Gout Diet: Is All Hope Lost?

Gout is a condition where crystals - made up of "uric acid" - build up in the joints, causing swelling and intense pain. Treatment is a double-edged sword: what you eat and drink.

If you've ever talked to your doctor about a "gout diet", you were probably discouraged by Doc's answer. Traditional gout diets recommend restricting some of the tastiest food and drink there is! And just like any restrictive diet, it can leave you irritable and depressed, pining away for the foods of yesterday.

Luckily, a general healthy eating plan combined with some of the newer medications out there can cut down on the number of gout flare-ups you have - without an overly strict diet. (1)

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Disclaimer: Always check with your doctor before making any changes to your medical treatment course.

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Bye-Bye Gout Flares in 1-2-3!

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1) Pick and choose

Have you ever woken up with that familiar excruciating pain in your foot, thought back to the night before, and knew exactly what you ate or drank that caused it? There are some trigger foods that you may be 99.9% sure will cause a flare-up the next day. But those foods might also be some of your favorites. So what do you do?

Just because your doctor said meat will cause flare-ups doesn't mean you need to start cutting out food groups.

In any healthful eating plan, you learn to incorporate new foods into your diet. And those new foods are typically healthier replacements for something you used to eat on a regular basis. For the most success, replacing food and drink you consume on a daily basis will make the most difference - both in transforming your diet without you realizing as well as helping you to lose weight. Being overweight is a risk factor for gout.

So...will having a beer with that foie gras be worth it in the morning? Or could you make another choice to save some happiness for tomorrow?

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2) Lose weight...gradually

Obesity is a key risk factor for gout - that means you are more likely to experience gout attacks if you are severely overweight. On the flip-side, losing weight can help decreasing your flare-ups and perhaps get rid of them all together.

Many fad diets (Atkins, Zone, South Beach, various cleanses) cut out food groups that lead to quick weight loss - mostly from water weight. But these diet plans are difficult to follow, and when you give-up and go back to your old ways, you typically gain more weight.

With gout in the picture, these diets become even worse. The fasting state that these low-calorie and low-carb diets put you in actually makes your body produce its own uric acid. The Atkins diet actually discourages people with gout from following its program.

So you're trying to lose weight so your gout gets better, but your body is actually making it worse! And that's because you aren't treating your body with the respect it needs by losing weight in a healthy, gradual manner.

Following step 1: pick and choose will help to round out your diet and reduce the ingredients that were likely contributing to your weight gain as well as your gout flare-ups. Combined with regular exercise of your choosing, this healthy plan can become your new lifestyle, not just another phase in your life.

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3) Step up the dairy

Studies continue to show that consuming low-fat and fat-free dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese) may lower your risk of gout. While this connection isn't definite, it also wouldn't hurt. 

Worried about lactose intolerance? Many people with lactose intolerance can tolerate 1-2 yogurts per day without getting upset stomachs. Do you love milk? Try LactAid or other low lactose milks instead.

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Say "No!" to Low-Carb Diets

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Caution: low carb diets (low in breads, fruit, grains, potatoes) and high in fats and meat are not good for gout.

This is for two reasons:

1. Increasing meats in your diet likely means your increasing the amount of trigger foods you eat
2. Low carb diets make your body produce "ketones" which make your blood acidic. When this happens, your body actually produces the uric acid that builds up in your joints causing pain.
   

I'm going to stop there, because I think that's pretty too the point. For tips on making healthy changes, check out my other blog posts on weight loss HERE.

Signing off!
-Bailey

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References:
(1) Mayo Clinic. Gout diet: What's allowed, what's not. 2012. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/gout-diet/art-20048524
(2) Lee SJ, Terkeltaub RA, Kavanaugh A. Recent Developments in Diet and Gout. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2006;18(2):193-198. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/524766_6