Purines are substances that occur naturally in a number of foods that we consume. When we consume foods with purines, the purines are broken down into uric acid. Your doctor may suggest that you avoid foods high in purines if you suffer from a medical condition, like gout. Gout causes an excessive amount of uric acid to be deposited in the body and sufferers may be limited to a daily intake of 100 to 150 mg of purines. Cooking foods may lower the number of purines found in the item.
Fish
There are numerous types of fish that have a high number of purines. Anchovies have one of the highest numbers of purines, with 411 per 100-gram serving when fresh and 321 mg purines per 100 grams when canned. Sardines contain 345 mg of purines per 100 grams when fresh and 399 if canned. Fresh salmon will have 250 mg of purines, mackerel contains 194 and clams have 136. These amounts are per 100 grams.
Meat Organs
Meat organs are very rich in purines and can have close to 300 mg of purines per 100 grams. If you are trying to follow a low purine diet, you should avoid pork liver, beef kidney, beef brains, calf tongue, chicken liver, chicken heart, beef liver, beef heart, lamb heart and lamb liver. Red meat is very high in purines, including mutton, beef, bacon, pork and lamb.
Poultry
Per 100 grams, poultry sources contain approximately 130 mg of purines. Poultry foods that are rich in purines include chicken, chicken-based soups, duck, turkey and goose.
Legumes
As a general rule, protein sources have the highest number of purines. This includes a variety of legumes. Blackeyed peas contain 230 mg of purines per 100 grams, white beans have 202 mg, and split peas have 195 mg. Other legumes high in purines are lentils, red beans, lima beans and garbanzo beans.
