4 Tips to Help with Gout Pain

admin - 24 October 2012 - 10:06 am

Gout is one of the many uncomfortable and painful symptoms of inflammatory arthritis. Flare-ups of gout are caused by the overconsumption of red meats and animal proteins. Gout can be incredibly painful, so here are a few tips to help you avoid the pain in the first place.

Avoid foods with high amounts of purine. These foods contain too much uric acid, which builds up in the blood if the kidneys can’t break it down. Some of these foods include dark leafy vegetables and beans as well as animal protein, such as fish, liver and poultry.
Drink plenty of fluids. Fluids aid in flushing out our system of toxins and keep uric acids at a healthy level. To calculate how much you should intake daily, just divide your body weight by 2. You should stick with water and juices that are low in sugar. You should also keep in mind that when you exercise, you sweat out fluids, so you need to make up for what you lost.
Work Towards Your Target Weight. Find out your target weight and achieve it by incorporating exercise into your healthy diet. However, you don’t want to drop too much weight too quickly; this will cause your uric acid levels to increase at an alarming rate. If you aren’t sure where to start, speak with a dietician to help you come up with a good diet and exercise plan just for you.
Avoid alcohol. Uric acid caught in the blood causes pain because the build up forms tiny crystals over time, which is where gout attacks stem from. The best thing you can do to avoid this pain is avoid alcohol, especially beer. If you must have a drink, you should drink no more than one alcoholic beverage a day.