is not limited to:
Meats like beef, pork, meat based gravies.
Seafoods.
Vegetables like spinach
Other such as oatmeal, beans.
They also list low purine foods:
Such as but not limited to:
Breads, grains.
Beverages
Vegetables
Other like fruits cheese etc.
Gout attacks may be triggered by
alcohol,
certain medicines,
another illness,
stressful events, or
other factors. Other Known Gout Triggers Include:
Joint injury
Surgery
Eating too much of certain foods
Crash diets
Infection
Rapid lowering of uric acid levels
with uric acid-lowering medicines
The limiting only needs to be done in people who are at a high risk for hyperuricemia, or for people who already have it. Eating lots of cheeses and starches comes with its own risk. ALL overeating of ANY food comes with some risk to health.
If you have no history of gout in the family, and you're not obese, and you get plenty of exercise, and you have no history of kidney or liver or other digestive system illness....
then you don't need to eliminate meat and stock up on bread.
Gout used to be known as a disease of the rich. It was documented as far back as 2600 BC. It is usually found in men and older men. (Less in women) Gout is really a life-style related disease. Diets heavy in uric acid producing foods.. especially heavy meats, gravies, and proteins set the stage for the body's inability to handle such a heavy load of uric acids and too much protein. (Yes, you can eat too much!)
If you can add LOTS of colorful vegetables, salads, etc., and cut down on your meat/uric acid consumption you may be able to eat some red meats occasionally, but it sounds like your body is extremely toxic and you probably have liver, gall bladder, kidney issues you may not even feel at this point, as young as you are.
Gout is more dangerous than most people suspect. Here's a link that may help provide more info. Best wishes!
Hubby has gout, but takes Allopurinal daily....hasn't had a "bout" since!
When his gout was active, red meat, beer, fried foods, etc....made it worse. Ask your doctor about a preventative....it sure has helped my husband!
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