Shopping List for Gout

A diet to lower uric acid levels, along with medications prescribed by your doctor, makes gout one of the most controllable forms of arthritis.

While you should always discuss the merits and drawbacks of specific foods with your doctor, use this shopping checklist as a general guide to food choices to improve your overall health, lower uric acid levels, and reduce your risk of painful gout attacks.

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Skim milk

• Low-fat dairy products (yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese)
• Whole-grain products (look for the Whole Grain stamp or check product labels for ingredients such as “whole wheat flour.”)
• Plant oils (olive, canola, sunflower)
• Vegetables
• Cherries
• Vitamin C supplements (One study showed that 500 mg or more per day decreased gout incidence in men.)
• Coffee (if you drink it)
• Water bottles (good for always having water handy, but tap water is fine, too)

Pass Up

• Red meat and organ meats (liver, tongue and sweetbreads)
• Shellfish such as shrimp and lobster
• Refined carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, pasta, sugar)
• Processed foods (chips, snack foods, frozen dinners)
• Sugary beverages
• Alcohol (If you drink, limit it to no more than one alcoholic drink for women and two for men within 24 hours.)