How to Prevent Gout

Gout can come on suddenly after hiding in your body for years without you even knowing it. The uric acid that causes gout can build up in your blood stream without any symptoms and then one night you wake up in pain. There are some good gout prevention tips that can help you prevent the attacks from coming on or ease them if they do happen.

• Eat a healthy diet – If you are at risk for gout or suffer from gout, you need to eat a healthy diet and eat the proper foods that can decrease your risk. It is also important to eliminate those foods that can increase uric acid levels such as; red meat, sardines, gravies, and organ meats.
• Increase your water intake – Drinking more water is not only good for your health, but it can help your body flush out the excess uric acid from your system. It will also help to protect your kidneys from the high levels of uric acid, which could be damaging.
• Quit or cut back on alcohol – Some types of alcohol like; beer can increase uric acid levels. If you need to have a drink, try to limit yourself to 5 ounces of wine on occasion.
• Get your exercise – Gout may be painful so try to exercise as much as you can tolerate. Even some slow gentle stretches or walking can help keep your joints from getting too stiff. Regular exercise can even decrease your gout risk.
• Increase fruits and vegetables in your diet – Adding ½ pound of fresh cherries each day can help decrease inflammation in your body naturally. Vitamin C can naturally break down uric acid in the bloodstream and strengthen your immune system. Eating more vegetables than meat can reduce the purines you get with meals and help keep your weight stable.
• Lose extra pounds – Being overweight not only increases your risk of getting gout, it puts added strain on your joints if you do get gout. Extra pounds also put you at risk for other health issues like; diabetes and heart disease.

The helpful gout prevention tips above can lower your risk of ever getting gout in the first place, or if you do suffer from a gout attack they can help reduce your discomfort. There is never any guarantee that you won’t ever get gout, but education and prevention practices will help you understand it and feel better!