Alkaline Diet for Gout

Spiro Koulouris
8 min readJun 27, 2022

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Maintaining an alkaline diet for gout can help neutralize excess acid in the body. As gout sufferers are well aware, avoiding foods that cause uric acid production is critical to avoiding gout flare-ups.

While an alkaline diet for gout can help keep your acid levels under control, you should avoid becoming excessively alkaline. A healthy human organism maintains a balanced acid-alkaline balance.

What causes a pH imbalance in our bodies, though? Doctors agree that the foods we eat have a significant impact on the levels of various compounds in our bloodstream. The quality of your diet can have an impact on your chances of developing certain diseases. This includes gout, a particularly painful type of arthritis.

The truth is that many of the foods we are exposed to cause our bodies to produce acid. Fortunately, we’ve prepared this handy guide to help you maintain a healthy alkaline diet for gout prevention.

The best part is that these diets are low-cost (you’ll save money on medicine, for sure!), simple to prepare, and delicious. But first, let’s clarify what gout is and how an alkaline diet for gout might help us live a healthier life.

What Is Gout?

Gout is a type of arthritis that is becoming more widespread and can be brutally painful in the joints. The big toe joint is usually the first to be affected by gout. The agony is so intense that even wearing a sock might be unbearable.

The damaged joints will show noticeable signs such as swelling and redness if you have gout. They may also feel warm to the touch, and the symptoms may become more severe at night.

It goes without saying that once you’ve had gout, you’ll want to do everything you can to avoid getting it again. Unfortunately, there is no permanent cure for gout at this time.

But at the very least, we know that this is a highly curable ailment. An alkaline diet for gout can help to reduce the risk of these debilitating attacks.

Pathology of Gout

Gout flare-ups occur when the bloodstream contains an abnormally high level of uric acid, a condition known as hyperuricemia. Of course, the process is a little more complicated. So let’s take a step back and look at what’s going on.

Hyperuricemia is characterized by an abnormally high uric acid level into the bloodstream. The body naturally produces uric acid when it breaks down chemical compounds known as purines. Purines can be found naturally in a variety of foods as well as in your body.

The problem starts when there is just too much uric acid flowing in the bloodstream. The kidneys are normally capable of breaking down uric acid levels and excreting waste products from the body through urine. However, because the kidneys are only capable of so much, excess uric acid eventually settles in the bloodstream as deposits.

These deposits will eventually harden and create urate crystals, which are needle-like crystals. They tend to get trapped in the joint areas of the body and stay there due to their thin, rigid, needle-like forms. The body’s immune system responds vigorously to these foreign substances by launching a strong anti-inflammatory response.

This is what causes the characteristic red and painful swellings of gout attacks. Because there is so much going on beneath the surface, these areas become extremely sensitive and warm to the touch.

The Truth Behind Dieting and Gout

Before we go into the specific advantages of an alkaline diet for gout, it’s important to understand why we should diet in the first place. The goal of a diet designed specifically to reduce the occurrence of gout symptoms is to lower uric acid levels in the blood.

Although not a complete cure, the right gout diet routine can help keep your gout symptoms under control for months, and in some cases years. More importantly, it can reduce the likelihood of recurrent gout attacks and slow the progression of joint damage.

An effective gout diet is created with the following objectives in mind:

● Maintain a healthy weight and eating habits.

● Include some foods that can help you control your uric acid levels.

● Helps minimize the consumption of purine-rich foods.

In general, you should consume moderate amounts of nutritious foods.

What Does a Gout-Friendly Diet Entail?

Weight Loss: The more weight you gain, the more likely you are to have gout, and vice versa. Cutting calories and losing weight, even without a purine-restricted diet, has been shown to lower uric acid levels and reduce the frequency of gout attacks. Weight loss also lowers overall joint stress.

Complex Carbs: You should consume more complex carbohydrates. This includes eating more fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains. Avoid foods and beverages containing high-fructose corn syrup. Limit your intake of naturally sweet fruit juices as well.

Water: Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Fats: Reduce your consumption of saturated fats from red meat, fatty poultry, and high-fat dairy products.

Proteins: Protein sources should include lean meat and poultry, low-fat dairy, and lentils.

On the other hand, the following foods increase your chances of developing hyperuricemia, which causes gout:

● The more you drink alcohol, especially beer, the more likely you are to get gout.

● Consumption of high-fructose foods (a type of sugar) and beverages.

● Having a purine-rich diet, which the body converts to uric acid. Red meat, organ meat, and some types of seafood, such as anchovies, sardines, mussels, scallops, trout, and tuna, are purine-rich meals.

The Problem With High-Acid Diets

When your diet is predominantly acid-forming, your body’s ability to buffer it is overwhelmed. After that, we’re left with an excess of acids to cope with. This will activate the body’s immune system’s emergency response.

Other vital processes will be halted to aid in the reduction of this higher-than-normal level of acidity. This is what eventually causes a gout attack to develop.

The food you eat has a direct impact on your body’s pH level. As a result, eating acidic foods will cause your body’s pH to be acidic. However, if you eat alkaline foods, you will be alkaline.

An alkaline diet, according to a review published in the Journal of Environmental Health in 2012, helps to balance your body’s pH and can assist to reduce mortality and morbidity from numerous chronic illnesses and disorders.

As reported by Nutritional Health in 2012, a previous study urine alkalinization improved the process of urine excretion. This surprised scientists because food materials for urine alkalinization contain fewer purine bodies than those for acidification. Therefore, less uric acid should have been excreted in alkaline urine than in acid urine.

Doctors investigated what component of the uric acid excretion mechanisms enabled this. The concentrations of both creatinine and uric acid in serum and urine were measured at the same time. This would help with calculating uric acid and creatinine clearances.

Based on these findings, it is thought that uric acid is reabsorbed more actively in acidic urine than in alkaline urine. They concluded that the alkalinization of urine through the consumption of nutritionally well-designed alkaline-prone foods is effective in removing uric acid from the body.

Tips to Add Alkaline to Your Gout Diet

Here are some great alkaline diets for gout recommendations to get you on the path to healthier and gout-free living.

  1. Avocado: Avocado must rank high on the list of alkaline foods for gout relief. Because of their high glutathione content, avocados are one of the best foods for fighting gout.
  2. To reap the benefits of avocado, try incorporating it into salads or smoothies. Use it as a spread on gluten-free toast or rice cakes by mashing it with some lemon juice and sea salt.
  3. Apple Cider Vinegar: Fermented apple cider is used to make apple cider vinegar. Acetic acid is the component responsible for many health claims. Acetic acid has been associated with weight loss, blood sugar reduction, and antimicrobial effects.
  4. Although apple cider vinegar isn’t listed by name, studies consistently place vinegar in the alkaline diet. Apple cider vinegar is thought to be anti-inflammatory and can help with gout inflammation.
  5. Turmeric: This spice is well-known for having powerful anti-inflammatory qualities. Turmeric has been shown in studies to lower inflammation by up to 30%.
  6. It also includes curcumin, an active substance that has been demonstrated in trials to lower uric acid levels by 70% and alleviate gout symptoms.
  7. Beetroot: Beetroot is another alkaline-forming food. Drinking beetroot juice daily helps to cleanse your body and keep you physically and mentally healthy.
  8. One of the most notable advantages of beetroot is that it is one of the few sources of betalain, a phytonutrient. Just make sure they are fresh or steamed!
  9. Amaranth: The grain amaranth, also known as rajgira in Hindi, is highly prized. Amaranth is a great complement to an alkaline diet because it’s abundant in minerals like calcium and magnesium. It contains more amino acid lysine than other protein sources.

Beyond an Alkaline Diet for Gout

Now that you know how to prepare a delicious alkaline diet for gout, there’s no reason to stop there! Let’s go over some of our favorite ways to incorporate alkaline into your daily life.

Check out these great suggestions:

1.Water Filter Alkaline Ionizer: Drinking plenty of water is an important habit for gout patients to develop. However, you can take this a step further by purchasing an alkaline ionizer water filter.

Fortunately, using an alkaline water filter is very simple. Simply connect it to your water supply and you’re ready to go. The water will then be separated into two streams by the filter: acidic water and alkaline water. The alkaline portion of the water can be consumed, while the acidic portion can be used for cleaning and gardening.

Alkaline water has been demonstrated to provide several health benefits, including enhanced bone health, reduced gout risk, better gastrointestinal health, and a lower risk of cancer and heart disease.

2. Wash Your Fruits and Vegetables in Alkaline: Most people are well aware of the dangers of meat poisoning. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, though, we are less careful. However, studies have shown that germs found on fresh vegetables cause nearly half of all foodborne illnesses.

Although regular tap water is effective for cleaning fruits and vegetables, it does not remove all contaminants. Alkaline water is more effective because it eliminates pesticide and herbicide residues, which are both acidic.

3. Purchase Some Urine PH Test Strips: A Urine pH Test Strip allows you to test the pH of your urine at home for a minimal cost. These strips have been around for a while and can be found for a reasonable price online or at your local pharmacy.

Testing your urine is the best way to determine whether your body has already reached an alkaline state. Get some urine pH test strips and make it a habit to check your urine pH levels regularly.

These tests should be carried out first thing in the morning. Readings on the lower end indicate that you are acidic, while readings on the higher end indicate that you are alkaline.

Eating Right and Developing Gout-Friendly Habits Is the Key

As you can probably see, controlling your gout symptoms entails more than just popping a miraculous drug. Unfortunately, there is no such pill. However, if you can gradually include alkaline into your daily routines and stick to an alkaline diet for gout, you’ll have a lot less to worry about.

Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your gout treatment regimen.

Do you want to learn more about gout?

>>>>>>>>Visit us at www.goutandyou.com to learn more!!!<<<<<<

Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional for any health concerns.

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Spiro Koulouris
Spiro Koulouris

Written by Spiro Koulouris

Spiro Koulouris is the author of Gout and You: The Ultimate Gout Diet and Cookbook and also writes for the leading website on gout. https://goutandyou.com

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