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Fish gout: Foods to Avoid with Gout

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Foods to Avoid with Gout

Foods to avoid with gout

Gout is a type of painful arthritis that can affect one or more joints, but typically occurs in the feet. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 8 million people in the United States have gout, making it one of the most common forms of inflammatory arthritis. It’s traditionally treated with anti-inflammatory medications and pain relievers.

Attacks are caused when uric acid crystallizes and builds up in the joints. Uric acid, which serves as an antioxidant and protects the lining of our blood vessels, is created during the breakdown of an organic substance found in foods called purines.

While genetics play a role in whether or not you develop gout, lifestyle changes can help prevent pain. Being mindful of what you eat and avoiding foods high in purines can help ward off symptoms.

Organ meats, including liver, sweetbreads, kidneys, brains, tongue, and tripe, have the highest levels of purines. All organ meats should be completely avoided. All other meats should be limited to 4 ounces per day.

These meats should be eaten in moderation:

  • pork
  • chicken
  • duck
  • goose
  • rabbit
  • lamb
  • turkey
  • lamb
  • veal
  • venison

Other animal-based foods, such as gravy, bouillon, and chicken soup, are also high in purines.

Fish and seafood are also common sources of purines. The worst offenders if you have gout are scallops, sardines, herring, anchovies, and mackerel.

Other fish moderately high in purines include:

  • tuna
  • carp
  • codfish
  • halibut
  • perch
  • salmon
  • snapper
  • trout

Seafood such as oysters, lobster, crab, and shrimp should be consumed in small amounts because they contain high levels of purines.

Whole grains such as wheat germ, bran, and oatmeal all contain moderate amounts of purines, but for those with gout, the benefits of eating whole grain foods far outweigh the risks. Whole grains can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

A 2016 study found that reducing the glycemic index lowered uric acid levels in participants. Limiting foods with a high glycemic index such as white bread, pasta, and white rice may help to reduce uric acid levels and possibly prevent gout onset or flares.

The authors concluded that future studies should be performed to further this understanding.

Keep in mind that overindulging in whole grains can possibly be risky for gout sufferers, so watch portion sizes.

Sugars are low in purines, but a diet high in refined sugars is linked to other conditions that may worsen gout symptoms, such as obesity and diabetes. Avoid soda and other products sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, because it can increase uric acid.

If you need to get your sweet on, choose fresh fruits. While some have high amounts of natural sugar, they also contain other vital nutrients that your body needs.

Beer contains purines, and brewer’s yeast is particularly high in purine content. Studies have shown that drinking beer during a gout attack can significantly increase the intensity of symptoms.

While other alcoholic beverages may not contain very many purines, they can increase purine production in the body. This, in turn, leads to higher uric acid levels. Excessive alcohol use (more than two drinks per day for men or one drink per day for women) can increase your risk of a gout attack.

Some vegetables are rich in purines such as asparagus, cauliflower, and spinach. However, studies have not shown high-purine vegetables to be associated with high uric acid levels or to increase gout attacks. In fact, vegetables, including those with high amounts of purines, may even decrease the risk of gout.

Sticking to a strict diet can help ease symptoms of gout. But because purines are present in so many foods, it may be difficult to adhere to. Still, avoiding certain foods is an important part of an overall gout treatment plan.

Foods to Avoid with Gout

Foods to avoid with gout

Gout is a type of painful arthritis that can affect one or more joints, but typically occurs in the feet. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 8 million people in the United States have gout, making it one of the most common forms of inflammatory arthritis. It’s traditionally treated with anti-inflammatory medications and pain relievers.

Attacks are caused when uric acid crystallizes and builds up in the joints. Uric acid, which serves as an antioxidant and protects the lining of our blood vessels, is created during the breakdown of an organic substance found in foods called purines.

While genetics play a role in whether or not you develop gout, lifestyle changes can help prevent pain. Being mindful of what you eat and avoiding foods high in purines can help ward off symptoms.

Organ meats, including liver, sweetbreads, kidneys, brains, tongue, and tripe, have the highest levels of purines. All organ meats should be completely avoided. All other meats should be limited to 4 ounces per day.

These meats should be eaten in moderation:

  • pork
  • chicken
  • duck
  • goose
  • rabbit
  • lamb
  • turkey
  • lamb
  • veal
  • venison

Other animal-based foods, such as gravy, bouillon, and chicken soup, are also high in purines.

Fish and seafood are also common sources of purines. The worst offenders if you have gout are scallops, sardines, herring, anchovies, and mackerel.

Other fish moderately high in purines include:

  • tuna
  • carp
  • codfish
  • halibut
  • perch
  • salmon
  • snapper
  • trout

Seafood such as oysters, lobster, crab, and shrimp should be consumed in small amounts because they contain high levels of purines.

Whole grains such as wheat germ, bran, and oatmeal all contain moderate amounts of purines, but for those with gout, the benefits of eating whole grain foods far outweigh the risks. Whole grains can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

A 2016 study found that reducing the glycemic index lowered uric acid levels in participants. Limiting foods with a high glycemic index such as white bread, pasta, and white rice may help to reduce uric acid levels and possibly prevent gout onset or flares.

The authors concluded that future studies should be performed to further this understanding.

Keep in mind that overindulging in whole grains can possibly be risky for gout sufferers, so watch portion sizes.

Sugars are low in purines, but a diet high in refined sugars is linked to other conditions that may worsen gout symptoms, such as obesity and diabetes. Avoid soda and other products sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, because it can increase uric acid.

If you need to get your sweet on, choose fresh fruits. While some have high amounts of natural sugar, they also contain other vital nutrients that your body needs.

Beer contains purines, and brewer’s yeast is particularly high in purine content. Studies have shown that drinking beer during a gout attack can significantly increase the intensity of symptoms.

While other alcoholic beverages may not contain very many purines, they can increase purine production in the body. This, in turn, leads to higher uric acid levels. Excessive alcohol use (more than two drinks per day for men or one drink per day for women) can increase your risk of a gout attack.

Some vegetables are rich in purines such as asparagus, cauliflower, and spinach. However, studies have not shown high-purine vegetables to be associated with high uric acid levels or to increase gout attacks. In fact, vegetables, including those with high amounts of purines, may even decrease the risk of gout.

Sticking to a strict diet can help ease symptoms of gout. But because purines are present in so many foods, it may be difficult to adhere to. Still, avoiding certain foods is an important part of an overall gout treatment plan.

Opinion of nutritionists: which fish is the most beneficial for the human body – September 20, 2022

To find out a quality fish, look into its eyes nutritionists appreciate it and advise to include it in the diet. These are polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6), easily digestible protein, vitamins and iodine, which is in short supply for every fourth inhabitant of Russia. But not all fish are the same. What is the best and whether useful properties are preserved during canning, experts said.

Nutritionists recommend eating fish at least twice a week. Because it is full of important substances. Here you have vitamins (A, E, D), and omega-3 fatty acids, iodine, calcium, zinc, selenium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, protein. Thanks to all this, fish is considered beneficial for the body, joints and brain. It stops cell aging, stimulates reproductive function, lowers cholesterol levels – the beneficial properties cannot be counted.

Experts advise giving preference to marine fish. It is caught far from the shore, which gives at least some guarantee of environmental cleanliness. But in the river there is more harm. Especially in terms of opisthorchiasis.

— If you eat fish of the carp family (bream, bream and everything else), you can easily get opisthorchiasis, which cannot be digested, says gastroenterologist Galina Bartashevich. – Elementary when preparing fish soup from such fish, you will have to change the water three or four times so that the fish undergoes heat treatment. And you need to fry it for at least 20 minutes, but then you will have only coals.

Galina Bartashevich – gastroenterologist of the highest category, pediatric gastroenterologist, nutritionist, PhD, work experience – more than 30 years.

Natural foci of opisthorchia are located in large areas of the former USSR. The highest degree of infection occurs in Siberia, as well as in Southeast Asia.

Apart from parasites living in freshwater reservoirs, marine fish are ahead of river fish in terms of fatty acids. But in the river there is more protein and iron. In addition, in order to deliver sea fish to the shelves, it is usually frozen, because of this, it loses some of its useful properties. And if there was a second or third frost – generally write wasted.

— I don’t have perfect fish, I take different ones, freshness and safety criteria, the reputation of the supplier and manufacturer are important for me, says gastroenterologist Veronika Cheraneva.

Veronika Cheraneva — gastroenterologist, nutritionist. Specialist in the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastritis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, dysbacteriosis, flatulence, colitis, constipation, esophagitis and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

How to identify quality fish

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No matter how useful fish is, do not forget that it is fatty. Therefore, if you follow your figure, pay attention to this indicator: in some varieties there can be up to 33% fat. The fattest champions are burbot, chinook, mackerel, ivasi, whitefish, saury, omul, halibut, herring.

– For those on a diet, medium-fat varieties containing 4 to 8 percent fat are suitable. These are salmon, pink salmon, chum salmon, trout, tuna, carp, carp,” says Galina Bartashevich. – In addition, there are varieties that contain no more than 4% fat. These are cod, flounder, hake, pike, pike perch, perch, pollock.

— I consider Pollock the best because of its low calorie content, high protein content and very low fat content, says gastroenterologist Svetlana Fedorova. – This is a “universal” fish, it can be safely used in diabetes, pancreatitis and gastritis, because it does not require “increasing” the acidity of gastric juice for absorption. It can also be safely used for gout.

Svetlana Fedorova — gastroenterologist at the New Hospital.

The benefits of fish are not only in the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Several indicators play a role here, including proteins, fats and calories. Taking them into account, we have compiled this useful table, in which we have arranged ten varieties of fish, starting with the most useful.

The most useful varieties of fish

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One of the main questions about canned fish is what is generally put in jars? Atlantic salmon could easily be trout, tuna mackerel, and cod pollock. The product is cheaper than competitors, and buyers are more likely to choose it.

The second question is salt. It enhances the taste of the product and acts as a preservative. Often, salt in canned food is more than normal. And this leads to fluid retention in the body, increased blood pressure and edema. Such products are not recommended for hypertensive patients and people with impaired renal function. In addition, some people are better off avoiding canned fish with oil. Such products increase the calorie content of the product and stimulate the release of bile. Accordingly, they are contraindicated in people with biliary dyskinesia and overweight.

“When choosing canned fish, one should give preference to those made from chilled raw materials,” says Anna Plakhotnik, leading specialist of the Expert Center of the Consumers Union. – In such a product, almost all the useful substances that are in fresh fish are preserved. Manufacturers of canned food are required to indicate on the label what kind of fish the product is made from. There are no direct laboratory methods to accurately determine whether raw materials have been frozen. But for the liver (and also for fish, caviar), made from frozen raw materials, some differences in organoleptic properties are characteristic and allowed by the standard. Thus, by indirect evidence, it can be assumed that the manufacturer was not completely honest with consumers.

Anna Plakhotnik is a leading expert of the expert center of the Consumer Union “Roskontrol”.

And a completely different question – sprats. They are made from hot-smoked fish or with the addition of liquid smoke. Under-smoking not only gives a characteristic smoky flavor, but also increases the amount of carcinogens.

Read more about the benefits of fish and what can be harmful in it, read our large fish review.

Allowed types of fish for gout and recipes

Gout on the legs is a common joint disease caused by salt deposits. When it appears, you should follow a diet. Fish is a very useful product that contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals. Many patients do not want to exclude it from their diet. However, you should know what kind of fish you can eat with gout. Page Contents0092

    • gout

    When gout appears, you need to follow a special diet, the essence of which is the normalization of purine metabolism. The accompanying goals of the diet are:

    • influence on the mechanisms of uric acid production;
    • acceleration of the excretion of urates from the body;
    • improvement of the digestive and urinary systems;
    • change in the alkaline balance of urine.

    To achieve these goals, you need to know the principles of nutrition.

    Principles of nutrition for gout

    Dietary proteins stimulate the production of purines. Therefore, their amount should be dosed so that the body has time to process and remove uric acid.

    The optimal regimen is to eat 5-6 times a day, in small portions. There is a day off every week. It is recommended to eat fruits (no more than 2 types), porridge on the water, green tea or fruit drinks without sugar.

    The diet is maintained beyond the aggravation of gout, but becomes less rigid. In the acute phase, it is allowed to take no more than 200 mg of purines per day. The amount of the latter may be associated not only with the use of salty or protein foods, but also with the correct processing of products.

    Patients are often obese. To lose weight, you need to eat, excluding “fast” carbohydrates and animal fats. This is especially true for people suffering from diabetes. The products should not contain harmful compounds.

    Allowed foods

    Vegetarian diet is the main condition for the gout diet. The diet should contain fruits, vegetables, berries, nuts. In the summer, fresh berries are especially useful. You can also use them after heat treatment in the form of compotes and fruit drinks.

    If meat products are unbearable, then you can eat turkey, chicken or rabbit meat. Fish dishes can diversify the diet. It is recommended to cook food by steaming or in the oven.

    Prohibited foods

    Pickled vegetables and legumes should be removed from the menu. It is also worth removing any salty, fried foods, fatty meats, mushrooms. Of the berries, raspberries, cranberries and figs are undesirable.

    Specific products can be seen in the table.

    Is it possible to eat fish with gouty arthritis

    Some types of fish are a provoking factor in the presence of gout due to the presence of a large amount of purine bases in the composition. Less harmful varieties are allowed to eat, but in small quantities.

    Which varieties are allowed for gout

    Not all types are allowed for patients with joint problems. It is allowed to use low-fat species in small quantities. The frequency should not exceed three times a week. You also need to include in the diet not only sea fish, but also river fish. It also contains a large amount of useful substances. Recommended for consumption:

    • bream;
    • capelin;
    • cod;
    • walleye pollack;
    • blue whiting;
    • zander;
    • carp;
    • carp;
    • pike;
    • heck.

    Steamed and boiled fish is allowed.

    The liver is especially useful for pike.

    Prohibited varieties

    In gout, even a small amount of prohibited varieties can provoke a new flare-up, as it leads to an increased level of uric acid. The following species are excluded:

    • mackerel;
    • mackerel;
    • herring;
    • salmon;
    • halibut;
    • acne;
    • tuna;
    • trout;
    • som;
    • salmon;
    • anchovies.

    Herring for gout is a prohibited food, but it can still be taken during remission if it is medium fat and steamed.

    How to use it correctly

    Even approved varieties can be harmful if not prepared properly. Once a week you can eat steam cutlets. Suitable for pike or zander. You can also use red fish, which contains a small amount of purines and uric acid.

    A single serving is not more than 170 grams. Cook no more than three times a week.

    Useful properties of marine and freshwater fish

    Freshwater has a large number of positive qualities, like the sea. There are some differences in the composition of both species.

    Marine fish Freshwater fish
    • rich in vitamin D and iodine;
    • small amounts of fish oil prevent blood clots;
    • calcium and phosphorus strengthen bones;
    • trace elements normalize the functioning of the nervous system;
    • Eating fish twice a week reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.    		 • contains small amounts of vitamin D and iodine;
    • contains vitamin B and magnesium, which stabilizes the nervous system;
    • contains Omega-3 and Omega-6;
    • vitamin A improves visual acuity;
    • methionine lowers blood cholesterol levels;
    • zinc enhances the functioning of the male reproductive organs;
    • improves the condition of the skin and thyroid gland when consumed.

    Each species has its own unique properties that have a positive effect on the body.

    Recipes for fish dishes

    If you want to eat fish for gout, you need to know how to cook it properly. Detailed recipes will help with this.

    Cod with steamed zucchini

    Ingredients: 1 kg cod, 1 carrot, 3 zucchini, 2 tbsp. l. sunflower oil, dry parsnips, a pinch of salt (optional).

    Clean the cod and rub parsnips on both sides, then place in the refrigerator for half an hour. Cut carrots and zucchini into cubes. Put the vegetables on the bottom of the double boiler, and place the cod on top. The dish is ready in 25 minutes.

    Steamed zander

    Ingredients: 700 g pike perch, 2 cups vegetable broth, herbs, salt.

    Peel and wash the zander, then cut into portions. Dry with a paper towel and rub with a little salt. Put the prepared product in a double boiler along with greens. Pour the vegetable broth into the steamer as well. The dish is ready in 15 minutes. You need to use it along with a side dish.

    Steamed carp

    Ingredients: 1 kg carp, ¼ lemon, parsley, olive oil, salt (optional).

    Finely chop parsley and lemon. Clean the carp from the insides, sprinkle with olive oil. Inside put a small amount of parsley and lemon. Put in a double boiler, and place a few slices of lemon and the remaining parsley on top. Estimated cooking time 20 minutes. You can serve boiled rice or potatoes as a side dish.

    Pollock in multicooker

    Ingredients: pollock 2 pcs., parsley, dill umbrellas, salt (optional).

    Pollock is extremely useful for gout.