Gout Pal Interactive

Thank you for your question.

There is no such thing as a complete diet chart for gout sufferers. Anyone who tells you that there is simply does not understand gout.

There are hundreds of factors that affect gout and food is only one of them. Other factors fall into various categories including height, weight, gender, general health, heredity, environment, gout history, and medications.

As well as factors that determine the overall risk of gout there are other factors that can trigger a specific attack. Specific food items are commonly cited by many people, but they differ widely. Some people claim tomatoes trigger gout, others claim that beans or alcohol are at fault. Many people fall into the trap of thinking that one food item is causing a problem whereas in my experience it is often a combination ( e.g. too much seafood combined with too much alcohol, or lack of vegetables combined with concentrated meat based sauces).

The point is that you have to monitor your own food intake to determine what works for you, and what causes you problems. Statistically, food is less likely to cause gout than dehydration or injury.

The only way to find a solution is to start at the big picture and work down. If you are overweight, then all food is a risk factor - you need to eat less, exercise more or do a combination of both things.

If you frequently go without food for more than 3 hours try to eat more regularly. Small frequent meals are less likely to cause problems. As long as overall calorie intake is sufficient to maintain a healthy weight then it's easier to lose weight with frequent small meals than 2 or 3 large meals. Prolonged periods of fasting cause uric acid levels to rise.

If you frequently go without water for more than 30 minutes you need to drink more regularly. Dehydration is a big factor in gout. Drink at least half a pint of water every half hour.

Prolonged exertion can be another factor. Once the big picture is sorted out and you're leading a gout friendly lifestyle then you can start to look at specific foods that are a problem for you.

I personally believe that within the bounds of a sensible healthy diet, if you are not overweight and you drink enough water, then you can eat anything you want. Variety is important in any diet, but balance is also important to gout sufferers.

I'll be adding more information about a balanced diet soon. Please keep checking on my website. To see my changes you can subscribe to my blog at http://www.goutpal.com/gout-blog.html .

You can also subscribe to my gout newsletter.

That's quite a long answer for a short question, but as I said there is no simple answer.