Gout and antioxidants are closely related. Uric acid is an antioxidant that we produce to help protect our bodies from free oxygen (free radicals) that can harm our bodies. Though we need this antioxidant for life, too much of this particular good thing can lead to gout.
Gout research tells us that food high in antioxidants can help reduce uric acid. My logic tells me that it makes sense for our bodies to produce less of our own antioxidant, uric acid, when we can absorb what we need from our food. One pillar of my gout diet plan is that food rich in antioxidants will help lower uric acid.
Up to now, I have simply advised you to increase antioxidant rich foods. Many of you want more than this, and so I will shortly be publishing a series of free gout recipes that will help you plan your own gout diet. In my next newsletter, I will also introduce a more detailed gout diet planning service for those who want to be told what to eat. As gout affects everyone differently, I will also show you how you can see for yourself, which foods raise or lower your own uric acid.
Antioxidant measuring is a new part of nutrition. Better measurement techniques and new research studies are adding to our knowledge daily. I focus on a simple list of foods that have been generally accepted as being high in antioxidants.
TABLE 4 The 50 foods with the highest antioxidant contents per serving size1
| Product |
Antioxidant content |
|
|
mmol/serving |
| Blackberries |
5.746 |
| Walnuts |
3.721 |
| Strawberries |
3.584 |
| Artichokes, prepared |
3.559 |
| Cranberries |
3.125 |
| Coffee |
2.959 |
| Raspberries |
2.870 |
| Pecans |
2.741 |
| Blueberries |
2.680 |
| Cloves, ground |
2.637 |
| Grape juice |
2.557 |
| Chocolate, baking, unsweetened |
2.516 |
| Cranberry juice |
2.474 |
| Cherries, sour |
2.205 |
| Wine, red |
2.199 |
| Power Bar, chocolate flavor2 |
1.875 |
| Pineapple juice |
1.859 |
| Latino beverages, guava nectar |
1.858 |
| Juice drinks, 10% juice, blueberry or strawberry flavor, vitamin C�enriched |
1.821 |
| Cranapple juice |
1.790 |
| Prunes |
1.715 |
| Chocolates, dark, sugar-free |
1.675 |
| Cabbage, red cooked |
1.614 |
| Orange juice |
1.510 |
| Apple juice, with added vitamin C |
1.462 |
| Latino beverages, mango nectar |
1.281 |
| Pineapple |
1.276 |
| Oranges |
1.261 |
| Bran Flakes, breakfast cereals3 |
1.244 |
| Plums, black |
1.205 |
| Pinto beans, dried |
1.137 |
| Canned chili with meat and beans |
1.049 |
| Spinach, frozen |
1.045 |
| Canned chili with meat, no beans |
1.040 |
| Whole Grain Total, breakfast cereal4 |
1.024 |
| Chocolate, sugar-free |
1.001 |
| Kiwi fruit |
0.987 |
| Molasses, dark |
0.980 |
| Potatoes, red, cooked |
0.956 |
| Cheese lasagna, frozen and cooked |
0.942 |
| Potatoes, white, cooked |
0.918 |
| Sweet potatoes, baked |
0.900 |
| Iced tea, brewed, unsweetened |
0.881 |
| Potatoes, russet, cooked |
0.862 |
| Baked beans, pork and beans in brown sugar sauce |
0.852 |
| Condensed tomato soup, one brand |
0.826 |
| Broccoli raab, cooked |
0.823 |
| Peppers, red, cooked |
0.820 |
| Broccoli, cooked |
0.780 |
| Latino beverages, tamarind nectar |
0.761 |
|
1 The antioxidant content per serving size was calculated as indicated in Table 6. Mean values are provided for products for which different brands are comparable.
2 POWERBAR Co, Berkeley, CA.
3 Ralston Foods, Battle Creek, MI.
4 General Mills, Inc, Milwaukee, WI.
Remember, antioxidant content varies widely with many factors including season, method of cooking, and variety. Do not get bogged down in the numbers, just use the list to try and improve what you are eating now.
There are several methods of measuring antioxidant values, and many different studies. These foods are only a selection, and do not cover all high-antioxidant foods. Another good list is the table of best sources of antioxidants in foods.
If you like a high antioxidant food that is not listed here, but you think it might help your gout, then add a comment, or, even better, discuss it in the gout forum.
Tags:
gout and antioxidants,
_gout diet,
_uric acid
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