Category Archives: Nutrition

worst food for gout

New Year, New You Fighting Back When You Have Gout

Now that the holiday feasts are over and the New Year is here, it’s a good time to take stock of your diet and consider healthy changes – especially if you have gout.

Gout is a common form of inflammatory arthritis that can unleash intensely painful flares in individual joints, often in the big toe. An estimated 8 million Americans experience gout attacks, which can last for a few days. The condition can also become chronic and lead to the destruction of joints. Although there’s no cure, there are medications to control gout, as well as lifestyle changes you can make to manage the condition – and reduce or even eliminate attacks.

Gout develops in some people who have high levels of uric acid in the blood; the uric acid can form needle-like crystals in soft tissues and joints. Uric acid is produced when the body breaks down chemicals called purines. Purines occur naturally in your body but are also found in certain foods and beverages. If your body can’t get rid of the uric acid efficiently enough (it’s cleaned out of the blood by your kidneys and eliminated in urine), the uric acid in your blood can build up and reach levels that could cause problems (above 6mg/dl).

One way to minimize the risk of a gout flare is to cut back on high-purine foods. The DASH diet – a low-sodium diet that emphasizes fruits and vegetables over red meats and processed foods – is recommended for people with gout. The Mediterranean diet – which emphasizes fruits, veggies, whole grains and healthy fats – may also help. Find more gout info here.

For specific foods and beverages, keep the following tips in mind:

Worst Foods & Beverages for Gout

  • At the top of the list of what to avoid is booze. Beer and liquor readily convert to uric acid and they slow down its elimination. Studies have shown mixed results about whether wine is OK in moderation.
  • Drinking sugary beverages, such as sodas sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, fruit juices or other sugar-containing drinks, is associated with gout. Notable exception: cherries, especially tart cherries, may be beneficial for gout.
  • Go light on red meats, particularly organ meats like liver, tongue and sweetbreads, which are all high in purines. Also avoid or minimize the amount of bacon, venison and veal you eat.
  • Maybe surprising: Turkey and goose are very high in purines. Chicken and duck are better bets.
  • Some seafoods also are high in purines, including anchovies, sardines, mussels, scallops, crabs, lobsters, oysters and shrimp.
  • Some vegetables are on the watch list, too: Consider cutting back on mushrooms, asparagus and spinach – but veggies of any kind are much less likely to trigger a gout flare than alcohol or organ meats.
  • Learn more about foods to accept or reject here.

What’s Left?

There are also many things you can add to your diet to help avoid or manage gout. Drink plenty of water, milk and tart cherry juice. Drinking coffee seems to help as well. Be sure to talk with your doctor before making any dietary changes.

Get your New Year off to a great start, whether it’s changing your diet, getting in a more positive frame of mind, or embracing a feel-good hobby. Live your best life in 2020! Join the Live Yes! Arthritis Network FOR FREE. Our community is here to help you.

5 Global Grains to Add Healthy Variety to Your Plate

Eating fewer refined grains and more whole grains has many potential benefits, like helping lower inflammatory markers in the blood and promote weight loss. But if you’re tired of brown rice and whole wheat bread, diversify your wholegrain portfolio. These varieties from around the world pack a nutritious, flavorful punch.  Continue reading 5 Global Grains to Add Healthy Variety to Your Plate

Paige’s Game Day Cowboy Caviar

From wings to chips to gameday chili, Americans are gearing up for the greatest football watching (and eating) game of the year! But, tasty and delicious doesn’t mean forgoing healthy and arthritis-friendly foods. To help, JA Warrior and contestant on the Food Network’s “Kids Baking Championship” Paige Goehner has shared her favorite arthritis-friendly recipe – Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad. Continue reading Paige’s Game Day Cowboy Caviar

Grocery Shopping Made Easier if you Have Arthritis

Shopping for groceries can be a minefield for people with arthritis. Breakable jars of food. Unwieldy jugs of detergent. Paper bags of flour with all the stability of a bomb. The key to success: Approach the task as a logistical puzzle and employ the right combination of tools, tactics and staff assistance. Here’s how: Continue reading Grocery Shopping Made Easier if you Have Arthritis

healthy pumpkin spice

Healthy Pumpkin Spice? Reach for the Real Thing

It’s fall, which means pumpkin spice season is upon us. The craze has spilled over from Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte to everything from yogurt to beer to doughnuts. But for all their flavorful goodness, many of these seasonal treats aren’t good for you. If you enjoy the flavor but want a healthier alternative, try real pumpkin.

“The fact that it’s a low-calorie food makes it a great option for people who might be trying to lose weight,” says Marisa Moore, a registered dietitian in Atlanta. Pumpkin is high in fiber, so it helps you feel full longer. Plus, it’s packed with inflammation fighters beta carotene and vitamins B6 and C, as well as bone-healthy magnesium – all great nutrients for people with arthritis.

Continue reading Healthy Pumpkin Spice? Reach for the Real Thing

cheribundi and arthritis foundation

Nutrients in Tart Cherries Can Help Fight Arthritis Pain

Though living with arthritis is the pits, life can be better with a bowl of cherries. Specifically, tart cherries, which are different from sweet cherries and not usually eaten in their fresh state. They are popular in juices, smoothies, baking and recipe creation, including cherry pies, cherry desserts and other cherry-based concoctions. Several studies have linked the consumption of tart cherries to decreased inflammation and inflammatory-related conditions like arthritis. Continue reading Nutrients in Tart Cherries Can Help Fight Arthritis Pain