Monday, December 22, 2008

Anti Gout Diet Tips

By Rashel Dan

Looking for anti gout diet means preventing gout for life. This is not such an impossible task. Diet does play a large role in controlling and preventing gout, so depending on your daily intake, you can either increase or reduce your risk of gout.

A gout may be acquired since birth, from family history or caused by obesity and other health factors. It is also more prevalent among men and those who are 40 to 60 years of age. If you can relate to any of these then you may want to focus on preventive measures.

An anti gout diet primarily consists of low-purine foods.

Purines are highly associated with foods high in fats and proteins. Vegetable oils, greasy burgers and fatty fish are all high in purines, so you should avoid fried foods and naturally fatty produce. Basically, high purine content is found in almost all kinds of food: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, oysters, scallops, creams, eggs, peas and beans. But there are ways to have a low-purine diet and are illustrated below:

Eat more fruits and vegetables as part of your anti gout diet.

Many fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium. Potassium regulates electrolytes in the body and has the ability to get rid of uric acid crystals from the blood. Potassium-rich fruits are bananas, avocados, apricots and cantaloupe. High-potassium vegetables include spinach, potatoes, asparagus, beets and pumpkin.

Begin your anti gout diet now.

Prepare low-fat protein foods for breakfast. For example, drink low-fat milk and utilize only egg whites when cooking. Add onions and garlic for taste and use low-fat butter or margarine. High-protein foods that are low in fat have been found to be safe. Quench your thirst with vegetable juice or concentrated blackberry juice.

Include lemon juice at lunch for cleansing. Lemon juice is filled with vitamin C and antioxidants to help flush your body from unwanted uric acids. Couple the drink with a hearty salad and meal using tofu to replace red meat or chicken, finely chopped fresh garlic and extra virgin olive oil.

For dinner, go for baked or grilled lean meat in a foil to retain moisture. Pair with potatoes and steamed spinach. After dinners make sure to have a bowl of cherries, berries or grapes on the side.

More tips for your anti gout diet:

Watch your weight. Gout has been linked with health problems such as diabetes and obesity. Slowly restrict calories by introducing more of the gout preventing foods mentioned earlier. Avoid crash diets as these can actually trigger gout flare-ups. A good anti gout diet is always a balanced diet.

Drink several glasses of water everyday. 8-10 glasses daily is ideal. Water dilutes uric acid (a cause of gout) and rids them from the body. Cloudy urine means you have high acid content in your body and this is not a healthy sign. Clear urine suggests that you are properly hydrated and well on your way to good health.

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