Gout Assistance » Gout Symptoms

The Acidic Foods To Avoid With Gout Diets

Gout — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:24:37 +0000

Lisa McDowell asked:

Most people when choosing a gout friendly diet will look to cut out or reduce foods high in purine, as metabolizing purine in the body leads to increased levels of uric acid, which is the cause behind gout symptoms. However, high purine foods may not be the only foods to avoid with gout.

Some researchers have established a link between body acidity and gout. The more acidic your body is, the higher the possibility of developing gout. Conversely, having a more alkaline system encourages rapid uric acid elimination.

As the body becomes more acidic, uric acid elimination slows down dramatically. This is due to the pressure the body comes under trying to process both the uric acid and the acidic foods. The kidneys become strained and are less effective in expelling excess uric acid.

Acidity is measured using a pH value ranging between 0 – 14, with 0-6 being acidic, 7 is neutral and 8-14 is alkaline. Where gout is concerned it is less about the pH value of the food, rather what that food does to the pH level of the body during and after digestion.

The higher the pH levels of the body (an alkaline state) the easier it is for uric acid to be dissolved in the blood stream and eliminated via the kidneys. The lower the pH i.e. the more acidic the body pH the harder it is to process uric acid.

Therefore, a constantly low pH value can cause your body to decrease it’s processing of uric acid, leading to hyperuricemia.

Hyperuricemia is a medical term for a raised uric acid level in the blood, and can lead to gout. As the levels of uric acid become higher there is nowhere for any more uric acid to go, so it is deposited in crystal form in the spaces and connective tissues between the joints.

Usually gout strikes the big toe joint or one of the other joints in the foot or ankle, although it can rear its ugly head in any joint. The reason that gout occurs most commonly in the foot or ankle is because those joints furthest away from the heart and uric acid crystallizes in lower temperatures.

Uric acid is formed during the processing and breaking down of purines in the body. This is a natural substance that is produced during cellular building and is also found in a lot of the foods we eat. Purine-rich foods include:

Red meats

Shellfish

Legumes

Offal

Mushrooms

Yeast extracts

Processed meats

To tackle raised uric levels in the blood it is wise to restrict your intake of these foods until your gout is under control and uric acid levels have stabilized.

Acidic foods that impact the pH of your body are:

Beef

Lobster

Pheasant

Ice Cream

Processed Cheese

Barley

Processed Flour

Some Nuts

Soybean

Soda

Cocoa

Yeast

Hops

Table Salt

Sugar

Fried Food

Like anything, it is not a good idea to drastically change your diet overnight. The best way for your body to process the changes is to introduce amendments slowly that your body can get used to the different foods and keep its processing running on maximum.

You should be aiming to reduce your body’s pH level slowly. You can monitor these changes by purchasing a home urine or saliva testing kit. Try to balance your diet to include 70% of foods alkaline in nature and 30% acidic.

You can find out more about the natural ways to soothe gout symptoms on our web site.

By having a greater understanding of which foods to avoid with gout, you have a better chance of bringing your symptoms under control and preventing further gout flare-ups.

I have pain in my foot?

Gout — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:49:19 +0000

I sometimes get the most terrible pain in both of my feet, sometimes it is a sharp stabbing pain and sometimes it is dull.

It hurts most in the arch and in the ball of my feet, sometimes it feels like there is something in there. It feels like a hard mass not some soft growth. I also get pain in my big toe, not dull pain but really sharp pain sometimes and I often find that the pain hurts so bad it stops me falling asleep.

My arch hurts alot and sometimes the pain gets so bad it goes to my ankle. I have started researching gout and bone spurs, but gout seems to be more of a heat and tenderness problem in the big toe rather than lumps.

Could I have gout?

Gout — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:02:17 +0000

How do I know if I have gout or something else?

Some times we all have things going on with our bodies that cause us to think we have something wrong, it is easy to get worried. Here are a few things that may signal that you have gout, as always go to a Dr and explain your symptoms and ask him to run some tests.

Big Toe Pain
Big Toe Red and swollen
Big Toe is hot to the touch
Big toe is to tender to touch

You will notice that all these gout symptoms are to do with your big toe, that is because usually your big toe joint is where uric acid crystals will settle and cause the agony that is gout.

Swollen feet but no pain is it gout?

Gout — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:34:12 +0000

My husband has been suffering with two swollen feet for the past few weeks and I seem to be worrying more than him about this.

After much persistence from me I finally persuaded him to go and see our doctor next week, the doctor is great but I am worried my husband won’t tell him the full truth. He says the swelling isn’t painful for him but his feet are very swollen, and his big toe looks very red to me and feels warm.

He isn’t overweight and hasn’t had any other problems with his feet, I am worried he has gout and he thinks I am over reacting. If he had gout wouldn’t it hurt?

I Love Red Meat Is That Causing My Gout?

Gout — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 22:39:18 +0000

My question is .. I love red meat , particulary game meats like venison, someone was telling me today that this could be causing me to develop gout. I don’t know if I have gout yet, but I do sometimes get swelling in my feet and particularly my big toe gets hot and hurts.

Gout Answers…
Your diet is definitely not helping you, even if you don’t have gout yet (and it does sound like you may have gout) eating red meat, game meat or just about anything else in excess is bad for you.

Eating red meat in excess means you run the risk of high blood pressure as well as gout. If you work at making your diet more gout friendly then you will also find that it is more heart friendly as well so you really can help yourself a lot just by cutting down on your red meat consumption and your alcohol intake.

As well as cutting down on meat you should be adding foods that are low in purines and even start drinking cherry juice as that will help remove the uric acid that is already in your system.

How do I know if I have gout?

Gout — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 05:57:16 +0000

Every 3 or 4 months my left foot gets really swollen and painful. I’ve been to the doctor about it before and he did a uric acid level test. This is meant to help them find out if I have gout or not.

The test came back saying that my uric acid levels were high that means it’s possible that I do have gout, but there was nothing the Dr could do because it hadn’t flared up at the time I was there visiting him.

So if the Dr can’t tell me how do I know if I have gout, even if my foot doesn’t get warm and red, and my big toe doesn’t hurt?

I do get the pain and MAJOR swelling that most people say is a sign of gout. The pain and swelling extends right the way to my shin.

Causes of Gout

Gout — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:15:55 +0000

Lets be honest that is what we all start to think about when we find out that we have Gout. What are the causes of gout?

In a good percentage of cases (I hate to say all of them) Gout is caused by a mixture of poor diet and a genetic disposition towards Gout. Gout isn’t a illness that you catch from someone else.

When you are wondering about the cause of gout and the incredible pain that it brings with it start off by looking at your lifestyle. Looking for external causes for any problem is easy, lets be honest it is always easier to blame someone or something else rather than look at ourselves and see what we have done or are doing wrong.

So lets start off by making a list of everything you eat in a week, this can be a real eye opener in so many ways. One thing most of us do is not take any notice of the snacks we eat between meals or the drinks we have during the day.

Since Gout is caused by a build up of uric crystals in our joints, we need to look at our diet and see if we eat foods (or drinks) that are high in uric acid. Take the list you have made and look for items like shellfish, red meat and alcohol.

I am sure that you see at least some amount of red meat and possibly alcohol in your diet, in minimal quantities, when you start eating red meat every day and drinking then there is a good chance you are headed for gout.

Gout Symptoms – What to Look for

Gout — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:16:57 +0000

The uric acid crystals that cause gout will have been building up in your joints for years before they cause your first actual attack of gout. You may not even realize that the aches and pains are not just normal aging pains until you have a full blown gout attack.

Sometimes the pain can begin during the night and it can become extremely intense so that even the lightest pressure placed upon (including just a sheet covering it) can be intolerable to some people.

Many people who suffer from gout find that when an attack occurs the discomfort that they feel comes on very rapidly and may last for a few hours during the night. But then the discomfort that they are feeling will slowly begin to ease once more over the following 2 to 7 days.

If you or someone you know starts to have any of the gout symptoms we have mentioned here it is vital that they go to see a DR. While the initial pain may dissipate after a few days it will come back , and may be much worse the next time, unless they take proper medication.

Gout Problems and Children

Gout — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:14:54 +0000

If you are one of many people who suffer from gout, then chances are that you’ve heard people saying that the is the disease of kings and that the cause of it is too much beer and rich food. This can lead people to thinking that their kids are not at risk from gout, as I’m quite sure your kids don’t drink a lot of beer.

[nms:gout,3,minbid,minprice,5336166119]One of the causes of gout is the increase of uric crystals around your joints. Mostly this will start to show itself in your big toe, from here it can travel around your body causing more damage as it goes. It doesn’t matter that you could be very young and consider yourself not at risk from gout, you are not too young to feel the pain that gout attacks bring.

Your weekly trip to the supermarket should be the basis of preventing gout problems in your family. You can cut out foods which are bad for you before they get anywhere near your fridge or kitchen. For a start you can avoid foods and drinks which contain high levels of uric acid causing chemicals. Also try to cut out drinks which are high in fructose. By doing this you can cut down on the chances of your children developing gout problems, as well as leading a more healthy lifestyle in general.