| Eating foods high in uric acid can cause an attack of | | | | contain some purines but not all meat, poultry, and fish |
| gout/the gout/gouty arthritis, and if you or anyone you | | | | are created equal in their uric acid producing potential. |
| know has ever had one of these attacks you know | | | | The most dangerous ones are herring, sardines, |
| that they can be quite painful. Ironically, what makes | | | | mackerel, anchovies, asparagus, all organ meats |
| this condition somewhat of an oddity is how it targets | | | | especially liver, mussels, mushrooms, meat gravies, |
| the big toe joint. As if this isn’t bad enough, attacks | | | | brains, spinach, beans, oatmeal, and cauliflower. Right |
| can impact other areas as well such as the knee, | | | | now you are probably thinking that you will likely starve, |
| wrist, elbow, ankle, Achilles tendon, and over time the | | | | due to lack of decent food choices, or be forced to |
| kidneys or other organs. Joints can be permanently | | | | eat bananas, rice, yogurt, soy, and nuts from now on. |
| damaged over time if tophi (hard lumps of urate | | | | Hold on, let’s talk about this for a minute or two |
| crystals) are allowed to build up in the joint lining. | | | | before you join a vegan support group. |
| Specific foods high in uric acid can cause or be a | | | | Remember when we talked about this condition |
| contributing factor for gout. But foods are not the only | | | | generally being about high uric acid levels in blood? |
| major cause. Other causes include renal failure, | | | | Perhaps you are just overdoing it by eating too much |
| radiation treatment, being as little as 15% overweight, | | | | of a good thing. So use some discretion before |
| lead poisoning, hypothyroidism, blood disorders, diuretics, | | | | ordering that pizza with spinach, mystery meats, |
| and large doses of niacin (nicotinic acid). | | | | anchovies, and mushrooms. Also, if this is the only |
| Uric acid is a waste product produced when cells are | | | | pizza on the menu make sure to drink plenty of water, |
| broken down in the body or when foods containing | | | | avoid alcohol, and take into account whether your |
| purines are consumed. Most often an attack of gout | | | | medication regime includes any urine concentrating |
| gouty arthritis is a simple case of the kidneys not being | | | | drugs such as diuretics. |
| able to eliminate enough uric acid to avoid it being | | | | While avoiding recurrent attacks may be difficult there |
| deposited elsewhere. | | | | are three steps that can be implemented at home to |
| Are the kidneys simply not functioning well enough or | | | | reduce your chances of having a gout attack. First, |
| are they simply overwhelmed by the amount of waste | | | | reduce the intake of purine laden foods (foods high uric |
| products in the blood? Only a series of test can | | | | acid content) such as shellfish and organ meats; |
| pinpoint the cause, nevertheless it is likely that foods | | | | second, drink plenty of fresh water (6 eight ounce |
| high uric acid content are at the very least a | | | | glasses a day); and last but not least implement an |
| contributing factor in both first time attacks or recurrent | | | | alternative gout remedy containing the natural |
| attacks and should be eliminated, or moderated. | | | | ingredients turmeric and milk thistle. By implementing |
| In some ways food, gout, and a healthy diet are a | | | | these three steps you will have made great strides on |
| dichotomy. Some of the foods which are generally | | | | the path to reducing elevated uric acid levels and |
| considered to be the most healthy are the foods high | | | | avoiding future attacks. |
| in uric acid. To start with all meat, poultry, and fish | | | | |