What causes gout? Experts believe gout is the result of a blood level of high uric acid or hyperuricemia. Uric acid, a waste product, is formed from the breakdown of purines, which are substances found naturally in certain foods and in the human body.

A gout diet that emphasizes water consumption, dairy products and vegetable protein, may prevent the sudden, severe attacks of pain. Research has shown the gout diet may reduce the risk of gout as well as minimize symptoms.

Eliminate Gout Pain - Naturally and Immediately

In fact, one study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed a high intake of low-fat dairy products, a food recommended on the gout diet, could reduces the risk of gout by 50 percent.

Experts make several other gout diet and common sense suggestions including the following: Increase your consumption of vegetarian-based protein such as tofu as part of the gout diet. Reduce alcohol consumption because alcohol increases the risk of hyperuricemia and interferes with the removal of uric acid from the body. Instead of alcohol, drink plenty of water to help remove high uric acid from the body as part of the gout diet. Don’t exacerbate gout by consuming a low-carbohydrate diet. A diet high in protein and fat can increase the risk of hyperuricemia.

Also, it’s wise to reduce calorie intake, but don’t attempt a crash diet if you have gout. Simply cut back on calories and exercise more often to lose fat and inches. Trying a rapid weight loss diet is not recommended for people with gout because they have been found to actually increase high uric acid levels in the blood.

Here are the top 5 principles of the gout diet, which is also known as the low purine diet;
1. Avoid high-purine foods such as anchovies, brains, bouillon, broth, beef kidneys, consommé, dried legumes, game meats, gravy, goose, herring, liver, meat extracts, sardines, sweetbreads, mackerel, scallops, heart, herring, mussels, partridge, roe, scallops, shrimp, yeast and yeast extracts while on the gout diet.
2. Avoid alcohol including beer on the gout diet. Try to limit, in the very least, your alcohol consumption to three servings per week.
3. Limit the consumption of animal protein. Substitute vegetable proteins such as tofu as well as dairy proteins products while on the gout diet. You may enjoy 4 to 6 ounces of meat, fish and poultry per day.
4. Dilute high urinary uric acid by drinking plenty of water on the gout diet. Try to drink 1 to 2 gallons of water per day. Increase the amount of water you consume if you are exercising or live in a warm climate.
5. Avoid fat as part of the gout diet. Prepare foods with cooking sprays instead of deep-frying foods. Select leaner meats and lower fat dairy products.

Get Rid of Gout for Good

Also, the gout diet recommends avoiding acidic foods and beverages such as tea and coffee because it may trigger an attack of gout. While the purine content of food is a key factor, it is not the sole contributing cause to gout. Other factors may influence uric acid metabolism and affect the kidneys ability to excrete uric acid.

As part of a sensible diet to reduce the symptoms of gout, the following food items are on the approved food list for the gout diet: white rice, white bread and crackers, vegetables, carbonated beverages, corn and cornbread, fruit juices and fruits, noodles, nuts, milk, ice cream, cheese, cereals, butter, cocoa, milk and tapioca.

Many people with gout may prevent painful, acute attacks by assisting their bodies with the elimination of high uric acid. Be mindful of the purine content of foods, remembering the highest levels are often found in animal foods, especially meats and some seafood. Therefore, the popular Atkins diet is not recommended for people with gout. People on the gout diet may have virtually all vegetable foods with the exception of kidney beans and legumes, which are high in purine content.

Doctors may prescribe some medications to treat gout, but adopting a gout diet to reduce high uric acid in the body is always a sensible first-line treatment option and may prevent gout attacks.

Discover how to Immediately Eliminate Gout Pain -- once and for all -- with proven natural inflammation supplements for gout pain relief!