The best gout diet will favor vegetables and fruits over excessive protein, since protein can encourage uric acid, a precipitant of gout. Drinking liquids that elevate the body’s pH level is also an important preventative diet concern. Nutrition anchored with foods that have a reputation for warding off gout, such as cherries, completes an effective gout diet strategy.
Too much protein, whether from legumes, red meat, pork, or chicken, can trigger gout. Proteins contain compounds known as purines, which the body breaks down to form uric acid. When uric acid hardens into crystals that block areas in the joints, massive pain and swelling can result in gout-sensitive eaters. While any protein will contain some purines, eggs and dairy products made from skim milk have low quantities and can be the main protein sources for many people striving to adhere to a preventative gout diet.
Keeping the body’s pH system high is a little-known strategy for avoiding gout. Sodas and some juices have low pH levels, which allow uric acid crystals to form more readily. Alkaline drinks which raise the body’s pH system can prevent uric acid from crystallizing. Water with a spritz of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar is an alkaline drink often recommended by nutritionists to gout sufferers.
Green tea and carrot juice are additional beverages that can keep the body alkaline. The most common recommendation is black cherry juice, which carries a sufficiently high pH value. Regular cherry juice is generally not alkaline enough to be helpful, according to some pH studies.
Certain food choices are known for dissolving uric acid crystals and keeping gout at bay. High-potassium foods are one such group. Bananas, apricots, kiwi and cantaloupes are all high in potassium and can be a helpful part of any gout diet. Some dieticians recommend getting between 3,000 and 4,000 mg of potassium a day to deter attacks of gout; many gout sufferers elect to take potassium supplements. Vitamin C supplements have also been helpful to some people who want to avoid gout.
Other diet tips for avoiding gout, which can cause constant pain for a week or several months, include restricting alcoholic beverages, eating fresh fruit like cherries, and taking coral calcium powder as a supplement. Drinking copious amounts of water is often recommended for a gout diet. Not only does water help boost the body’s alkalinity, but it also keeps the body hydrated, enabling it to flush out uric acid crystals and other toxins.
