Is the vegetarian diet really beneficial for gout sufferers? In this article, we’ll describe what the diet is all about and find out whether it’s suitable for people who suffer from gout.
Vegetarianism Defined
Vegetarianism is the practice of avoiding meat. The diet mainly consists of fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, grains, and proteins. Under the vegetarian diet are more types of diets which can eliminate the following food items: eggs, fish, dairy, and other animal-derived products.
Vegetarian and Vegan Diet: What’s the Difference?
Don’t confuse vegan as a shortened term for vegetarian. The vegan diet is a type of vegetarian diet which eliminates all types of animal-derived products from their diet. Some even go as far as eliminating it from their lifestyle so vegans may avoid products which is made from animals or have been tested on animals.
What the Vegetarian Diet Does for Gout
There are several reasons why people do the vegetarian diet. It can be for religious reasons, ethical reasons, or health reasons. Since we’re talking about how gout relates to this diet, we’ll be focusing more on how vegetarianism can benefit your condition.
We all know that gout is a result of too much uric acid. Uric acid is a byproduct of purines which is found in both animal-based food and plant-based foods. The only difference between the two is how they affect the body. Purines found in certain meats, organ meats, and seafood are the top suspected culprits for gout attacks and avoiding these food items can greatly reduce your uric acid levels.
On the other hand, there are studies showing that plant-based purines are actually not as harmful to gout sufferers as animal food purines are. For example, nutrient-dense food items such as leafy greens, beans, and mushrooms often have high purine content but they’re also known to have protective properties including vitamin C, fiber, folate, and phytochemicals.
Researchers suggest that the nutrients from most plant-based foods remove the negative effects of purine. A vegetarian diet is also known to be alkalizing, the opposite of gout which is a condition defined by excess acidity in the body. In addition, those who ate more alkaline-rich foods found it easier to excrete uric acid compared to those with an acidic diet.
In one of the studies, they let the participants try two diets (the standard Western diet and vegetarian diet) to see if it would make a difference in their uric acid levels. By the end of the experiment, they found that switching to a vegetarian diet had lowered their uric acid levels by 93%. This includes vegetarians of all types, including the ones who consume fish, dairy, and eggs.
Another experiment had six out of seven patients were immediately taken to the hospital after eating a meal that was mostly meat (This was an experiment of course). They found that even one high-meat meal was enough to raise uric acid to very high levels.
The good news is that you don’t have to completely avoid all types of meat or animal products. With the vegetarian diet, you get to keep your favorite staples such as dairy and eggs. Special mention to dairy since milk has been known to help the body excrete uric acid more efficiently.
And, if you’d like more flexibility, you can always start by cutting all meat except for fish. There’s really no hard-fast rules. In fact, there’s such a thing as flexitarian where you eat mostly plant-based foods while having the occasional meat, fish, or poultry.
Healthy is In: The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
Long gone are the days when people would think you’re weird for not eating meat. More are turning to the plant-based diet and it’s become easier to access vegetarian-friendly options at the supermarket. Even restaurant have their own special options for vegetarians. No one wants to turn a potential customer away. And with vegetarianism becoming mainstream, business owners have smartened up by giving customers what they want.
There are many benefits of a vegetarian diet. I couldn’t possibly list all of them here but I’ll list the ones that are highly relevant to you as a gout sufferer.
- The fruits and vegetables you consume in a vegetarian diet possess strong antioxidants which protect against certain types of cancer.
- It reduces saturated fats which is often the root cause of most health problems today.
- It promotes better bowel movement thanks to the high fiber intake.
- The potassium content in this diet helps your kidneys to eliminate toxins more efficiently.
- It’s rich in vitamin C which is a very strong antioxidant known to reduce the concentration of uric acid in the blood.
- It has a rich selection of protein such as beans, nuts, and soy.
- It reduces your risk for cholesterol, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, cataracts, macular degeneration, and osteoporosis.
- It helps you reduce weight since you’re cutting out most of the unhealthy food items. Vegetarian food also has a lot more fiber which helps keep you feel full longer.
- It reduces your risk for acquiring fatal diseases related to animals such as salmonella, e-coli, and mad cow disease.
- It reduces your exposure to hormones which is something industrial farms inject into their animals to make them grow faster, look bigger, etc.
- It reduces your exposure to antibiotics which can affect your gut. Gut health is important for maintaining a strong immune system.
- It improves your energy. It takes less work for your body to digest plant-based foods than it is to process meat. As a result, you feel better and become more energetic.
As you can see, the vegetarian diet has a lot of good things to offer to our bodies. It truly helps you live a fuller, longer life. It’s known that vegetarians live longer than their meat-eating counterparts.
Lots of factors come into play here; it’s not just diet. Eating mostly plants allows you show respect to your body. So aside from avoiding meat, you’re also abstaining from other habits that could cut your life shorter such as smoking, drinking, eating junk food, etc.
Transitioning into the Vegetarian Diet
If you’re thinking of becoming a vegetarian, here are some tips you should follow to make the transition much easier:
1. Increase vegetable and fruit intake
At first it will feel like you’re cutting out something huge in your life when you become vegetarian. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can fill the lack by adding more fruits and veggies into your diet.
2. Do more meatless days
Meatless days isn’t just for Mondays. Each week, you can try to go for more days without eating meat. See the difference in how you’ll feel.
3. Skip unhealthy processed stuff
The vegetarian diet doesn’t explicitly keep you from eating processed junk food but you want to do it anyway. Processed food is so bad, it can easily negate the positive benefits your plant-based diet has. Also try to avoid beverages high in sugar. These are also considered processed since they’re loaded with artificial sugars which will only worsen your gout.
4. Don’t forget your essential nutrients
You want to pay close attention to certain nutrients that you could be missing in your vegetarian diet. It doesn’t mean that the diet is lacking. It just means you have to look for alternatives.
Here is a list of nutrients you should be focusing on:
Protein
Protein is often the top thing that vegetarians complain about not having enough of. Make sure you make up for the lack by consuming protein-rich foods like nuts, seeds, beans and whole grains. Eggs and dairy are very great sources as well. Protein is an essential nutrient that keeps your bones, muscles, organs, and skin working well.
Iron and zinc
Iron is important for healthy red blood cells. A deficiency in it could lead you to feeling tired all the time, headaches, dizziness, and even anemia. You want to double up your consumption of iron-rich foods since the body can’t easily absorb plant-based sources for it. Foods rich in iron include lentils, nuts and seeds, grains, collard greens, potatoes, mushrooms, olives, oats, dark chocolate, and coconut, milk. You can then complement it with vitamin C-rich foods since it helps improve the absorption of iron by as much as 300%.
Omega 3
You can become deficient in omega 3 when you cut out fish and eggs completely. However, you can supplement it with omega-rich foods such as walnuts, flaxseed, hemp seeds, flaxseeds, seaweed, kidney beans, and soybeans. Also get products that’s been fortified with this nutrient as the type of omega 3 found in plant-based sources tend to be inefficient to be used by the body.
Vitamin B-12
Vitamin B-12 can only be found in animal products. You don’t want to wait for symptoms to come up; most vegetarians find out they’re actually deficient in this vitamin a little too late and they’ve already experienced severe problems. Load up on supplements for B12 or look for fortified soy products.
In Conclusion
You should consider switching to a vegetarian diet if you’re having a hard time keeping up with the dos and don’ts of a gout diet. Vegetarianism is generally healthy and it’s not hard to stick with considering there are different variations of it you can do that will fit your lifestyle.
8 replies to "Gout and The Vegetarian Diet"
I’ve (40yo male) have been vegetarian (not vegan) for 8 years now, in the last three years have lost 40kg and drink between 2.5-3.5 litres of water every day. No alcohol for four years, no soft drinks, no fruit juices or flavoured milk – only water and green tea. I’ve largely cut sugars out also and have reduced my sodium intake to what appear to be healthy levels. I workout with a PT three times per week (mainly strength/resistance training) with a few HIIT sessions thrown in. I am currently trying to reduce my body fat % from high 20’s to under 20% and so have reduced high carb foods and starches as when I am consuming them, no matter how hard I train – I do not loose fat. This year my gout (I have suffered since I was 25) has been worse than in recent years, it hasn’t been this bad for at lest 10 years.
I am unable to take allopurinol as it led to a drastic drop in my liver function when I was put on it ( by a rheumatologist) in 2008. Every year my blood tests show elevated levels of uric acid despite my strict diet and healthy lifestyle as well as shedding so much weight, my GP insists that some people are genetically predisposed to high levels and diet/exercise won’t help reduce the levels.
I am deeply worried about the long-term effects of my gout attacks and what the condition will do to my body – kidney stones. joint damage and immobility are my grave concerns. Any advice you can offer, I would greatly appreciate. I am booked to see another rheumatologist in September as it has been a decade since I saw one.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks for your comment Mark!
Get another opinion but for most of us, it has to be a combination of medication and good dieting/active lifestyle. There is no other way. Good thing you are working out and strengthening your joints in the process and eating very well.
Ask your rheumatologist to try Febuxostat perhaps.
Good luck!
I just discovered your book and downloaded it. I have already found information that confirms what I was told about my diet. I am on a 3 day no meat plan by the doctor to see if my uric acid will decrease. I am in the middle of my second back to back flare up. You mentioned nightshade foods. I do have a reaction to all the foods on that list. I discovered that about 3 years ago before I started having gout issues. I also now drink lactose free milk as I was starting to have issues. I am not sure it is the lactose so I seldom even drink it. I am 72 and never had reactions to foods until I reached my 60’s. Doesn’t seem fair. I am changing my eating habits but it makes it difficult for my family. Your cookbook should help.
Thanks for your comment and if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me!
Thanks for your willingness to answer some questions. Some of the foods that are bad for gout seem counter-intuitive, and hard to figure out rationally. I gather that spinach and asparagus are bad for gout, but I don’t know about kale, cabbage, lettuce, and other leafy vegetables. Do you have a list?
I’m also confused about lamb. Some say: avoid it, since it’s red meat; others say the opposite.
Is there really a huge distinction between king crab, Maryland crab, and other crabs? Online authorities, or would-be authorities indicate there is.
The websites that rate fish usually omit Pollack and blue fish. Any thoughts about how much uric acid they contain?
Thanks so much for your help. I am trying to work out a diet for myself, given what I myself can grow and/or buy.
Best regards,
Guil Dudley
HI Guil!
Thank you for your comment!
If you have lamb don’t have more than 4 to 6 ounces just like any other meat I advocate you eat no more than 4 to 6 ounces in one day. That is about 200 calories.
Have days where you skip meat and have beans or vegetarian dishes for protein, that will help with gout too.
DO not eat any crab since seafood is very offensive to gout sufferers! You can eat fish with scales, pollack and blue fish are fine. Again 4 to 6 ounces in one day.
As for vegetables like spinach and asparagus, I have them and have no issues, if you eat too much spinach in one sitting some will complain about flare-ups. Asparagus is rare, I have never had anybody state they got a flare up due to it over the years. Kale, cabbage, salads etc… eat as much as you want it will never raise uric acid. Complex carbs like fresh vegetables are the cornerstone of a gout diet.
This is very interesting and I appreciate your website.
I was recently found to have a UA of 7.5. I had no idea and my DO had never tested me for it. I have not had a gout attack yet. I bought a uric acid test kit and am following your diet recommendations closely, and I’m hopeful my UA will come down to <5.5. So I went back to drinking 1% milk and stopped eating oysters and grass fed beef. I do eggs every day. Is wild salmon OK to eat a couple times a week?
Thank you.
Yes! I love wild salmon but when you eat it that day make sure it’s your only source of protein meeting your 10% daily requirement under a gout diet.