As for gout (or gouty arthritis), doctors tend to focus especially on diet. The importance of diet is undeniable, approaches and recommendations are changing, but diet is still considered as part of preventive treatment of gout flares to minimizetheir recurrence.
The defeat of joints with gout is always a "burst", acute pain and inflammation rapidly increase. In a short time, illness can make life miserable. A responsible attitude to the diet can prolong the asymptomatic course of gout for many years, i. e. reduce the frequency of attacks, as well as the risk of further development of the disease.
Women with gout are 10 times less likely than men and usually after menopause. There are many causes that lead to the occurrence of this disease: hereditary, impaired kidney function, obesity. In addition, as a rule, gout occurs in people after 40-50 years of age. But the availability of food, especially fast food and a sedentary lifestyle, contribute to the "rejuvenation" of the disease.
Basic nutritional rules for gout
In order to understand nutritional principles, you must remember the main cause of gout. It is characterized by a high concentration of uric acid (sodium urate) in the blood. Over time, it accumulates in the joints, and then in muscle tissue, forming cavities (cavities filled with solid sediment), kidney stones appear. Uric acid enters the body with the help of purines: the protein element in our food.
Some chemistry
Purine decomposition is a common biochemical reaction that produces urates. They leave the body in urine, that is, they are eliminated through the kidneys. Urate is a natural antioxidant, one that prevents premature cell breakdown.
What happens to gout? The concentration of urate increases sharply and the substance begins to crystallize in the joints.
The surface of the joint head has a smooth cartilage structure. The sharp crystals, of course, spoil it. The patient begins to experience severe pain when moving the limbs. The inflammatory process begins.
The basis of the diet
From a brief chemical analysis, it is clear that purines are formed from the breakdown of protein compounds by themselves and into the bloodstream. So, if possible, you need to exclude protein products from your diet.
Reduce meat and fish as it increases purines. There should be no beef, lamb or pork on the diet. Large amounts of salt should be removed. If possible, it is best to completely remove salt and hot spices from your diet. This has been associated with kidney preservation, as with gout, the kidneys are directly under threat.
As with any diet, drinking alcohol should be avoided for gout. Any alcohol (beer - especially for gout) is contraindicated for you, it slows down the kidney's uric acid excretion, which contributes to accumulation in the blood. A "low-purine" diet will help minimize or eliminate the onset of gout.
Proper nutrition for gout patients - 50% of successful treatment
By following certain dietary rules, you will slow the progression of the disease. Gout won't get better.
To easily visualize the purine content in products, we give examples:
- Bran bread - 24 mg;
- Legumes - 105 mg;
- Herring - 128 mg;
- Liver of large horned animals - 300 mg;
- Fatty fish of the salmon family - 100 mg;
- Chicken - 110 mg;
- Rabbit meat - 65 mg;
- Tongue and cattle meat - 72-100 mg.
You can create your own list of products you love. They must contain a minimum amount of purines.
Special dietary instructions
Should remove all fried foods from your diet and switch to low-salt boiled, stewed, or baked foods. Unfortunately, fish and meat broth will also have to be removed. When preparing these rich soups, a significant percentage of the purines go into the broth.
Would be very helpful if you schedule vegetarian days, as with any other diet. In addition to the pain in your legs, you will lose more of that weight. This is a great bonus for keeping in shape (and not just for women). The essence of the vegetarian days was to eat only fruits and vegetables. Divide the meal into 5-6 servings, and eat up to 1. 5 kg of vegetables and fruit. If there is no desire for such a day of fasting, then simply buy low fat kefir. Drink all day. We recommend using this system at least once a week.
During an exacerbation of gout it is best to "flush" your body every other day. Once the inflammation subsides, you can return to your normal eating schedule.
Important!You can't starve from gout! As much as you want, don't miss a day without eating.
Food for gout
You can get authoritative dietary advice from your doctor or a dietitian. This article provides general information and nutritional guidance for people with gout. However, each organism is unique, so it is important to choose a separate food list and nutrition schedule. Keep a food diary.
A list of foods that can be consumed or limited in use
A list of possible and limited foods is shown in a list below.
- Lean meat: rabbit, turkey, chicken;
- 3-4 times a week - mineral water is still alkaline. For example, Narzan. Pay attention to the sodium content in such bottled water, it must be low;
- Fruit drinks, dried fruit, green tea;
- Any cereal;
- Eggs;
- Lean fish: pollock, hake, pike. All river fish;
- Dairy products: kefir, fermented baked milk, sour cream, milk but with reduced fat content - not more than 2. 5%;
- Vegetable oil;
- Potatoes;
- Rye or bran bread;
- Low fat and unsalted cheese;
- Stewed or raw vegetables.
- Turnip, eggplant, parsnip;
- Fruit can be eaten fresh;
- Berries;
- Homemade baked goods;
- Legumes, asparagus, rhubarb, spinach. These plants contain high levels of oxalic acid, which trap urate in the body;
- Mushrooms
- Nuts
Gout basket banned for gout in women and men
In the gout diet, mention limited protein foods, focus on carbohydrates in the diet. As for those who are overweight and the question of how to lose weight regularly appears on the agenda? And for people with diabetes? In contrast, these people require a low-carb diet.
Low carb and low protein are two mutually exclusive diets. What kind of diet to choose from? In such cases, you should precisely limit carbohydrates and the first three items on the list of prohibited foods. Why? We will summarize in the next chapter.
We have listed a number of products that are allowed. The general list of prohibited foods is as follows:
- Alcoholic and carbonated beverages. All drinks can be called "tonic", packaged juice;
- Fish and meat broth
- Seafood: shrimp, clams, squid
- By-products: liver, tongue, kidney, heart;
- Confectionery such as: ice cream, pies, fresh cheese desserts;
- Salt-rich foods;
- Canned meat and fish. In general, canned foods should be abandoned;
- Fatty milk products: cream, sour cream, cheese;
- Salted fish, smoked sausage, sausage, ham and other semi-finished products. Such products contain harmful additives and preservatives. For example, MSG is often added to enhance flavor;
General principles of the diet
So why, with such clear regulations, is there still the possibility that they are not strictly enforced regarding products, especially for women? Why, if you need to choose between different diets, prioritize protein? As we have learned, protein is responsible for the appearance of uric acid in the blood.
Important!The level of uric acid is effectively maintained by medication.
Again, the gout diet is part of preventive treatment. Its second ingredient is medications that reduce uric acid formation. Now these drugs are so effective that, by increasing the dosage, the doctor must monitor the achievement of the target uric acid values in the blood. The better you can adhere to the gout-cure diet, the lower the dose of the drug. And the drug is used for many years, because the disease is chronic.
Doctors often recommend the following about diet:
- Your BMI should be 18, 5 to 25
- if the BMI is above 25, lose weight! If you lose 5-7 kg of weight, there will be a significant decrease in further gout development
- on a Mediterranean diet
Also:
- regular meals and split into small portions up to 6 times a day; The energy value
- is about 1500-1800 kcal per day;
- minimum amount of salt and foods containing the purines;
- needs to drink about 2 liters of water a day (especially for those who have had kidney stones); The
- fasting is prohibited.
Products for treating gout
The following are considered folk remedies for gout:
- pineapple;
- technology;
- cherry juice;
- lemon;
- ginger;
- bell peppers.
Try green tea with ginger. Drinks have the desired "diuretic effect". Green tea has been shown to be an anti-cancer agent, which is also very good. But, in fact, this is a completely different story.
Summary
Foods that are listed as "banned", even in small doses, will worsen gout. Remember that this disease cannot be cured, so you need to rethink your attitude toward food completely. As a result, you can live peacefully without aching joints.
In open sources, women will find delicious and useful recipes but intentionally don't post them here so they don't get overwhelmed. Follow the right diet and gout diet according to your lifestyle. Be healthy!