Once you have experienced gout, it is enough to be unforgettable, and you wouldn’t want to suffer for the second time. However, gout is like a seed buried in the body. Once it finds suitable conditions, it will sprout immediately and cause excruciating pain again. It is often the gout patients themselves who provide the conditions – the high-purine foods.
Accumulation of excessive purines in the body will hinder uric acid metabolism. Once uric acid deposits in the body, it can easily crystallize in joints and cause recurring pain. The lessons of pain will make gout patients treat “avoiding high-purine foods” as a dietary creed that they dare not violate. Meat related to animal organs such as pig liver belongs to extremely high-purine foods, as well as lamb and seafood hotpot soups cooked for a long time. Avoiding these foods can indeed reduce uric acid levels in the body and benefit recovery, but this alone is not enough.
First, many people have misunderstandings about high-purine foods. Take seafood as an example; not all seafood is high in purines. Salmon, sardines, mackerel, small shrimp, dried shrimp, shrimp skins, conch, and oysters are seafood with high purine content and should be avoided. Sea cucumber, jellyfish, and mandarin fish have low purine content and can be consumed. Meanwhile, bass, tuna, and crayfish are moderate-purine foods and can be eaten in moderation.
Seafood contains unique proteins and nutrients such as unsaturated fatty acids that are unmatched by other foods, which help boost the body’s immune system. Blind rejection goes against the principle of a balanced diet. Seafood is one example, and other ingredients are no exception. Foods like eggs and dairy products have very low purine content and can be consumed. Poultry such as chicken, duck, and goose, as well as carp and crucian carp, are moderately high-purine meats that should be consumed in moderation. Therefore, for those plagued by gout, avoiding high-purine foods alone is not enough; attention should also be paid to a balanced diet.
Diet is one aspect, while drinking water is another. Alcoholic beverages such as beer, red wine, and white wine should be avoided. Carbonated beverages, milk tea, and other fruit juice drinks also contain small amounts of sugar and should be consumed in moderation. Whether boiled water can be consumed depends on the situation. The longer meat soup is simmered, the higher the purine substances it may contain. Meaty hotpot soups, rib soups should be restricted or avoided. However, vegetable soups can be consumed, such as cucumber, Chinese cabbage, radish, wood ear, and Tremella soup, which can help with uric acid metabolism. The best water to drink is plain water; there is nothing better than drinking plain water to regulate. By persistently drinking at least 1500 milliliters of plain water daily, uric acid can be carried away through urine, a simple way of regulation.
Exercise is often overlooked. When uric acid levels are high, most people will increase their metabolism through regular exercise to maintain stable uric acid levels. However, excessive intense exercise can lead to an increase in lactic acid, which competes with uric acid in metabolic pathways. Vigorous sports like football, basketball, and sprinting are not suitable for people with high uric acid levels; swimming, jogging, biking are better choices.
In conclusion, avoiding high-purine foods alone is not enough to prevent gout; improving immune system through a balanced diet and paying attention to water consumption and exercise are also crucial.
