Foods to Aviod for a Healthy Uric Acid Diet

 

 

Watching your uric acid diet yield is a crucial part in reducing uric acid and preventing gout. Your diet alone accounts for 30% of your body’s total uric acid levels. A low uric acid diet will help lower your body’s uric acid levels. Knowing which foods to avoid with gout will help you considerably lower your uric acid diet yield. Avoiding  foods that will add to your uric acid diet yield will prevent gout attacks as a result. As the old adage says, prevention is better than cure.

Foods to Avoid with Gout

Foods High in Purines 
The purine content of your food dictates your uric acid diet yield. A high purine content in the diet will significantly increase gout sufferer’s chances of having a painful gout attack.  If you have gout, it is important that you should know the purine content of the food you usually eat. Knowing which foods to avoid with gout can significantly help prevent gout attacks. You should avoid foods with high purine content to prevent gout attacks and reduce uric acid levels. Remember – a high purine diet is a high uric acid diet.
Generally you should avoid eating liver, small and large intestines, spleen, heart, kidneys and other animal organ meats. Seafood you should avoid are sardines, mackerel, herring, clams and mussels. You should also reduce your intake of fatty, greasy and spicy foods. Red meats should be consumed moderately depending on your current uric acid level.  Foods that you can consume in moderation should be avoided during a gout episode. visit this purine content table to check which foods are high in uric acid.
Alcohol and Diuretics

It is important to stay hydrated to promote the excretion of uric acid from your body. You should also avoid foods that are diuretics. Diuretic means it dehydrates you – making it harder for your body to expel excess uric acid.

First off, you should refrain from drinking alcohol, especially beer. Not only does it increases your uric acid but is also a diuretic.  You should also moderate your consumption of caffeinated beverages like coffee, dark tea and sodas since they are also diuretics. While it is still being researched whether coffee or caffeine can actually lower uric acid levels, or at the very least be gout neutral, these beverages are still diuretics. If you find it necessary to drink caffeinated beverages, make sure you drink lots of water throughout the day to re-hydrate your body.

Pastries with Yeast and Chocolate.

While this may be heartbreaking to some, pastries with yeast and chocolate increase your uric acid levels. Yeast (brewer or baker) are among the highest in purine content per 100g ( 680mg /100g and 1810/100g respectively). Chocolate contains Theobromine which contains a whopping 2300 mg/ 100g of purine.

Discipline, Awareness and Healthy Habits.

Again the key here is discipline. You should also take the time to learn about the food you eat, and take note of foods that seem to trigger your gout. There is no set uric acid level that triggers gout attacks, each person has a different threshold so you should pay attention to how your body reacts. You should also form some healthy habits to reduce uric acid and prevent gout attacks.

If you are unsure about a part of your diet, consult your doctor about it. Even though there are a lot of resources online to help you, consulting with your doctor is still the best way to fine tune your diet and reduce uric acid levels.