Eating too many foods and drinking too many drinks that contain uric acid can cause Gout. I used to have a bad diet and was quite overweight and because of this I developed Gout in my toe joints. The pain when it happens is very uncomfortable. When I first felt the pain I went to the doctors thinking that I had broken my toe but when the doctor examined my foot he told me that I had developed Gout. He asked me about the food that I ate as part of my diet and about what drinks I had regularly and after listening to my list he told me that the foods that I was eating and drinks that I drank were probably the cause of my Gout. He also told me that because I was overweight this was likely to be a cause of it too but because I was overweight because of my diet I was told to change what I ate and drank to see if this stopped the Gout from occurring.
The changes that I made to my diet worked in stopping the Gout because after a few months of my new diet the Gout stopped coming back and hasn’t returned since. I also have lost weight because of the diet change and so feel more confident and happy with myself which is an added bonus!
If you suffer from Gout I recommend that you make the changes that I did to see if it works for you before you try any drugs that your doctor can prescribe. From what I have heard from other people that suffered from Gout is that the change of diet is the most common way to stop it from coming back, not taking drugs.
The main change that you need to make to your diet to stop the Gout coming back is to reduce the foods that you eat that contain uric acid. Having too much uric acid in your body is what causes Gout because when there is too much it crystallises and sticks to joints and tendons causing the swelling and pain that are symptoms of Gout.
The main things to cut down on that contain uric acid are: alcohol, fructose in drinks so most fizzy drinks unless they are diet or sugar free, some dried peas and beans, some oily fish like anchovies, sardines, mackerel and trout, some vegetables like asparagus, mushrooms and cauliflower, fatty foods and fried foods (but still eat those containing necessary fats like tuna and nuts), some meats like kidneys, hearts, venison, poultry like turkey and chicken and some carbohydrates.
The list isn’t completely accurate they are just suggestions of what foods have been found most likely to cause Gout because they contain uric acid. You mainly need to adjust your diet and find out what foods most affect you through trial and error.