Gout is a painful disease affecting the joints and articulations through the formation of uric acid crystals. These crystals build up inside the articulations and cause painful symptoms, especially in men. That is why it is important to measure our levels of uric acid, and the reason why people usually relate articular pain with high levels of uric acid in the blood. Normal blood levels should not reach 6 mg per deciliter in women and 7 mg per deciliter in men, and there are many foods that increase our circulating levels of uric acid.
Foods that raise your uric acid and contribute to gout contain something called purine. These molecular structures are present in all types of food, but some of them contain more purine than others. Thus, this list has been created to give you the list of foods with the highest concentration of purines, that will likely contribute to raise your levels of uric acid and trigger gout symptoms.
Organ cuts
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Kidney, liver, sweetbreads, and many other organ cuts are not a good idea for patients with gout and definitely something to avoid if you already have high levels of uric acid. These foods are probably the highest in purine contents, and they turn into uric acid rapidly by your body. It is not recommended to eat brains, intestines, and other types of meat varieties. Even certain muscle meats are not recommended, as you will see further.
Beef and pork meat
Pork and beef are probably the most dangerous meats for patients with gout. They can trigger a gouty flare-up and should be avoided if you have uric acid problems. Beef is not the food with the highest level of purines, but patients usually get better when following a no-pork, no-beef diet. Another type of meat that is not quite recommended is lamb. In this case, it is not necessary to cut these foods out of your diet. You will be fine by limiting your serving size and eating in moderation.
Meat-based stews
You might be led to think that cooking a stew with meat and then taking it out solves the problem. But if you have uric acid problems, you need to limit your intake of red meats, including meat-based stews. When soups are prepared with concentrated powders, these usually contain the same concentration of purines as red meat, and they will raise your levels of uric acid and create problems in no time.
Sardines in oil
Most people think they are safe, consuming fish and white meat, but that’s not always the case. Sardines can cause gout attacks as well, especially processed sardines in oil. They actually have one of the highest nutritional counts of purines among seafood, and it is a no-no in your preventative diet. When you buy seafood, try to get fresh items instead of processed foods as they do not tend to raise uric acid levels so high.
Trout and tuna
Another commodity food that you can find canned in every supermarket is tuna, and it should be avoided as well. It does not have such high levels of purines as sardines, but if you consume this type of fish every day, it may become a problem. Trout has a moderate purine content, and would only increase your uric acid levels and cause gout problems if you have some genetic predisposition.
Anchovies
A common pizza topping we should all avoid if we suffer from joint pain and high levels of uric acid. If you’ve been diagnosed with gout, anchovies might trigger another attack, and it is not a good idea to take chances. Avoid anchovies as much as you can, and if you can completely cut this food out of your menu, that will be a lot better.
Boletus mushroom
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This plant food is probably one of the top enemies of gout patients. It is a special type of mushroom called porcini that increases uric acid levels to a dramatic level. Similarly, other types of mushrooms may moderately increase your uric acid, but nothing compared to Boletus mushrooms. So, avoid mushrooms in general and stay away from porcini or boletus mushroom completely.
Whole milk
There’s no problem with milk and uric acid, but if you want dairy, try to look for skimmed options. Not because your uric acid levels will go up but as a part of your diet to control your weight. Overweight and obesity might increase your uric acid levels, and at the same time, they put extra load on your articulations, increasing your chance of suffering from gout. So, consider dropping a size or two if you have weight problems.
Beer, vodka, and other alcoholic beverages
It is definitely not a good idea to drink alcohol if you have a predisposition to suffer from uric acid problems. Almost all alcoholic beverages increase your uric acid and may trigger a gout attack. The only one that seems to be harmless is wine because it has a completely different fermentation process.
Cakes and muffins
Having gout problems and eating a lot of cakes and muffins is not a good idea if you want to keep your disease controlled. They usually trigger a gout attack because baker’s yeast has exceedingly high amounts of purines. Additionally, they contribute to overweight and obesity, and it is recommended to limit as much as possible or cut these foods out of your menu.
Lobster
If you don’t have gout or high levels of uric acid, lobster might not be such a problem. However, if you want to take care of your already high levels of uric acid, lobster could contribute to triggering gout in your case. It has also been found to increase the risk of kidney stones in some patients. Luckily, it is quite expensive, and not an every-day food, at least for most of us.
Soybeans
If you had to choose between soy-based products or dairy, you better go for dairy, but remember to look for skimmed milk and derivatives. Soybeans are very high in purines, and you should be extra careful around soy-based foods if you’re vegan and suffer from gout.
Asparagus
It is quite uncommon to see asparagus and other vegetables in a list of foods to avoid. Asparagus is not your number one enemy because it doesn’t have extremely high levels of purines. However, it is not recommended to eat asparagus every single day. If you eat with moderation, nothing bad will happen, similar to what we mentioned about red meats.
Dried peas and dried fruits
They are excellent sources of fats and proteins because they are dehydrated and their nutrients are concentrated. However, for that same reason, almost all types of dried foods are not good for gout patients. They can trigger a gout attack because they have concentrated amounts of purines as well. Thus, try to avoid them during gout attacks or closely after, and if you have an underlying problem with your uric acid, stay away from them.
Sunflower seeds
Various types of seeds may also contribute to your risk of gout, and sunflower seed deserves a special mention, not because it’s the one with the highest content of purines, but because it is quite common. One seed with an exceptionally high risk of uric acid imbalances is poppy seeds, but both contain purines and should be avoided during a flare-up.
Lentils
After soybeans, lentils are probably the second group of beans with the highest concentration of purines. Still, it is not quite high, and you will be fine by just limiting your intake and avoid eating lentils every day. Remember it is very high in nutrients and a good source of vegetable proteins, so it’s not a good idea to completely cut it off your diet.
As you can see, there are plenty of foods associated with an increase in uric acid. If you want to control your uric acid problems and if you have been diagnosed with gout, avoiding foods from this list will be useful along with your medical therapy. However, keep in mind that dietary recommendations alone are just one very small part of the treatment. As we stated first, all foods contain at least some purines, and this chemical substance is turned into uric acid in our cells.
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Thus, if you have been diagnosed with gout, your doctor would likely try to change the metabolism of uric acid instead of just giving you a list of prohibited foods. This is achieved with medications such as allopurinol and febuxostat, two drugs only a doctor should prescribe. So, follow the advice of your doctor, and notify him if you recently found high levels of uric acid in one of your routine exams.