Diet Treatment for Gout

For an acute attack, there is no better remedy than a fast. The patient should undertake a fast for five to seven days on orange juice and water. Sometimes, the condition may worsen in the early stages of fasting when uric "cid, dissolved by juices, is thrown into the blood stream for elimination. This usually clears up if fasting is continued. In severe cases it is advisable to undertake a series of short fasts for three days or so rather than one long fast.

Diet for Gout:

After the acute symptoms of gout have subsided, the patient may adopt an all-fruit diet for further three or four days. In this regime, he should have three meals a day of juicy fruits such as grapes, apples, pears, peaches, oranges and pineapples. After the all-fruit diet, the pa¬tient may gradually embark upon the following diet.

Breakfast:

Fruits of any kind such as oranges, apples, figs, apricots, mangoes, etc., whole wheat bread or broken wheat and milk or buttermilk.

Lunch:

Steamed vegetables such as lettuce, beets, celery, watercress, turnips, squash, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage and potatoes, wheat tortilla of whole wheat flour, cottage cheese and buttermilk.

Dinner:

Sprouts such as alfalfa and green gram beans, a good-sized salad of raw vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, whole wheat bread and butter.

The patient should avoid all purine and uric acid pro¬ducing foods such as all meats, eggs and fish. Glandular meats are especially harmful. He should also avoid all in¬toxicating liquors, tea, coffee, sugar, white flour and their products, and all canned and processed foods. Spices and salts should be used as little as possible. Foods high in potassium such as potatoes, bananas, leafy green vegetables, beans and raw vegetable juices are protective against gout. Carrot juice, in combination with juices of beet and cucumber is especially beneficial. Three ounces each of beet and cucumber juices should be mixed in ten ounces of carrot juice to make a pint or sixteen ounces of combined juice. Raw potato juice and fresh pineapple juice are also beneficial.

If the patient is overweight. He should bring his weight down by a general dietary regime, as explained in Chapter 37 on obesity. Because of the increased risk of stones in the urinary tract, patients should maintain a good intake of non-alcoholic fluids. They should drink at least, eight glasses of cold or hot water daily.

Certain natural gout cures can work effectively for the treating gout. The feet should be bathed in epsom salt footbaths twice daily. Half a pound to one pound of salt may be added to a footbath of hot water. Full Epsom salt baths should also be taken three times a week. The baths may be reduced to two pm week later. Cold packs at night applied to the affected joints will be beneficial. Fresh air and outdoor exercise are also essential. The patient should eliminate as much stress ham his life as possible.

TREATMENT CHART FOR GOUT

A - DIET

I. Take the juice of an orange diluted with water every two hours from 8 a.m. To 8 p.m. And use warm water enema daily for five days.

II. An exclusive diet of fresh fruits for further five days, with three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits at five-hourly intervals.

III. Thereafter, gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet as under:-

I. Upon arising:

A glass of lukewarm water mixed with the, juice of half a lime and a teaspoon of honey.

2. Breakfast:

Fresh juicy fruits, whole wheat bread or Broken wheat and milk.

3. Lunch:

Steamed vegetables, wheat tortilla of whole wheat flour and buttermilk.

4. Mid-afternoon:

A glass of fresh fruit or vegetable juice.

Dinner:

Sprouts, a good-sized salad of raw green vegetables, whole wheat bread and butter.

AVOID:

All purine and uric acid producing foods such as "meats, eggs, and fish. Also avoid liquors, tea, coffee, sugar, white flour and their products, and all canned and processed foods.

Restrict:

Intake of spices and salt.

Take Liberally:

Foods high in potassium such as potatoes, bananas, leafy green vegetables, beans and raw vegetable juices.

B - OTHER MEASURES

1. Drink at least eight glasses of water daily.
2. Bathe the feet in Epsom-salts bath twice daily.
3. Full epsom-salts bath twice a week.
4. Apply cold packs to the affected joints at night.

Food for gout

Gout is basically one of the most painful types of arthritis which is characterized by the onset of sudden and extreme pain and inflammation in one or more joints in the body which may also be accompanied by swelling, redness and warmth. Gout is mostly caused on account of the excessive production of uric acid in the body. This uric acid then forms needle like uric acid crystals that tend to deposit themselves in the soft tissue of the joints thereby causing pain. Uric acid is produced in the body during the breakdown of foods that have a high purine content. Uric acid levels in the body can rise on account of a high intake of foods that are rich in purines or also because of the poor elimination of uric acid from the body by the kidneys.   One of the gout remedies is to put the patient on a low purine diet. This gout diet should also strictly restrict the consumption of alcohol and instead one should consume plenty of fresh drinking water and other healthy fluids such as fruits and vegetable juices. Foods for gout include those foods that are high in complex carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains that also tend to have high fibre content. The gout diet should be low in proteins and this protein that is consumed should be derived from lean meats, poultry and soy.

Gout diet should also be rich n food like celery, tomatoes, fresh strawberries, blueberries, cherries and so on. Another food for gout that is highly recommended is pineapples as they are high in bromelain which is beneficial while suffering from gout.  As part of the gout diet one should also consume foods that have a high vitamin C content such as red bell peppers, red cabbage, oranges, mandarins, tangerines and even potatoes. The gout diet should not include foods like legumes, mushroom, lentil, beans, spinach, cauliflower and asparagus as they tend to have a high purine content. Non vegetarians should also avoid the consumption of high purine foods such as pork, beef, lamb and organ meats such as kidney, liver, brain or meat extracts. Seafood such as anchovies, haddocks, fish eggs, mussels, sardines etc should also not be consumed as part of the gout diet as they tend to  contribute to the high uric acid levels in an individual. While suffering from gout one should increase their consumption of fresh vegetables that may either be eaten raw or steamed lightly . One should also consume plenty of protein rich foods  as protein is an essential nutrient required by the body  to maintain the nutrient balance.

The key to controlling and treating gout is following the gout diet strictly  and drinking plenty of water throughout the day. One may also consume low fat dairy products such as milk, cheese, butter and tapioca so as to not restrict their intake of calcium which is essential by the boy for the health and overall development of the skeletal structure.