How to Avoid GoutIf you're prone to it, you can avoid gout by minimizing your risk factors for it and using common sense about drinking water and the foods you eat. Uric acid is the crystal that builds up in the joint and causes the gout attacks. Uric acid is a natural by product of purine metabolism and purines are found in high protein foods. Here's where it gets a little tricky, though... many foods like beans and legumes are high in purines, but don't seem to cause a higher chance of you getting gout. It seems that the primary foods to look for to avoid gout are red meat, red wine, and seafood.
Foods to Avoid GoutI'm going to take a slight break from conventional wisdom and focus on something other than purine metabolism. Certain foods, when eaten, can affect your overall pH balance. These foods tend to make your system acidic. Because your body's pH has to be tightly controlled, the correction to this involves things like leaching calcium out of your bones and your lung function.Not surprisingly, eating foods that can lead to acidity in the blood are some of the same foods that lead to gout (as a side note, they're also the ones you need to avoid if you have kidney disease - are you seeing a pattern here?). So what are these foods? You already know some of them. Red meat and red wine are on the list. So is refined sugar and refined wheat. If you're prone to gout attacks, have any of the risk factors for gout or eat a diet of highly processed foods, making the switch to alkalizing foods may have a dramatic affect on your overall health. So what foods should you eat? Berries and fruits are high on the list, as well as citrus (which also gives a dose of the anti-oxidant vitamin C). Green leafy vegetables are good, too. For a complete list of alkalizing foods, visit www.Essence-of-Life.com. Water to Avoid Gout
Drinking water is the single easiest thing you can do for your overall health.So how does it relate to gout? Let me explain. Your body is about 70% water. Water is the way that your cells get their nutrients in and waste products are removed. You know how dirty oil in a car is sludgy and thick? Your blood can also get sludgy and thick, with your red blood cells stacked up and unable to move around freely. Since gout is due to uric acid crystals forming in the joints, it makes sense that if the uric acid never builds up to critical levels, the crystals won't form. Water is the universal solvent and having plenty of it every day gives your system the chance to get cleaned up. If your urine is yellow, you need more water. The color of urine comes from those metabolic waste products and the darker the color, the more concentrated they are in your blood. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water. A 150 pound person should have 75 ounces of water. A 200 pound person should have 100 ounces. I know this sounds easy. And it is. But don't underestimate the health benefits of getting enough water, and it's a really easy way to help you avoid gout.
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