Does Oatmeal Belong In a Gout Diet?
Many gout sufferers ask if oatmeal is good or bad for them since it contains some purines. I can’t help but chuckle when I hear that. The truth is oatmeal and all types of oats are good for you in a gout diet, you have nothing to be worried about unless you are allergic to oats and that is a different story altogether.
As long as it’s not processed or refined with sugars; what we are talking about is whole grain oats. Oatmeal is a type of cereal which is not high in proteins or purines and may be consumed by any person that has high uric acid levels. Unless you suffer from purine metabolism problems and conditions related to high uric acid, there is no reason to avoid oatmeal.
Instead of eliminating oatmeal from your diet, you can talk to your doctor about consuming smaller portions. Your average healthy person consumes around 600 to 1000 mg or purines a day through their diet. Your doctor may recommend that you reduce your daily purine consumption to about 100 to 150 mg a day.
Oatmeal is high in minerals like manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, copper, biotin, chromium and magnesium. It is also an excellent source of fiber which helps with your stool. I personally always begin my day with either whole grain oatmeal with a teaspoon of raw honey to sweeten it up a little boiled in skim milk or I have two slices of whole wheat bread with some natural peanut butter spread on top. Sometimes I’ll add some cacao bits or grounded flax seeds on top! But nothing energizes you in the morning and fills up your tummy with then a steaming bowl of freshly cooked oatmeal.
Fiber is the hero
Oatmeal lowers cholesterol by removing the bad cholesterol which may translate into a decreased risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes since oatmeal may stabilize blood sugar levels and high blood pressure which are all interrelated with gout. Oatmeal may also enhance immune response and the high fiber content in oatmeal may lessen the risk of developing cancer through what we call plant lignans, which are converted by intestinal flora into mammalian lignans that may protect us from different types of cancers.
Remember one cup of oatmeal has about 4 grams of fiber and only 130 calories. It stays longer in your stomach making you feel fuller. If you add blueberries, strawberries, raspberries or any other type of fruit in your bowl of oatmeal, you add even more fiber in your gout diet! Isn’t that great?
Oatmeal is considered slightly acidic like most grains are but that does not mean that it’s a acid forming food and remember that all foods contain an acid-alkaline balance and you can determine if foods are acid or alkaline or if they’re acid or acid forming foods. Oatmeal is an acidic food which neutralizes the acids in the stomach helping your body maintain its pH balance.
In Dr. Choi’s 12 year study involving some 47,150 men found that meats like beef, lamb, pork, poultry and fish increased gout risk but purine-rich vegetables and grains like oatmeal were not found to increase gout risk at all. Dr. Choi stated: “We don’t clearly understand the ‘whys,’ and there are several possible explanations.
It might be there’s a different type of purines in meats and seafood than in vegetables, or different foods have different levels of purines. Or maybe the body absorbs purines differently, depending on the food type.” The role of purines in food has long been suspected in gout but to this very day, it is still has not been proven.
If you buy prepared oatmeal products such as oatmeal, look at the ingredients to make sure that the product does not contain any sugar, salt or other additives. Store oatmeal in an airtight container in a cool, dry and preferably dark place where they will keep for approximately two months.
39 replies to "Gout and Oatmeal"
I cannot eat oatmeal at all! Steel cut oats don’t stick with me, make me hypoglycemic and always give me a gout attack…my father is the same way. I make a “noatmeal” with flax meal, chia seeds, hemp hearts instead…add a little vanilla, almond slivers, almond milk and blueberries…yum!
I had my first attack last week. My level is 7.7 I’ve always eaten porridge for breakfast; steel cut organic oats with semi skimmed milk, nuts , two dried prunes and cinnamon with erythritol artificial sugar. So I was dismayed to find that some websites reccommend only eating a small amount of porridge twice a week!! In fact the information available by different organisations is completely contradictoray. Tofu, Broccoli , wine, lettuce etc good or bad etc. It’s hard to make sense of all the information
Spiro,
I was told that drinking oatmeal water throughout the day lowers ldl. You soak the oatmeal overnight and drink the water throughout the day but do not eat the oatmeal. I believe oatmeal is high in purines. If so, water about the oatmeal water? Have you heard about this before?
Thx
Neal
Hi Neal!
No I haven’t heard about oatmeal water, it’s an interesting concept though but I eat oatmeal, your body doesn’t metabolize purines from plant based foods like it does with meat and processed foods + sugary foods.
Thank you very much, Spiro. I have just had my first flareup of gout. Your website provides excellent information and gives me hope.
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One of the most common symptoms of iron overload are cold hands and feet. If you have these symptoms along with gout attacks, I would strongly suggest getting your blood tested for iron levels. In addition to my current gout attack, I have also been having trouble with cold hands and feet.
I have just suffered my first gout attacks over the last two weeks. After some extensive research and trial-and-error, I believe I have found the cause (at least for me). I ate a cup of Cheerios last evening, and woke to pain again in my big toe at 5am this morning.
Why would Cheerios be causing a flare? I think it is too much iron in the body. 1 cup of Cheerios contains 45% of a normal adult’s daily needs (way excessive for a single serving of food). As 5% of the population is genetically predisposed to excess iron absorption from their diet, perhaps a significant number of gout sufferers fall into this category. If you look at some of the classic food triggers (red meat, certain seafoods, spinach, excess amounts of beans, etc), these foods have a lot of iron.
For people with this genetic predisposition, high uric acid levels is just a symptom of the underlying cause: iron overload. As iron overload can cause damage to the cardiovascular system and the pancreas, people with this genetic predisposition also are more susceptible to heart disease and diabetes (if left uncontrolled). For people who fall into this category, the solution is relatively easy. Regulate iron intake and donate blood on a regular basis. To know for sure, test your blood for iron levels in addition to the uric acid levels.
That’s interesting about dairy because since I have reduced my dairy intake earlier this year I have been suffering from gout monthly.
I am going to try celery juice as I found a video on youtube. He said he was cured in 4 weeks and the gout never returned.
Have high cholesterol so need to stay away from cheese.
Hi, Spiro,
A month ago I had done my Uric acid test and it was 8.9, I had started to eat chicken every day maybe that’s why, however, I have now stopped having chicken (or just once a week) and added lemon water and started drinking 2-3 liters of water. My recent test reveals it has come down to 6.6. I eat oatmeal every day, almost 50 gms.
My question is, is 6.6 Uric acid level good and does it give gout ( I sometimes feel my finger joints tingling).
Btw thanks a lot for starting a website like this!
HI Raheman!
Yes 6.6 uric acid can cause gout flares or a gout attack, so be careful. You are borderline, ideally you want to be below 6 and many doctors would say you should be below 4 to be really safe. Everybody is different. You may be symptomless at 6.6. Who knows. Keep focusing on your diet and make sure to check your uric acid often with your doctor.
My rheumatologist assumes I have gout. Every once in awhile I’ll wake up with severe pain in my big toe. I eat oatmeal almost every morning but have recently switched from rolled oats to steel cut which I like better. I’ve been on Enbel and it quick working and now I’m on Humira. I have been told I have RA,Psoriatic, and Osteoarthritis. Now Gout..
I guess my question is, Are steel cut better than rolled?
Hi Will!
Steel cut oats are better cause they sit lower on the glycemic index and that is good for your gout and arthritis.
Enjoy!
Spiro,
I like your website.
1) After 60 years, living on pizza & beer, I am starting to discover gout, AND OATS.
2) QUAKER box says “Rolled oats” as ingredient, and “oatmeal” in verbiage. Are they the same?
3) You could have elaborated on “soluble” and “not-soluble” fibers, and their cholesterol and STOOL benefits, respectively.
Oats sticks to your ribs, which is a old saying and it really keeps you full till afternoon. I love eating oatmeal and the benefits of eating oatmeal are many.
I see I need to get real oatmeal. I was eating package kind that is full of a bunch of crap that’s not good for you. I’ve had gout flare ups off those. I’ll try the whole grain oats kind. Any particular brand you’d recommend?
Hi Layne!
Look for organic oatmeal, as is, without any preservatives or added sugar.
What a relief! Thank you .Now I can get back to eating oatmeal but i’m on dialysis. Is it still ok? Thanks
Hi Joy!
If you are on dialysis, don’t know the seriousness of your health situation, have you spoken to your doctor? Speak to him first.
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Hi sir, just wana ask if consuming oatmeal a day won’t aggravate or complicate people who are kidney stone formers or have existing stones on their kidneys or, who are undergoing kidney treatments for nephrocalcinosis and nephrolithiasis? I recently had a laboratory exam and have elevated cholesterol levels and I also have kidney stones and nephrocalcinosis..is it fine to take oatmeals Thank you…
Hi Ronald!
Best you take your doctor’s advice, I don’t know enough about your condition. Sorry.
Hi
I am suffering from high uric acid , last checked it was 10 pint, can I eat oats?
Thanks
Hi Khalid!
Yes you can eat oats, try to stick to no more than 1 cup a day.
I’ve been eating oatmeal every morning now for about 2 years (about 1/2 cup dry before adding water). I then sprinkle some cinnamon on top and add a package of stevia.
What are your thoughts on Stevia?
BTW, a big THANK YOU for this excellent website on gout. It is by far the best I have come across.
Hi Mark!
If it’s Stevia extract from the plant itself, where you find it at the health food stores, go ahead, nothing wrong there. If it has been tampered artificially by man in any way, then avoid it. Check the label.
For reduce uric acid curd is helpful or not
Hi Nandu!
The point of the article is that it won’t raise uric acid levels and is a healthy grain to consume. You have nothing to worry about unless you are of course allergic to oatmeal.
Spiro
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I can’t speak for others, but I am an oatmeal lover and every bowl of it makes my feet swell and the gout pain fires up. Even two spoonful’s causes an outbreak.
That’s rather rare. Do you sweeten up your oatmeal and with what? Check with your doctor to see if you are allergic to wheat in general too.
Oatmeal is always great. I added this powder to my diet more than 2 years. I will try your recipe