Healthy Lifestyle Changes

The foods you eat aren't the cause of gout . . . but a high-purine diet is one of many things that can trigger gout attacks if you already have a high uric acid level. And maintaining a healthy weight and getting regular exercise is an important part of your overall health. So it makes sense to talk with your healthcare professional about how improving your diet and getting more exercise can help make a difference for you.

Make sure you discuss your whole health picture with your healthcare professional. If you notice that you have gout attacks after different foods and drinks, it's a good idea to avoid those choices. You should be aware that changing your diet alone isn't usually enough to reduce uric acid levels. In fact, even when people follow the strictest low-purine diet possible, they generally don't reduce their uric acid levels by much more than 1 mg/dL. Any reduction in uric acid level is positive, but you'll most likely need to do more to lower your level enough to the recommended target level of 6 mg/dL.

Healthy Choices

A lot of people misunderstand the role of diet in gout, but here are some good tips that you can discuss with your healthcare professional:

• Drink plenty of liquids, like water. Fluids like water help remove uric acid from the body.
• Add low-fat dairy products to your diet. Eating more of these dairy products is associated with a decreased risk of gout.

High-Purine Foods

A high-purine diet is one of many things that can trigger gout attacks if you already have a high uric acid level. Limiting or avoiding these foods may help from triggering an attack.

Meats Beef Organ meats Pork (such as liverwurst, kidney, and brain) Lamb Meat-based gravies

Beverage Beer

Seafood Anchovies Herring Scallops Sardines Mussels Trout Roe (fish eggs) Codfish Haddock

Vegetables Spinach Cauliflower Asparagus Mushrooms

Other Oatmeal Peas Dried beans Lentils

Low-Purine Foods

Breads and Grains Breads Pasta Grains Rice Cereals

Beverages Carbonated drinks Coffee Milk and milk products

Vegetables Tomatoes Some types of green vegetables

Other Fruits Cheese Olives Chocolate Eggs Sugar

It's a good idea to maintain a healthy weight and get regular exercise. But don't forget that the foods you eat aren't the cause of gout. To best address gout, you need a comprehensive treatment plan that addresses healthy lifestyle changes including diet and exercise, pain management for gout flares, and the long-term treatment of high uric acid that causes gout.

Part of coming up with this plan is having an honest discussion with your doctor about what you are doing right now.

• What is your daily diet like?
• Are you taking herbal supplements or eating a lot of particular foods (such as cherries or drinking cherry juice) that you heard might help?
• What kind of exercise are you doing and how frequently?
• Are you taking your medication as prescribed?

Your doctor can tell you whether or not you are on the right track.

Next: Doctor Discussion Guide