How to eat properly with gout, diet features

General description of pathology and principles of diet

Gout is an inflammation of the joints that progresses over time. The pathology is caused by a violation of purine metabolism. The body produces excess uric acid in the blood. The mechanism of development of the disease is not fully understood.

Causes of the disease:

• ingestion of large amounts of purines into the body along with foods;
• hereditary predisposition;
• decreased intensity of uric acid excretion in urine;
• increased formation of uric acid.

Diet for gout is an important component of treatment. Nutrition is organized in such a way as to reduce the amount of uric acid compounds in the body.

Diet principles:

• if you are overweight, you need to reduce it;
• control the consumption of the required amount of fluid;
• limit the amount of foods containing large amounts of purine substances, for example, meat, fish;
• increase the number of dishes that contain small amounts of purine compounds, for example, milk, cereals.

A proper diet is necessary in a set of measures to improve the condition of a patient with gout.

Is it possible to eat honey if you have gout?

During honey therapy, sweets, candies, and confectionery products, which increase the body’s sensitivity to allergens, are excluded from the diet.

You can use honey for gout. This product is very useful as it contains many valuable substances.

The composition of honey is unique. Product contains:

• vitamins;
• micro- and macroelements;
• polysaccharides;
• amino acids;
• enzymes;
• alkaloids;
• organic acids;
• phytoncides.

This composition provides the healing properties of the product. Honey improves metabolism, making it recommended for gout patients. In addition, this product has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, normalizes the functioning of the nervous system, and improves immunity.

The beneficial properties of honey can be listed for a very long time. From time immemorial, this product has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment and prevention of various diseases, including gout. Doctors today note its unique effect on the body and recommend that every person use this product as a general tonic.

Honey plays an important role in dietary nutrition. It is used as a sugar substitute. Unlike refined sugar, honey is completely absorbed by the body and does not cause significant fluctuations in blood glucose levels. This property of the product should be taken into account by those with gout who are overweight.

Doctors on the benefits of honey

The benefits and harms of honey for gout are determined solely by the quality of the product. Doctors agree that this product should be used for this disease. Beneficial properties of honey for gouty arthritis:

• anti-inflammatory;
• antibacterial;
• stimulation of regeneration;
• antioxidant.

Honey helps cleanse the body of toxic compounds. Whether honey can be eaten with gouty arthritis depends on the general health of the patient. Doctors recommend introducing it into the diet, but in moderation. This is due to the fact that if you have gout, it is important to adhere to a diet that includes a number of restrictions on the daily calorie intake. Despite all the beneficial properties, honey still contains sugar and fast carbohydrates, which, if consumed excessively, may not improve, but, on the contrary, worsen metabolism.

In addition, doctors warn: honey is not a substitute for drug therapy and a therapeutic diet. You can take it as a preventive measure to strengthen and cleanse the body, but you should not place high hopes on this product.

Contraindications for consuming honey:

• intolerance to bee products;
• diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2;
• strict low-carb diet.

If you have allergies, you should not take honey. In addition, it is important to consider that this product is a strong allergen, so if consumed regularly it can cause a hypersensitivity reaction even in people who are not prone to allergies.

There are no exact recommendations on how much honey you can use for gout, so you should consult your doctor before starting regular use of the product. There are many different ways to treat gout with this product, but all of them can only be used after approval by your doctor.

What can you eat if you have gout?

A list of products that are recommended for this pathology will be useful.

Table “What can you eat if you have gout”:

These products are recommended for gout.

What you can and cannot eat if you have gout: menu and diet No. 6

A question that interests almost all patients suffering from gouty arthritis: what can and cannot be eaten if you have gout? Based on diet No. 6, I have compiled a sample menu for people with gout or prone to it. I hope this information is useful to you. Note from Dr. Evdokimenko. The menu was slightly corrected by me - I removed some absurdities from the “classic” version of the table of this diet, and made the description of the diet more understandable. So:

Bread and flour products

Wheat and rye bread for gout can be eaten without restrictions. But some nutritionists recommend partially limiting the consumption of pastry products.

Soups

Recommended are vegetarian soups with the addition of various vegetables and cereals, again vegetarian borscht and cabbage soup, okroshka, beetroot soup, and milk soups. It is advisable to exclude from the diet or severely limit: meat and fish broths, and soups based on them; mushroom soups and broths, soups with sorrel or spinach.

Meat, poultry and eggs

Boiled beef, rabbit, chicken or turkey can be eaten relatively calmly, at least 1-3 times a week. But I’ll emphasize once again - it’s better to cook them boiled. You can also make steam cutlets from the same boiled meat. It is advisable to exclude or severely limit the following meat products in your diet: veal, chicken, lamb, pork, kidneys, liver, brains, sausages, smoked meats, canned meat. Eggs: you can eat one egg per day, maximum 2 eggs of any preparation

Fish

Low-fat boiled fish can be eaten 1-2 times a week. Fatty, salted or smoked fish, and canned fish - it is advisable to greatly limit all this or completely exclude it from your diet.

Milk and dairy products

Natural milk and dairy dishes, kefir, yogurt, natural cottage cheese and in dishes, mild cheese - without restrictions. Most nutritionists believe that they are useful for gout. Exceptions are sharp and salty cheeses, feta cheese; If you have gout, you should eat them as rarely as possible.

Pasta, cereals and legumes

Various cereals of any preparation, porridges made from them, and pasta are recommended (in reasonable quantities, of course). The exception is oatmeal, which is questionable. It is advisable to exclude or severely limit any legume products in your diet: especially beans themselves, beans and lentils, and dishes made from them.

Vegetables

Recommended: potatoes, beets, carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, sweet peppers, eggplants, white cabbage of any preparation, cucumbers - just not salted or pickled. Tomatoes are questionable. Some nutritionists call for limiting their consumption in case of gout; others claim that tomatoes are even beneficial for gout.

Note from Dr. Evdokimenko. I think that a patient suffering from gout should focus on his own condition in this matter. If your body reacts calmly to tomatoes, you can eat them without any special restrictions. But if tomatoes aggravate your condition and provoke gout attacks, your consumption of tomatoes should be limited. I would like to note that it is not common, but I have met people in whom tomatoes provoked gout attacks. Over 20 years of practice, I have had 6 or 7 such patients. Perhaps, in addition to gout, they had some other specific features in metabolism, and that is why the body reacted so strangely to tomatoes. Or the tomatoes were “chemically contaminated.”

Fruits, berries, and sweets

Recommended: any fruits and berries, both fresh and after heat treatment. Honey, jam, and sugar are also not contraindicated. Questionable - figs, raspberries, chocolate

Beverages

Considered useful: weak tea, especially with milk; weak coffee with milk, fruit and vegetable juices, rosehip decoction. It is advisable to limit: cocoa, strong tea and strong coffee. Harmful: alcoholic drinks, yeast drinks.

Note from Dr. Evdokimenko. Patients often ask me which alcoholic drinks are “less harmful” and “more harmful” for gout. According to my observations, the most potent triggers for gout attacks are beer, red wine, whiskey and cognac. Vodka, apparently, is a “purer” drink - and does not act as strongly (in small doses). But large doses of alcohol will trigger an attack no matter what you drink.

Snacks

Healthy - vegetable salads; You can eat: vinaigrette, mild cheese. Harmful: spicy or salty snacks, smoked foods, canned food, sausages.

Sauces and spices

Recommended: sauces based on vegetable broth, tomato, sour cream, milk; vanillin, cinnamon. Harmful: sauces based on meat or fish broth, mushroom broth, pepper, mustard, horseradish.

Fats

Useful: butter and vegetable oils. Harmful: lamb, beef and pork fat, cooking fats.

Article by Dr. Evdokimenko© for the book “Arthritis”, published in 2004. Edited in 2011 All rights reserved.

READ MORE:

• Classic but outdated version of the gout diet
• Gout, gouty arthritis: symptoms, signs and treatment
• No more medications needed?
• All articles by Dr. Evdokimenko

Diet for gout during an exacerbation

How to eat with gout during an exacerbation of the disease? It is necessary to relieve inflammation and pain. To do this, you need to change your diet.

Dietary rules during an exacerbation of gout:

• carry out fasting days every other day;
• eat only fruits and vegetables;
• eat food in small portions;
• do not overload the digestive system;
• prefer fractional meals.

Most often, a strict diet lasts no longer than 3 days. After the pain stops, you can gradually switch to the regular menu allowed for gout.

During periods of exacerbation, it is recommended to consume the following foods:

Recipes with honey

The peculiarity of the use of honey for gout is the duration of treatment, depending on the form and degree of neglect of the disease, therapy takes from 2-3 months to six months

Honey for gout is used both internally and externally. In this case, the second option is preferable, as it is highly secure. Various lotions and compresses with honey for gout will help:

• relieve swelling;
• reduce pain syndrome;
• improve local metabolic processes;
• normalize movement in the joint.

External use is permissible both during exacerbation of gout and in remission. In the first case, alternative treatment must be combined with drug therapy prescribed by the doctor.

Taking honey internally helps improve metabolism, normalize the functioning of internal organs, including the kidneys, and improve immunity. This improves the functioning of the kidneys to eliminate uric acid salts and prevents their accumulation in the joints. You can also consume honey for preventive purposes in order to sufficiently strengthen the body and reduce the frequency of exacerbations.

Recipes for internal use

In the therapy and treatment of gout, this product is recommended to be used with food. There are many effective recipes, which everyone must choose on their own. The simplest method of strengthening the body is regular consumption of pure honey. It must be eaten on an empty stomach, two large spoons daily. Since honey is a strong allergen, it is practiced to take it in courses, each of which lasts two weeks, and then you need to take a break for a month.

The following recipes will teach you how to prepare tasty and healthy drinks that can be consumed for gout:

1. Lingonberry tea with honey. To prepare the drink, you need to chop 4-5 lingonberry leaves, place them in a teapot and pour boiling water over them. After the drink has cooled to 500, you need to add a large spoon of honey. This medicine should be taken as regular tea. Lingonberry leaves have anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties, which help reduce joint swelling due to gouty arthritis.
2. Lemon water. Lemon for gout is used to alkalize the body, which improves the breakdown of uric acid and its excretion by the kidneys. The following recipe can help in the fight against gout: pour 3 slices of lemon with a glass of hot water (not boiling water), leave for 15 minutes, first crush the lemon with a spoon, and then add a large spoon of honey. Drink the drink in small sips on an empty stomach. You need to take this water daily.
3. Cherry lemonade. Cherries for gout reduce inflammation and stimulate kidney function, ensuring the rapid elimination of excess purines in the urine. To prepare this healing drink, you will need to pit 500 g of cherries and pass them through a juicer. Then add 3 tablespoons of lemon and 100 ml of warm water. The drink is infused under the lid for half an hour, and then 2-3 large spoons of honey are added. This drink is best taken chilled and in the warm season, as it is not only good for the health of gout, but also perfectly quenches thirst.

You can also add honey to regular tea. For gout, green tea or hibiscus is recommended. Honey should be added to an already cooled drink, otherwise the beekeeping product will lose its healing properties.

Features of fasting days

During an exacerbation of the disease, therapeutic fasting is unacceptable. A complete refusal to eat will cause the condition to worsen. Fasting days can significantly improve the patient's condition.

Options for fasting days:

• vegetable on vegetables and fruits;
• kefir-curd;
• rice

During a plant-based diet, it is recommended to eat one type of permitted fruit or vegetable. Salads are acceptable. Most often, apple day is used as a fasting day; you can eat no more than 250 g of apples per day.

During the kefir-curd fasting day, you can eat 0.4 kg of low-fat cottage cheese and 0.5 liters of kefir.

A rice fasting day consists of 75 g of rice and 1 apple. They should be eaten in small portions throughout the day.

It is recommended to drink compote made from apples on such days. No need to add sugar.