Diet and Nutrition: There are many changes you can make to your diet to reduce gout attacks:
Losing weight
If you drink, consume less alcohol
Drink enough water
Losing weight is an effective treatment for Gout by lowering the level of uric acid in the blood. However, in the diet for weight loss, it is necessary to avoid diets containing excessive meat and purine protein. Because this diet will increase the uric acid blood levels as a result of the breakdown of the purine protein taken through food, even if the weight decreases.
Drinking too much alcohol (especially beer and high-alcohol drinks) also causes gout attacks to recur more frequently. Consumption of small amounts of wine is seen as the alcohol with the lowest risk for gout. Alcohol consumption should be limited to 3-4 units per day for men and 2-3 units for women. This calculation for alcohol is related to the alcohol content of the drink as well as the amount of alcohol consumed. The unit calculation for alcoholic beverages can be done as follows:
Drinking enough water daily is also an important factor for the prevention of gout attacks. These losses should be added to the daily amount in cases where the person consumes between 1.5-2.5 liters of fluid daily depending on his activity, size and fluid loss, and in cases where fluid loss such as excessive sweating, diarrhea, vomiting or fever is high. If the person has a history of kidney stones, it is beneficial to keep the amount of fluid around 2-2.5 liters. Beverages other than water can also be evaluated in the daily liquid, although it is not the ideal solution. However, fructose and similar sugar-containing soft drinks and beverages increase the uric acid level in the blood. Drinking small amounts of coffee reduces the risk of gout by increasing the excretion of uric acid from the kidneys. Another factor that reduces the risk of gout is milk. It is recommended that individuals without allergies or milk intolerance consume 1 glass of milk daily.
Other Dietary Suggestions: In order to prevent gout attacks, it is necessary to consume less foods containing the protein called purine. These foods are:
Red meat and offal: It is recommended not to consume offal at all.
Small fish and shellfish, seafood such as squid and octopus should also be avoided.
It is appropriate to have low mushroom consumption
The main purpose is to reduce the protein taken from meat. Instead, legumes, eggs or low-fat dairy products can be preferred as protein sources.
Vitamin C is a factor that increases the excretion of uric acid from the kidneys and it is beneficial to choose foods rich in vitamin C in nutrition. There are studies that show that cherries can also be beneficial. Some of the benefits of cherries may also be related to their vitamin C content.
