While extreme gout pain may require medications, foods to reduce gout attacks can prove helpful in acute cases.
A gout attack can be terrible, resulting in red, hot, painful, and swollen joints. Anyone who has gone through one will attest. Gout, a kind of arthritis, often impacts the joints in the feet, ankles, knees, or big toe, making it difficult to wear shoes. Even the lightweight material of a sock can be uncomfortable.
Making some dietary changes can help alleviate pain. Read on to learn more about foods to reduce gout.
Foods to Reduce Gout Pain in Toes and Feet
Anyone can develop gout. The main culprit is too much uric acid in the body, which is a substance found in several diets. When you eat too many foods high in purine, uric acid crystals grow around the joints, tissues, and bodily fluids. As a result, the joints enlarge and become painfully inflamed.
When gout flares up, it may take days or weeks for the discomfort to subside. This condition cannot be cured permanently. As a result, gout can return, and the pain cycle will continue.
If you have gout, you are aware of the warning indications that a gout attack is imminent. Once an attack has begun, there is nothing you can do to stop it, although you can treat some of the symptoms at home.
Here’s a list of items that can help you avoid gout:
1) Cherries
Cherries top the list of foods to reduce gout. According to a Boston University study, gout sufferers who ate cherries over the course of two days had a 35 percent lower incidence of gout attacks than those who did not.
According to the results, eating cherries or cherry extract reduces the likelihood of having a gout episode.
2) Coffee
You may have heard that coffee contains an acid, but this acid is not the same as uric acid. In actuality, there are multiple ways that regular coffee consumption might lower uric acid levels. It quickens the rate of excretion while slowing the conversion of purine to uric acid.
3) Foods high in Vitamin C
Although vitamin C is well-known as an antioxidant, little is known about its ability to cure gout by reducing blood uric acid levels.
Include the following Vitamin C foods to reduce gout:
- Kiwi
- Strawberries
- Tomatoes
- Oranges
- Grapefruit
4) Plant-based foods
Many plant-based foods are low in purines, which makes them a great option for a diet that is gout-friendly. They also include a variety of nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals, that are good for your health. Plant-based foods to reduce gout include:
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Whole grains
- Soy-based proteins
Certain veggies have a higher purine content. Purines derived from plants are handled differently by the body, though. According to research, plant-based purines may even lower gout risk rather than increase it.
5) An apple a day
Malic acid, which is found in apples, may aid in lowering uric acid levels in the body. Apples are included in gout diets because of the malic acid they contain, which may help with pain relief and edema reduction. So, to prevent gout, be sure to have one apple after every meal.
Keep an eye on what you consume. Foods high in purines, such as some types of shellfish, organ meats like liver, and fatty foods, can increase the level of uric acid in your blood even further. Alcohol, particularly beer, as well as beverages with fructose as a sweetener, cause gout.
The frequency and intensity of your gout flare-ups may be significantly reduced if you combine these home remedies for gout with your doctor’s prescribed medication. Always talk to your doctor before making any changes to your gout medication regimen.
In addition to these foods to reduce gout, stress should be avoided because it makes gout symptoms worse. Take a quick stroll, take a break from work, listen to music, or meditate when you are feeling stressed. You have another reason to limit your alcohol usage because beer is likewise high in purines. Additionally, get in touch with a doctor right away if gout attacks don’t go away in 48 hours.
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