Gout Prevention May Involve Changing Diet: Foods to Avoid

Gout can be a very painful condition and those afflicted with it may need to change their diet. Having a "Gout Foods to Avoid" list can help in reducing the symptoms of this condition. Gout prevention after a flare up may involve changing your diet. Gout is a form of arthritis which results from excessive uric acid. To decrease your symptoms of gout, foods to avoid include those which increase uric acid. Purines are found in many foods and when broken down they form uric acid. Foods high in purine top the Gout Foods to Avoid list. Here are some of the main diet changes which should help with Gout Prevention.

Gout Foods to Avoid: Purines
Organ type foods like kidney, liver or tripe are high in purines and should be avoided if you have gout problems or need to take gout prevention steps. Red meats and shellfish are also high in purines and should be on the foods to avoid list. Many high protein foods should be avoided when you are prone to gout attacks. A low card high protein diet may cause increase in gout attacks if you are prone to the condition.

Gout Foods to Avoid: Alcohols
Avoiding alcohol can aid in gout prevention. The purine level in beer and wine can cause a gout flare. Alcohol decreases the body's ability to excrete uric acid and can cause a gout flare up. Alcohol intake should be lowered for gout prevention efforts and in the time of a flare up should be eliminated.

Gout Foods to Avoid: High Vitamin C
High levels of Vitamin C intake can cause an increase in uric acid production. If you are experiencing a gout attack, or have previously had gout, you should discuss you're your doctor whether or not you should be taking vitamin C tablets, or having a large amount of foods high in Vitamin C in your daily diet.

Gout Prevention: Increase Fluid Intake
Water helps eliminate uric acid from the body. So while following your list of foods to avoid for gout prevention, you should also increase your water intake. Fifty percent of your body weight is a recommended fluid intake amount for Gout Prevention.

Gout Prevention: Increase Low Purine Foods
Raw vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts are all low purine foods. Increasing low purine foods helps in reducing the uric acid levels. Unsweetened cherries and dark colored berries like blueberries and blackberries can lower uric acid and reduce inflammation.

SOURCES:

http://www.whathealth.com/gout/prevention.html

http://www.podiatrychannel.com/gout/naturalmedicine.shtml

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gout/DS00090/DSECTION=prevention

http://www.everydiet.org/diet/gout-diet