Common Gout Triggers

When suffering from gout you need to take note of the list of potential gout triggers. You should know gout triggers by heart; trigger foods as well as other gout triggers.

When it comes to foods that can trigger a gout attack, you need to avoid certain foods that are high in purines which may raise your uric acid levels in the blood. Although it’s completely impossible to avoid all purines in your diet, if you know which foods tend to trigger your gout attacks, try and avoid them. You definitely want to avoid:

  • Organ Meats like liver, brains, cow tongue, heart, eyeballs, kidney expect not only a gout attack after an organ meat dinner but watch out for your cholesterol too!
  • Seafood like shrimp, lobster, crab and shellfish can be very appealing to the eye but it’ll get you into trouble. Please avoid it!
  • Meat in general you don’t want to overconsume, I always recommend no more than 4 to 6 ounces a day. Eat red meat no more than twice a week if I were you, lean chicken is better but remember protein is protein and as gout sufferers you want to limit that. Avoid pork completely if I were you. Avoid mincemeat completely too! Always trim the fat from your meat.
  • Certain fish can cause gout flares like sardines, anchovies or herring. It’s never affected me but if you are sensitive to it, watch out!
  • Alcohol. You know it’s bad news for gout. Overindulge in alcohol just one night and expect to pay the price while you are sleeping. It’s happened to me one too many times, let me tell you. Another reason drinking alcohol is so dangerous is because it also dehydrates you which is another common gout trigger.
  • Sugar especially high fructose corn syrup. Read your nutrition labels and do not consume any foods with this horrible ingredient that can wreak havoc to your health and may cause a gout attack. Eat sugar but make sure to count how many grams you eat on a daily basis. I recommend no more than 25 grams a day for gout sufferers. Avoid sugary drinks containing fructose like your Cokes and Pepsis.
  • Avoid gorging. Eating rich and heavy meals which contain loads of fat and purines. Many complain suffering a gout attack after a Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner.
  • Avoid fried foods that been fried in oil and stay away from prepackaged foods that you need to just warm up but have been fried beforehand.
  • Avoid gravy and rich sauces which are high in fat and added on meats which doubles the risk of you getting a gout attack.

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What else can trigger gout flares?

When it comes to medication, you must watch out as well, the wrong kind may really affect your uric acid levels. Some drugs that you may take to treat your high blood pressure or heart disease may also cause gout flares. Avoid diuretics, cyclosporine, beta-blockers, levodopa and even aspirin. Always take your doctor’s advice if prescribed any of these medications.

Medical stress like hospital visits, surgery, pneumonia and other medical conditions can cause gout flares. Injury like twisting your ankle or stubbing your toe can also trigger a gout attack in some people. Uric acid tends to form more readily on injured joints. Episodes of stress can also cause an attack. Be careful when exercising since too much strenuous exercise can also trigger an attack.

In the end everybody has their own little nuances, for some gout sufferers certain foods will trigger it and for others not. Unfortunately, there is no test that lets gout sufferers figure out what triggers will cause their uric acid levels to rise. But mostly all of yous are able to determine the source the very first time you had an attack. For me it was alcohol. What was it for you?

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