What Are Some Gout Causing Foods

Gout is a horrible arthritic like health problem that can be extremely painful and effect almost anyone. If you are a chronic gout suffer you know exactly how terrible it is to deal with the pain. You know how exhausting it is to not know how long you are going to have to deal with such debilitating foot pain. Gout can last a few days or a few weeks and can cause constant excruciating pain. If you have come to this site and this is the first time you or a loved one is suffering the effects of a gout attack, you can learn exactly what gout is and what causes it by browsing previous posts and articles. This particular article is going to be based around Gout causing foods. You will read about which foods are the biggest cause of gout and why you should avoid them, especially for those of you that are very susceptible to gout attacks. You will also read about which foods, on the other end of the spectrum, can help lessen the length of a gout attacks time and possibly help you avoid them all together. Finally, we will go over why it is well worth your time to change your eating habits ever so slightly in order to keep gout out of your life.

Lets first start with which foods are the main culprits in gout, the biggest gout causing foods should be avoided at all costs. Some people are lucky and have no problems or side effects from these foods but for the rest of us who are stricken with chronic gout attacks, it is good to know which foods to steer clear of. For you to understand why certain foods are so well known for bringing on gout attacks and symptoms you should first know exactly how gout starts. Gout is caused by uric acid, plain and simple. Now it is important to know that uric acid is a perfectly natural chemical that is produced by the kidneys. Your kidneys produce this chemical when you eat foods that are high in purines. The problem occurs when your kidneys produce to much uric acid and your body can not dispel it through urination. When this occurs the uric acid levels in your body will be to high. As the uric acid flows through your body it will begin to crystallize in the joints, this is most common in the toes, the uric acid crystals accumulate in the joints causing immense pain. The good new is that unlike other forms of arthritis, gout will eventually end when your body can properly eliminate the uric acid. So now that you know exactly what causes gout there is a very simple solution... If uric acid causes gout and purines causes elevated levels of uric acid and the only way to introduce purines to the body is by eating certain foods... The most effective way to stop gout attacks from happening and shorten the length of gout attacks is by avoiding foods that are high in purines and if possible stop eating purine rich foods all together. So what foods are high in purines? Which are the big time gout causing foods? A good rule of thumb is to keep in mind that purines mostly come from foods with a high concentration of fats and some foods that are high in protein. If that isn't good enough, here are some example of foods that have a high purine content and therefore are known as gout causing foods...Fatty Fish, Red Meats, Pork, Poultry, Any organ foods (heart, liver, kidneys), cheese, cream, ice cream, butter, high fat milk, spinach, cauliflower, peas, mushrooms, asparagus, foods with yeast, lentils, and any and all grain alcohol. These are the most commonly known gout causing foods. I know this is a big list and it may be almost impossible to completely avoid all of the foods that are listed above but you should try not to over eat these types of foods as this will greatly increase your chances of having a gout inflammation.

Now that you have a good idea of what foods may be causing you to have gout attacks, you can try and avoid or lower your intake of these gout causing foods. So if there are foods that are known to bring on a gout attack there must be foods that can help you avoid gout or at least foods have no chance of increasing your risk of gout. It is safe to say that eating foods with low to no purines will help you to avoid the next gout attack and even quicken the relief of your current condition but there are also foods that have been proven to help eliminate gout. Here is a small list of some of the foods that can help you to steer clear of gout. Fresh berries (cherries, strawberries, blue berries), Bananas, Celery, Tomatoes, Leafy vegetables, Pineapple, Red peppers, Potatoes, Low fat dairy products (skim milk, low fat yogurt), Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, and Tofu.

You now have an idea of which foods are gout causing foods and which foods can help you avoid gout. Should you change your diet? Is it worth the effort? How drastically should you alter what you eat in the hopes that you won't feel the pain of gout? These are all very important questions and the most simple answer is that you should use your own judgment. You see the list of gout causing foods, are these foods that you eat a large quantity of? How often do you suffer from gout? If you are a chronic gout sufferer you may want to take this change of diet very seriously and ask yourself the question, “Is eating these foods more important to me than avoiding the pain of a gout attack?”. If you rarely suffer from gout but would like to never feel that type of pain again, maybe a slight alteration will suffice. Ultimately you will need to make you own choice, ask yourself the right questions and use your own judgment.

This article is only meant to inform you of which foods cause gout and which foods can help you avoid it. It is for informational purposes only. Use your own judgment or speak to a medical professional advice on other ways that may help you stop gout attacks.