7 Foods To Eat And 7 Foods To Avoid For Gout

Having gout can be seriously impactful. A type of inflammatory arthritis, gout is a condition that affects your joints through the formation of uric acid crystals, caused by excess uric acid in your system (per the Cleveland Clinic). These needle-shaped acid crystals then create swelling in your joints and cause painful episodes that can last for as much as two weeks.

While anybody can experience gout, certain lifestyle factors can both increase your likelihood of developing the condition and worsen your symptoms when you have it. And with cases of gout rising around the world (via research published in Nature Reviews Rheumatology), it's important to be aware of how to manage the condition. Family history of gout, as well as other risk factors like diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, and hypertension, can all raise the chance of you having it at some point in your life. But one huge aspect of gout risk and management is your diet. Certain foods we might choose to eat can ease symptoms of gout — and some can make it seriously worse. Let's take a look at some of the top foods to eat and avoid for this tricky condition.

When it comes to gout, a diet rich in meat is often named as one of the main culprits of painful attacks. But according to rheumatologist Scott Burg, speaking to the Cleveland Clinic, eating meat is not entirely incompatible with having gout, as long as you're keeping your meat consumption fairly limited.

What you might have to consider avoiding, though, is certain types of meat, like liver. Organ meats like liver are way richer in purines, a type of chemical compound that, when ingested, is broken down in your body into uric acid, says WebMD. When you eat foods that have higher levels of purines in them, your uric acid levels start to build up, and this then contributes to the formation of the crystals that cause gout pain. Instead of opting for organ meat, you're far better off going for leaner cuts of white meat, like turkey or chicken (via Cleveland Clinic). These types of meat are lower in purines, and so should be way less likely to cause uric acid buildup in your system.

Ah, pasta. How we love you. And how disappointed we are that you're not good for gout. Unfortunately, eating higher amounts of pasta, as well as other refined carbohydrates like white rice and white pasta, may not be the best choice if you're trying to control gout symptoms, says Healthline. These foods have a high glycemic index, and higher-GI foods contribute to increased uric acid levels in the body, therefore making gout attacks more frequent and unpleasant, according to research published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

But! All's not lost on the carb front for those with gout. Opting for whole-grain carbs may help you get your carb fix without causing your uric acid levels to rise too high, according to the Arthritis Foundation. It's worth bearing in mind, however, that whole grains aren't totally harmless for people with gout. As Healthline points out, they still contain a moderate amount of purines, which can boost your uric acid levels, so it's important not to overindulge in them.

So, we don't want to kill your buzz. Really, we don't. But if you're experiencing gout, we may have to, at least on the beer front. "Beer is on the 'no' list for people who have gout," says University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas associate professor and American Dietetic Association spokesperson Lona Sandon to Everyday Health. Beer is particularly impactful on people who have gout because of its high content of guanosine, a purine that can wreak havoc on your joints (per Medical News Today).

So, what about subbing out your beer for other types of alcohol? Well, unfortunately, folks, it may not be as simple as that. According to research published in The American Journal of Medicine, the more alcohol you drink, the more likely you are to experience gout attacks – regardless of the type of booze you're enjoying. The researchers ultimately concluded that reducing your alcohol intake entirely was the best course of action to help avoid gout attacks.

A cool, refreshing soda may be your go-to drink on a hot summer's day, but if you're experiencing gout, we seriously recommend giving it a miss — especially if it's the full-sugar variety. Many sodas get their sweet flavor from the addition of fructose, usually through using high fructose corn syrup, according to research published in Nutrition. Unfortunately, fructose consumption — including through sweetened beverages specifically — has been linked to a higher prevalence of gout and higher uric acid levels in the body, states a review published in Seminars in Nephrology. The review authors recommend that limiting these types of drinks may be a course of action for the reduction of gout across the board.

However, for soda-lovers out there, there's some good news. Although a further study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology also indicated that frequently drinking soda appears to be linked to hyperuricemia (high uric acid levels), this association did not hold true for diet sodas. So, if you're concerned about gout, it might be worth switching to Diet Coke instead of that classic red can.

Not all fish are created equal, and anyone who's compared the size of an anchovy with a seabass can attest to that. But that tiny, salty fish you put on your pizza? Turns out it's one of the things you want to eat least when you have gout. Pound by pound, anchovies actually have the highest purine content of any fish out there, according to Verywell Health. Although it should be pointed out that you're probably not going to be eating anchovies in the same quantities as you might eat other fish (ever tried to eat more than a few at a time? Phew. Intense.), it's still important to keep in mind next time you're checking out the Domino's menu.

Other high-purine offenders on the seafood front are trout, tuna, halibut, and sardines. And interestingly, how fish is cooked can affect its purine content considerably, with steaming or poaching fish resulting in a lower-purine meal than other methods.

Lamb is a mainstay in dishes around the world, but if you're eating for gout, it's best left avoided. Lamb is particularly high in purines, the ingestion of which results in an increased likelihood of gout attacks, says Livestrong. This is also the case with other red meats like beef, pork, and goat, all of which can stimulate excess uric acid production and uncomfortable gout symptoms. As gout can be common in people who have kidney disease, it's especially important to watch your intake of red meats like lamb if you have concerns about your kidneys, as lower kidney function and red meat consumption appear to go hand-in-hand, according to research published in the Journal of Renal Nutrition.

It's also worth watching your protein intake in general if you have gout, as you may be consuming more than you need, according to Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center registered dietitian Sandra Allonen via the Arthritis Foundation. Allonen advises that you'll need roughly 54 grams of protein daily if you weigh 150 pounds (about what you'd get in a 6-ounce breast of chicken). She also notes that for those with gout, it may be preferable to lean toward alkaline proteins, which tend to be more common in plant-based food sources.

Yeast is a cornerstone of a huge number of popular foods, from pizza dough to beer. If you have gout, though, you may want to reconsider how much of the substance you're consuming, as it may provoke painful gout symptoms. Some yeasts and yeast extracts (like brewer's yeast) are notably high in purines, according to Verywell Health, making them a poor choice for the management of gout.

This means that foods like sandwich spreads made with yeast extracts (such as Marmite) should be considered off-limits (via Versus Arthritis). Especially yeasty loaves of bread may also be something you want to avoid, although yeast-free flatbreads like chappatis might be a good choice, says Andrea's Digestive, Colon, Liver and Gallbladder Clinic. Interestingly, certain fermented beverages made with yeast strains, like kombucha, may provide help for gout symptoms (per Prevention), but as always, it's important to monitor your reactions to what you consume and how it affects your gout.