Lifestyle Changes and Diet for Gout

Is There a Diet for Gout?

While certain foods have been known to trigger gout flares, there is, technically, no regimented “gout diet.” Living with gout does mean making smarter choices. That includes limiting how much you consume certain foods and beverages.

Diet and Lifestyle Goals

Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight
Setting and keeping up with good eating habits
Limiting foods with purines

Because uric acid is formed from the breakdown of purines, it is best to consume a low-purine diet for gout.

Foods To Avoid With Gout

Even though there are no foods that cause gout, it’s recommended to limit certain foods and drinks from your diet. If you are having a flare, it is better to avoid these entirely.

Limit High Fructose Corn Syrup

Gout sufferers are also encouraged to reduce high-fructose corn syrup. Fructose is a naturally occurring simple sugar found in fruit, vegetables, and honey. Many fruits have naturally occurring high fructose levels, so they should also be limited to one or two cups per day. However, in the typical American diet, high-fructose corn syrup is added to many foods and drinks. The Gout Education Society recommends limiting table sugar, table salt, and any products with high-fructose corn syrup, including soft drinks and juices; cereals, store-bought baked goods, ice cream and candy; and processed foods at fast-food restaurants.

The Impact of Diet on Gout

While these foods are not the main cause for a person developing gout, they have been known to trigger gout flares. Limiting their intake can be beneficial, but it is an insufficient approach to treating gout. Regular use of urate-lowering medication is the best way to treat gout.

Gout patient education is important to understand the full picture of gout treatment.

Now that we have discussed the foods to avoid with gout, let’s take a look at the best diet plan for gout patients to keep you on the right track.

Recommended Low-Purine Foods for Gout

Lean proteins like fish and chicken are fine in moderation (around 4 to 6 ounces per day).
Fresh fruits
Low-fat and nondairy products
Vegetables
Nuts, nut butter and healthy grains

For more information on how diet affects those with gout, check out our fact sheet

What Are Beneficial Diets For Gout Prevention?

When thinking about gout and diet, it’s important to understand that a healthy diet will always be beneficial for your overall health and well-being. With that being said, here are three diets that promote eating foods lower in purines, fat and sodium.

Dash Diet

The DASH diet is short for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.” The focus of this diet is to eat foods that help to lower blood pressure (hypertension). It’s also important to focus on foods rich in magnesium, potassium and calcium.

More information on the DASH diet.

Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet is based on the traditional foods that people used to eat in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, including France, Spain, Greece and Italy.

More information on the Mediterranean diet.

Plant-Based Diet

It’s been said that a plant and grain-based diet is good for overall health, our cardiovascular health, gastrointestinal system and more. This works to help reduce gout flares, too. If you have gout, keep these foods in your diet: low-fat or non-fat dairy products; fresh vegetables and fresh fruit; and nuts and grains.

Is a Diet for Gout Enough?

As we know, with many diseases, making modifications to lifestyle and diet is important. However, lifestyle and diet alone are typically not enough once a patient has been diagnosed with gout.

Many gout specialists have studied the diet’s effect on uric acid. At best, diet plan for gout patients may beneficially contribute to reducing uric acid levels by 1.0 mg/dL.

This reinforces the importance of taking daily medication and not relying on only dietary changes. Those who have gout should stay hydrated and maintain a healthy, balanced diet. The DASH diet and Mediterranean diet are good models to follow when trying to eat healthier.

What Lifestyle Changes Should I Make?

Know Your Uric Acid Level—and “Go for Six”

Knowing your uric acid level is as important as knowing your other healthy benchmark numbers like cholesterol, blood pressure and heart rate. The Gout Education Society recommends people with gout aim for a healthy uric acid level of 6.0 mg/dL or below. Your doctor will determine the level that is right for you. It’s also important to check your uric acid levels every six months to ensure target levels are being met.

Exercise Regularly

Adults should engage in moderate-intensity physical activities for at least 30 minutes most days of the week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This includes activities such as walking briskly or swimming laps, mowing the lawn, dancing, swimming or bicycling on level terrain. Increasing the intensity or the amount of time you are physically active can have even greater health benefits and may be needed to prevent weight gain.

Develop an appropriate exercise program that is tailored to your body, lifestyle and needs. Always check with your physician before starting any new or vigorous exercise program.

Maintain a Healthy Body Weight

An obese person is three times more likely to develop gout than someone with a healthier body weight. Avoid crash diets, since fast or extreme weight loss can increase the amount of uric acid in the body. High-protein diets that contain high-purine foods may also be a problem for people with gout.

Stay Hydrated

Many dietitians recommend consuming at least 64 ounces of water daily and more if you are exercising. Water helps the body transport nutrients and waste, regulates body temperature and cushions joints and tissues. Research also suggests that drinking adequate water might guard against kidney stones and constipation. Avoid sports drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup.

Take Vitamins

The risk of gout appears to be lower in men taking daily vitamins. Vitamin C may be a useful supplement in the 500 to 1,000 mg per day range.

In addition to knowing your uric acid number, aiming for 6.0 mg/dL or below, you should also be keeping track of these other healthy benchmarks, too.

Gout Diet & Lifestyle