15 Foods to Eat When You Have Gout
Gout is a metabolic disorder that manifests as a type of extreme inflammatory arthritis. Often beginning with a sharp pain in the big toe, gout occurs when the body cannot properly process uric acid, leading to painful uric crystals accumulating in the joints.
When you have a condition as strongly influenced by diet as gout is, it becomes easy to get caught up in what you can't eat, instead of focusing on the things you can. Purines are an organic compound associated with gout flare-ups because they cause the body to produce higher amounts of uric acid. Foods that contain purines tend to be high-fat or yeasty products. While managing your diet can help control your gout, your food choices should not be centered only around avoiding purines. You should be trying to eat proactively at the same time—finding foods that will help keep your gout in check.
These 15 foods could help fight off gout attacks to live a happier life.
Beans
Beans are a great source of protein that don't overwhelm your system with purines and high uric acid levels. Lentils and legumes, like peanuts, are also great plant-based sources of protein. Other experts advise against legumes and beans, as there is some contradictory evidence that they may significantly raise purine levels.
If the beans or legumes agree with you, keep them in your diet. They allow you to keep the amount of saturated fat in your diet on the low end of the spectrum. This helps control gout by making it easier to keep cholesterol, blood pressure, and weight all at a healthy level—all of which are extremely important to keeping gout attacks at bay.
