Diets for Gout

[johnsojj]

I recently was diagnosed with gout. I am trying to use diet rather than drugs to help reduce the flares. I have cut out red meat, beer and the other typical foods that cause uric acid. I have become a ovo lacto vegitarian and dont really love it - ugh. Dose anyone have some suggestions for Gout friendly food or a recipe(s) that you really enjoy if you suffer from the same condition.

[pinehurst]

johnsojj, so late to this post. My husband's best friend, we just learned, has been living with gout for over a year. I don't know if this has to do with turmeric's anti-inflammatory properties or the fact that he (similar to Emme's excellent post above) is doing a lot of vegetable-heavy dishes, but curried vegs with a bit of lean protein seem to serve him really well. I will add that gout is his sole condition--no BP or DM issues, only other health concern is chronic depression (which of course the gout doesn't help with when it flares). But the curry-veg-lean protein combo seems to serve him well.

[johnsojj]

Thanks to all who replied for your help. I have already tried some of the recipes and have become fairly adept at using TVP (I stay away from Quorn since it seems to be linked to high purine and a bunch of other not so good stuff). I'll need to ask the DR about lentils since some of you recommend them. They are on the no, no list and unfortunately it was something that I only recently "found" before I was diagnosed and did really like them.

What do I miss most? Bacon wrapped filet from our local steakhouse and I am/was a home brewer of beer. Guess I am out of luck for finding "substitutions" for those favorites ;).

[goodhealthgourmet]

lentils contain anywhere from 50-150 mg of purines per 100 grams, which is considered "moderate," so you should be able to eat them on occasion. "high" purine content usually applies to foods like organ meats, game, sardines, anchovies, scallops, etc, which contain more than 150 mg purines per 100 grams. those are the things to avoid entirely.

plus, some of the literature indicates that plant-based purine-rich foods (e.g. lentils, spinach, cauliflower, shrooms) don't actually lead to elevated blood levels of uric acid the same way meat does. ask your doc.

[Cynsa]

I've added fresh coconut water from young coconut to my daily liquid intake to control the gout.
The cherry juice concentrate spikes my fbg on diabetes - snacking on fresh cherries now since this is the season.

[mcf]

I'm diabetic and may have gout, but there's no way I can avoid complications of diabetes by eating the rx gout diet. I just cut out starches and sugar, eat lots of veggies, fats and proteins and don't have any serious pain or flares from the red meat and fish I enjoy. Watch your bg carefully after eating those meals; they are so light on quality protein and high in carbs, which is why I ignored the dietary suggestions.

[Emme]

a family friend has severe gout. he went veggie quite abruptly, and as a staunch meat and potatoes man, was miserable for a quite a bit... and verbal about it.

he definitely found relief with the cherry juice thing.

goodhealthgourmet, as she always does, provided a heck of a lot of food for thought. at the risk of reiterating, i'll try to add a few more thoughts....

Curried Carrot and Butternut Squash soup
Gazpacho
Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup

Frittatas -- any and all veg + low-fat cheese

Chili - use TVP (soy based textured vegetable protein -- looks like ground meat when cooked, takes on the flavors of what you're cooking)

Ratatouille with a little low-fat feta or ricotta

Savory veggie egg bakes (kugels) - i use almond meal, eggs (whites), leeks, garlic, cauliflower, lemon juice, thyme, parsley, S & P -- but you can vary everything as you like... i cook the veggies, deglaze with lemon, mix together eggs, combine with veggies, herbs and a little almond meal. Spread in a baking dish, top with pumpkin seeds ground and mixed with more thyme and parsley. Bake at 350 til golden.

Eggplant roll-ups - steam some cauliflower, and puree with a little low or fat-free ricotta and herbs. slice eggplant thinly, dip in egg white and almond meal/cornmeal/herbs mix layer a little cauliflower puree on top, then roll up. stick rolls in baking dish, cover with sauce (tomato) and bake. sprinkle w/ a little parm to finish if you like.

Polenta lasagna - replace noodles with polenta squares or soft cooked polenta

Lentil burgers
Lentil meatloaf

Spinach or Broccoli Souffle

Veggie Terrines

Low-fat cottage cheese mixed with brown rice or barley (cooked), along with a dash of cinnamon, a little sweetener of choice (I like Truvia), and a little vanilla. nuke for a few seconds in the micro for a faux rice pudding treat.

Spaghetti squash and zucchini spirals/strings with or without a little whole wheat pasta tossed with roasted sauteed garlic and a little parmesan or nutritional yeast

Jamaican Rice and Peas (meatless, but it will still have good flavor)

i won't waste too much more bandwidth, but I do wish you luck and hope you feel better soon.

[Cynsa]

You and the other posters may use all the bandwidth you like - I appreciate your postings and thank you all. Diagnosed with both gout and type-2 diabetes, I find your posts to be encouraging.

[SeaSide Tomato]

Cynsa-I'm late to see this, but, if you're type 2, you might want to look at D. Mark Hyman's book, The Blood Suga Solution I's working wonders for me: BS #s are down, pounds are falling off. I miss things, yes. no question. But there ar so many thinkgs I CAN eat, I focus on those. And I feel great. really great

Good luck.

[Cynsa]

thanks, I did pick it up at Costco and read it cover to cover.
Focusing on what is approved is a good tip - I do feel better with more veggies in my diet and 'real food' at home - enjoying restaurant fare seems to throw me off the numbers scale both for weight and fasting blood glucose numbers.
Congrats on achieving the good feelings - your positive glow is where I want to be.

[goodhealthgourmet]

ask your doctor if you can still have a few ounces of lean white meat or finfish a couple of times per week. if the rest of your diet is low in purines you should be able to, and it will help you feel less restricted/deprived.

beware that there's also a correlation between high fructose intake and gout, so go easy on the fruit (and obviously avoid packaged/prepared foods that are sweetened with fructose or fruit juice concentrates).

but fret not. a low-purine diet can be extremely varied and delicious! as you know, low-fat dairy, veggies, eggs, nuts, beans, legumes & grains are all safe, so it's time to get creative with 'em.

ideas for cottage cheese & Greek yogurt:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/336491
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/309670
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/809178
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/420315
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/384915
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/530184

great egg inspirations here:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/783188
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/773991
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/680621

for beans, legumes, & generally hearty veggie fare, some of my favorites are:
- lentils or lima bean with feta and fresh oregano or mint
- Greek white beans in tomato sauce
- spicy corn & black bean salad
- hummus, baba ghannouj or bean dip with veggies, crackers or pita chips
- vegetarian chili
- creamy polenta with ratatouille or mushroom ragu
- eggplant, peppers or zucchini stuffed with grain pilaf
- baked oatmeal - or pan-fried or grilled oat or polenta cakes
- breakfast casserole
- eggplant parm
- bean- or grain-based veggie burgers
- felafel with tahini & tzatziki

if you search the Home Cooking board, you'll find literally hundreds of ideas for lentils, beans, grains, eggplant, tofu, tempeh...

and if there are particular dishes that you miss, perhaps if you tell us what they are we can offer ideas for modification or substitution.

[Peg]

My father has gout, and his doctor told him to drink soda water. He finds it helps - although he does dilute it with scotch.