Nutrition for Gout

by Andrea Holwegner | Sep 18, 2013

Listen to my monthly radio program with Angela Kokott, host of Calgary Today for our segment, “You are what you eat” to get the goods on healthy eating.

Listen to Episode 49 Part 1 Here: Nutrition for Gout
Listen to Episode 49 Part 2 Here: Nutrition for Gout

One in thirty Canadians has gout, which typically appears between the ages of 30-50 years for men and post menopause for women. Men are four times more likely than women to develop gout.

What is gout?

Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that is caused by a build up of uric acid crystals in the joints. Acute gout attacks can be described as very sharp pain often in the big toe or heel, ankle or instep. This can be as a result of alcohol intake, a high purine rich diet, medications, surgery, heart attack, menopause or trauma. It is important to seek medical care and watch your diet so that gout attacks do not become recurring since this can cause permanent joint damage and increase the risk of heart disease.

What is the treatment for gout?

Treatment usually involves medication prescribed by your doctor as well as rest and ice.

Long term prevention of future gout attacks involves the following lifestyle changes:

1. Weight loss if you are overweight

Higher weights increases the risk of high uric acid levels and gout and weight loss has been shown to decrease uric acid levels.

2. Reduce purine-containing foods

Reduce purine containing foods to small portions since they are broken down into uric acid in the body. Purine rich foods include meat (beef, pork, lamb, game), seafood (anchovies, tuna, sardines, lobster, scallops, shrimp, herring, mackerel) and organ meats.

3. Reduce alcohol intake and pop

Ethanol interferes with excretion of uric acid leading to more build up in the body. Beer in particular (unlike wine and spirits) increases uric acid levels and gout risk the most since it also contains purines. High levels of fructose from pop and excessive fruit juice consumption can increase the risk of gout.

4. Drink more water and enjoy some coffee

Drink 2-3 litres of water per day to help excrete uric acid in the urine. A few cups of coffee per day can reduce uric acid levels and reduce gout.

5. Add more dairy foods

Include 2-3 cups of milk or other dairy foods since research has shown this reduces uric acid and lowers the risk of gout.

6. Boost your vitamin C intake

Vitamin C is thought to protect against gout by reducing uric acid levels. Choose vitamin C rich foods such as citrus fruits, melon, strawberries, kiwis, tomatoes, canned tomatoes, broccoli and peppers. Consider a vitamin C supplement as an extra boost.

1 Comment

Gerald Vonberger on June 3, 2015 at 11:55 am

My mom just found out that she has gout and cardiovascular disease. It’s been quite a shock for her since she’s never really had to deal with any type of diseases before. It’s really helpful to know about treatments that are available. It will really help to know what diet adjustments she needs to make to prevent future gout attacks. Thanks for sharing!

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“Thanks Andrea for an amazing presentation, I have heard all positive remarks from attendees and the evaluations show the same sentiment. It is really gratifying when a speaker does their “homework” and weaves in our profession’s day to day challenges within their content, you did an awesome job of this! You truly took the “die” out of Dietician! Your information on healthy eating and simplifying how we can work towards this as we are all so busy really hit the mark. Andrea connects very well with her audience; she is energetic, funny, and very approachable.”

Carole Ann LaGrange, Transfusion Medicine Safety Officer

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“I am a family physician who sees patients with a myriad of eating concerns – from wanting to know how to plan healthy meals for active families, to weight loss, to eating disorders, and so on. I cannot recommend the Health Stand team highly enough. I have worked with (and been to!) other Dieticians in the past and too often find that they just ask for food logs and make suggestions that are easily obtained online or in books. The Dieticians at Health Stand offer much more than just telling clients what they “should be eating.” In contrast, the team really does more of a counselling practice, and they work hard to help their clients learn more about why their eating habits may be off track and not optimal for them, as well as helping people to effect change at a deep level that, most importantly, is sustainable for lifetime health.”

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“As a construction company, we select speakers who can relate to our industry and its employees. Andrea’s message was delivered with humor and empathy. She makes people feel as though they can make changes without leaving behind every favorite food. Andrea focused her presentation on healthy eating as a way to keep energy high throughout the day. This message and the way it was delivered resonated with our predominantly male, blue collar culture. I would highly recommend Andrea as a speaker for groups such as ours. She will get your message across without alienating anyone in your audience – which is a huge hurdle when trying to introduce a wellness program in the workplace!”

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Nutrition for Gout

What is gout?

What is the treatment for gout?

Andrea Holwegner

About Andrea Holwegner

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