Diet to Be Gout Free

Gout is an incredibly painful arthritic disorder that occurs when there is an excess amount of uric acid in a person's body. Uric acid is created during the metabolizing of purine, a chemical found in many foods. Eating a diet that contains food with little to no purine can help treat your gout symptoms in no time.

Breakfast

A typical breakfast for a gout sufferer is light but healthy. Whole-grain cereals like Cheerios make an excellent main course. Use low-fat milk for your cereal. Strawberries and bananas make an excellent breakfast fruit. Berries are very low in purine and actually actively destroy uric acid, making them a good tool in the fight against gout. Finish off your breakfast with a glass of orange juice.

A variation of this breakfast could include whole-grain toast with peanut butter, cherries, and a cup of coffee. As long as you use berries, foods high in vitamin C, whole-grain foods, and low-fat milk, you will have a healthy, gout-fighting breakfast.

Lunch

Lunch on a gout-free diet can still be filling and substantial. Make a salad out of red cabbage, which is high in vitamin C. Use a very light, fat-free French dressing. Red bell peppers, celery, almonds and tomatoes make excellent toppings for your salad.

Another lunch option is tuna fish. Tuna contains essential fatty oils that fight uric acid production. Make a tuna fish sandwich with whole-grain wheat bread. Try using mustard instead of mayonnaise because mayonnaise is high in fat. A glass of water will wash everything down.

Variations on this lunch include fruit salad instead of a cabbage salad and boiled salmon instead of tuna fish.

Dinner

Finish off your gout-free day with a healthy dinner. Cook a pot of rice and mix it with vegetables. Potatoes, broccoli, kale, red bell peppers, parsley and any green, leafy vegetables will go well with your rice. Peas and green beans are also beneficial. Scrambled tofu will also make a good addition to the rice.

Citrus fruit like tangerines, mandarins and oranges make an excellent fruit salad when mixed with a variety of berries. If you like, you can finish off this gout-fighting dinner with a cup of hot chocolate.

Another gout-fighting dinner could include spaghetti with tomato sauce. Get meat-free tomato sauces and mix in chopped baked tofu. Low-fat yogurt and a cream of mushroom soup make excellent side dishes to this meal.

Foods to Avoid

A gout-free diet should be free of purine-rich foods. Foods that are high in purine include beef, pork, lamb, shrimp, anchovies, herring, yeast, sardines and sweetbreads. These foods should be avoided as much as possible, if not entirely.

Foods that are moderate in purine include veal, liver, bacon, salmon, turkey, kidney, trout, haddock, scallops, asparagus, cauliflower, peas, mushrooms, spinach, whole grain breads, chicken, duck and oatmeal. These foods can be eaten, but only in small amounts.