Diets & Meal Plans
Diet for Gout – Best and Worst Foods
Gout is a form of arthritis which involves swelling, pain, and inflammation of joints. Most gout cases tend to affect knees, heels, fingers, wrists as well as the big toes. It is estimated that about 8.3 million citizens in the country face the problem of gout. Usually, the symptoms of gout occur when a person’s blood has excess uric acid in their body. This acid is a waste product the body makes while digesting certain foods. So, when the levels of uric acid are high, some crystals of it accumulate in the joints, triggering intense pain, swelling, and inflammation. Luckily, one can control this health problem with some lifestyle changes, effective gout diet plans, and medications. This article will review the best foods for gout including the foods you should exclude from your diet. Understanding how diet affects gout When you have gout, some food can trigger an attack by increasing the levels of uric acid in your body. Trigger foods are often high in purines, and when digested, the waste product formed is uric acid. Healthy people don’t have to worry about excess uric acid because their bodies can efficiently get rid of it. However, a person with gout cannot effectively remove excess uric acid, and this leads to a gout attack.