Foods that Prevent Gout

Foods that Prevent Gout

The term “gout” refers to a form of arthritis, which usually affects our feet. It generally causes severe pain as well as inflammation in the joints of one’s leg, such as the ankles or knees. According to some of the renowned health specialists, gout can sometimes also affect your big toe.

As this painful joint condition mostly affects those who have high uric acid content, most doctors usually ask patients to make some dietary changes. Listed below are some healthy snacks for gout, which most doctors think to be quite beneficial for the patients.

1. Fruits
Fruits come with a lot of vitamins as well as minerals, which are considered to be quite beneficial for not only gout but also for our overall health. Among the types of fruits, cherries are known to be quite beneficial for gout patients.

Cherries generally come with some healthy chemicals that can help you to reduce the amount of uric acid that has been stored in the joints. Cherries are also considered to be an excellent source of calcium and potassium, which can help to strengthen your bones.

Because of these reasons, eating at least 10 to 12 cherries daily can help to prevent gout attacks. If you are unable to eat or chew to cherries for some reason, then there are also cherry extracts that can help.

Other than cherries, bananas are also known to be one of the most popular healthy snacks for gout as they can help convert uric acid into a liquid form, which helps the kidneys filter it.

2. Vegetables
Vegetables, especially green vegetables, are generally known to be the epitome of healthy vitamins and minerals. Because of this reason, many doctors are now suggesting the patients to follow a diet plan that contains many vegetables.

Until recently, some of the health specialists suggested the gout patients avoid some vegetables like spinach, asparagus, and mushrooms as their purine levels are quite high. But a medical study of 2012 revealed that consuming these foods does not increase the risk of gout.

Thus, if you wish, you can add these vegetables to your diet. You can also increase the intake of cauliflower, sweet potatoes, peas, and beans as they are known to be quite beneficial for your bones.

3. Low-fat dairy products
Some of the low-fat dairy products such as low-fat milk or yogurt are included in the list of healthy snacks for gout as they contain a very low amount of purine. Because of this reason, they are considered to be quite healthy for gout patients.

When talking about preventing gout, reducing the amount of uric acid in your blood is key. Thus, always choose only healthy foods and follow the instructions of your doctor thoroughly to get rid of this painful condition.