Gout is a painful form of arthritis caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is a metabolite of a substance called purine. While your body makes its own purines, you also consume purines in foods, primarily in animal proteins. Diet plays an important role in helping you manage gout symptoms by limiting purine intake. Cheerios cereal has a negligible purine content and is not bad for gout. In fact, as a complex carbohydrate, Cheerios can be a healthy choice for someone with gout.
Purines and Gout
Purines constitute part of the nucleoprotein found in RNA and DNA. When your body breaks down purines, it forms uric acid. If your body has a difficult time eliminating uric acid and it builds up in your blood, gout may result. The additional uric acid crystallizes and settles in your joints, leading to arthritis and pain. Limiting your intake of dietary purines may help reduce uric acid production and prevent painful arthritis.
Purine Foods
Foods are divided into three groups depending on their purine content, including high purine, moderate purine and negligible purine. When you have gout, eliminate foods high in purine from your diet. High-purine foods include organ meat, anchovies, mackerel, goose, gravy, sardines and scallops. Your intake of moderate-purine foods should be limited to two servings a day; one serving equals 3 oz. of fish, poultry, meat or shellfish or 1/2 cup of asparagus, lentils, mushrooms, dried peas or spinach. Foods with negligible amounts of purine can be eaten without limitation, and include bread, butter, eggs, cake, cookies, cereal, cheese, nuts, pasta, rice, fruit and all vegetables other than the ones previously mentioned. Cheerios, as a cereal, has negligible amounts of purine and can be eaten without limitation.
Diet for Gout
In addition to limiting your intake of purines, you can follow other diet guidelines to help improve and prevent gout symptoms. Limit or avoid alcohol because it interferes with your body's ability to eliminate uric acid. Drinking plenty of fluids, such as 64 to 128 oz. of water, is recommended. Include more complex carbohydrates in your diet, such as whole grains like Cheerios, fruits and vegetables. Balancing your calorie intake to help you maintain a healthy weight can also help limit gout symptoms.
Cheerios and Gout
A whole-grain cereal like Cheerios is a complex carbohydrate, making it a healthy choice for your gout diet. In addition, with just 100 calories per 1-cup serving, Cheerios is a low-calorie breakfast or snack choice, which can help you balance your calorie intake for weight management. Cheerios is also a good source of fiber, with 3 g per cup, which aids in hunger control by slowing digestion.
References
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskelatal and Skin Diseases: Gout
- MayoClinic.com; Gout Diet; March 2010
- General Mills: Cheerios
- "Krause's Food, Nutrition and Diet Therapy"; L. Kathleen Mahan, Sylvia Escott-Stump; 1996
- MayoClinic.com; Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet; November 2009
