Gout is a disease of rheumatic etiology caused by the deposition of uric acid salts in the joints. The clinical manifestations of the disease are pain, deformation of the affected joint, dysfunction and the formation of characteristic nodules (tophi).
Without treatment, the disease progresses over time and salt deposits in the form of microcrystals begin to accumulate in the internal organs. Most often, the kidneys are affected, which leads to the development of pyelonephritis, kidney failure and other complications. The diagnosis is based on symptoms and is confirmed by puncture of the affected joint and x-ray. Treatment includes pharmacotherapy, special diet and physical therapy.
Basic principles of diet
An approximate menu is drawn up by the attending physician, individually for each patient, taking into account the form and severity of the disease, the presence of accompanying pathologies, the age of the patient and the characteristics of his body.
The goal of the diet is to minimize the level of uric acid in the body, which leads to an improvement in the patient's general well-being and improves his quality of life. Food products should not contain purines, which, after entering the body, turn into uric acid.
It is recommended to include more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. The recipes are quite simple, the main thing is to prepare them properly and not to use ingredients from the list of prohibited foods.
Therapeutic nutrition helps the patient at home to quickly improve general well-being, relieve unpleasant symptoms and even increase the duration of periods of remission. Leaving the diet, consuming spicy and fatty foods, alcohol (especially wine and beer), coffee, quickly increase the level of uric acid in the body, which leads to another attack of the disease. Therefore, you must constantly follow a diet. Proper nutrition during periods of remission and especially exacerbation will help avoid the development of a number of serious complications.
The patient should always have in front of his eyes a table with the allowed foods, as well as recipes for the preparation of various dishes. This will help create the optimal menu based on the individual food preferences of each patient and taking into account the characteristics of his body.
It is important not only to use the right products, but also to follow a certain diet. You should eat food often, but in small portions (partial meals). Fasting and overeating are unacceptable, as this can provoke an attack of the disease. If you are overweight, you need to get rid of it. But this should be done gradually; sudden weight loss can have a negative impact on health, especially if the patient is no longer young.
We must not forget the drinking regime. You should drink at least one and a half liters of liquid per day (up to three liters during periods of deterioration). In addition to water, compote, mineral water, weak tea, fruit drinks and rose decoction are allowed for consumption. It is better to drink not during meals, but between meals.
Prohibited Products
You should follow the diet throughout your life, and not just during flare-ups. The diet should be as balanced as possible. Dairy products and vegetables are allowed. It is important to drink enough fluids, as this speeds up the removal of excess uric acid from the body.
With the help of a diet, you can not only relieve the symptoms of the disease and reduce the frequency of exacerbations, but also normalize the weight, reducing the load on the affected joints. The main rule is to exclude foods rich in purines from the diet.
This includes:
- sweets and cakes;
- Canned food;
- legumes;
- roasting;
- underwear;
- processed meat products (sausage, frankfurters, etc. );
- oily fish;
- chocolates;
- spicy, salty, smoked, pickled foods;
- Fast food;
- mushrooms;
- any alcohol, but especially wine and beer;
- cocoa, strong black tea, coffee.
If metabolic disorders occur against the background of diabetes or atherosclerosis, then it is necessary to carefully monitor the total calorie content of foods, the amount of fatty foods, cholesterol and sugar levels.
Authorized Products
The gout diet is based on the principles of a healthy diet, so it's not too difficult to follow. The main thing is to get used to the changes in your diet. Then everything will be easier. Forbidden foods should be completely excluded.
Allowed products include:
- dietary meat (rabbit, chicken, turkey);
- eggs (small amounts);
- fermented milk products;
- vegetable oils (linseed and olive oil are the best options);
- seafood;
- pasta, cereals;
- low-fat fish varieties;
- fresh fruits and vegetables that are not on the list of prohibited foods;
- marmalade, lozenge, marshmallow;
- candy without chocolate;
- dried fruits (except raisins);
- honey.
It is necessary to clearly understand that you will have to eat according to the above recommendations for the rest of your life. Violation of the diet and consumption of forbidden foods quickly provokes an aggravation of the disease.
Diet for gout: table no. 6
Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely cure the disease, especially if its course is complicated by diabetes or obesity. However, following diet no. 6, you can quickly relieve exacerbations and reduce the frequency of relapses of the disease.
Nutritional characteristics of this diet:
- It is necessary to completely exclude foods rich in purines and salts of oxalic acid from the menu;
- it is necessary to limit the consumption of salt; in particularly severe cases, this product is completely excluded from the diet;
- there should be milk, vegetables and other alkalizing foods on the table;
- if there are no contraindications (kidney disease, heart disease and a number of others), then you should significantly increase the amount of fluid consumed, which promotes the rapid removal of uric acid salts from the body;
- it is necessary to minimize the amount of refractory fats and animal proteins;
- if the patient is obese, then you should reduce the amount of carbohydrates in the diet.
The standard classic menu is signed by the attending physician. There may be several food options. Food should be prepared as usual, food should be at normal temperature. Boiling fish and meat is recommended. Meat and mushroom juices should be drained, as they contain a large amount of purines.
When you follow such a diet, food is normalized, purine metabolism in the body gradually stabilizes, and the amount of uric acid salts decreases. In addition, over time, the patient gets rid of obesity, which also has a positive effect on health and improves the quality of life. Joint pain disappears, inflammation decreases, which reduces the possibility of the disease returning in the future.
Important!There is no need for self-medication. The development of the diet should be carried out by a specialist. Diet no. 6, despite its effectiveness, may not be suitable for all patients. Much depends on the age of the patient, the course of the disease and the presence of accompanying pathologies. For example, if a person, in addition to gout, is obese, then he can be prescribed diet no. 8, which provides for more serious restrictions.
Diet for gout in men and women during an exacerbation
In case of exacerbations of this pathology, it is necessary to follow diet no. 6 for at least two weeks. Preference should be given to liquid foods. It is necessary to limit as much as possible the consumption of fatty meat, fish and poultry.
The menu is based on liquid porridge, vegetable soups and fermented milk products. Meals are partial. Long breaks between meals, overeating or fasting increase the likelihood of developing an attack of the disease. You can drink compote, jelly, mineral water, juice, weak tea.
Drinking regime
How much and what kind of water should you drink if you have gout? The total amount of liquid should be at least 2 liters per day.
If the patient has a complication in the form of urolithiasis, it is recommended to drink alkalizing mineral water or water with the addition of potassium bicarbonate. You can increase the alkaline balance with the help of citrus fruits, as well as by introducing a large amount of plant proteins in the diet with the exception of animal proteins.
Very often, alcohol consumption is one of the main causes of the disease. Therefore, you should completely avoid alcoholic beverages. Even dry red wine, which is allowed to drink in small doses for other diseases, is prohibited for gout. Sometimes it only takes a few sips of alcohol for another attack of the disease to occur. Cocoa, coffee and strong black tea are also completely prohibited.
In addition to cleansing the body of toxins, drinking plenty of fluids improves kidney function and stimulates the digestion of uric acid crystals and their elimination. This allows not only to improve the health and well-being of the patient, but also to reduce the dose of certain drugs.
Sample menu for the week
Monday
- For breakfast, you can cook an omelet, baked or steamed, eat 150 grams of vegetable salad and a few slices of bread.
- For lunch, you can cook vegetable soup, eat some boiled or low-fat boiled fish.
- For dinner, prepare a vegetable stew with eggplant and zucchini and you can also eat a piece of bread.
Tuesday
- For breakfast, prepare oatmeal with dried or fresh fruit.
- For lunch pilaf with lean chicken fillet without frying.
- For dinner, make a vegetable stew with potatoes and low-fat cheese, which is baked in the oven. You can also eat a piece of bread.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: egg white omelet, zrazy with carrots and fruit, weak tea with milk.
- Lunch: thin rice soup, cauliflower boiled in milk, dried fruit compote.
- Dinner: pasta with sugar and cottage cheese, gazpacho, kefir.
Thursday
- For breakfast, they prepare a curd salad with cucumbers, green onions and unsalted cheese, dressed with nut butter. You can eat a piece of bread. Wash everything down with rose decoction.
- For lunch, you can cook mashed fish soup, make a salad with beets and sour cream, eat 2 jacket potatoes and drink compote.
- For dinner they eat rice porridge with milk. As a drink, chicory with milk.
Friday
- Breakfast: cake with baked cheese or cottage cheese with sour cream, fruit.
- Lunch: vegetable sauce, pasta made from durum wheat, with seafood.
- Dinner: buckwheat porridge with lean fish, baked in the oven.
Saturday
- For breakfast, they cook wheat porridge in water and eat dried fruit.
- Vegetable soup is prepared for lunch. You can also eat a piece of bread, some pumpkin seeds.
- For dinner, vegetable stew, boiled eggs, seafood.
Sunday
- Breakfast: natural yogurt, cheese sandwiches, weak tea.
- Lunch: vegetable and barley soup, potato wedges with sour cream.
- Dinner: a piece of boiled pork without fat, salad with fresh vegetables, buckwheat porridge.