Gout is a chronic and slow disease of the joint system resulting from the deposition of urea crystals in the joint cavity. This condition develops when there is a violation of the purine-type base exchange in the human body. Gout is characterized by the appearance of so-called tofus, which look like bumps above the surface of the interphalangeal or elbow joints. This disease is accompanied not only by severe pain syndrome, but also leads to a partial or complete limitation of mobility. People with advanced gout often lose their self-care potential, as a result of which they are forced to apply for a disability. In modern medical practice, there are many new generation drugs that affect the root cause of the development of this disease.
Despite the effectiveness of these drugs, complex therapy for gout cannot be fully implemented without a specialized diet. The main rule of such a diet is to strictly limit or completely eliminate ingredients containing a large amount of purine bases from the diet. Dietary recommendations allow not only to normalize metabolic processes and reduce the load on the renal system, but also allow to normalize the metabolism of water and electrolytes, as well as improve the general well-being of the patient.
Characteristics of the disease
Pathological changes in the joints in this disease are directly related to the accumulation of urea fragments in the interarticular space. As the disease progresses, the deposition of uric acid crystals occurs not only in the joints, but also in the internal organs, which leads to the disruption of their functional activity. First of all, this disease affects the urinary system, as the kidneys can no longer bear the volume of uric acid that appears in the body.
The most likely complication of renal gout is urolithiasis, which ultimately leads to renal failure and death. As a rule, this pathological phenomenon affects the interphalangeal joints of the feet, hands, knee, elbow and ankle joints. This disease is characterized by cyclicality, when periods of relative remission are replaced by periods of exacerbation.
During the period of exacerbation of the disease, a person is faced with the following pathological symptoms:
- swelling and redness of the tophi formed on the damaged joint area;
- severe pain syndrome, which tends to intensify even when the air is flowing;
- increased body temperature of over 38 degrees.
During the onset of a gout attack, the characteristic symptoms usually affect only the metatarsophalangeal joint of the first toe. In 80% of cases, the symptoms of gout are felt at night. An exacerbation attack can last from a few hours to several days, depending on the severity of the pathological changes. The frequency of seizures directly depends on the individual characteristics of the human body. For some patients, this happens every six months, and some forget about gout for several years. Despite the fact that this disease is hereditary in nature, in order to provoke the onset of gout, it is necessary to create favorable conditions in the form of inappropriate nutrition, improper lifestyle, alcohol, caffeine and nicotine abuse.
Most often, gout is secondary in nature and develops against the background of pathologies such as diabetes mellitus, leukemia or hypertension. Uncontrolled and prolonged use of acetylsalicylic acid also leads to disruption of uric acid metabolism in the human body. Regardless of the severity of the course of this disease, a person diagnosed with gout needs timely and complex treatment, which includes a radical review of the diet.
Characteristics of the diet
If urea metabolism is impaired, such patients are prescribed a diet that limits the intake of purine bases from the outside, which will help inhibit the synthesis of uric acid and shift the pH of the urine to the alkaline side. According to the classification of dietary tables, people diagnosed with gout are recommended in table number 6. The energy value of this table averages 2700 to 2800 calories.
Furthermore, the chemical composition of this diet is as follows:
- The daily amount of carbohydrates is between 350 and 400 g.
- The volume of the protein component is 80-90 g per day, while at least half of the specified volume should consist of animal proteins.
- The daily amount of fat consumed should be between 80 and 90g, while the amount of vegetable fat should be at least 30%.
There are also separate nutritional principles, according to which a person diagnosed with gout improves the general condition of the body and reduces the risk of another relapse of the disease. These principles include:
- Correct the fluid supply.The daily volume of drinking water must be at least 1. 5 and no more than 2 liters. This amount of water is sufficient to normalize the level of urea in the body and for the early elimination of its excess by the kidneys.
- Respect for food intake.In order to reduce the metabolic load on the body and exclude the accumulation of harmful compounds, it is recommended to eat in small portions, in moderate portions, up to 5 times a day. It is very important for this disease to avoid overeating.
- Complete cessation of alcohol consumption.Drinking beer, wine, champagne and other alcoholic beverages can provoke another bout of the disease, as they not only slow down the excretion of excess uric acid, but also contribute to its excess production. For example, red grape wine contains an abundance of purine bases, the accumulation of which in the body leads to the development of gout.
- Limited salt intake.To prevent another attack of excruciating pain, the amount of table salt consumed should be limited to 6g per day.
- Reduce the amount of protein consumed.A complete rejection of protein components is dangerous not only for health, but also for human life, therefore patients diagnosed with gout are advised to give preference to vegetable proteins, as well as meat ingredients containinga minimal amount of purine bases.
- Normalization of body weight.The extra pounds create an unreasonable load on the whole body, leading to a decrease in the metabolic rate. Obesity in one way or another adversely affects the condition of the kidneys and joints, leading to an exacerbation of the disease. In order to prevent obesity and the recurrence of gout, it is recommended that you limit your sugar intake.
Prohibited food ingredients
A key condition for effective nutrition in this disease is the strict limitation or complete exclusion of components containing large amounts of purine bases.
Food items such as broths and first courses of red meat and mushrooms, coffee, black and deep green tea, as well as cocoa and chocolate must be completely eliminated from the daily diet. The gout diet does not include fasting and fasting days, as insufficient food intake leads to accelerated production of uric acid.
The complete elimination of these food components from the daily diet helps to improve the general condition and reduce the metabolic load on the body:
- hard cheeses containing spices and herbs;
- any type of offal;
- concentrated broths;
- fish and meat rich in fat;
- smoked and canned sausages, sausages, meat and fish;
- all varieties of mushrooms;
- dried fruit;
- canned, pickled and salted vegetable ingredients;
- pastry;
- sauces, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, horseradish root and chili snacks;
- puff pastry products;
- raspberries, cranberries, figs, cranberries;
- drinks containing carbon dioxide, alcohol, dyes and flavors;
- refractory types of animal fats;
- plant components such as peas, beans, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, sorrel, rhubarb.
Permitted food ingredients
The list of acceptable products includes elements that contribute to the normalization of urea metabolism in the human body.
The gout diet has a lot in common with a vegetarian diet, as it involves a strong restriction of animal products and the predominance of plant foods in the diet.
Such a diet not only has a beneficial effect on the state of metabolism, but also normalizes the evacuation function of the large intestine, solving the problem of constipation. Edible foods also place minimal stress on the kidneys, allowing them to focus on eliminating excess uric acid.
You can form a daily menu with the inclusion of the following food ingredients:
- soy products;
- bakery products based on wheat or rye flour;
- chicken eggs in the amount of 1 piece per day (or quail - 3 pieces);
- first courses with the addition of whole milk, noodles, fruit, allowed cereals and vegetables;
- low-fat meat ingredients (chicken, turkey, rabbit, lean fish);
- rice, buckwheat and wheat groats;
- whole milk and low-fat fermented milk ingredients;
- freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, medicinal table mineral waters with an alkaline composition;
- vegetable components (carrots, cabbage, zucchini, pumpkin, lettuce);
- crab meat, shrimp, squid;
- unsalted butter, clarified butter and vegetable oil;
- some types of sweets (marshmallows, jam, marshmallows, natural honey, fruit and berry jam);
- you can add bay leaves, cinnamon, citric acid, dill and parsley, vanillin as a seasoning;
- citrus fruits, pineapple, berries, melons.
Rational nutrition for gout has a beneficial effect not only on the work of blood vessels and the heart, but also allows you to reduce the amount of drugs used. A restrictive diet reduces the risk of disease relapse, normalizes body weight and strengthens the body's defenses.
Consequences of non-compliance with the diet
If a person diagnosed with gout neglects a balanced diet, they may face a whole list of serious complications.
These complications include:
- atherosclerotic changes;
- irreversible kidney damage (gouty nephritis);
- accumulation of uric acid crystals in the internal organs, which is fraught with the formation of so-called gouty nodes;
- appearance of renal failure;
- widespread damage to the joint apparatus with the development of an erosive form of arthritis;
- irreversible damage to blood vessels and the heart, as well as the formation of persistent arterial hypertension.
Sample menu for every day
A person with gout can compose a daily menu according to their gastronomic preferences, being guided by the list of allowed food products. For example, the standard diet menu will be indicated in violation of uric acid metabolism in the body.
This menu looks like this:
First day
- Breakfast. Flakes of Hercules, cooked with milk or in water, 2-3 fresh cucumbers, rosehip uzvar.
- Second breakfast. 150-200 g of low-fat cottage cheese with the addition of 15% sour cream, 1 glass of fruit and berry jelly or 250 ml of homemade yogurt.
- Lunch. Chicken soup with potatoes, carrots and other allowed vegetables, zucchini stuffed with rice groats and vegetables, dressed with sour cream sauce, 1 glass of whole milk or berry juice.
- Afternoon snack. Vegetable salad dressed with vegetable oil, 150 g of boiled turkey fillet and 1 glass of rosehip uzvar.
- Dinner. Vegetable cutlets from white cabbage, cheesecakes with sour cream 15% fat, 250 ml of tomato juice. Before going to bed, it is allowed to eat 1-2 fresh apples or drink 1 glass of homemade yogurt.
Second day
- Breakfast. Grated carrots, seasoned with 15% fat sour cream, rice groats, boiled in water or milk, 1 soft-boiled chicken egg, weak black tea with lemon.
- Second breakfast. Baked potatoes, vegetable salad dressed with vegetable oil, 250 ml of fruit and berry jelly or apple juice.
- Lunch. Vegetable soup with sour cream, milk jelly, curd casserole with raisins.
- Dinner. 2-3 baked apples with cinnamon, steamed egg omelette, any fruit juice. Before going to bed, it is recommended to consume 250 ml of homemade yogurt or kefir with a low percentage of fat.
Third day
- Breakfast. Cabbage and carrot salad, dressed with 15% fat sour cream, herbal tea made from chamomile flowers, thyme and lime
- Second breakfast. Steamed fish fillet, herb cucumber salad, tomato juice.
- Lunch. Vegetarian borsch, a small slice of boiled chicken fillet with sour cream sauce, berry juice.
- Afternoon snack. Carrot and apple juice, biscuits or cookies.
- Dinner. Buckwheat porridge cooked with the addition of milk, vegetarian cabbage rolls with rice groats and vegetables. In the evening it is allowed to consume 1 glass of tomato or apple juice.
Fourth day
- Breakfast. Grated beetroot salad with 15% fat sour cream and garlic, 1-2 slices of bread with bran, weak black tea with milk.
- Second breakfast. Any permitted fruit or vegetable juice.
- Lunch. Vegetable soup with pearl barley, egg-breaded cabbage cutlet, carrot and pumpkin juice.
- Afternoon snack. Orange or grapefruit juice, biscuits.
- Dinner. Carrot pancakes with 15% fat sour cream, homemade milk or fruit jelly.
Fifth day
- Breakfast. Porridge from oatmeal, cooked with the addition of milk, rosehip decoction, carrot salad with apples.
- Second breakfast. A serving of low-fat cottage cheese with honey, raspberry or strawberry jelly.
- Lunch. Stewed zucchini with carrots and tomatoes, vegetable puree with potatoes, milkshake with banana.
- Dinner. Cabbage cutlets, boiled rabbit meat, tomato juice.
Sixth day
- Breakfast. Rice cereal porridge with milk, carrot and apple salad with the addition of nuts, weak green tea.
- Second breakfast. 1 soft-boiled chicken egg, herbal tea.
- Lunch. Vegetable okroshka, curd casserole, milk jelly.
- Dinner. 1-2 baked apples with honey, carrot juice and apple.
Seventh day
- Breakfast. Milk buckwheat porridge, coleslaw with herbs, weak green tea.
- Lunch. Vegetarian mixture, 1-2 slices of bran bread, milk jelly.
- Afternoon snack. Casserole of apples and carrots, rosehip drink.
- Dinner. Pumpkin pulp, baked with honey, apple juice.
Recipes
The following recipes for preparing some dishes will help diversify the diet of a person diagnosed with gout, as well as saturate his body with vital components, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The list of ingredients used can be changed according to culinary preferences.
Cabbage and beetroot salad
To prepare this dietary dish, you need to: take 1 medium-sized head of red cabbage, 2 medium-sized beets, 35 g of walnuts, 1 teaspoon of honey, a few drops of lemon juice and salt to taste. Cooking should be started by boiling the beets and chopping them on a medium grater. After that, you need to finely chop the cabbage, salt it and let it stand for 9-11 minutes. After that, all the ingredients are mixed gently, seasoned with honey and a mixture of lemon juice with olive or sunflower oil. To improve the taste, chopped walnuts are added to the salad.
Baked potatoes
First, you need to stock up on ingredients such as peeled potatoes in the amount of 350-400 g, a pinch of cumin seeds and vegetable oil. The peeled potatoes are cut into wedges and boiled until half cooked in salted water. Semi-finished potatoes are spread on a baking sheet greased with sunflower or butter, greased with vegetable oil on top and sprinkled with cumin seeds. It is recommended to bake this dish in the oven for 35-40 minutes at a temperature of 120 degrees.
Rice and meat puree
To prepare a diet meal you will need the following ingredients:
- 300-350 g of chicken, turkey or rabbit meat;
- 30 g of uncooked rice cereal;
- dill or parsley;
- salt to taste.
Cooking recipe:
- The meat must first be boiled, cut into medium-sized pieces and then minced in a blender or meat grinder.
- Rice groats are boiled and washed thoroughly, mixed with minced meat and pass this mixture through a blender or meat grinder.
- Salt the finished mass to taste, mix and incubate on low heat for 5-7 minutes.
- When the dish boils, mix well, add 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil and mix again.
Sprinkle with herbs before serving.
Milk jelly
Before preparing this dessert, you need to stock up on the following ingredients:
- 150 g of granulated sugar;
- 30 g of gelatin;
- 15 g of ground almonds
- 800 ml of whole milk;
- a pinch of vanilla.
Add 4-5 tablespoons of boiled water to the chopped almonds and mix the ingredients until they form a pulp. Almond gruel, vanillin with sugar are added to the heated milk, after which the mixture is brought to a boil. After that, the milk is removed from the heat, gelatin is added and gently mixed until the granules are completely dissolved. The finished mixture is poured into pre-prepared forms and allowed to solidify.
Stewed pumpkin
To prepare the dish you need the following components:
- 100 ml of whole milk;
- 300 g of peeled pumpkin pulp;
- 1 teaspoon of butter
- 1 medium orange;
- 2 medium apples;
- 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar;
- Vanillin and cinnamon to taste.
Cooking like this:
- The peeled pumpkin pulp should be grated on a medium grater and boiled in milk for 15-20 minutes, after which sugar, peeled apples and butter are added to the hot mixture.
- The resulting mixture is cooked over low heat for 10 minutes.
Before serving, sprinkle with vanilla and cinnamon and garnish with peeled orange slices.
Borscht of vegetables
Vegetable borsch is one of the simplest options for preparing a lunch dish. Such a dish does not take much time and money, while its taste will be equally pleasant for both adults and children.
To prepare borscht, you need the following ingredients:
- 2 liters of clean water;
- a medium-sized pepper;
- 3-4 medium tomatoes;
- white cabbage;
- 2-3 medium potatoes;
- dill and parsley.
How to cook:
- The vegetables listed must be peeled, washed and cut into cubes.
- The white cabbage must be finely chopped, the tomatoes must be washed, blanched with boiling water and peeled.
- Add the diced potatoes and the precooked juice of the peeled tomatoes to the boiling water.
- When the potatoes are half cooked, add the cabbage and peppers. When the dish boils (after adding cabbage and pepper), it needs to be cooked for 7 minutes, then remove from heat and add chopped dill and parsley.
It is recommended to serve the dish with 1 teaspoon of sour cream.