What About Food and Gout
"Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food"
Hippocrates
Our Body is programmed to heal itself.
Not only external damage, like wounds heal itself, also internal damage, and organs like a bad functioning liver.
However, the body needs the proper tools, materials (building parts), facilitators, and subcontractors to do this = FOOD
And sometimes it needs to be pushed a bit in the right direction = like with ACUPUNCTURE
The larger the variety of tools and materials (in adequate amounts), the easier the body can heal itself.
The tools and materials needed in a gout diet are:
- Macronutrients;
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Proteins (amino acids, which are the large building blocks for organ and gland repair)
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Carbohydrates (they provide energy to the body, but normally we have enough of them)
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Unsaturated fatty acids
​- Minerals = essential small building blocks
- Vitamins = essential tools for rebuilding health
- Enzymes = facilitators during health rebuilding, without enzymes, there is no rebuilding
- Bacteria = subcontractors, many millions of these hard workers, keep out body healthy, reducing inflammation, reducing wastes inclusive Uric Acid.
By just consuming burgers, hot dogs, and coke, you neither get the building blocks nor the tools your body needs to rebuild its health.
At the Gout Clinic, the food you will eat will be your "medicine" to heal gout.
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Don't forget gout comes with gout related conditions or comorbidities such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, endothelial function, and hypertension.
In our opinion, Gout and the Gout related conditions all start with endothelial dysfunction, followed by metabolic conditions, especially in the Liver, Spleen, and Kidney.
And all these conditions are diet-dependent!
The good news is that all can be treated in the same way, by a proper Gout Diet.
Urine pH | Blood pH | Gout
Our Urine acidity or better Alkality is crucial for Uric Acid excretion.
It is a result of what we eat.
So we can influence our Uric Acid serum levels, by eating right.
Blood pH
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On the internet, there are a lot of pages promoting alkalic food in order to alkalize blood for regaining health.
That is nonsense.
The blood pH has in normal circumstances a constant value when it does changes a bit, we speak about Acidosis or Alkalosis.
These are serious medical conditions and create a medical emergency.
You can create Acidosis by having to much acidic intake, like Apple Cider Vinegar, or even Kombucha, and die from it.
Our body, the pancreas, has only a limited capacity for handling acidic intake.
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Urine pH | Fruits
The Kidney is the tool of the body to get rid of wastes, especially acids, including Uric Acid.
The more acidic the urine is, the more difficult it is for the Kidney to excrete these wastes, inclusive Uric Acid.
And the urine becomes more acidic when we eat acidic substances like Meat, Fruits, Apple Cider Vinegar, etc.
Gout Patients can help the kidney excreting more Uric Acid by increasing Urine pH.
How? by having lesser (or no) fruit and meat intake but more Alcalic intake like Vegetables, Legumes, and Nuts, or by diluting the urine, by drinking neutral pure Water. DRINK WATER, LOTS OF WATER, DRINK GOUT AWAY, look at Japanese Water Therapy to heal gout.
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You often find on the internet that Fruits, e.g. oranges, or even lime are Alkalic.
But that is wrong, all fruits are Acidic,
Citrus fruits are very acidic and have a pH between 3 pH - 4 pH.
However, Fruits have minerals helping the Pancreas to make everything coming out of the stomach alkaline.
But this comes with a cost, it lowers urine pH, and it lowers excretion of Uric Acid, it can even provoke a gout attack.
For Gout, and diabetes patients, it is important at the beginning of treatment to limit fruit intake, and concentrate on vegetables.
The Graph on the left shows a healthy person with UA = 4.2 mg\dl,
consuming 3 granny smith apples, and immediately,
his Uric Acid level shoots up to 9.3 mg\dl!
One apple a day keeps the doctor away, but this is for healthy people, and it is only one apple. A gout patient eating lots of apples will get a major gout attack within a few days.
Ideal, the morning urine pH is as close to 7 pH as possible,
above 6 pH is perfect.
In the case of morning urine pH being low, like 4.5 pH or lower, we advise taking some salts, to increase the pH more rapidly, and to supply some mineral reserves to the pancreas.
Gout Diet
A gout diet isn't a cure, but it will help you with managing your gout and its symptoms.
It may help decrease serum Uric Acid levels, may lower the risk of recurring gout attacks and slow down the progression of joint damage.
A Gout diet focuses on;
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Including Anti-Inflammatory foods
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Including Uric Acid Lowering foods
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Avoiding Pr0-Inflammatory foods
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Avoiding Uric Acid promoting foods
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Lowering weight when obese
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Eating smaller portions of healthy foods, reducing inflammation
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Drink lots of water (not after meals)
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Tackling inflammation is essential to reduce Gout Pain, Gout Stiffness, and Gout Swelling.
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Dietary Factors and the Risk of Gout
Li et.al. performed a meta-analyze regarding Gout and Diet,
their Conclusions (see Literature):
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1) Forget Purines, Skip the Carbs
Forget about purines as criteria, purine-rich vegetables are good for gout.
Refined Carbohydrates, do not only increase the production of Uric Acid, but they are also responsible for all gout related conditions. BINGO!
​Dessein et al, (see literature) clearly showed the benefits of moderate carbs intake for Gout Patients; lowering Uric Acid.
Note: Complex Carbohydrates like vegetables are OK.
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2) Try to Avoid Totally (Refined Carbohydrates)
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Fructose Corn Syrup
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All kinds of Sugar
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Artificial Trans fats (hydrogenated oils)
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White Bread
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White Pasta
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Tortillas
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Pizza
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Sweetened Beverages (neither with artificial sweeteners)
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Pastries, Cakes, Cookies, Biscuits, Waffles, Crackers, Pretzels, and Bagels
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Sugary Cereals
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Candy
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Ice cream
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Non-Dairy Coffee Creamers
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Organ and glandular meats
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High temperatures fried, roasted, seared or grilled meat, fish and eggs, avoiding AGEs.
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3) Moderate Consumption of
The first months of gout treatment, exclude all
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Fruits and Fruit Juices (high sugar content, Acidic)
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Beer
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Meat, Fat
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Fatty poultry
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High-fat dairy products
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Seafood
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Alcohol
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French fries and chips​
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4) Focus on Healthy Food
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Load up on Vegetables and Legumes
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Roots = pre-biotics
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Soy foods
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Fermented food
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Enzyme rich foods
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Mediterranean diet, or DASH diet
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Use Olive Oil
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Low Fat Dairy products (don't overdo)
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Seeds and Nuts (don't overdo)
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Whole grain products (don't overdo)
Concentrate on the Following Food, Use Them as a Gout Treatment
Water Gout Treatment
Drink lots of water each day.
Drink your gout away.
Or better, drink for not getting gout attacks!
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Dilute your urine, resulting in more Uric Acid excretion.
Like in the Japanese Water Therapy:
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Drink one-liter water first thing in the morning
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Drink four-liter water per day
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Do not drink one hour after meals, don't dilute stomach acid
When you have severe Chronic Kidney Disease, you can only do this under doctor supervision.
Cucumber Gout Treatment
We doubted to include the Gout Cucumber Treatment because you have to Juice every day between 6 to 8 cucumbers.
Best with a slow Juicer.
But we can not leave it out. The advantages are too important,
and after all, it takes only 10 minutes per day.
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Cucumber will help to restore the Potassium deficiency and the Sodium/Potassium Ratio. It is an anti-Oxidant, and anti-inflammatory. It helps to relieve Gout Pain and promotes joint health.
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It has the same benefits as Celery juice but is more easy on the digestive system, and lesser allergic reactions are observed.
It is easier to drink (and keep on drinking, every day) than Celery juice.
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Drink 1 liter in the morning and 1/2 liter in the late afternoon.
Also, do frequently, Cucumber fasting days, only drink 2-liter Cucumber juice, twenty black garlic cloves, half a liter of low-fat low-sugar yogurt,
2 soup spoons of Chia seeds, and as much water as you like.
Chia Seeds & Flax Seeds for Gout​
The Health benefits of these two seeds are well known;
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Omega 3 (ALA) = Anti Inflammatory
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Anti-Oxidant
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High fiber content, protein, and minerals (Mg, Ca)
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Excellent protein source
For Women:
Take Flax Seeds, they contain Lignans = female hormone.
For Men:
Take Chia!
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If you only want to change one thing to improve your health;
"Make sure it is taking daily Chia."
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Take two teaspoons per day, whole seeds, grind them in your mouth, drink 2 glasses of water afterward, preferably before meals.
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Bovine Milk for Gout, Orotic Acid for Gout
Stephens et al. (see lit.) described milk as a gout cure already in 1723.
More recently, our understanding of the importance of milk products has dramatically improved.
Dalbeth et al. (see lit.) quantified in 2010 the Uric Acid lowering capacity of milk. See the graph on the left.
Finally, in 2011, Miura et al. (see lit.) proved the uric acid lowering principles to be:
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Orotate URAT1 re-absorption competition with urate re-absorption
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Slowing down de novo biosynthesis of Uric Acid
Gout Patients better use low-fat milk, it has all the advantages and causes lesser problems.
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Alternative: Take an Orotate Supplement.
Pre-biotic Jicama for Gout
Jicama is high in inulin,
which is a prebiotic fiber that feeds Gout beneficial gut bacteria, reducing Uric Acid and fighting inflammation.
It is not only needed to supply the beneficial gout bacteria to the gut,
but they need also to be fed, and that is exactly what jicama is doing.
Jicama tastes sweet, but has no sugar, it is the inulin that taste sweet.
In Mexico, children eat it with chili as candy.
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Other prebiotic foods are:
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Banana, do not eat very ripe, has also lots of Potassium
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Raw Wheat Bran
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Onions
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Garlic
Ginger as a Gout Treatment
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Ginger has been used for centuries as an anti-inflammatory agent.
Ginger is used for treating gout, rheumatoid arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions. Literature also shows its Uric Acid lowering capacities.
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How to use Ginger for Gout;
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Use it Into Your Cooking
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Use a Ginger Compress
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Apply a Ginger Paste
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Drink Ginger Root Tea
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Spice up a raw vegetable juice
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Take Ginger Supplement Capsules
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Orally, ginger is usually well tolerated with no side effects, when used in typical doses of 5 grams per day.
Nuts are Beneficial for Gout
Nuts are a good sources of fiber anti-oxidants and protein.
Consume only every day a small handful of nuts, because although the fats they contain are healthy, they do contain lots of it.
Our preference for Gout Patients goes to:
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Pecan; Contain oleic acid = anti-inflammatory, Vit-A, Vit-B, and Minerals e.g. Mn, Mg, Cu, Fe, P, lower LDL % ULDL cholesterol
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Pistachios; Lower in calories and fat than most nuts, High Potassium (K) content.
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Coffee for lowering Uric Acid?
Coffee is often mentioned to lower Uric Acid.
But current evidence is insufficient to validate the association between coffee consumption and a lower risk of increased Serum Uric Acid levels.
However, a limited number of studies, show that coffee may be associated with a lower risk of acute gout attacks.
So, if you like your daily cup of coffee, that is OK.
Green Tea as an Anti-Oxidant
Green Tea has been extensively studied for beneficial effects on diseases including cancer, obesity, diabetes, gout, inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.
Literature shows that Green Tea may modestly lower Serum Uric Acid levels,
but it significantly elevated serum anti-oxidant capacity with a positive dosage effect.​
This means it will help to treat the real root of Gout, endothelial dysfunction.
Further, the literature shows clearly that Green Tea has a;
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Renal protective effect
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Liver injury repairing capability, it even is able to reverse liver necrosis
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Anti-Inflammatory properties
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Effective treating Gout related conditions like; metabolic syndrome, obesity, type II diabetes, elevated cholesterol levels and cardiovascular risk factors.
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It makes sense to replace a part of your daily water intake by Green Tea, tackling the roots of Gout.
Stinging Nettle Tea for Avoiding Gout Attacks
Stinging Nettle is a potent medicinal Herb for Gout Patients, we offer Stinging Nettle capsules in our online shop.
Another way you can take advantage of this plant is by making an infusion.
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Literature shows that stinging nettle is used for centuries, and is effective for treating joint pain, including Gout Pain.
Stinging Nettle normalizes TNF production in the Spleen, tackling inflammatory disorders including Gout.
Fermented Foods are rich in certain;
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Bacteria
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Enzymes
This category of foods is so important for Managing Gout that they have a special page.