Watch your diet for gouty pain

Gout is a painful and potentially disabling form of arthritis that has been around since ancient times. Gout can affect anyone, and its risk factors vary.

 Gout is caused by uric acid crystals forming within or around joints, making them painful, red and swollen, most often in the feet, especially the big toe. 50% of first episodes occur in the big toe, but any joint can be involved. Fortunately, it is possible to treat gout and reduce its very painful attacks by avoiding food and medication triggers and by taking medicines that can help. However, diagnosing gout can be hard, and treatment plans often must be tailored for each person.

KNOW ABOUT FORMATION OF URIC ACID CRYSTALS:

Uric acid forms when your body breaks down compounds called purines, which are found naturally in our cells and in some high-protein foods. Your bloodstream takes uric acid to the kidneys and it leaves your body in your urine. However, if your uric acid levels are too high, either because your body isn’t excreting it or you have a condition that causes high levels in your blood, uric acid crystals can form within or around your joints. This causes swelling, inflammation and pain  in the joints, as well as in soft tissue like bursa and tendons. The crystals can also build up under your skin and eventually cause hard bumps called tophi.

EAT RIGHT FOR AVOIDING URIC ACID CRYSTALLIZATION

Gout is directly affected by the levels of uric acid in your blood. Foods rich in purines raise your uric acid levels, because purines break down into uric acid. So, avoiding foods high in purines will reduce your risk of another gout.

FOODS TO BE AVOIDED:

Sugary Foods: Sugar, Glucose, Honey, Jaggery, Jam, Cake, Chocolate, Ice- cream and concentrated milk preparations – Kheer, Khoa.

Pulses High in Purine: Soya bean, Black gram, lentil, chick peas.

Vegetables High in Purines: Cauliflower, asparagus, spinach, peas & mushroom.

Organ Meats and meat extracts

 Sea Foods Crab, Fish roes, Herring, Mackerel, Sardines, Shrimps,

Fatty Foods: Butter, Ghee, Vanaspathi, Coconut oil, Palm oil, Deep fried foods, Papads, Vadaam

Salty Foods: Added salt in cooking, Sea fish, Salted meat, Salted dry fish, Salted Butter and Cheese, Salted Nuts, Pickles, Sauce varieties, Canned and Tinned foods, MSG.

Raisins, khas- khas, Alcohol

FOODS HELP TO ELIMINATE URIC ACID

ü Whole Wheat Products

ü Green Tea, Barley water

ü Fruits: Apple, Oranges, Sweet lime, Guava, Kiwi, Pears, Banana, Cherries, Berries especially strawberries, and blueberries, Lime

ü Vegetables: Amla, Capsicum, Tomato and Green Leafy Vegetables, Tomatoes, Broccoli, Cucumbers, Carrot, Beetroot. Raw vegetables like potatoes or corns are effective to reduce uric acid in the body.

ü Consume Omega 3 Fatty acids from flaxseeds, walnuts, fishes like salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines

ü Skimmed milk and Curd - daily.

ü 100 gm/ day of meat, fish and poultry is recommended

ü Drink 3 liters of water

ü Almonds, walnut, figs, dates in limited amount