Excess amounts of uric acid in your body can be a big cause of concern. When you ingest too many purines, your body begins producing high levels of uric acid. Your body usually fights off uric acid buildup with a digestive enzyme called uricase, but when you eat foods high in purines, your body produces too much uric acid for the enzyme to properly eliminate and neutralize it. If this excess uric acid is not excreted from your body, it can build up around your joints. Once it has found a place in the deposits of the joints, the uric acid begins to crystallize. These crystals cause the inflammation and pain which are the main Symptoms Of Gout.
Gout is a form of arthritis that is commonly found in the big toe, though it can also occur in other joints as well. High levels of uric acid in the blood and tissue lead to swelling and inflammation, which causes pain. In most cases, the pain is not just relegated to the specific spot of the crystallization, but can also be felt around the area. Sometimes the pain from gout arthritis can last as little as a few minutes, but in severe cases it can last for weeks. In order to keep yourself safe from getting gout, you need to know about gout causing foods that you need to remove from your diet.
There are certain foods that cause your body to produce high levels of uric acid in the blood. Here are just a few of the gout causing foods that you should limit or stay away from entirely. With this list of gout-causing foods, you will be able to know the exact foods which you need to avoid:
- Certain meats like bacon, bullion, organ meats, meat broth, sweetbreads, offal and meat extracts.
- Seafood like shrimp, sardines, mackerel, mussels, herring, cod, salmon, crab, herring, trout, and anchovies.
- Products that are high in yeast like baked goods or beer.
- Poultry like turkey or goose.
- Vegetables like beans, mushrooms, cooked spinach, asparagus, cauliflower, rhubarb, lentils, and peas.
- Coffee or caffeine (because they can break down protein and turn it into uric acid).
- Alcohol, which increases the levels of uric acid and also prevents the kidneys from properly eliminating it.
- Aspirin.
- Fried foods (these cause vitamin E depletion, which leads to excess uric acid.)
- Simple sugars, saturated fats, and carbohydrates like fructose which damage the kidneys and increase the levels of uric acid.
- Oatmeal, whole grains, and white flour.
- Pastries and ice cream.
Looking over the list of gout causing foods above, it can be easy to be overwhelmed at the number of foods that you have to stay away from if you are at risk of getting gout. But with a little bit of effort, you should be able to set guidelines for the type of foods that you need to be eating in order to keep your body from producing excess uric acid. Make sure to talk to your doctor or primary physician before you decide to make any long term changes to your diet.
