Gout afflicts more or less 840 out of 100,000 persons and it accounts for 5 percent of all arthritis cases. Because of the sizeable number experiencing the pain, many have tried searching for ways to avoid having a gout attack.
Gout is a condition that happens when the uric acid accumulates in the joint's fluids due to an excess of purine. When this happens, merely moving the joint is extremely painful. Purines are vital proteins to the body. In fact, it is within every tissue and this compound is even present in most of our daily diet. However, in the case of gout prevention, purine should be kept at the minimum and must be avoided in all cases to rid of gout attacks. It is therefore very advisable to know which foods are rich in purine.
The American Medical Association identified the following food to be rich in purine: yeast, organ meat like kidneys, liver, and sweetbreads, beer and other alcoholic drinks, anchovies, sardines in oil, fish roes, herring, legumes like dried beans and peas, meat extracts, consomme, gravies, mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, and cauliflower.
With the trigger of the gout attack, the pain usually tends to start in the big toe and proceed to the other joints. This will likely affect the heel, knees, elbows, and ankles. This pain from gout is due to the uric acid crystal accumulation in the joints.
These crystals are normally within the fluid in the joints and cause swelling and extreme pain. The one suffering this condition may not be able to walk during the gout attack. Hence, it is so important for a gout sufferer to fully recognize the foods to avoid for one to prevent these painful attacks.
Foods rich in purine must be avoided as much as possible. Recommended to include in the gout patient's diet are the following: dark berries to reduce inflammation, tofu from soybeans as meat alternative, and certain fatty acids in olive oils, salmon, nuts, and flax for anti-inflammatory benefits.
It is equally important, nonetheless, to take prescribed medications by your physician. As a reminder, those enjoying very rich daily diet with mostly red meat are exposing themselves to high risk for gout in the near future.