Following The Gout Diet Can Prevent Gout Attacks
It is usually the male population that is affected by gout. Although, both men and women are at risk at having this condition, the men are usually the ones having gout attacks as compared to the women. What is worse is that it does not really choose a time as to when it would take onset, and put the person in great suffering.
More often than not, it occurs overnight and has the person waking up to great pain on the affected part. It just occurs suddenly and without warning, and gives the most discomfort among all the forms of arthritis. Just like other conditions though, precautions and preventive measures can actually be taken to avoid having episodes or attacks like that.
Gouty arthritis or gout is a form of arthritis that is caused by increased levels of uric acid in the blood. Normally, uric acid, a waste product produced by the body, is excreted and eliminated from the system via the kidneys through urinating. What happens in the people with gout is that they produce high levels of uric acid, and they are not able to get rid of them out of their bodies. This causes the uric acid deposits to settle around and joints and the surrounding tissues and crystallize, which in turn brings about the signs and symptoms of gout.
Symptoms of gout include unbearable joint pain, inflammation or swelling of joints, tenderness on the joint affected, and at times, fever. It is usually the joints that are being affected but the most common site is the big toe. Other sites could be fingers, wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles.
Avoiding an episode of gout can be pretty easy. Upon diagnosis of the said condition, patients are usually given pointers on what food to avoid, so as to prevent the increase in the levels of uric acid in their body. There are certain food groups that produce uric acid and can contribute to the build up in the body. They can prevent the accumulation of uric acid in the body and eventually prevent an attack by simply avoiding these food groups.
Gout diet means avoiding food that are high in purine, which produces uric acid. People with gout should avoid beans, lentils, peas, internal organs of animals, and sweetbreads. They should eat more on carbohydrates and less on protein, and have high fluid intake. Maintaining the proper weight could also help a lot.