By: John Cielo
Submitted: 2011-02-03 02:21:45 | Word Count: 516
Before going into gout diet foods, let's look at what causes gout. Gout is caused by high uric acid levels in your blood that give rise to the formation of crystals in your joints. This can happen if your kidneys aren't working to 100%, or, your body is producing too much uric acid in the first place.
But where do gout diet foods fit-in here? Well, uric acid is produced when 'purines' in your body breakdown during the metabolization process. But purines also form part of the chemical makeup of the food you eat. And some foods are high in purines, whilst others have relatively low levels of purines.
[ advertisement ]
You can see then how consuming foods high in purines can lead to more uric acid production, which in turn leads to gout. So a gout victim needs to eat more low purine foods and avoid high purine foods. But gout diet foods don't have to be boring. Here is a high-level look at foods that should form part of your healthy gout diet:-
FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
You need to eat more fruit and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables. You should eat at least 5 helpings of fruit and veg per day. But avoid spinach, asparagus, and cauliflower.
DAIRY PRODUCE
Contrary to popular belief, dairy products can be consumed. But these should be low-fat dairy produce. Don't consume soy products.
COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES
Complex carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, cereals, and breads, etc., should be eaten. But avoid white flour products.
VITAMIN C
Foods that are high in vitamin C are important and can be eaten as part of your gout diet. For example, eat plenty potatoes, red bell peppers, red cabbage, mandarins, tangerines, oranges, etc.
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
Essential fatty acids should also be included in your gout diet. These are things like salmon and tuna (small quantities), flaxseed, nuts, seeds, etc.
WATER AND FRUIT JUICE
Keeping yourself well-hydrated is just so vital. It is much more difficult for uric acid crystals to form in your joints when you are hydrated properly. So drink at least 3 litres per day. Fruit juice can be part of your intake. But don't drink alcohol, as this is well-known to help trigger gout attacks.
COFFEE
You can also drink coffee, also against popular belief. There are actually some studies that demonstrate that coffee consumption can reduce uric acid levels and so lower the risk of gout.
Of necessity, the above gout diet foods are only an 'overview' of what you can eat. But there is enough information for you to see that gout diet foods don't have to be boring. And, of course, I haven't listed the foods that you need to avoid...
Author Resource:-
So, next, to get more information on gout diet foods you can eat, foods to avoid, daily gout menus, plus, tons of natural gout remedies, please go to www.thegoutsite.com.
