Your diet is one of the factors determining your health. This goes beyond simple everyday function; overdoing or underdoing some foods can lead to painful disorders. At the same time, diet can help you recover from or stave off another occurrence of some disorders. Food is often, although not always, part of the cycle of dealing with gout.
Definition
Gout is a joint disorder involving painful, lumpy inflammation of your toes, fingers or other joints. It is common for the big toe to show the first symptoms. The inflammation is caused by crystallized needles of uric acid. When you ingest a food containing specific proteins called purines, your body breaks them down and creates uric acid as a waste product. If your body has trouble eliminating the uric acid, the excess can gather in your joints and crystallize into needle-like shapes. Eating too much purine-rich food is one of the risk factors for developing gout.
Purine-Containing Foods
Foods that contain the most purines are meats, particularly organ meats, and certain types of fish, such as anchovies and mackerel. Anti-gout diets usually avoid these foods, and they avoid beer as well. Gravy, which is usually meat-based, is also a concern and might be restricted. Another set of foods is not as high in purines and is generally considered OK in moderate amounts, and this set includes wheat germ and wheat bran products. Other foods that should be kept at moderate levels include oatmeal, beans, nuts and all other fish. Your doctor can determine how much of these foods you can eat, and she can give you a complete list of foods to avoid.
Whole Wheat
Whole-wheat bread still contains the bran and germ, making the bread moderately high in purines and something to monitor. So while whole-wheat bread and other whole-wheat products are allowed on an anti-gout diet, you have to watch your intake. The University of Rochester Medical Center notes rice, potatoes and refined grain products are allowed, so you'll have other starch and carbohydrate options for your meals.
Considerations
Stay in touch with your doctor regarding your diet, as research can change how you approach an anti-gout diet. For example, vegetables were considered one of the food groups you had to restrict to moderate intake. Research out of Massachusetts General Hospital, published in the "New England Journal of Medicine" in 2004, found that eating purine-containing vegetables didn't affect the risk of developing gout in a group of men studied over 12 years. Your doctor might still have you restrict certain vegetables anyway, though, as this was the result of only one study.
Caution
One of the prohibited foods when recovering from gout is called sweetbreads. Do not confuse these with sweet breads such as pastries made from refined flours. "Sweetbreads" are organ meats, specifically the thymus gland and pancreas of an animal. These are among the high-purine foods that you should completely avoid when combating gout.
References
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center: Gout
- University of Rochester Medical Center: Purine-Restricted Diet (Gout)
- University of Cincinnati Bone Health and Osteoporosis Center: Purines and Uric Acid
- "New England Journal of Medicine"; Purine-Rich Foods, Dairy and Protein Intake, and the Risk of Gout in Men; Hyon K. Choi, M.D., Dr.P.H. et al.; Mar. 2004
- Massachusetts General Hospital: Study Clarifies Impact of Diet on the Risk of Gout
- The Straight Dope: What Are Sweetbreads Really
